Fixing the Past

Chapter 2

The family was at dinner, the night after the proposal. It failed, much to the family's dismay. (Sans Mirabel, Isabela, Dolores and Antonio. Mirabel knew Isabela didn't wanna marry Mariano and Dolores likes him. Antonio was happy if Mirabel was happy.)

The air was tense. Really tense. You could take a knife through the air and it would be difficult. While everyone was sitting down, Antonio came into the room on his jaguar.

"Mirabel! Look!" He exclaimed, hopping down and walking over to his favorite prima.

"I drew a picture!" He showed it Mirabel.

It was him, her and Bruno riding his jaguar. Bruno had his hood on, so no one recognized him in drawing form. Mirabel smiled, ruffling his curls.

"It looks wonderful primo, I'll be sure to hang it up." She sat back down, in front of her food. "Now, go sit down in your seat, and maybe we can play when your done!" Mirabel winked at him, hoping to lift the tense room.

"Ok Mamí!" He said happily, rushing over to his seat.

The whole room, FROZE. If the atmosphere was thick before, it just got unbelievably thicker. A loud thunder storm was over Pepa, who was staring directly at Mirabel.

"A-Antonio, hijo..." She muttered, her sharp, angry, jealous gaze not leaving Mirabel's scared one. "Did you mean to call her...prima?"

Antonio looked at his mother innocently. "Nope! You're Mamá, and she's Mamí!" He smiled.

Pepa snapped. The wind picked up, and she screamed.

"MIRABEL MADRIGAL." She stomped over to the 15 year old, who backed away. Casita launched a chair between them. "How dare you! How dare you!" She seethed.

"T-T-Tía, I...I didn't mean it, I didn't know he..." Mirabel whimpered.

"Mamá, stop! Your gonna hurt her!" Antonio said. Felix pulled Antonio back, who in return started kicking and screaming.

"You ruin everything!" Pepa went on, hail coming onto her and Mirabel. "You stole him from me, you have NO right!"

"Pepa! Don't talk to my daughter like that!" Julieta jumped in.

Pepa snapped her head towards Julieta. "How would you feel if one of your children called your sobrina Mamí," she snapped.

"Silence!" Abuela cut in. Both backed away, Mirabel still behind the chair. Abuela's cold and heartless gaze shifted to Mirabel.

"Mirabel. I think it's best you turn in." She said simply.

"But I-" Mirabel was cut off again when Alma made a swift movement with her hand.

"No! First, you ruin the proposal. Then you send Luisa's gift in to a fit, Isabela is out of control, and now, you have the audacity to brainwash Antonio into thinking he's your son? Unacceptable." She continued. "I don't know why you didn't get a gift, but it is not an excuse for you to hurt this family!" Alma yelled.

Mirabel teared up. She couldn't do this anymore. "I will never be good enough, will I?" She muttered, staring at the tiles below. "I do all I can for this family, and I don't ask for anything except love. But I can't even get that can I?" She looked up, glasses crooked and eyes getting puffy.

Antonio was still kicking and crying against his father, saying he wanted Mirabel.

"I RAISED Antonio. You all were too busy to look after him. Tia Pepa and Tio Felix dumped him on me when I was 10. 10! I raised him like he was my own! Because he basically was! All day, for 5 YEARS, he was with me. Do you know how many countless nights I was up with him, feeding him, changing him? Huh?" She snapped. The family flinched. "I taught him to walk! Did you know that? And news flash, his first word wasn't 'mama'.It was my name."