Fixing the Past

Chapter 9

Meanwhile with Agustín, Félix and Bruno...

Bruno was being dragged away from Casita by his two brother-in-laws. Despite being confused, he couldn't help but be excited. He wondered, where were they going?

"H-Hey, Félix? Agustín? Where are we going?" Bruno asked, jogging to keep up with the two men in front of him.

"To the market! We're gonna buy you some stuff!" Félix smiled at his younger hermano. Bruno perked up, hope in his eyes, with maybe a glint of fear of rejection.

"Really? Just for me?" He said, staring at his brothers.

"Of course! We've actually always wanted to take you out with us but..." Félix paused, as if trying to rearrange something in his head. "Anyway, let's head out to the shops before it gets busy!" He continued to drag Bruno along before he could question his hesitation.

"We've actually been meaning times take you out with us for a while. We've just never found the time and after you-" as Agustín was about to finish his sentence, he saw Félix in his peripheral gesturing him to stop and to not bring up the topic. "You- didn't...uh..." Agustín scratched the back of his neck.

"You were just very busy or weren't in the mood. But now you have time and we're gonna take advantage of it! Let's go!" Félix whisked Bruno off to a shop, ignoring his protests. Agustín visibly relaxed, thankful his brother in law got him out of that conversation. That was a can of worms he didn't want to open.

They ended up in a store that had various clothes choices. The store was owned by one of the seamstresses in the village, who was very well known for her selection in male clothing choices.

"¡Hola Señora Valeria! We're back!" Agustín called out. After a moment, a short middle aged woman came from behind the curtain behind the counter. She was shorter than Félix, but taller than Bruno. She had dark brown hair with stray gray hairs. Her outfit consisted of a fairly simply designed La Pollera Colora. Her sandals were a warm yellow color, and she wore a light poncho on her shoulders.

"Ah, Agustín! Oh, and Félix too. And is this Bruno?" She walked around the counter, hugging the 2 warmly before turning to Bruno. "Buenas tardes Bruno! It's been quite a while huh? And it looks like you've gotten a bit younger, haha," she jokingly bumped into him. Bruno laughed quietly.

"Buenas Tardes Valeria. It indeed has been a while, i-it's nice to see you," Bruno replied with a small smile. He liked Valeria, as she was one of the few people who wasn't always wary of him and genuinely liked hanging out with him. She was stern but sweet, he could see why her husband, Senor Felipe married her.
"Well, are you here to pick up your order? Maybe shop around a bit?" the woman asked, going back around the counter and digging through some clothes.

"Order?" Bruno turned his head curiously. "But I never ordered anything?"

"Ah, that was me," Agustín walked up to the counter. Valeria smiled while handing him a green cloth. He turned around facing Bruno, who still hadn't picked up on the situation. Félix snickered at his obliviousness. He may have seen the future, but sometimes he was as clueless as ever.

Bruno slowly took the clothing from his hand. Unfolding it, he held it at arms length and took in the features.

It was a green ruana, much like the one he was wearing but much more pristine looking and was a bit longer. The green shade was dark, but it made the light green designs pop. The designs themselves were amazing. On the back of the ruana, there was a particularly large hourglass; it took up most of the back. Along the hem and seams were little stars and lines. He turned it around to the front, and much like the one he was wearing, there were hourglasses lining the sides. The only difference was there were little gray rats along the bottom, seemingly dancing.