Strangling Vines

Chapter 2: Distant Memories

The sun was still visible on the horizon, Isabela sat on part of Casita’s unfinished foundation gazing at the orange and pinkish sky above the village. Her body drained of the energy she had that morning, she let her mind wander wherever it wanted to until a familiar voice sounded behind her. 

“We worked hard today.” 

The voice commented before she looked back to see Maya, her deep pink skirt sprinkled with debris that matched her coily black hair. 

“Yeah, I know we’ve said it a million times but thank you for helping us rebuild our home.” 

Isabela emphasized as Maya sat beside her. No amount of thanks would be enough to express their appreciation for the town stepping up to rebuild Casita. She still wondered if it was out of genuine care or if they were doing it just so they could get back to relying on them for simple tasks.

The Encanto had grown complacent, too comfortable in their dependence and the family gave them what they wanted without complaints. The point of the miracle was to strengthen the community, as the years passed though, it felt like more of an excuse to pressure the Madrigals to become hardened machines that did everything right or else the village would destroy itself from the inside out. Maya smiled softly, watching the rest of the family walk back to the Sandrias house. 

“Really, it’s nothing. You work yourselves to the bone, it’s about time we work together for you.” 

They both shared a soft smirk in agreement. Though the village did rely on their gifts, there were a few families that did their parts of course. The Sandrias family was just one of many that came to the town after their home was invaded, Maya’s grandparents knew how important a community with a strong backbone was to everyone. The two young women looked at a thin woman around their age with her curly hair tied in a red headwrap walking alongside a gentleman. 

“Your prima looks happy.” 

Isabela smiled softly, admiring the spark that continued to grow between them. The way they looked at each other was unlike anything Isabela could experience with the most handsome man in the Encanto and genuinely, she was elated for them. 

“She got what she wanted.” 

Noticing how truthful her tone was, Maya’s expression changed to mild incertitude which didn’t surprise her. Mariano was one of the excuses that lead Isabela to draw away from what her and Maya could have been. She tricked herself into believing she loved him though that lasted only a few months, leaving him to be a shield from her true aspirations. Maya spoke reluctantly, 

“I could tell you weren’t in love with him.” 

Her chest twisted in defense, embarrassed that someone would even suspect the truth but grateful. If Isabela was the master at faking, Maya was the head of creating bizarre mixtures of emotions. 

“How?” 

Maya snickered at her curiosity, as though it was a ridiculous question. It was, Isabela already had her answer in mind. 

“Come on Isa... You never looked him in the eye and every time he gave you a present, you looked like you wanted to throw up and die.” 

They shared a soft chuckle, knowing it was true. The fake smiles and forced kisses were a strain to keep afloat, especially when the man was so in love, he was oblivious to her disinterest. There were so many times alone with Mariano where she wanted to scream that she didn’t love him at the top of her lungs but even if she did, she never had a solid reason as to why besides him “not being her type.” She was confused about why exactly she couldn’t love him. He was hard-working, romantic, physically attractive, and even if he could be a bit air-headed, he had a kind heart. He was perfect and so was she and it felt more claustrophobic than ever before. Isabela bit her lip nervously as her mind kept pushing her to ask about a distant memory that still brought back a whirlwind of hurt. 

“Is he the reason you left the party?” 

Her heart pounded as Maya’s expression changed again to recollection. She remembered seeing her at her eighteenth birthday, deliberately avoiding her while feeling waves of shame. Alma was so happy to see her dance with Mariano after he gave her a bottle of aguardiente and a poem. She remembered looking for Maya after dinner only to find her gone then, going after her outside just for them to fight and never talk to each other again. 

“I told you... I thought you didn’t need me.” 

The woman repeated the same first words she stated when Isabela asked her why she was leaving. It was true, she didn’t need her, but she desperately wanted her. She would never allow herself to have her, no one told her how it felt to be a girl in love with a girl. All she knew was how absurd it had to be if no one even hinted at the idea. It went against everything her family wanted from her and she did not want to become the next family member to be shunned. 

“But I wanted you...” 

She confessed, her voice growing softer than before. Regret rose in her chest recalling the harsh words they spat at each other in anger. How she blamed Maya for leaving, not waiting until everyone left so they could dance and how Maya proclaimed how disingenuous and selfish Isabela was. 

“Under all those roses, I thought I would find a real person.” 

Those words swirled in her head for an eternity it seemed. She wanted to show her that she was genuine, under that masked perfection she was just any other person. Though Maya made her feel free, she couldn’t free herself. It was too soon, and it came with too many risks, it still did after all that time. She was remorseful for how avoidant she had been and how Maya had to see the worst of her at that party. 

“I’ve seen the way you talk to your hermanita like mierda de perro. As if she doesn’t have it hard enough.” 

It took her until age twenty-one to really understand what Maya meant by that. For years, she projected all negative emotion on an innocent, well-meaning Mirabel. The sister she assumed had an easier ride in the family because of her lack of a gift only to find out that, like her, Mirabel had pressures too and felt inadequate for not meeting lofty standards. Knowing this made Isabela hate herself than she ever did while being the “golden child.” She needed to be a better sister, daughter, and overall human being. 

After moments of silence, she questioned, 

“So, are you with anyone?” 

Isabela’s curiosity was tinged with mixed hope that Maya wasn’t in love with someone else, but if she was, whoever she was with, better love her like she was the only woman in the world. The way Maya looked at her quickly broke her hope. 

“I was. We broke up about two months ago.” 

She replied, grieving the past she had with someone else. Isabela hated to pry; they were already having a rough conversation. She simply muttered “I’m sorry.” until Maya decided to continue. 

“Thank you. We kind of drifted apart.” 

She confessed joylessly, playing with the ruffles of her skirt. There were so many things Isabela wanted to ask but couldn’t. Wondering if given the choice, would Maya give her a second chance. If she showed her that she was trying to better herself, would she be able to win back her trust. She knew Maya needed time to heal and both could do that together, even as a friendship. Through the quiet, they looked off into the village and noticed some of the Madrigal and Sandrias family still waiting for them. 

“Well, we should head back before our families decide we’re not worth waiting for dinner.” 

Maya smirked jokingly, grasping Isabela’s hand as they both stood up. Isabela felt her cheeks warm up the same way they did those years ago. Her hands were just as gentle and so was her smile. The sun set reflected on her dark skin like golden beams of warmth, and in an instant It was as if they were transported back to the past as they walked to the Sandrias residence. 

Translations:
"mierda de perro"- dogshit