Bruno's Daughter

Chapter 37

Kristi's POV:

 I wiped my father's tears away with the blanket. "I-I just...I can't help it....I've always felt this way....I've always been an outsider, Kristi..." papa said quietly, looking down.

 "I know, papa, I know...But you aren't anymore. You don't have to be....Papa, Papi Juan was right. You are a gift. A blessing. I know you still doubt yourself...And there may be times you still have doubts...But I'm going to tell you right here, right now, that those doubts are all wrong! They aren't the real you. The way you see yourself, the way the people saw you, that was not the real you...."

 "If that isn't the real me, then I don't know what is...I've spent 45 years in darkness, Kristi. I don't think there's a way to change that..."

 "You said I was your light in the darkness. That mama and papi were the lights in the darkness. I know you feel lost, but you keep hanging in there, papa...You have a lot of people who love you and want to help bring you back into the light...That day when I yelled at you...I forgot about a nightmare I'd seen you have after you left...I'd forgotten about the vision I found...Papa, I never meant any of that...You have always been my hero. You have always made feel strong..."

 "You make me feel stronger than I really am, Kristi...Strength was never one of my strong points...Making me more of an outcast..." he sighed heavily.

 "Papa, please, believe me...You're special and so very loved by a lot of people! A lot of people would miss you if you died...I'd be devastated...You have touched the lives of so many people in the Encanto, papa. Your family's, the people, mama, papi, Andres, and even mine. You are a small part of what keeps this Encanto alive and strong. Without you, it just wouldn't be the same..." Papa looked up at me with wide eyes. Tears still rolled down his cheeks. "I am proud to be your daughter. Papi and mama, they wouldn't just be proud of me. They would be proud of you too, papa. But they would be sad to see how much you're hurting....You didn't cause their death...You aren't the cause of the bad things that happen....You're only the messenger. I know it isn't fair the way you have been treated. And, if I'd have known, understood, and was bigger and stronger when I was little, I would've given them a piece of my mind!"

 Papa laughed at my words. I smiled. I loved hearing my papa laugh. "Oh, my little angel..." he smiled at me. 

"You've been hurt all your life, papa...You stopped believing in yourself...But you found hope in Juan and Carmen Lorenzo. You found hope in me. Now, I'm asking you, to find that hope once more. But this time, I don't just mean the hope in your best friends or in me. I mean, dig down deep inside you and find that hope I know is there. Find the courage I know you have to believe in yourself, papa!"

 "How can you possibly know I have any courage left after all these years...?" he asked in a quiet tone.

 I sighed shaking my head. "Because I grew up knowing the real you. I grew up as Bruno's Daughter. I saw you were nervous and timid. But, you were also kind, gentle, compassionate, and loving. You were caring, and strong in your own way. When it counted most, your strength came, even if you never saw it. But I did. I only knew you for eight years before you left. But, even as a little child who didn't even know her abc's, I still understood who you were. You want to know who you are? You are Bruno Madrigal. You are a son, a brother, an uncle, and, most of all, you are a father. That is the real you. The real you isn't some guy that sees the future and makes bad things happen. Seeing the future, it's only a tiny part of who you are."

 "But Kristi-"

 "No, papa. Look back at all the visions you've had. Yes, some are bad. But look at how some of them helped people! You helped save the miracle....Without you, Mirabel wouldn't have known what to do....The house probably would have crashed and-and...you might be gone right now...Without that vision I saw in your room, I'm not sure I would have gotten the message in time..."

 "Perhaps...But you are a smart young woman, Kristi. You had Andres and Delores. You would've figured it out....Somehow..."

 "Yea. After your death." I stated, my hands on my hips, looking at him sternly. He sighed, knowing I was right. "Papa, I can't make you believe me. I can't make you listen to me. I can only tell you everything I know and hope you listen and believe the words I'm telling you. Your visions of the future are warnings. They aren't set in stone, some of them. If the people really cared about their future, they'd do something about it. Change their ways and it'd be different. You can't change people. You can't control their reactions. You can only warn them and hope for the best. If they take it the wrong way, that's their problem. Don't let their words get to you. Don't believe them, papa. They are wrong!"

 Papa looked at me intently. "Do you really believe all this....?"

 "Yes, papa....I do....I know there is more to you than you grew up believing...." I told him, giving him a small smile.

 Papa gave me a sad smile. "Your parents used to say the same thing...I just...wasn't sure if I could believe them...."

 "Give it a chance, papa...Try..." I said softly. "You can't go live in the light after so many years of living in the dark in one day. It takes time...But your familia, and your daughter, will be right here with you every step of the way...Helping you through it all..."

 Papa smiled at me. "I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful daughter..." he shook his head. I smiled and hugged him tight.

 "I love you, papa...."

 "I love you too, Kristi, my daughter....Thank you...."

 We finally did go down to breakfast. Delores, I could tell, was half asleep during it. But, I could also see she was happy. Happy papa was alright, and, happy she and Mariano had had a good time together last night. I was glad she hadn't been caught. But, honestly, most of all, I'm glad I was able to give papa some hope. I hope it lasts and I hope he can start believing in himself again someday...