Last part of casita kicks everyone out! We made it!
To say Alma was frustrated was an understatement. She just couldn’t understand! Mirabel kicked the entire family out of their own home, and they’re all siding with her? They’re apologizing to her? Every day more madrigals went out of their temporary home, and didn’t come back. More and more until it was just pepa and felix. But even then it didn’t take that long for them to knock on Alma’s door, saying they were going back to casita. So alma was left alone. In a house that isn’t even hers. She really just couldn’t understand her family. The woman stared out the window. For the first time in years the town looked stagnant. Usually everyone was out working, talking, and playing, but everything seemed empty. Alma couldn’t help thinking once again that it’s all mirabels fault. The town needed the madrigals! It’s not mirabels place to harm the community like this because her feelings were hurt. A small knock interrupted Alma’s brooding. “Abuela? I just wanted to check on you.” Dolores cracked open the door. “I’m perfectly fine Dolores.” Her tone betrayed her words plainly. “Are you still blaming mirabel? Even though you’re the only one left here?” Dolores’s question was met with silence. “Even without us telling you, you should know that you’re able to come back and work things out with her if you just try.” Alma furrowed her brows. “Work things out? This is just happening because mirabel is being selfish. The casita does not belong to her.” Dolores sighed. She had hoped that her abuela was reflecting on how she treated mirabel when she locked herself in her room. Turns out she was just festering. “It’s not selfish to wish for your family to love and understand you.” The door clicked and alma was left alone again.
Her anger didn’t subside. She’s done everything the could for the madrigals and everyone within the encanto. She’s done nothing wrong! Alma huffed as she grabbed the doorknob, finally stepping out of the small house.
“You’re alright!” The first villager who saw her greeted her with relief. “I was getting worried since we haven’t seen you since back then…” the man’s voice faded to a whisper, being careful not to upset the woman. “I was in a state of shock for a while.” Alma admitted, shaking off the comments. “I hope you all haven’t been having a hard time while the madrigals are in disarray.” The villager shook his head. “Not at all! It’s been a little tense, but nothing we can’t handle. This past week has actually been… enlightening.” A woman, who had been cleaning off her porch a house over laughed. “Really enlightening! A single day without Luisa and Julieta and we don’t know what to do with ourselves.” The woman jabbed. Alma turned to the cynical woman. “It was that bad?” The man huffed as the woman nodded, leaning over the railing. “I mean we can live a few days without the others since we can find other ways to do the jobs but Luisa’s the only one who can move a house. And apparently the babies around here can’t seem to live with a little cold or scrape. No sense of independence.” Alma held onto her clothing with a newly furrowed brow. Her family was continuing not to help the community? But- “I don’t think we can complain though. For what little I’ve seen of them this week, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so happy. When I brought my kid to julieta after he broke his leg, they were all laughing together. I even saw Bruno.” The man crossed his arms. “Ah… yeah. We can handle a little inconvenience if those kids can have some time for themselves.” Alma bit her tongue and nodded along with the conversation. There’s no way things were that much better… the madrigals were perfectly content before. There was no shortage of smiles and no complaints. And brunito… Alma turned to continue roaming the streets.
Everywhere she went the story seemed the same. The madrigals thriving, and the townspeople supporting them. And it all made alma even more bitter. This felt like the family making more jabs at her. Like they were calling her the bad guy, saying she was a bad matriarch. She stopped at a small startled sound as she spotted a certain nieto duck behind a building. “Camilo?” She called, creeping towards the hiding spot. “…Hi, abuela…” he was less than enthusiastic in his greeting. In fact he was nervous. “I was just… mingling… checking on the village and such…” Alma crossed her arms indignantly. “At least someone in this family remembers their obligations. Really, the rest of the madrigals just left the town to rot-” “um…” Alma snapped her head back to the boy. Regardless, he began to speak. “I think they deserve a break. I’m here because I want to be… and I’m not really doing anything to help around… we just wanted time to recover…” “recover? The village needs to recover, Mirabel selfishly stole the miracle-” Camilo cut her off again. “I think you are the one being selfish right now.” He stepped back, preparing himself for one of her hard glares, but instead received a hurt look. “…what?” Camilo softened his tone again but stayed firm in his words. “We all just need a break. Taking a week to not work isn’t abandoning the town.” His abuela stared at him again. She supposed her choice of wording for the situation was a bit harsh but… “Um… abuela I need to ask… since we’re here…” Camilo became more reserved as he prepared his question. This had become an unfamiliar sight since his gift ceremony. “You isolated mirabel back then… didn’t you?” Alma reeled back at the accusation. “How dare-” “I remember how you told me to stay away from her, then reeled my mom into allowing me to work when I didn’t listen… I’m not the only one either… Isabella said you would insinuate that mirabel was a burden and that you made sure they didn’t like each other. Luisa said you always dragged Mirabel away so she could focus… even Dolores said you kept them separate, even from casual conversation.” Camilo listed the complaints one after the other, a look of remorse on his face for the lost time with his family. “Did you hate her that much? For not having a gift?” Alma stood shocked. Her mouth moved but no words were formed. Hate? She just didn’t want her distracting the important work of the madrigals. They needed to serve the community and mirabel couldn’t so-
So what? Even a normal person could do mediocre tasks, so why did mirabel need to stay away from work? Seeing that he wouldn’t get an answer from his abuela, Camilo turned to leave. “…it hurt not having her around you know… maybe mirabel isn’t the only one you need to apologize to.”
Alma was left by herself again, this time with bitter questions. Did she really hate mirabel? No that wasn’t it… was she so focused on the gifts that she isolated the girl without reason? But it was for the community wasn’t it? The miracle? What did she do all those things for when it wasn’t helping the community? Alma eventually began to walk again. Through the streets, and the beaten paths. She truly had no idea about the past, but that didn’t affect right now did it? Mirabel stole the miracle and the casita, she’s in the wrong, she’s the selfish one right now. But would this have happened if you’d treated her well? Like a beloved grandchild instead of… Alma stopped again. What did she think mirabel was? She was her grandchild but… it was different from the rest of the children. Maybe she thought of her as a nuisance, or maybe a child who would tire themselves out…Cawing from a birds nest drew her attention. Oh… maybe she saw mirabel as a frail baby bird. One who didn’t fly when pushed from the nest. A baby bird who would die off soon anyways without the ability to fly, so why bother?
The idea that Alma was wrong hurt her pride, and the more she reflected on her actions, the more she hurt. At the very least, weren’t some of the accusations thrown at her overblown? Sure she wasn’t a good abuela, but she didn’t deserve the look she got from Camilo… she didn’t deserve to get kicked out of her own home… she… “stop that.” Alma whipped her head around to her eldest grandchild. “Isabella…” “you were trying to find another way to justify yourself again. You’ll do anything but apologize.” Isabell stared down her abuela with crossed arms. She had come when Dolores and Camilo mentioned that Alma had finally gone out. Initially she only meant to peek, but frustration took over seeing the remorse fade from the woman’s face. “Do you realize the extent of the damage done to the family you caused, long before mirabel was even born? Do you realize how antagonistic you would be to anyone who didn’t fit a mold that was useful?” Alma stared in stunned silence as Isabella let her anger show without restraint. This confrontation was awful, because out of everyone, they treated others the worst. Isabella was made into a mini Alma, and she hated knowing that. “Did you ever stop to think that the cracks, the loss of power, even your loss of control over your family, was because of the things you’ve done?” Alma clenched the fabric of her skirt but kept listening. “I can spell it out for you if you want.” “Stop…” Alma muttered. “Your children are crushed by the burden of your expectations,” “stop.” Alma repeated, fists shaking. “I almost married someone i don’t love to keep up your perfect image of me, Luisa was being crushed by so much responsibility she could barely sleep, Dolores-” “please stop!” “Dolores never had peace, and was made to give out others secrets. Camilo was never able to live as himself for very long” “I’m begging you, stop!” Tears welled up in Alma’s eyes. “And we’ve talked more than enough about the horrible life mirabel lived because of you.” Alma was brought to silence again, this time because she couldn’t fight the tears, or the admission of her faults. “…I would think again about giving a heartfelt apology, but not just to mirabel.” Having evidently said what she’s been wanting not say for a while, Isabella retreated back towards casita, leaving Alma to wallow.
Alma began walking the opposite direction, away from casita, away from the community, and toward the mountains. She continued following a path through the mountains, untouched by anything other than plant life, and found a place she had never had the chance to confront. Or really, she never wanted to try. But there was also someone else, someone she was actively trying to avoid. “Mirabel?” The teen whipped around before fumbling to hide behind something, most likely afraid of being yelled at. Alma had no will or energy for that anymore though. Instead she sat by the river side and patted the spot next to her, mirabel hesitantly kneeling there a moment later.
Eventually alma forced herself to speak, still reserved by a newly recognized prejudice against mirabel. “It has occurred to me in the last few days… through some… necessary conversation amongst the towns people and some grandchildren, that I…” Alma sighed in self defeat, hating the hesitance and stutter in her voice. “That I have not been very fair to you as a member of our family, and that I have never taken the opportunity to really understand any of you… or allow you to understand me.” Mirabels eyes seemed wide. Was she admitting she was wrong? Alma gently took mirabels hands, not daring to look at her face. “…I was young when I married your abeulo, and just as young when I hand your mami and pepa and Bruno. Just as young when we fled our home and when I was left alone with just my three children and the miracle. After he died… I was so afraid. I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else suffering like I did. I thought that of our family was strong, if we worked hard for others… We could keep what we had left safe. But I realize now that I was wrong… I have done nothing but destroy what I wanted to protect. I’m… I’m so sorry…” Alma shuttered at drops hitting the tops of her hands. Tears. Mirabels tears. “I… my one wish for so long was to be recognized by you. To be loved by you… I think that was everyone’s wish… but you were… all this time…” mirabel sobbed and pulled her hands away. “I let my emotions waver for too long, and I purposely hurt you the most… ignoring you, isolating you…” mirabel shook her head at Alma’s words. “Please… can we try to be a loving family… i… I just want everyone to feel better… to feel…” Alma took mirabels hands again and gently pulled her to stand. “Let’s go back together. I’ll offer each and every one of you an apology…”
As they returned, mirabels door was depicted with pure joy and love. The image of the house seemed to move energetically, figures and decorations popping in and out of windows, or swaying on a balcony.
I’m so sorry this last part literally took months. It’s been 80% finished for a while but Im in a competitive art and have a job and stuff and I was just kinda anti thought in my free time. I hope this was a somewhat good ending though.
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