Fixing the Past

Chapter 8

As lunch was being served, Pepa thought about what they should do. She knew Mirabel hadn't remembered their little...argument from the day before. And Antonio, her little Toñito.

"He'll be happy with anything as log as Mirabel is involved..." She mumbled to herself, putting a spoonful of soup in her mouth.

She tried to think back. What was one thing her and Mirabel enjoyed before Antonio, before her ceremony?

She remembered Mirabel had asked her to teach her how to sew, but Mirabel does that all the time. Pepa perked up, the sun shining a bit brighter.

Making jewelry! That's it! She and her sobrina would take her craft basket out to the backyard and make tons of bracelets and necklaces and bands. They could do that!

Pepa smiled at the thought. And her little Tonio could still help too, he loved picking out colors and saying them.

As breakfast finished up, Peps pulled Mirabel to the side, grabbing Antonio as well. She watched as Felíx and Agustín whisked Bruno off, and the other emmbers went off to do whatever they had planned.

"Are you ready Mirabel?" Pepa smiled at his sobrina.

"U-Uh..Sí! Sí! I am!" Mirabel visibly brightened. It broke Pepa's heart that it took so little to make the girl happy.

Pepa shook her head, shooing the cloud above her head away. She yanked Mirabel along, Antonio giggling with excitement.

In the backyard, Mirabel was sitting on a blanket, playing with Antonio. Pepa came outside with a small weave basket, smiling.

"Ok! I found the craft supplies!" She said, settig down the basket and sitting next to Mirabel. She picked up Antonio and nuzzeled into him, giggles worrying from the infant.

"Craft basket?" Mirabel looked at her tía curiously. "Why do we need that?"

Pepa stopped playing with Antonio and looked at Mirabel, her heart breaking all over again.

Didn't they use to make jewelry all the time? Had she forgotten? Or rather... had Pepa pushed her away each time Mirabel had asked?

"Tía Pepa?" Mabel leaned forward, looking at Pepa innocently.

Pepa shook herself out of her thoughts, smiling brightly at Mirabel. "To make jewelry of course!"

Mirabel sat up and smile brightly. "Really?! Y-You mean it?" She bounced in her spot.

Pepa say Antonio down, giving him a toy to distract himself. "Yup! Now, what colors should we use..."

The mention of colors caught Antonio's attention.

He crawled to where is mamá was and picked up a yellow bead. "Yellow!" He yelled, but his tounge rolled off of his gums, so it sounded more like "Lello".

Pepa smiled and picked up her son. "You wanna use yellow?" She said kissing his forehead. Mirabel giggled.

"He loves to say the colors, its one of his favorite things to do besides lookung at animal picture books." Mirabel picked uo some blue and white beads.

"Really? I knew he like animals but I didn't know my smart little boy loved colors too!" Pepa threw Antonio up and caught him.

Antonio laughed loudly, looking at his mother. "Mamí! Yellow!" He pointed at his mothers dress and clapped.

Pepa's eyes welled up. It was one of the few times he had acknowledged her as "Mamí" and not some ambiguous baby sound. She squeezed Antonio, praising him.

Mirabel clapped her hands as well, spouting compliments.

Antonio turned and faced Mirabel pointing at her. "Mibel! Blue!"