The Lost Miracle

Chapter 31: La pequeña boda perfecta

Alma smiled at Abuela Maria. "What a perfect little wedding..." Maria commented. Alma grinned as the townspeople scurried around the front of Mirabel's house. The ceremony would be held in front of her- now their house, and the reception would take place throughout town. "I'll go make sure that Emilio and Ramos aren't ruining Alejandro's suit." Alma gave Maria a polite alright and smiled until Maria shut the door behind her. She turned around and marched to Antonio.

"Aye, Antonito..." She looked down at the boy who was dirtied from the soil beneath him. The budding blossom in his hand was roughly held, clearly not having been cared for properly. Not to mention the fact that it was a bud and not an already bloomed flower. The wedding was in only two days! Alma pressed her lips together to resist a sigh. "Go get more flowers- remember, azul y rosado-"

"I know abuela," he said in a monotone voice. He dropped the spade shovel in his hand as he stood up and turned around before stomping away- at least he tried to stomp away.

"Stop!" Abuela ordered. Antonio hesitated in his tracks, not stopping at his Abuela's order, but hesitating, debating whether he should do what she told him, or if he should continue to walk. He decided to just stop, turning around to face his abuela. Her face was stern, her eyes cold. Not harsh or furious, but simply somber. "How long has it been since Mirabel came back to us?" Antonio looked down, knowing where this conversation would go.

"...Two months..." He shyly looked down.

"Exactly." She said. "Two entire months. Have you apologized to her?" Antonio looked up, slightly flinching his body towards her as he did.

"I've been trying, but all she does is avoid me!" Antonio argued.

"And for good reason!" Alma said. "Mi niño, yo te amo, but you need to work harder on this! I've only ever asked you to apologize to your cousin, it's what everyone wants! What you did was wonderful, I'll tell you the truth. If it wasn't for you I never would have been able to apologize, but it was still a cruel thing to do."

"But if it was good, why do I have to apologize?" He asked. "No one is telling Mirabel to apologize to us!" Alma blinked.

"Why would she need to do that?" Antonio looked at his grandmother as if she had asked him a question when the answer was right in front of her.

"She left us!" Antonio almost exclaimed, only holding his volume back when he noticed a group of townspeople walking down the road in front of them. "We never told her to leave- she left on her own terms!" He looked down, his voice weighing down with his sorrow. "My best friend left- we couldn't talk about her for years- and now we're all acting like everything is fine but it- it's not!" He sighed and Alma looked at her grandson, finally understanding.

He missed his best friend. He was sad. He was hurt. She knew her grandson was young when it had all occurred, but it never occurred to her how horrible it was for a five year old to have his best friend disappear from the face of the earth and then show up out of the blue. Julieta was consumed by her grayness, depression clawing at her each day ever since those ten years ago. Isabela was remorseful, her new hue of sapphire wrapping around her for ten years. Antonio was angered, red fire growing as each year passed, until it finally had a chance to burst in the worst way. But this was not the time for the fire to ignite.

"Tonito," she began, calling him by a name he had not been called for quite some time. "I'm sorry you feel this way and I'm sorry we never took time to ask you how you feel- but please, if you have any love for me- and for your prima-" She took his hands into hers with an inhale. "Please, just be kind to her and try to keep the peace. I'll be sure to check on you, but this-" she gestured to the setting, the flowers, the house, the smells of delectable foods floating through the air. "-is not about you. This is for Mirabel. It's about Mirabel." She let go of his hands. "Now, go get those flowers, I'll take over." She said Antonio did as he was told, not mentioning the future bride to be passing by him towards their Abuela.

•••

"Maybe you should leave the decorating to..." Mirabel began to say awkwardly. "Someone else..?" Alma looked up at her nieta.

"Oh no," she tried to get up and dust the dirt off of herself. "I- ah-" Mirabel grabbed her arm and helped her up.

"Abuela, I appreciate this, but I don't want you getting hurt." She said, "Give me the spade." She held her hand out, waiting for the wooden handle to meet her palm until-

"Oh no, jovencita!" Maria cried from across the road. "You are not doing any work!" She reached the other two women and snatched the shovel away from Alma. "This is your wedding- I don't want you moving a single bit!" Mirabel rolled her eyes.

"Abuela Maria, c'mon-" She tried to reason, only to be interrupted.

"No, no," Alma cut in. "I agree." She smiled at Maria. "This is your pequeña boda perfecta- you don't have to do a thing!"