† 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌: cursing
𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞: 𝐌𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫
♫
The morning sun nipped his cheeks red. He exhaled as he put down his bags, placing both his hands on his hips and popping his back upward. Francisco scanned the busy market, trying to discern a path to take.
"Francisco L/N, right?" He spun around at the gravelly voice and came face to face with fish being held in front of his face, their lips centimeters apart. The holder was a middle-aged man with a potbelly and a balding scalp. He had a scowl on his face, his forehead glistening with sweat. If he remembered correctly; this was Emiliano García.
Francisco reluctantly guided the gaping fish down, giving the fuming man a quizzical look, "Yes?" He asked. Emiliano bared his teeth, crinkling his nose in distaste, "Control your daughter." Like that was happening— Francisco rolled his eyes.
He was ready to push against Emiliano but the stubborn man blocked his exit with arms firmly crossed, "She tormented me and I've heard that she even made a kid cry, and boy, Chico is a tough nut to crack." He jabbed his stubby pointer finger at Francisco's rib. "She's been hanging out with that Camilo Madrigal." He spat, his tone laced with venom. "And take it from someone who had seen that boy grew up, he's up to no good."
Emiliano left with his chin raised to the sky, putting the fish where his groceries were like he was sheathing his sword. Francisco was left dumbstruck; Y/N had always been a shy flower, rarely blooming in the presence of others. Yet somehow, she had immensely changed since they moved to Colombia. She wasn't as devoted and now she's apparently acting up.
He turned scarlet in shame, they hadn't settled in this place for long and she's already causing troubles to the locals. To make a kid cry? He raised her better than this. He grabbed his groceries, marching his way home. His stormy mood could rival Pepa's thunderstorms. His feet struck the earth as he stomped and everyone he passed by would part before him.
He swung the door open, making his way to the kitchen and placing the vegetables on the table. He inhaled sharply, mouth wide open, "Y/N L/N!" His yell shook the whole house. Her full name— every child knew they messed up when they hear this.
The sound of her feet padded on the wooden floor; she stumbled her way down the stairs, her eyelashes crusty from sleep. Francisco aggressively pulled the groceries out of their bags and onto their respective places in the cabinets. She stared, she doesn't know whether to approach the brooding man or not. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, is this a hallucination? After all, her father had been silent about his anger for days now.
Fuck this, she's going back to sleep— His shoulders shook as he laughed dryly, effectively stopping her from taking another step, "Do you know how it feels," He looked at her over his shoulder. "To learn that my daughter was doing god knows what while I stay here, trying to do my best keeping my wife," He paused before continuing, "Trying to keep her mother alive?"
Mother? What a cruel joke. She gripped on her dress, biting back her words as she took all his blows in. "Honestly, Y/N, what has gotten into you?" He exclaimed in exasperation, raising his hands and dropping them on the table with a thud. First, he wanted her to go out more and now that she did, he didn't like that? She doesn't know what he wanted from her. She was finally letting people in her bubble, after all, her life back in the Philippines wasn't all cupcakes and rainbows. Everyone shunned her for her looks, her shaved head, and her former friends would laugh at her lack of suitors.
"That Camilo kid? He's a bad influence, you weren't like this before." He doesn't know him.
"What? You miss your little girl who follows your every word?" She finally spoke up, she felt the bile rose, "Well I can't be a perfect daughter when I'm barely even a daughter in the first place!" He doesn't know her.
Francisco pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyelids were tightly shut. "I'm not asking you to be perfect, I'm asking you to stop being so selfish!" Through his clenched jaw, he bristled, "Iniisip mo lang kasi sarili mo eh!" The frustration built upon her; her independence against her family. The deep toxic values ingrained in every Filipino's mind, it doesn't matter what your family did wrong when their blood runs in your veins.
And she hated it. She hated how the older relatives should be honored no matter how much shit came out of their mouths instead of their asses. She hated how if she explained herself, it would be considered disrespectful. She hated that she needed the approval of her mother to validate herself. She hated this sinking ship and she hated this muddy water that would soon enter their lungs.
"Selfish? Masama ba na yung mundo ko hindi umiikot sa kanya?" The weight she carried on her back lessened as her truths came spilling from the deepest corner of her being. "She doesn't love me, pa, not like how she loved Crisanto." She said it— the name that was left unspoken for what seemed like an eternity.
Leonora's love for her eldest son was the love that ended her. When he was gone, she soon followed right after, leaving behind a soulless body for her husband to cling onto. She couldn't blame him, Crisanto was a textbook's golden child. Perfect grades, perfect smile, and perfect manners. Despite all that, Y/N wasn't jealous, she also loved him. She just learned to move on.
Francisco softened; the words he had said stung his tongue like acid leaked from it. She choked back her tear and the regret began to take its effect, she didn't deserve this and he was aware of that. He was just tired and angry at the world, a miracle can't even save Leonora and it tore him apart. In the end, the damage was done and what's said cannot be taken back. They stood feet apart, casting their head down. Both were contemplating what to do next.
The long silence was only broken by the rhythmic knocking on their front door.
It was uncanny how fast he shifted his facade, a polite smile covered over the remorse and guilt he felt. He opened the door revealing Mirabel smiling brightly with her hand holding a basket of arepas. Her sunny aura dropped when she caught the sight of Y/N barely keeping her sobs in. "Is this a bad time?" She cautiously asked.
He waved her off, the apples of his cheeks rising with his smile, "No no, thank you." He incoherently mumbled, taking the basket from her. As soon as his back faced them, the corners of his lips dropped in a frown. He left without another word.
"Sorry about that, usual father-daughter argument, let's ignore that ever happened." Y/N sighed. She pushed her racing thoughts aside, letting Mirabel in who looked at her worriedly. She plopped down on the sofa while Y/N went to check their cupboards. As much as Mirabel wanted to console her friend, she decided to tiptoe on a safe topic instead. "I forgot to thank you." Mirabel opened with a lighthearted grin, the tension slowly diminishing. "It was pretty amusing to watch Camilo getting dragged by the ear."
Tía Pepa waited till midnight for him, she was tapping her foot on Casita's tiles while Tío Félix shooed the clouds away. Both Mirabel and Antonio hid behind a pillar, waiting for their shapeshifter to get an earful.
Y/N sighed once again but this time it was rather fondly, "So how is he?" Mirabel relaxed in her seat. "His ears are sore that's for sure." She quipped, "Anyways, he said that he's free tomorrow." She pulled out a card from her dress pocket, reading its contents aloud, "Meet up at the heart of Encanto." It was where they danced the night away. Mirabel paused, her smirk growing, "Miss you already!" She placed the note down on the coffee table.
Y/N's choked on air, dropping the bag of sugar on the counter. She whipped her head to face Mirabel who was muffling her giggles behind her hand. "Did he really write that?" Her cheeks felt hot and her palms began to sweat. Mirabel wiggled her eyebrows, "No but you wish he did, didn't you?" Y/N groaned, dragging her hands on her face.
The coffee jar was empty, her father must have forgotten to restock himself. She picked the empty container, "We're all out of caffeine." She set it down, walking towards the couch and sitting down next to Mirabel. This was the perfect excuse to talk to Lucia— ever since their last talk, she couldn't get the idea he proposed out of her head.
"Do you want to come with me? Go buy some coffee beans?" She doesn't want to cut her time with Mirabel short; it wasn't a bad idea too, maybe the three of them could all be friends. The curly-haired haired female sat up straight, her eyes wide and alert, "Depends, whose store are we going to?" Y/N eyed her suspiciously, she saw the way her friend's shoulder tensed. "I usually buy from Lucia."
Mirabel paled, her lips twitched. "Lucia Moreno?" She questioned. Y/N scooted away, nodding her head, "I think so, yeah, wavy hair and lots of fangirls." Mirabel sneered. "Oh, I know him alright." Taken back from the tone of her voice, Y/N hesitated, "Hey, hey, if you don't want to, it's okay." She averted her eyes, mumbling, "I'll just go tomorrow before I meet up with Camilo." Mirabel gave her a tight smile, standing up from her seat and brushing her skirt down. "I have to go, I promised Isabela that I would help her out today." She excused herself.
After a brief hug, Y/N saw Mirabel out. She leaned against the doorframe; What the hell was that about? She bit on her lip, fiddling with the friendship bracelet she got on her wrist. First, her father finally combusted, and now, Mirabel's obvious discomfort towards Lucia.
The water gets muddier.