The following day, the Madrigals, once again, went out into the village to mingle with and help the citizens make the festival decorations and gather the crops needed to make the food. The Casita was completely empty apart from Camilo who said he would stay and clean, despite Casita being perfectly capable of cleaning itself. In reality, he wanted to have some time alone outside of his room. He stared out into the blue sky through the kitchen window. It was another cloudless day, yet he felt gloomy on the inside. He grabbed an arepa from a nearby basket and took a bite. Julieta's cooking was simply divine but, as he suspected, it did nothing to ease his mind.
"Oh! Hey, Camilo."
He turned around to see Mirabel entering the kitchen, carrying two large sacks of freshly picked potatoes. "Good to see that your appetite's come back a little, "she added, noticing the arepa in his hand. "Oh...yeah," Camilo said. But then he set it down on the counter. Mirabel placed the potatoes in the open pantry and Casita closed it.
"So..." she said, approaching her cousin. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"'About what?" Camilo asked her.
"About whatever's bugging you," Mirabel replied.
"Nothing's bugging me," said Camilo.
"I'm not so sure," Mirabel said slowly.
Camilo leaned back against the counter with his arms folded.
"Shouldn't you be following Abuela around?" he asked.
"Oh, getting defensive now, are we?" Mirabel asked with a slight grin. "Abuela was our matriarch for over 50 years. I think she can manage things herself for a few minutes. Casita?"
Casita conjured up a chair for each of them. Camilo's knees buckled from under him as he was forced to sit down. Mirabel sat on her chair backward with one leg on each side of it.
"So, what's up?" she asked. But Camilo remained silent. He just sat in his chair with one leg crossed on top of the other.
"Come on, Camilo. It's okay. Spill! Just let it out! Say what's on your mind," Mirabel said kindly. Then she peered at him from the top of her glasses and asked, "Is it about her?"
Camilo sighed and finally said, "Only half of it."
Mirabel raised her eyebrows.
"Alright," she said. "Then, what's the other half?"
There was a pause before Camilo answered her.
"Me," he said.
Mirabel didn't expect that. "Go on," she said.
Camilo took a deep breath and began to explain.
"It seems like ever since I met her... and started having these feelings...all kinds of other thoughts are coming up to the surface. I mean, they were always there...in the back of my mind... but it's like they're more prominent now."
"Like what?" Mirabel asked.
"Like, besides my Gift, there's nothing to like about me," said Camilo. "Nothing attractive at all. So how could someone like her... possibly like me?"
"What are you talking about?" Mirabel asked in complete surprise. "That's ridiculous! 'You're more than just your Gift', remember?"
"What's so great about me? Huh?" Camilo asked, bitterly.
"Uh...lots of things!"
Camilo and Mirabel looked up to see Dolores standing in the doorway. "You heard what Mami said. You've got everything to offer in a relationship, Camilo. She was telling you the truth," she said.
'They just don't get it,' Camilo thought.
He stood up facing away from his sister and cousin. His hands were balled into fists. The feelings of sadness and frustration were piercing right through him. He couldn't keep hiding it any longer.
Camilo's Interlude by: Laureli Amadeus
Camilo: I don't know who I am anymore
Ever since the light left my door
I've been feelin' like a soldier at war
And I fight with the cape and the mask you adore
Townspeople: Ooh, go now, child
You'll figure it out
Camilo: But how am I gonna be me if you want someone else?
Dolores: Oooh, hush now brother
That's not what we think
You just need a bit of time
to get back on your feet
Camilo: Speaking of my feet
Dolores: What do you mean?
Camilo: I'm too short, too weak
Dolores and Mirabel: That's not true!
Camilo: Well, it's just how it feels!
Dolores: There's a lot that's not perfect about you and I
Dolores and Mirabel: But there's no need to play a stranger in your skin, despite your...
Dolores: Dumb jokes
Camilo: Dumb jokes!?
Mirabel: Your appetite
Camilo: Alright
Camilo Dolores and Mirabel: I (You) get it from our uncle
He's a mischievous type
Dolores: I'm just saying this 'cause there's more to you than you think
Camilo: Sometimes I look in the mirror and I don't know who I see
Mirabel: Well, I see a nice boy
who makes people smile
Dolores: A nice boy who takes care of our mama
Dolores and Mirabel: A nice boy who can't accept compliments
Camilo: I'm just saying! It's different!
Dolores: Is it?
Mirabel: Well, I see a nice boy
Camilo: A nice boy Mirabel: who makes people smile
Camilo: who can't do anything
Dolores: A nice boy who takes care of our mama Camilo: useful for the family
Dolores and Mirabel: A nice boy
Camilo: I wish I had a gift like yours
Dolores and Mirabel: No, you don't
Camilo: No, I don't
The three of them laughed. Camilo sat down and kicked back in his chair, feeling comforted and more relaxed.
"But seriously, Camilo," Mirabel said. "There's nothing wrong with who you are or what you even look like. We all love you and we're here for you anytime you need help. And remember, a Gift, or lack thereof, does not define us. And even if you feel lost now, it's never too late to start searching for answers within yourself."
Camilo looked down at the floor.
"I feel like it's not that simple," he said, sadly.
"Sure, it is!" said Dolores. "Maybe you should start with something that makes you happy. For example, there's nothing I like more than getting comfy in my room with a good book to read. It's a nice, quiet activity."
"I like to sew and do crafts!" Mirabel said. "What about you, Camilo? Setting your Gift aside, what makes YOU happy?"
Camilo tried to think. But all that came to mind was the theatrical side to him, which involved acting, which involved portraying a character, which in his case meant shapeshifting. He needed to find something he felt happy doing as himself. But what?
"I don't know," he said.
"Hmm," Mirabel said. "Well then, let's ask Casita." She stood up and addressed the ceiling. "You got any ideas?"
The kitchen windows opened and closed. There was a noise coming from up the stairs. Casita was making a wave on the tiled floor that made its way out of the kitchen. When the wave came back, it was carrying an acoustic guitar on a wooden stand that stopped in front of Camilo.
All three of them stared at it.
Then Mirabel said, "Of course! Casita, you are one, smart house. Camilo, I remember you used to love playing that little guitar we had in the nursery!"
"I remember too!" Dolores said. "You were good at it! A little music prodigy!"
Camilo picked up the guitar from the stand and held it in his lap.
He smiled.
"There's no better outlet for emotional pain than some good music," Mirabel told him.
Camilo placed his fingers on the frets to make an A chord and he strummed the strings. His smile got wider. He leaped up to stand on his chair and started strumming the strings continuously in the same chord.
"Whoo-hoo! Go, Camilo!" Mirabel said, waving a fist in the air. Dolores had her hands near her ears ready to cover them, but she was smiling all the same. Camilo then said, "Um... I'm just gonna go to my room." He carried the guitar and was just about to leave the kitchen, but then he turned around and said, "Thanks, you guys. You too, Casita." And then he was gone.
Mirabel and Dolores grinned and gave each other a thumbs-up.