Almost the entire town had gone into their homes, taking shelter from the rain which continued falling around the Encanto. Juancho, Alejandra, and Cecelia were outside, standing huddled together under the tarp that was their 'secret base' near Abuelo Pedro's mural.
"Do you think something bad is going on over there?" Cecelia asked, staring in the direction of the Casa Madrigal. Alejandra looked over at Juancho worriedly and Juancho gripped the handle of his coffee cup.
In the Guzmans' house, Mariano was in the kitchen bringing over a hot drink to his mother. He looked curiously out the window at the curtain of rain.
"There was no warning from Alma that it would rain today, was there?" his mom asked.
"I don't think so," said Mariano, shaking his head. He walked over to the window and said quietly, "Dolores, please be okay."
At Casita, Dolores smiled sadly and nodded to herself. Everybody in the Madrigals' home was getting drenched from the rain. But none of them moved. All of them had their eyes on Cal. He remained on the floor of the courtyard with his head bowed as if in prayer. And then he spoke some more.
"Vati...always saw my brothers as much better sons. They made him proud...and yet...I was the black sheep," he said. "Mutti...she was sick. She was always so tired...tired from coughing. Her cough was...so terrible."
There was a long pause.
"You loved your mother," said Agustín. "You were always there for her, even when her health was failing her. Weren't you?"
"Was I there for her?" Cal asked. "I was the only one there! Vati and my brothers were always quick to leave her and me behind! She...became my responsibility! I was eight years old. But I didn't mind. She...always had a smile for me. Even when she was...coughing up blood."
Hanna put a hand to her mouth in shock. She glanced over at Camilo who looked very troubled.
"I did everything the doctor said to do...in order to take care of her," said Cal. "I thought I was doing everything...perfectly...but she..." he trailed off.
Marie let out a gasp. Amalia stared down at the floor in disbelief and Isabela went to stand next to her to hold her hand.
"Vati... said it was all my fault," said Cal. "Because I was the only one there with her...all the time. He made sure I would never forget...that it was all because of me...she was gone. But...I thought I did everything right!"
He then clenched his eyes shut, looking like he remembered something excruciating.
"It was wrong of him," Agustín said sadly. "Her dying was nobody's fault. It certainly wasn't yours. You did everything you could! Your father was a horrible man. It was a horrible thing for him to do. But why do you take it out on your daughter? Why do you not want to look at her?"
Mirabel's eyes widened in realization, and she spoke up.
"It's her eyes!" she exclaimed. She had now made her way over to them, looking at Cal with her arms folded.
"Does Hanna have your mom's eyes?" she asked.
Cal didn't look up. When he answered her, his voice was very quiet.
"It's...not just the eyes," he said. "It's everything."
All of them turned to look at Hanna now. She gasped loudly and her eyes widened in complete surprise. "I...look like her?" she asked.
Though Cal didn't respond, Hanna found it unnecessary. She had the answer now, and it felt like something extremely heavy had just been lifted from her shoulders. The feeling was nothing short of miraculous.
Suddenly, Alma also went up to stand next to Mirabel, squaring her shoulders.
"So, in the end, you became no different from your own father!" she said to Cal, angrily. "You are a horrible person!"
Cal winced. He looked up to see her glaring at him. "Your mother can see you!" she said. "And if you saw her right now, you would know how very disappointed she is in you!"
"How do you know she can see me?" Cal asked.
"You want proof?" Alma asked, angrily. "Your proof is standing right here!"
Everyone looked at her curiously.
Then, Agustín knowingly came up to Hanna. With a gentle smile on his face, he extended his hand to her. "Come, child," he said, kindly. "It'll be okay."
Hanna hesitated, but then slowly took his hand and walked with him, away from where Camilo stood.
Bruno stared at the two of them. As did Dolores who let out a little squeak. Agustín led Hanna to stand in front of Cal, and Alma placed her hands on her shoulders.
"You say she resembles your mother?" asked Alma. "Well, I think that it's no coincidence! It is my belief that she...is a gift! A gift sent by your mother, to let you know that she is watching over you! Everyday! That she still loves you!"
There was a long moment of silence, except for the rain. Cal was letting Alma's words sink in. His gaze moved slightly from Alma, right into Hanna's eyes. In doing so, his expression slowly turned to one of anguish. Hanna took a breath and bravely knelt in front of her father, still peering into his eyes. She saw there was no anger or resentment to be found.
"I finally know," she said. "To you, I was a reminder of what you tried to forget. You...were trying so hard to leave it all behind you. But...I am me! Do you understand that?"
Without looking at anyone else, Cal stood up. Everyone waited to hear what he was going to say. But instead, he turned around and walked away with his head down. When he got outside in front of the house, he stared up at the sky as it continued to rain. He stopped walking, for he could hear the faint sound of footsteps behind him. Cal turned around to see that Hanna had followed him. This time, he didn't hesitate to look into her eyes. Hanna saw his gaze was much softer than she had ever seen in her life. He looked heartbroken.
"My mother...," he said, sadly. "She was...a person who insisted on looking for the good in everyone. Even the bastard that was my father. One might say she was a little too forgiving."
Hanna stared at him in surprise upon hearing this. This was the first time he ever talked openly about his past life, and she must've been the first to hear it.
Cal continued.
"But...you are different. I recognized that after the way you stood up to me tonight. That took guts," he said. "And...a lifetime of apologies...can never erase the damage I have caused all these years. I am...merely at a loss for what else to say."
Hanna kept staring at him. She felt a rush of emotions coursing right through her. Anger, sadness, regret, guilt, relief, bitterness. Tears were stinging her eyes. A huge part of her wanted to shout at him again. To march right up to him and slap him across the face. But another part of her wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him. To call him 'Papa' again like when she was seven. In the end, she stood up tall and said, "Then show me!"
Cal looked at her, confused.
"Show me that...things will be different from now on!" said Hanna, aggressively. "That we won't go back to the way things were! Ever again!"
Cal raised his eyebrows at her. After a moment of thought, he nodded his head in agreement.
"I think that can be arranged," he said, softly.
Hanna half smiled.
At that moment, Camilo came out and ran immediately over to Hanna's side, ready to face Cal again. But he noticed Hanna was smiling and Cal was not standing as tall as he always did before. Soon, everyone else had come out to see what was going on. Amalia looked worriedly at her sister with Isabela and Luisa close to her side.
Cal looked over at Camilo and said, "That was quite the scare you gave me."
"You deserved it," said Camilo, irritably.
"No arguments here," Cal said. "Not anymore."
Camilo stared at him in utter bewilderment. Cal then slowly walked up to stand right in front of him and said, "You...are a good man."
Finally, the rain stopped falling. The clouds parted, allowing the stars to shine through.
The next day was sunny and clear with barely any hint that it rained the previous night. Pepa was not entirely happy with how everything had transpired, particularly Camilo being the one in Bruno's vision after all. Camilo was made to stand for almost an hour getting soaked by her raincloud as she yelled at him. But it wasn't long until she let it go because things started to improve afterward. The Madrigal family had just finished breakfast and were getting their day started when the doorbell rang. Casita opened the door to reveal Hanna standing there. Camilo ran up to her immediately and he wrapped his arms around her. Merely a second later, he lifted her up and spun her in a circle. When he set her down to her feet, she said, "You keep doing that and I'll get dizzy."
"Sorry. Not sorry," Camilo said, a little mischievously.
Hanna grinned.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of you coming here today?" Camilo asked, grinning back at her.
"Actually...there's something I just had to talk to you about," Hanna replied. "I didn't feel like waiting any longer."
Camilo now looked at her nervously. "Okay," he said, slowly. "We can...go to my room if you want."
Hanna nodded in agreement and took his hand to follow him into his room.
"You be good, now!" Félix warned from nearby.
"Got it, Papi," said Camilo, then he and Hanna went through his door. When they were inside, Camilo gestured for her to sit down first on the small sofa he had in his dressing room area before he took his spot next to her. As soon as they were seated, Hanna looked into his eyes.
"Do you remember our first date, when you told me that whenever I was feeling angry or sad, I could let you know?" she asked.
"Si," said Camilo, hesitantly. "I remember."
Hanna paused for a moment.
"Well, I'm...kinda mad at you, Camilo," she said.
Camilo gulped nervously. "Because...?" he asked.
"There was a part of the vision you didn't tell me about," Hanna answered. "I had to hear it last night from Dolores instead!"
Camilo sighed in exasperation.
"Bruno couldn't see who you were with," he said, sadly. "I...I was afraid I would lose you! I'm sorry. Sorry, for...not telling you."
"Was this the reason why you proposed to me?" Hanna asked.
"No!" Camilo said, desperately. "I mean...It wasn't...the only reason."
His last words came out in an awkward mumble. Hanna didn't look away from him.
"I still want to!" said Camilo. "I meant it when I said I want to be with you!"
But Hanna put a hand up, letting him know she wanted to say something.
"I have to be honest...part of me is angry at you for not telling me everything," she said. "But then...I thought about it more and...it was because of...that, Bruno's vision came true."
She moved a little closer to him so that their faces were now only inches apart. "Because of you and your family," she added with a smile. "Without you, none of this would've been possible."
Camilo also smiled, feeling deeply moved. "Then...do you forgive me?" he asked.
"Yes," said Hanna. "I may be mad at you...but I find that I can't stay mad at you forever."
"That's a shame. You're awfully cute when you're mad," said Camilo, grinning mischievously.
"Oh? Is that right?" Hanna asked, almost slyly.
"Yep," said Camilo.
Hanna giggled. "That's sweet of you to say," she said.
Camilo gazed into her eyes adoringly and then leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. Hanna closed her eyes as she kissed him back.
When they broke apart, Hanna said, "I realized something else last night."
"What's that?" asked Camilo, curiously.
There was a pause before Hanna answered him.
"For a long time, I wanted to become confident in myself," she said. "When I came here, I was finally able to...little by little. When I performed for other people for the first time. When I had my first kiss with you. When I had that fight with my sister. When I finally shared my true feelings with my father...And you were there for all of it."
Another pause.
"That was when I realized...," Hanna continued. "I know what you are to me, Camilo. You...are my strength."
Camilo's eyes widened. He felt a lump rising in his throat and tears filled his eyes. Hanna saw this and hugged him tightly. Camilo returned the embrace and rested his cheek on the top of her head.
"And you are my heart," he said, quietly.
After their long embrace, he pulled back a little and saw Hanna's eyes sparkling with tears of joy.
"So...does this mean you still want to...?" he began to ask.
"Yes...," Hanna whispered. "I do."
Camilo rested his forehead against hers.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," said Hanna.
And they both leaned toward each other for a deeper, more passionate kiss.
Days turned to weeks until eventually, a whole month came and went. During that time, Cal was making frequent visits to the town on his own. When there was work to be done, he was quick to lend a hand wherever he could. No matter the amount of labor, he was hard at work, even going as far as to relieve Luisa from some of the heavy things she was carrying. When he was finished, he and Marie would go to the church together, for confessions with the priest, Señor Flores. One day, Camilo was also in town, and he saw Marie waiting expectantly for her husband on the church steps. When she spotted him, she gave him a sad smile. Camilo walked over and sat on the same step next to her.
"You must think I'm a fool," Marie said.
Camilo looked at her in surprise. "Um...no...I don't think you are," he said.
Marie sighed and shook her head.
"All this time, I tried my hardest to avoid confrontation. I only ever wanted to...keep the peace within our home," she said. "But...I was either too oblivious or weak-minded. I am just as guilty for not...intervening the way I should have."
She folded her arms tightly across her chest, trying to keep herself steady. Seeing her like this reminded Camilo of the night he talked to Hanna as she was trying hard to keep herself from falling apart.
"You...did your best," he said. "And I know for a fact that Hanna loves you."
Marie nodded to herself. She shut her eyes tightly and her bottom lip trembled. Tears started to run down her cheeks, and she hid her face in her hands while shaking uncontrollably.
"Whoa! Hey," Camilo said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. Deep breath in, deep breath out."
Marie did as she was told. "Well," she said while sobbing. "At least...Cal and I can repent together."
As time went by, the atmosphere around the summer home had become more relaxed and inviting. Hanna and Amalia now had freer rein to come and go as they pleased. Though Hanna was now allowed to practice her music in the house whenever she wanted, she said she preferred outside instead. Yet every now and then, she could be heard playing the grand piano with Amalia teaching her. Amalia had become a social butterfly rather quickly. In the past, she had always been by her father's side, devoted to him. Yet now, she was keeping her distance from him every chance she got. She was also not practicing music every day anymore. When she wasn't rehearsing, she was often seen talking and laughing with Isabela and Luisa. Sometimes Dolores would join them too. Today, Amalia was casually strolling around town arm-in-arm with her sister.
"How can you forgive Father!?" she asked Hanna. "He was awful to us! To you especially!"
"Camilo asked me the same thing," said Hanna.
"And what did you tell him?" Amalia asked.
"I said I didn't forgive Father for his sake. I forgave him for mine," Hanna replied.
Amalia looked at her questioningly.
"Camilo's parents told me," Hanna explained. "They told me it's okay to forgive him for me. So that I can...move forward with my life."
"But I don't think I can ever forgive him!" said Amalia, upsettably. "Does that make me... a bad person?"
"No!" said Hanna, squeezing her sister's arm tightly. "Not at all."
Amalia smiled at her in gratitude.
The two sisters continued strolling until Hanna started frowning to herself.
"What's wrong?" asked Amalia.
"Nothing," said Hanna.
"Hanna, come on," Amalia said, unconvinced. "You don't have to hide anything from me anymore."
Hanna paused before she said, "I...don't know what to do."
Without warning, tears spilled from her eyes. "I told Camilo I would marry him but...we are still so young!" she said as she began to cry. "And...we didn't plan on staying here forever! But I want to! I don't wanna leave! But I can't leave you! I can't leave my family! I...I feel like I'm being torn from two different sides! Camilo says he wants to be with me in the future! But...what if in the future, Camilo changes his mind about that because I had left! I just don't know! What should I do!?"
Amalia grabbed Hanna's shoulders. "Hey! Calm down," she said. "Listen to me."
Hanna blinked tears out of her eyes, and she looked up at her sister.
"I don't think Camilo will change his mind about you," said Amalia, gently. "Not if I have anything to say about it! And don't worry about you leaving anyone behind. Things are all gonna work out."
"But how do you know?" Hanna asked, desperately.
"Because...," Amalia began to say. "Because...just trust me!"
Hanna stared at her, bewildered. "No fair!" she said. "Why do you get to keep things from me?"
"You can think of it as a surprise," said Amalia.
"What?" Hanna asked, still confused.
"You...You'll know when the festival is over. Okay? I promise," Amalia replied.
Hanna pouted a little. But she nodded in understanding and Amalia smiled at her.
"You...wanna come with me to their house?" Hanna asked. "Antonio invited us to play in his room today!"
Amalia had had the pleasure of visiting everyone's enchanted rooms after things had settled down from the big incident. And of course, she was blown away.
However, she looked at Hanna apologetically and said, "Thanks...but I've got my own plans."
She then turned to look over her shoulder at Luisa who was waving at her from a distance. Amalia blushed and said, "I gotta go."
"Okaaay," Hanna said, confused. "I guess...I'll see you later then."
"You have fun at their house. Okay?" said Amalia. She kissed her sister's forehead and walked right over to join Luisa.
Hanna shook her head to herself and then marched towards the Casita. Camilo was waiting at the front door for her. When she approached him, he gently cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. They broke apart to gaze lovingly at each other.
"Vamo," Camilo said. They made their way inside and up the stairs to see Antonio also waiting at the top.
"Everything's ready," he said, taking Hanna's hand and pulling her along. They got inside his jungle room and Antonio climbed up on Parce's back. Parce gave a low gentle growl and led Antonio up the tree house first. Camilo and Hanna followed them. They got to the top and saw Mirabel, holding an accordion. Cecilia, Alejandra, and Juancho were also there, standing in a row next to her. Juancho was readily holding a small trumpet in his hands while Cecelia and Alejandra were each holding maracas. Mirabel smiled at her little squadron and said, "Okay, guys! Ready?"
"Ready!" the three children said.
Mirabel counted them off and, while tapping her foot, began to play her accordion. Alejandra and Cecelia shook their maracas, Antonio beat on his little Tambora, and Juancho blew on his trumpet in harmony with the accordion. Camilo turned to face Hanna. He placed a hand on her waist, and she put a hand on his shoulder. They linked their other hands with each other and began to dance to the beat without a care in the world.