42. Chapter 42

Julieta sighed deeply… She could have sworn that she had just filled up the salt shaker yesterday. And three days before that!

Who in the house thought her food was that plain that it needed so much extra salt?!

It annoyed Julieta a lot more than she cared to admit. Her food was her pride and joy, not just because it healed, but because it was good food! She took pride in serving good tasty dishes to her family and friends that would make people shout in delight and brighten up when they got a taste.

So who…. Who was giving her food a salt bath before eating? Julieta had tried to keep an eye on it at dinner. But so far she had yet to catch the culprit in the act.

The people who had put a bit of extra salt on their food had only done so moderately and then grinned while complimenting her on the food.

Julieta shook her head as she opened the cupboard with the spare bread she had baked yesterday and predictably found around half of it missing.

Well… Living in a house with five growing children would do that to you. Everyone was always welcome to help themselves in the kitchen, as long as they also ate at breakfast and dinner.

Felix who was an incredibly active man would frequently help himself to in between-meal snacks as well…. And though Agustin was less active he would often fall flat on his face or get stung by a bee so he would get some too.

And Pepa used food to calm herself down before she was about to explode… And honestly ever since Bruno had vanished Pepa's mood outbursts had gotten ten times worse.

Julieta halted… And then she looked down…. Bruno.

She had tried to not think about him. Just let life go on, it had been around four months now and things had largely gone back to normal.

And yet the reminders were everywhere….

When sand had gotten into the house and Alma annoyed started to sweep it up… Bruno usually dragged sand into the house.

When she read bedtime stories for her children… Bruno had always been the best one at bedtime stories and everyone knew it.

When Julieta made peoples favored Arepa… Bruno would often help her with that. She put on the filling and he would fold them… Bruno….

When there was a Telenovela on the television… Bruno loved Telenovela and he would watch them with the kids… They would spend hours afterward discussing what may happen next and Bruno would dramatize it to the delight of the children, and the amusement of the adults who would pretend they weren't listening while being extremely entertained. Though they absolutely were…

At one point Julieta without thinking asked why the windows hadn't been cleaned and only then remembered Bruno used to do that… Without even asking. He just did it when he noticed they seemed to need a wash.

There were so many tiny things like that all over the place. Constant tiny reminders… That blanket was one Bruno had purchased when he found it on sale and he had put it over Pepa's shoulder when she had gotten chilled by her own snow.

Bruno used to fall over that doorstep all the time.

And worst of all was when an old prophecy just happened to show up, hidden between the folds of old pillowcases or other weird places… Those things. They were so synonymous with Bruno that it hurt and each time Alma would huff, her face would turn to stone and she would ask them to get rid of it before leaving the room.

Julieta sniffed as she put the salt shaker down on the table and then covered her eyes with her hand.

Bruno would sometimes throw a pinch of salt over his shoulder when he thought no one was watching him.

"Mama?"

Julieta gasped as she looked up, quickly brushing away her tears. "Oh. Mirabel. Sweety. Can I help you?"

"Can I have a Pan De Yuca?" Mirabel asked. "I'm hungry."

"Of course dear." Julieta gasped as she pulled out the basket of leftovers from the other day and was faced with… One single Pan De Yuca. She sighed deeply as she picked it up and handed it over. "Here you go sweetheart."

"Thank you," Mirabel replied using both her hands to take it, and then she looked up. "Are you okay Mama?"

"Yes, Preciosa. I'm fine." Julieta assured plastering on a fake smile.

Mirabel frowned looking not entirely satisfied at all. "People are acting weird." she finally informed.

"I'm sure they are not," Julieta assured. "Things are fine."

The little girl's frown only deepened. And then her cheeks started to blow up like she was a blow fish pouting.

"Why don't you go outside and play?" Julieta asked. "Who's looking over you today?"

"Isabela…" Mirabel muttered.

For a second Julieta was about to ask why no adult was keeping a lookout but then remembered… Oh right. Everyone was busy. And Bruno wasn't here… Right.

"She's mean Mama!" Mirabel complained. "I don't think she used to be that mean!"

Julieta sighed deeply. "She's not mean," she assured. "Just… be nice. Please," she asked. "Sorry sweetheart. I need to work."

Mirabel hissed and Julieta was just begging inside of her mind that the girl would just leave already. Julieta knew she was about to break. Any second.

Then finally. The little girl left with her snack and Julieta turned back to the counter only to break together and cry.

Her face was ugly, snot was rolling out of her nose making Julieta grab for the handkerchiefs so she could blow her nose… Four months now and it hurt… It really did.

She missed her brother so much!

But Julieta knew she had to be strong. She had to be strong for her family and not let them see… They could not break now.

"ARGH!" Bruno shouted in the back at the house at that same moment in time. "Would you stop with all these cracks?!" he asked as another one had opened up right in front of him. "Ah! Sorry… Sorry casita. That's not what I meant!" he gasped.

Then Bruno grabbed the salt in the pocket of his ruana and threw it over his shoulders. "No more bad luck." he gasped. "Sto-Stop." and he swallowed. Then exhaled deeply and he glanced up at all the work he had still to do.

Bruno sighed deeply… Well… At least he had his work cut out for him.