Even as the years passed, some things never changed.
"Ay, Miguel! Where have you been? We were getting worried!"
"Sorry, Abuelita. I was just with Eliseo," Miguel said sheepishly, nodding to the teenage boy next to him as they walked to the Rivera household. "I didn't realize how late it had gotten."
The two boys had raced back once they realized how dark and quiet it was, with the dark streets had been almost deserted of people.
"Buenas noches, Señora Rivera," his friend said, giving a little wave of his hand, and seemed half-ready to duck for cover from a flying boot. "It's my fault we're late, we were visiting my abuela's grave."
Her face softened at that. "Ah, well that's all right, then. And I don't mind you going off, Miguel, but at least tell us! You know how much we worry, especially tonight."
"I know. I'm sorry," Miguel said, and did feel guilty. It was quite late, most of his family was probably already asleep. It didn't help that they always worried about him on Dia de los Muertos, ever since the time he had vanished before reappearing the next morning with a strange guitar in his hand and a song on his lips.
When they reached her she reached up and took Miguel's face in her wrinkled hands. He had to lean down so she could kiss his forehead and pat his dimpled cheek. "We don't want you going off and disappearing again, eh?"
He rolled his eyes. "That was once! And it was years ago. I'm not a little kid anymore." It was true: he was no longer the scrawny trouble-maker he had been, but a young man of nineteen. If, perhaps, he still got into the occasional bouts of trouble.
She waved off his words. "Just don't stay out too late. And don't go wandering off anymore tonight."
"Yes, abuelita," he said, smiling as she walked back inside to the dark house.
He waited for her footsteps to slowly fade before he turned to Eliseo. Even in the dark he could see his smile, his soft dark hair gleaming in the light of the waning moon.
"Want to stay out a little longer?" Miguel asked. "I was going to spend some time at our ofrenda, want to join me?"
"Sure." He stayed close to his side as they walked. "Your family will never let you forget that night, huh?" Eliseo said with a chuckle.
Miguel huffed, kicking out and scattering faded marigold petals. "Ugh, no kidding. They still act like I'm some little kid."
"Eh, it just means they care, right?"
Miguel shrugged, but didn't argue. It had become an infamous story amongst his family, not to mention the rest of the town. He said that he had simply fallen asleep in the cemetery until morning, which seemed close enough to the truth to not feel too guilty for lying to them. The only living person he had ever told the truth was his Mamá Coco, but she was no longer with them, and so it was a secret he held close to his heart.
As they walked into the ofrenda, he wondered if his Mamá Coco was still around that night, or if all the spirits would have already gone back to the Land of the Dead. Sometimes he wondered what they were doing… his Papá Héctor and Mamá Imelda, his uncles and aunts and rest of his family. Hopefully they had made their peace with each other and Héctor could be with the rest of his family. Sometimes Miguel would sing and play for his family as they worked in the workshop, and would imagine Héctor doing the same, singing and playing amidst the skeletons and spirits.
Once inside the room, Miguel made sure there was no one around before he carefully closed the door, leaving it a little in case spirits had to pass through. Others would call it superstitious, but Miguel knew too well to wave it off as nonsense. The little room was warm and comforting, brighter than usual. For a moment he simply watched Eliseo, dark and solid amidst the flickering candles and orange marigolds as he gazed at the Rivera family photos and offerings.
"You really have got a wonderful family," Eliseo said wistfully. Miguel felt a pang in his heart, knowing that Eliseo's family life was less than ideal, with a brutal, overpowering father and two older brothers that loved to make his life hell. At first he had been unaccustomed to the love of Miguel's familia, but had fallen in love with it all the same. And for all the hardships he had been through, Eliseo had a good heart.
Miguel took a deep breath and told himself that he could trust him. It was time.
"Hey, Eliseo? There's… well, there's something I want to tell you. A, uh, a secret that I've been holding onto. It's going to sound crazy…"
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that bad."
"Ehh, it's not bad, just… insane." He twisted his fingers anxiously. It sounded absurd, like a young kid's dream, or a fantasy. But he knew in his heart that it had happened.
"You know that Dia de los Muertos when I disappeared? And said I spent the night at the cemetery? Well, that's not exactly the truth. And what I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone. I mean nobody!"
"All right, I promise," he said with a nervous little chuckle. Miguel looked into his eyes and felt a smile creep onto his face.
"You see, that night… I really did disappear."