No warnings apply for this chapter.
"Come on, Manny, just knock it back like a shot."
María offers him the small cup of medicine and laughs gently as he turns away from it like a small child, his mouth a thin line and his expression determined. He sits on the edge of their bed, dressed in his pajamas and looking slightly haggard. Rodrigo climbs up onto the bed and sits next to his father, his hair in a messy halo from sleep and fever.
"Yeah, Papi, do it like a shot!"
Manolo shoots a side eye glare at his son. "You shouldn't even know what that means, mijo."
María puts her free hand on her hip and gives him a smirk. "To think that the great Manolo Sanchez, who took down Chakal and El Toro Muerto, is afraid of a little cough medicine. Your own children drank theirs without a fuss."
Sophia pulls herself onto the bed as well. She seats herself on his other side and pats his shoulder reassuringly. "It doesn't taste that bad, Papi. It will help you feel better."
After a sterner glance from his wife and encouraging nods from his children, Manolo takes the medicine and quickly downs it. He grimaces at the taste as he returns the empty cup to his wife, who shakes her head at his theatrics. "Stop being such a baby." She takes the medicine bottle and cup and heads back down to the kitchen to continue making dinner.
Manolo chuckles, which turns into a cough. Sophia grabs his sleeve, concerned. "Does your chest still hurt, Papi?"
"Oh yes," he cries dramatically, flinging his arm to his forehead in a grand gesture. "The pain, it is so bad!" He flops backwards onto the bed, which bounces the twins and causes them to erupt in a fit of laughter.
"Papi, no!" Rodrigo yells with a giggle, falling heavily on Manolo's middle and eliciting an "oomph!" from the man. "You have to get well! Your bull fight is next week!" He tugs on Manolo's collar, trying in vain to pull him up. Sophia joins in, tugging fruitlessly at his arm. Manolo smiles happily at their efforts but remains a dead weight on the bed.
"Sorry, niños, you will have to fight the bull yourselves."
Their chorus of "nooooo" is interrupted by Chuy bounding into the room and jumping straight into Manolo's lap. He shoots up with a yelp, knocking Sophia and Rodrigo aside. "Ah, Chuy! Get off, get off!" He struggles to push the pig off the bed as the children laugh even harder.
"What's going on up here?" asks a booming voice from the hallway.
In unison, the two children yell "Papá!" and scramble off the bed with Chuy following close behind, much to Manolo's relief. Joaquín steps into the room and effortlessly scoops up his son and daughter. Chuy runs around them in a circle, bleating happily. Manolo watches the spectacle with a contented smile.
"What all have you been up to today?"
They both point at Manolo.
"We got Papi sick!" Sophia announces.
"But not on purpose," Rodrigo adds quickly.
Joaquin gasps and pretends to look horrified. "You made your Papi sick? How could you do such a thing!?"
"It's called 'Papi was told not to cuddle his sick children but did so anyway.'" María appears in the doorway and shoots an accusing glance at Manolo. Chuy abandons him in favor of María and trots over to nuzzle her skirt. Joaquín grins and lowers the twins to the ground gently, then walks over to give his wife a tender kiss.
"No kisses for Papi?" Manolo calls from his spot on the bed.
"No kisses for sick people who can't listen," María shoots back. "Now come down and eat, everyone. Dinner is ready." Chuy and the twins follow after her eagerly, the latter two excitedly asking if churros were a possible option for dessert. Manolo gets to his feet and stretches before stifling another coughing fit. Joaquín is at his side in an instant.
"You okay?"
Manolo waves him off. "I'm fine, really. I'm already feeling better." He straightens up after the coughing subsides and gives his husband a reassuring smile.
Joaquín gently strokes his husband's cheek and plants a gentle kiss on his forehead. He leads him out of the bedroom and they join the rest of their family in the kitchen.
After dinner, Rodrigo and Sophia go through their nightly routine: peppering their parents with endless questions as they get ready for bed.
"How many bad guys did you beat up today, Papá?" "How long did it take you to grow your mustache?" "Mamá, how come no one else has a pig for a pet?" "When will I grow a mustache?" "Are you nervous about your fight next week, Papi?"
"How did you know when you were in love?"
María tucks them into their beds and sits on the edge of Sophia's, smoothing her skirt and thinking hard about the question. "Well, we were young, about your age, and we were the best of friends. We had all sorts of fun adventures together, and the three of us were inseparable." She turns to smile at her husbands, both of whom sit cross-legged on the floor, listening intently to her story. "Your fathers would often fight and bicker about which of them was going to win me over, but I knew they were never serious about their rivalry. Our friendship was more important to us than anything else."
"Then one day, my Papá decided to send me far away across the ocean, to learn how to be a… proper lady."
She picks at the stitches of Sophia's blanket, agitated by the memory of being told she would leave San Ángel and her two best friends. Tiny hands distract her anxious fingers and squeeze them reassuringly. She smiles at Sophia, with her big green eyes and honey-brown locks curling gently around her face and shoulders.
"Manolo and Joaquín came to the train station to say goodbye and I just… knew. I knew that I would one day return and reunite with them and that somehow we would all be together forever. Even though we were miles apart, I never stopped loving them. And now we are all finally together."
Sophia hugs her dolly and giggles, satisfied with her mother's answer to the question. María catches Rodrigo rolling his eyes at the somewhat sappy tale and laughs.
Manolo gets up from the floor and puts a hand on her shoulder. "You knew how you felt about us earlier than I did. I didn't fall in love with Joaquín until he grew out his mustache."
Joaquín shoots up as well and looks flabbergasted at his husband. "You mean you only liked me for my mustache? The truth comes out at last!"
Rodrigo, Sophia and María burst into laughter as Manolo receives a smack on the shoulder.
"It's been too long of a day for me to hear such a confession," Joaquín announces, feigning anguish. "Goodnight to everyone except my no-good lying husband!" With that he stomps dramatically out of the room, leaving them to their uncontrollable giggles.
Manolo runs after him, grinning cheekily and shouting, "Mi amor, come back!"
Eventually the giggles fade and the twins settle back down into their beds. María kisses each of her children on the head, relieved to notice that their fevers have disappeared. "Goodnight, my darlings," she whispers, turning the bedroom lights off. "Get some rest now."
She waits for the sleepy chorus of "g'night, Mamá" before closing the door.