Nikki entered the ofrenda room where she saw her sister and soon-to-be siblings-in-law making preparations for later tonight. She carried the marigold flowers over to the ofrenda.
"Hola, Coco, Julio and Rosita!" Nikki said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. She really didn't want to be here. She wanted to sob in her room because she didn't know why she was the way she is.
"Hola, Nikki!" Rosita and Julio said. She flashed them a fake smile, especially grimacing when Rosita gave her soon-to-be-sister-in-law a big hug, but Coco could see something was wrong with her little sister.
"What's wrong, Nikkita?" Coco asked.
Julio and Rosita took the hint and walked out of the Ofrenda room to give the sisters some space. Coco put her arm around her sister's shoulder.
"Come on whatever is wrong, you can tell me anything," Coco said.
Nikki knew her older sister was right. She and Coco shared each other's secrets and desires. So it was no secret that Coco knew what Nikki wanted.
"Tio Oscar and Tio Felipe saw me at Mariachi plaza again," Nikki said.
Nikki remembered that before she arrived at Mariachi Plaza, she enjoyed listening to the beat of the band. Their Xolo, Dante came walking in, his tail wagging. Nikki bent down and began rubbing him on the ear. "I'm just lucky they didn't see me giving them the shoes I made." She went to continue putting the marigold flowers onto the ofrenda, placing some of them next to her mamá Hélga's portrait. . She looked at Papá Nicholas and then her great-aunt and cousin, Tia Amanda and Primo Abel then at her great-aunt and other deceased relatives.
Nikki's older sister remembered the shoes. Coco knew her sister had worked very hard on them. In fact, Coco helped make some of them when their family was not present in the shop. Though Coco said they were strange colors, Nikki had insisted the shoes be these colors because it was her friends' favorite colors. Coco knew her sister was something special, so she was going to show her sister how she special she was.
"Aww, hermanita," Coco said to Nikki. The teenager looked at her older sister. Coco cupped her face in her hands. "You're a very special girl. Mamá knows this and so do I.
"And Papá?" Nikki asked. "If he were here, would he be proud of me too?"
Coco looked at her sister. Of course their father would be proud of her. He'd be proud of both of them, if he were here. Nikki wished that her father was there to tell her what to do.
"Now, what do you say we finish the room up?" Asked Coco. Nikki nodded as the Rivera sisters finished up decorating the ofrenda room.
A couple of hours later, Imelda just walked in to the ofrenda. She saw her daughters finally putting the offerings and the marigold petals on the ofrenda and smiled. She came in here to discuss something with her daughters.
"Mijas, the room looks great!" Imelda said, putting arms around her daughters' shoulders.
"Gracias, Mamá," the girls said.
"This will be a night that everyone will remember, mijas," Imelda said. She looked at the pictures of her parents. Just last year, Nikki's Abuelita had passed away. The best thing about it was that Abuelita, Mamá Hélga was that she was with Papá Nicholas, proud set of parents. Then Imelda looked at her Aunt, Tía Amanda and her cousin, Primo Abel, she missed them too. They were there when Imelda began the shoe making business and helped make shoes as well. However, they both were tragically killed in an accident. But Imelda knew that they were together. Together forever. Imelda asked for Nikki to stay behind to talk to her about the situation with her uncles finding her at Mariachi Plaza.
Nikki pouted.
"Don't give me that look, M'ija," said Imelda. Nikki backed up with an apologetic look. "Oh, Nikki, I don't want to fight. Not on a day like this, Dia de los Muertos. Today is the only day that our ancestors get to cross over. We need to put their photos up for them to pass over."
"And they're counting on it for us to remember them," Nikki finished.
"Precisely, querida," Imelda said. She sighed.
"And not end up like Papá," Nikki added. Imelda looked at her daughter with disappointment.
"Nikki..." Imelda began. She sighed and looked away. "I'm only hard on you because I care, m'ija."
When Imelda turned, she saw her daughter had left.
Nikki was in the living room, and looked up at the picture. Dante came running up to Nikki, wagging his tale. The girl smiled and went to pet his ear when she looked around.
"Oh Dante, will they ever understand?" Nikki said, looking back at her family and then back outside. The dog took a whiff of something. "Dante?"
He was approaching a nearby chorizo that was on the desk...Near the portrait of Nikki's mother and sister and a picture of Nikki as a baby standing next to it.
"Dante, no!" Nikki shouted. The dog chased to the chorizo underneath the table of the Riveras family portraits. He knocked it over. Nikki put her hands on her ears, not believing what Dante had done. She picked up the picture of her mother sister, and the faceless musician who was her father. She noticed that there was a crease in the picture.
She lifted it up to reveal a guitar. Ernesto de la Cruz's guitar, the same one his brother was buried with. Then she remembered that de La Cruz got the guitar from a friend of Diego's? Could these guitars be one and the same. She quickly rushed up to a photo she had hidden in her room and compared that record with the picture. It was the same one. Her padre knew the de la Cruz's.
Nikki couldn't take it. She didn't want to hide her love for music anymore. She ran outside
"Papá knew Diego de la Cruz!" Nikki cried, running into the kitchen. It was getting darker outside. Her family looked at her. She showed them the picture of Imelda, the musician and Coco and the guitar
"Nikki..." Imelda began to reprimand her daughter, especially looking at the picture.
"Why didn't you tell me Papá was a musician?" Nikki demanded.
"Nikki, that is enough!" Imelda shouted at her daughter. Nikki wouldn't listen to her mother
"But Mamá you didn't tell me Papá was a musician!" Nikki said.
"To protect you, m'ija," Imelda said. Nikki rolled her eyes.
"No you didn't want me to know Papá was a musician because he loved it as much as I do!"
"Nikki that is enough!"
"But Mamá," Nikki said.
"No buts," Imelda shouted back, taking the photo from Nikki. "You will listen to your mother! No more music!"
"You really hate it that much?"
"I will not let you to take the path your father took," Imelda said sternly. "No daughter of mine is gonna throw her life away to follow some musical fantasy."
Nikki was too stubborn just like her mother. So she was putting up the fight.
"It's not a fantasy!"
"Nikki, that is enough!" Imelda repeated. She turned away.
"Mamá, If you would just listen!" Nikki yelled. Imelda turned full of fury.
"I said that is enough!" Imelda shouted. Nikki couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't live a lie anymore. "Now, come eat dinner with your family. You're going to feel much better."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THIS FAMILY!" Nikki yelled. "I wish Papá was here instead of you!"
She snatched the family photo of her mother, headless father, and sister and ran, followed by Dante, ignoring her family's yells, Coco the loudest of them all. Imelda was too shocked at her daughter's words. "I wish Papá was here instead of you!" Imelda, for the first time ever, broke down crying. She not only failed as the matriarch of the family but failed as a mother. Imelda put the photo down to look for her daughter.