"MARCO!" He heard his name being called out by a shrill voice.
He turned to see his Abuelita, along with two of his other relatives, coming towards his exact direction.
"Abuelita?!" He squeaked.
"What are you doing here??" She asked frantically, walking up to him.
"I-I, um-" Marco stammered, his mind full of panic.
Abuelita then slipped off her shoe, whacking the mariachi in the head.
"You leave mi nieto alone!" She exclaimed, pointing her slipper at him.
"Doña please, I was just getting a shine." The mariachi said, pleading to not get whacked.
"I know your tricks, mariachi." Abuelita spat out the last word in disgust, as if it was a sin to say it. She then turned to Marco. "What did he do to you?"
"He was just showing me his guitar!" Marco said. Hearing this made Abuelita and his other relatives gasp.
"Shame on you!" He heard his one of his relatives say.
"My grandson is sweet little angelito, perrito, cielito!" Abuelita said, smiling while pinching Marco's face. "He wants no part of your music, mariachi. You keep away from him." She growled, making the mariachi scurry away.
"Ay pobrecito! Estás bien, mijo!" Abuelita said, hugging Marco too tightly. "Come, we have to take you home! You know better than to be in this place."
Marco sighed, quickly grabbing his supplies before heading out.
"How many times must we tell you? The plaza is filled with mariachis!" exclaimed his tio.
"Yes, Tío Enrique." Marco replied, rolling his eyes.
Suddenly, he saw Pepita down the road trying to follow him.
"Hey, go away, you!" Abuelita exclaimed, throwing her shoe at her.
"It was only Pepita." replied Marco.
"Never name a stray animal, they'll follow you everywhere. Now go get my shoe." Abuelita grumbled.
As they returned home, Abuelita placed Marco on a stool.
"I found your son at the Mariachi Plaza." Abuelita explained.
"Ay Marco, you know how Abuelita feels about the plaza." His father groaned.
"I was just shining shoes!" Marco tried to protest
"A musician's shoes!" interjected Tío Enrique, making everyone in the room gasp.
"But the plaza is where all the foot traffic is!" Marco explained, trying to give an excuse.
"If Abuelita says no more plaza, then no more plaza." His father, Berto, replied firmly.
"But what about tonight?" He asked.
"What's tonight?"
"Well, you see, they have this talent show, and I was thinking maybe I could..." Marco began
"Sign up?" His mother, Carmen, asked. "Well, maybe you can."
"Please, you need to have talent to join a talent show." Marco heard his Primo Abel give a slight laugh.
"Yeah, what are you gonna do?" His Prima Rosa asked. "Shine shoes."
"It's Dia de Muteros, no one is going anywhere." Abuelita declared. "Tonight is all about family, now get in the family room. Vámonos."
Abuelita lead a wheelchair carrying Mama Elena to the room, with Marco following after.
"Don't give me that look. Dia de los Muteros is the one night where our ancestors can come visit us. We put their photos on the ofrenda so their spirits can cross over." Abuelita explained to Marco, who wasn't paying attention. "This is an important night, and I don't want you sneaking off to who-knows-where-" Abuelita turned to see that Marco was gone.
"Marco! What are you doing?" She asked.
"I thought we were done!" Marco innocently replied.
"Ay dios mio... Being apart of this family means being here for this family. I don't want you to end up like.." Abuelita began to explain.
"Like Mama Elena's papa?" asked Marco.
"Never mention that man! He's better off forgotten!" Abuelita slammed her fist onto the table, creating a loud banging sound in the process.
"But you're that one that-" Marco started.
"Ay! Psst!"
"I was just-"
"Shhhhh!"
"P-Papa? Papa is home?" Mama Elena asked in a longing yet gentle manner.
"Mama! Cálmese por favor." Abuelita said, comforting her frantic mother.
"Papa is coming home?" Mama Elena asked in the same tone.
"No, mama. It's only me." Abuelita reassured her.
"Who are you?" She then asked her daughter.
"Ay, rest mama." Abuelita sighed. "What are we going to do with that boy?" She asked herself, before she gained an idea.
Pepita was well on her way into finding her owner, as she sensed for him to be on up in the roof, she climbed up there with easy strength.
The stray cat crawled through a metal door, seeing Marco inside.
"AH!" Marco yelped, before he saw who it was. "Oh, it was only you Pepita. Come on in, I don't want to get in trouble. Someone can hear me."
Marco then picked up a tool to securely tighten a string, after he was done. He showed off his makeshift guitar.
"I wish someone wanted to hear me." He whispered to himself, before turning to Pepita. "Other than you."
Marco strummed the guitar, making sure it was in tune.
"Excelente!" He smiled.
He got up to go into another room, revealing there to be a shrine filled with Héctor Rivera memorabilia.
Marco grabbed a VHS recording titled The Best of Rivera, as the TV played.
I have to sing, I have to play
The TV shows a bunch of people gathering around, a young Héctor is shown in the middle.
The music, it's not just in me, it is me! Sometimes when life gets me down, I play my guitar.
Héctor is seen playing his guitar, with Marco following suit afterwards.
The rest of the world may follow the rules, but... I must follow my heart.
The scene cuts to Rivera kissing a young woman, making Marco recoil in disgust.
You know that feeling, where there is like a song in the air and it's playing just for you?
Marco strummed the guitar to match Héctor's playing, but to no avail.
Héctor soon began singing
A feeling so close~
You could reach out and touch
I never knew I could want something so much~
But it's true
Héctor stopped singing, as the TV changes to another scene.
"You must have faith, sister." Héctor said to a young nun.
"But Padre, he will never listen." The young nun replied
"He will listen to music." Héctor gave a bright smile
Only a song
Only a song~
Has the power to change a heart sang Rivera.
Marco closed his eyes, as he focused more on his guitar. Letting his fingers play freely on the strings. He no longer paid any any attention to the TV, it was all on him. He played a sweet song matching Rivera's music.
However when Héctor started to talk, Marco stopped playing.
"Señor Rivera, what did it take for you to seize your moment?" asked a new reporter.
"I had to have faith in my dream" began Héctor No one was just going to hand it to me, It was only me to reach that dream. Grab it tight..."
"and make it come true..." finished Marco in awe as the film finished.
Marco looked at the flyer for the talent show, and made a decision.
"No more hiding it Pepita. I'm going to play at Mariachi Plaza if it kills me!" He declared.
Well, here's the second chapter. Just a few more and we get to meet the dead de la Cruzes lol.