Disclaimer: I don't own Coco
Hi! Here's our next chapter and here we see Ernesto at the Zapateria! Also just because I added a bad guy, doesn't mean Ernesto is automatically forgiven or anything. Remember a big part of the story is, Ernesto having to earn redemption and learning to take responsibility for his own actions. His sad and tragic past may have been the framework and the catalyst, and Antonio may have planted the seed of discontent and doubt, but Hector's murder was still in the end a choice Ernesto made himself.
" Senor de la Cruz?" Came her voice, and a polite knock. Ernesto however, didn't even bother getting up when he heard the keys jingling followed by Hector opening the door. Rosita entered the room, and set a small tray on the nightstand beside the bed. The food consisted of huevos rancheros and tortillas with juice, and it smells heavenly. He sat up, as Hector gave him a small warning look and narrowed his eyes. Even so, Rosita was incredibly chipper as she smiled at him.
" Buenos dias, Senor de la Cruz! I'm Rosita Rivera, Victoria's aunt and it's so nice to meet you, now eat up and when you're done ring this bell and one of us will come pick up your dishes and take you to the zapateria. Mama Imelda sent Tio Oscar y Tio Felipe to go collect some plain clothes from your home, but for now feel free to come as you are. Mama Imelda will tell you what to do from there, " Said Rosita with a smile, her hands clasped together as she smiled warmly. " Bueno, I'll see you in a few moments."
With that, she and Hector walked away leaving Ernesto to eat.
" I hope he likes his huevos." Said Rosita kindly, as she waited for Hector to lock the door.
" Ernesto can and usually will eat anything, so he'll like them I'm sure." Said Hector with a smile, making his in law smile. They looked up, when Victoria arrived with a plate in her hands.
" Oh Vico, I just gave Ernesto his food." Said Rosita kindly.
" I know, I was hoping to eat with him. No one should eat alone after all." Said Victoria, Rosita looked up at Hector who was shocked by this but...well...she seemed to be the only one who wanted to put up with him. Hector unlocked the door, and let her in deciding to trust her. Even so, did he give Victoria the keys or keep the door unlocked? Well...perhaps he'd keep the door unlocked so Victoria could come out. Ernesto meanwhile, took one bite and he was admittedly pleasantly surprised, he looked up when Victoria entered and set her plate down on the nightstand.
" Portate bien." Said Hector.
" Papa Hector, I'm an adult." Said Victoria, a slight teasing edge to her tone.
" I wasn't talking to you mija." Said Hector, casting a pointed glare Ernesto's way. Ernesto merely gave a small wink in response, before sipping his drink. Hector shook his head, and walked away with Rosita, still feeling a little uneasy about this.
" How did you convince Imelda to let you do this?" Asked Ernesto, as he and Victoria ate.
" I didn't, I respect Mama Imelda and her rules, but she never said anything about not being able to eat with you. So, how did you sleep last night?" She asked courteously.
" Not very well, this suit is great for performing on stage with but for sleeping? Not so much." He replied, choosing not to go into details on the memories he'd dreamed of last night. " Hopefully the clothes I'll get will be allow me to get a better night's sleep. So, what can I expect from working at the shop?"
" Well, you won't be making shoes if that's what you're wondering. First, you start by shining shoes and once it's been decided that you're ready you move on to making shoes." Explained Victoria, the singer however, was unsure about how he felt about cleaning other people's shoes.
" Is Hector making or cleaning shoes?" Asked Ernesto curiously.
" He's learning to make shoes, he's...getting better." Said Victoria with a small chuckle. " I remember it took me two months to learn how to make them, but it only took Elena two weeks. "
" You compare yourself to your sister a lot." He noted, before taking a sip of his drink. He recalled that she'd said how she wanted a family, while her sister hadn't and now it appeared she was comparing her skill to her sister.
" Well, Elena and I were each other's best friends, we loved each other very much but she was Mama Imelda's favorite or at least it felt this way. So, to me it felt like she was always doing better at everything than I was. Better at shoemaking, better at listening to Mama Imelda's rules, better at having and making friends, better at having children. " She replied simply, with a small shrug.
" Well, you are not alone. I could sing a song, but Hector was the better writer...I could barely even write one. After I had done away with him, I was careful to not use too many songs at a time. " He replied, she winced slightly at how he could mention that so casually. " That was the one thing Hector was good at, if not better than me at. Personally however, I like you better than your sister despite having not met her. I think if it had been her she would have kept me under the bell."
" Yes she would have, but you know Elena isn't a bad person. She's just very much like Mama Imelda, while I take more after papa Hector I guess." She replied.
" Ah, that explains it. I always did get along better with Hector than with Imelda. You even look like him. " He replied, making her chuckle. "Tell me however, should I be worried about working for your family?"
" That, is entirely up to you." She replied, when Oscar knocked on the door. Victoria stood and opened the door, and shocked the male skeleton not expecting to see Victoria there.
" Ah, Victoria, we have Ernesto's clothing." Said Oscar, as Felipe held out a white shirt and some slacks. Victoria stepped out with the dirty dishes, allowing him to get changed whilst Oscar stood by the door. Felipe looked at her strangely.
" Is something wrong, Tio Felipe?" She asked.
" Why were you in his room?" Asked her great-uncle.
" We were eating breakfast together, surely there's no harm in that." She replied, calmly.
" Well...no, but it is a little unexpected. Victoria, is there-"
" No Tio Felipe, there isn't." Said Victoria, as she set the plates down on the sink, knowing full well what her uncle was implying. " He is old enough to be my grandfather, technically even older since he's four years older than Papa Hector."
" Yes, in the land of the Living, but well he died at 47 and you died at 45 and-"
" And that doesn't mean anything, I have absolutely no feelings for this man, he is the man who murdered my grandfather and tried to murder my great-nephew. This is all to give him a second chance and have him make amends. That's it." Said Victoria, Tio Felipe looked convinced at that, even so he had to admit that it seemed suspicious on his end. Even so, Oscar and Ernesto stepped out, before leading him across the courtyard to where the zapateria was. Everyone was getting ready to start the day, and putting on their smocks and aprons. Imelda stepped immediately.
" Ernesto, welcome to your first day. You will begin by shining shoes, but first we will teach you how to shine them. Then, you will be outside, shining shoes with Julio who has offered to be your teacher and to watch you on the job. I expect a good job, the Rivera Zapateria is known for our high quality of work and high standards in both the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead. We take pride in our work, and we expect a job well done. Is that understood?" She asked.
" Yes Senora." Said Ernesto, Imelda nodded before turning to everyone else.
" Hector and Coco, you are to do deliveries today, Victoria, you will be working at the window, Oscar, Felipe, Rosita the three of you and I will be busy making dress shoes for the Alvarez family, they have a new arrival who is celebrating her Quinces tomorrow, so we need those shoes to be very special. We also have received three more orders we need to fill. Everyone to your stations. "
Mama Imelda clapped her hands, and everyone got started working. Ernesto stood there slightly confused, when Julio stepped forward.
" Right here, hola Senor de la Cruz, I'm Julio Rivera, Coco's husband and Hector and Imelda's son-in-law. Now, why don't we get started si?" Said Julio, motioning for Ernesto to follow. Julio let the musician to a work bench, before sitting on a stool himself after getting a dirty shoe they had in a small bin, used to teach Hector. Meanwhile, Imelda handed some boxes to Hector and Coco. Hector smiled and kissed his wife before tenderly giving her a kiss. Coco went over to Julio, and kissed his cheek before walking out with Hector through the front. " Now, the basics. This is a shoe."
Julio set a black dress shoe down on the table, before opening the box.
" A shoe is more than just a shoe, it is an important item that must be treated with respect. Without shoes, we would have nothing to protect our feet from puddles, sharp objects, and cold floors. Everyone should take care of their shoe, now included in your box you will find all the necessities for shining shoes. You will find shoe polish, shine brushes, cloth, sponges, and shoe horn. " Explained Julio, as he took out the materials. " Now, what do you think we should do first?"
" Eh, use...the sponge?" Asked Ernesto curiously.
" Not quite, first we use clean the dust and dirt off your boots with a horsehair shine brush or damp rag. The damp rag is more useful for dirtier shoes, but if you use the rag then you have to wait a bit before putting on the polish. Now, clean off the dust, using your brush." Instructed Julio, Ernesto picked up the brush and began to dust off the shoe. " Be sure to get all the dust, and take your time."
Ernesto looked up, when he felt he was finished.
" Ok, now comes the fun part, the polish. Now, the shoe polish must match the shoe color, brown shoes are hardest to shine because there are so many different shades of brown. I will be working on brown shoes today, and you will be working on black ones to make things easier. Now, be careful with shoe polish because this will stain your clothes and it gets everywhere even when you don't want it to." Explained Julio, and Ernesto paid attention as Julio took off his own shoe and after doing a quick run through with the brush used the polish. " Now, you want to really get in the seams and cover as much as you can."
Ernesto tried to follow along, as much as he could and he was grateful he was such a fast learner. Julio smiled, and explained the remaining two steps carefully. He hopped off the stool, before returning with another boot.
" Ahora, let me see you shine this one on your own." Said Julio, Ernesto took the shoe and began to shine it. "Focus, despacito, and take your time but also try to be a little quick about it. People are busy and they have places to be."
After a few minutes, Ernesto was finished.
" Not too bad if I say so myself." Said Ernesto, with a smile as Julio inspected his work. Imelda went over, and took one look at it before announcing.
" Do it again."
" What?" Exclaimed Ernesto, his smile dropping from his face. "
It takes 45 minutes to shine a shoe if this is your first time, and 15 minutes or less to shine a shoe if you've spent a long time doing it." Said Imelda, pointing a bony finger in the spots where she was speaking of. " You missed spots on the toe, the heel, and the side, the paint is too thick and has taken longer to dry, and they barely shine. Do it again."
Imelda turned and walked back to her station, Julio cleared his throat and walked off before returning with another boot. Ernesto tried again, and this time he made sure to get the places he missed and took a bit more time. When he was done, Imelda returned and once again told him to do it over before pointing out his mistakes. A few hours passed and Ernesto was on the verge of giving up, he'd gone through twenty shoes. How hard was it to shine a shoe, and now...now he was just annoyed. Clearly Imelda was doing this on purpose to make him suffer.
" I would rather be stuck under the bell again than work on another shoe." He mumbled under his breath.
" It's ok Senor de la Cruz, I remember my first time shining shoes Imelda was just as hard on me. But, she's not doing it out of cruelty, she wants a good job done and takes great pride in her shoes. People have also come to expect a certain standard and quality, when it comes to the Rivera Zapateria, and she just wants to make sure you're up to those standards." Explained Julio, before returning with another shoe. " You'll get the hang of it, don't worry. Just try again."
Ernesto sighed, and began to shine the shoe. He was really getting frustrated with this at this point, even with Julio's encouragement. Finally however, he was done and Imelda came with her hands on her hips. She picked up the shoe and inspected it a few times.
" Hmph, good job Ernesto, you did it. " Said Imelda, with a small smile. Ernesto glanced up in shock had he finally done it? " Now, you're ready to work outside. Julio will tell you how much we charge for. Go."
Ernesto stood, mumbling under his breath about how infuriating Imelda was. Finally however, he was outside and there were the stares of course, some people even whispering as they glanced at him. However, where once before they'd been whispers of good kind words and compliments, now however they were bitter and harsh. Some people shooting him nasty glares and others shaking their heads. Well, what did any of them know anyway? They didn't understand him. He glowered as a man e knew before came by, Antonio Chavez.
" Ah, Ernesto, you work here now?" Asked Antonio.
" Yes, Imelda and her family were kind enough to give me the pleasure of working here. Have you met them? This is Imelda and Hector's son-in-law and their granddaughter." Said Ernesto, motioning to Julio, and Victoria. Victoria looked at him strangely from her seat at the window, before turning back to her current customer. The former celebrity smirked at the slight disdainful look in the other man's brown eyes. " Now, will I be shining those?"
" Yes, of course." Said Antonio, before taking a seat. Julio soon had his own customer to attend to, giving Ernesto and Antonio their small private time. " So, I heard Hector and Imelda are back together."
" Don't tell me you spent all this time trying to win her heart?" Asked Ernesto, making the other man scoff.
" Imelda is damaged goods now, yes she was beautiful when we were young but she's married with a family...and her family has family, as you've so clearly pointed out. I'm married too, with a beautiful wife and have great-great grandchildren of my own. Ah yes, actually wasn't it her great-great grandson that was the reason why you fell so hard and so fast?" Asked Antonio, with a small smirk. Ernesto narrowed his eyes and glared at him. " Oh right, it was!"
" Yes, Imelda and Hector's great-great grandson sure did ruin my plan. He has a lot of Hector in him you know." Said Ernesto, playing that card. True Antonio might have more ammunition, but Ernesto would never let him forget that in the end he had lost. Imelda and Hector had married and started a family, and now were together in death with said family. Antonio rolled his eyes, and shook his head. " It's actually kind of sad if you think about it."
" What is?" Asked Ernesto deciding to humor him.
" I remember one day, I wanted to pay you a visit as your old friend, but then you threw me into your cenote. It took me months to get out, but now you have no power and are just as low as anybody else if not lower. I mean look at us, I'm sitting comfortable here, and you're down there shining my feet where you belong." Said Antonio, and Ernesto immediately clenched his hand tightly into a fist. Julio noticed this, before immediately going over and getting between them. He placed a hand on Ernesto's shoulder before turning to the man.
" Alright uh, senor I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this session short. Here are your pesos back, and thank you so much for stopping by the Rivera zapateria, we enjoy doing business with you." Said Julio politely, as he handed Antonio money. The man took it before walking off. Ernesto immediately stood up, and glared at the man who smirked back at him before walking away. Antonio walked by Coco and Hector who were arriving back from making deliveries.
" Oh, hola Hector." Said Antonio, before walking away.
" Uh, hola Antonio." Said Hector in confusion, before glancing at Ernesto who scoffed and spat on the ground. "Did something happen?"
" Almost." Said Julio, with a sigh.
