A.N: Hey there, everyone! Well, it's certainly been a minute since I last updated this story ^^' Well, I apologize deeply for that. A lot of stuff has happened over the past couple months. It was super hard to finish my first semester of college. It was a lot of tests and essays that sucked the life out of me. Then the holidays came around that was all really great and I was so occupied with that. Then second semester started and then work sort of spiraled out of control again. Then add some writer's block into the mix and voila! Why I haven't updated in almost five months! XD But hey, now I'm back officially and I'm currently on spring break so hopefully I can dish out a chapter or two :)
So anyway, for this chapter, we're actually going to see how Miguel is doing back in the Land of the Living. We haven't seen Miguel since Chapter 10 Part 2 so I wanted to do a chapter that showed how he's doing :D There will be quite a few chapters with Miguel in this story because well, he is the main character of "Coco". He needs to be in it a lot XD
Miguel's POV
I stepped out into the empty courtyard taking a deep breath before letting it all out. The sun was just setting over the horizon. It was so tranquilo. All I could hear was the sound of crickets chirping as well as the faint chatter of my family members still eating dinner back in the house.
I had finished eating early and needed some air, so I asked if I could be excused. Abuelita was a little hesitant because I had hardly touched any of the many tamales that she put on my plate. But she eventually gave in and excused me from the table.
It was strange yet kind of nice standing out there all by myself. Everything around me just sort of stood still. It was very…
...Pacífico…
Being out there alone made me think about a lot of things. The last couple of weeks had been crazy for me. Ever since I got back from my little "adventure".
I'll admit, it was something that I never expected to happen. Even after a few weeks I still can't believe that it actually happened. But at the same time, it was a pretty cool experience. I mean, not everyone can say that they were cursed and got to meet their dead relatives and nearly died trying to save one of them all the while trying to get back home.
But ever since I got back home, things have changed a lot. After singing to Mamá Coco and restoring her memory, I explained to them the truth about what really happened to Papá Héctor; including how the cool guitar was actually his and that he was the musical genius and not De la Cruz.
Mi familia still found it all a little hard believe at first. But thankfully Mamá Coco was there to back me up. She confirmed that the guitar was indeed Papá Héctor's and that he was a musician that toured with Ernesto de la Cruz. That and the poems that he sent her proved that he was the famous songwriter that everyone was supposed to love.
My family was very concerned after learning that Ernesto murdered Papá Héctor and stole his music. They immediately notified the authorities who then called upon some historians and other experts who went into a full on investigation. You can't even imagine the surprise on everyone's faces when they found out that I was right about everything. I was very proud of this. I've never been right about anything before.
Word got out about Ernesto being a fraud and Papá Héctor being murdered. His guitar was given back to us and Señor de la Cruz's whole legacy was officially ruined.
It wasn't long after this that the whole family decided that maybe music wasn't so bad after all and that perhaps it was time for a change. Of course, Abuelita was VERY hesitant on the matter. But, after a few days of friendly debate, she finally relented and lifted the music ban on the family. I for one thought that this was great! I could finally love music! I could play the guitar for my family, sing my heart out, play in the Plaza, everything! After all these years hiding my talents and my love and appreciation for music, I could finally set it free.
With the whole "music issue" out of the way, there was only one more thing that I had to deal with…
...How I was going to explain my running away and somehow avoid getting grounded.
I knew from the moment that I got home that I was going to be in serious trouble. I really shouldn't have run off like that. Aldina was right, I do have a bad habit of running away a lot.
Finally my family asked me where I disappeared to on Día de los Muertos. I spent the better half of an hour telling my family about my fantastic adventure. How I was cursed, met our dead family members and Aldina, how Dante became an alebrije, and what Ernesto de la Cruz tried to do to us.
It took me awhile to tell the whole story. To be perfectly honest, my family took it a lot better than I thought they would. But they didn't believe me entirely. I remember what they said to me after I told them the story.
"Miguel, it was a long night for all of us. We were all stressed out and tired. Perhaps you dreamt it, mijo." Mamá said,
"I'm telling you, it was real! All of it! I wasn't dreaming. I actually met our family." I replied,
Abuelita smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did, Miguel. But the important thing now is that you're alright."
She proceeded to pull me into the tightest most suffocating hug that she had ever given me.
My family surprisingly didn't end up grounding me. They were just relieved that I wasn't hurt or mentally scarred.
They didn't know the half of it.
But even though it felt good to not be grounded, I was still pretty upset that my family didn't believe me about my journey through the Land of the Dead. The only people that seemed to really believe me were mis primos, Abel and Rosa, and surprisingly enough, Mamá Coco.
My cousins kept asking me to tell the story over and over again and always peppered me with questions about what it's like on the other side. Mamá Coco, on the other hand, hardly asked me any questions about it. I think she could tell that it was a rather sensitive thing for me to talk about and she respected that. She treated it like a secret; like the secrets that we used to share together every time I hung out with her. That meant a lot to me.
Though lately we feel that she's been slipping away more. Although she was happy and had her memory back, she still acted rather distant and much less spirited. We fear that it might be her time soon. Abuelita has even seen the signs. She tries to pretend that there's nothing wrong, but even she can't hide it from us.
I continued to stand there and look out into the empty courtyard recounting all that has happened to me.
Suddenly I felt something brush my leg.
"GAH!" I jumped screaming a little, I looked down to see that it was only Dante. He looked back up at me and smiled energetically wagging his tail.
I laughed in relief. "Oh it's only you, Dante." I bent down on one knee and scratched under both of Dante's ears. Dante shook his leg and panted heavily enjoying the scratch.
"You shouldn't scare me like that, boy." I told him, he let out a playful bark and wagged his tail again. Then he lazily rolled onto his back and looked up at me expectantly.
I chuckled lightly and gave him a light tummy rub. "Yeah, who's a good spirit guide? Huh? Who's a good spirit guide? You are! Yes you are!" I said in a goofy voice, I was so glad that I was the only one out here at the moment.
The last thing that I needed was Abel teasing me about fawning over my dog.
Then I thought about how crazy it was that Dante was actually an alebrije. Not just any alebrije though...MY alebrije...It was crazy how he knew that Papá Héctor was my great-great grandfather all along. Nobody else knew. But Dante did.
"That was so cool that you knew that." I told him, Dante only barked in response. But my wide smile faded some as I thought about Papá Héctor.
I missed him. A lot. He was the first member of my family to really understand me. He was someone that I could connect with. After all, with both of us being aspiring musicians, we did share a common bond; and it was thanks to his tips on dealing with stage fright that I've been able to play in the Plaza a little more. That nice mariachi guy that I have given shoe shines to lets me borrow his guitar sometimes so I can play. I'm still a little shaky but I've drawn a few small crowds. Heck, I've even earned a few pesos. I'm putting it all towards a brand new guitar that I saw in the music store window. I have a long way to go before I can afford it, but it will be worth it.
"Do you think he would be proud of me?" I asked Dante, Dante just tilted his head and gave a small whine.
I sighed as I stood up straight. I didn't just miss Papá Héctor. I missed all of my relatives. Mamá Imelda, Papá Julio, Tíos Oscar and Felipè, my Tías Rosita and Victoria...all of them…
I also missed Aldina a lot too. Although we weren't related, she felt like another Mamá to me. She was so nice all the time and she was supportive of me when I performed "Un Poco Loco" at the talent competition. She cared about me a lot and I felt like I could talk to her when I had problems. In a way, she was like family.
I was so lost in thought, thinking about my dead family members that I forgot that I was standing there staring vacantly into the courtyard.
Without warning, Dante jumped up and continued to lick my face. I only laughed at that all the while wiping the dog slobber off of my cheek.
"Miguel! Time to come inside, mijo!" My Mamá called from in the house,
I turned towards the house. "Viene, madre." I called back to her,
I started to head back inside when I looked over my shoulder.
I whistled. "Come on, Dante."
Dante sprung up from off the ground and sped inside before I even made it to the door. I smiled and shook my head as I followed Dante inside.
The next day I decided to head out to the Plaza once again to watch all of the musicians play their music. Mamá and Papá said I was good to go; I just needed to be back by lunchtime.
I pushed open the large gates to our family compound and walked down the narrow street way to Mariachi Plaza. I said good morning to all of the people who had stands set up along the way. Finally I made it to the center of the Plaza. I looked around in wonder at all of the music that was playing around me. Some people were sitting on corners while a small group of mariachis were up in the gazebo playing for everyone to hear.
I continued to look around until I caught sight of my new mariachi friend. He was sitting on the steps of the gazebo strumming his guitar.
I ran towards him smiling and waving. "Chicho!"
Chicho looked up and saw me. "¡Hola muchacho!" He smiled,
"¿Cómo estás?" I asked him,
"Pretty good, kid. How about you?" He asked me back,
"Alright." I replied, I sat down next to him as he tuned his guitar. I noticed that he had notes written down on paper for playing guitar.
"What'cha doing?" I asked curiously,
"Working on a new song." He replied,
"Cool! Could I try it?" I asked politely,
"Sure kid, here you go." Chicho handed me his guitar along with the music. I looked down at the notes and started to play the song he was writing. It was a pretty good song. I found myself getting so lost in the music that I didn't notice the mariachis in the gazebo stopped their playing and just watched me in amazement.
"Wow. You sure have talent, niño." One of them said, he was playing a violin.
I stopped playing and looked up at them surprised. "Really? You think so?"
One of the trumpeters cut in. "¡Sin duda! You're brillante!" Then he quirked an eyebrow, "Say, aren't you one of those Rivera kids?"
I nodded proudly. "¡Sí!"
They were genuinely surprised when they heard me say that.
"Wow! They actually let music back in, eh? If only my grandfather were here to see this." The trumpeter said,
Then another guitarist chimed in. "Chicho! This kid is amazing!"
"Yeah! Keep playing!" The violinist agreed,
Chicho looked at his band and then looked at me. He smirked.
"Go on, muchacho. Keep going." He encouraged me,
I smiled wide and began to strum again. The notes and chords that I played floated from the guitar into the air. Everyone around us began to take notice.
I stood up from my spot on the steps and danced around the Plaza playing the guitar without a worry or a care in the world. The small crowd that was gathering was getting larger and larger by the second. But I was so lost in the music that I didn't notice.
I finally finished my song and handed the guitar back to Chicho. Suddenly I heard applause all around me. I turned to see that everyone in the Plaza listened to the music that I played. They all smiled and clapped and had their eyes on me.
I flashed a cheesy smile that very much resembled Papá Héctor's. Some people threw pesos into the guitar case.
I looked at Chicho surprised. He just shrugged.
"Go on, kid. Take a bow." He said,
I looked back at the cheering crowd and smiled weakly as I took a bow and said "Thank you". The crowd quickly dispersed as everyone went back to their own business.
A couple of kids about my age came running over to me gleaming.
"Hey you were great!" One of them said, he was maybe a year or two older than me. He was taller and lankier than I was; his moppy black hair was slicked back. He was dressed in ripped jeans and an old blue fútbol jersey
"Really?" I smiled,
"Yeah! We liked your playing." A girl added, she was about my height and age and had brown hair in a long braid. A gorgeous flower was worked into the braid. She wore a light green sundress with matching sandals.
I smiled at her too. "Thanks. That means a lot." Then I squinted some. "Who are you guys? I don't think I've seen you around here before."
"Oh, we're from the other side of town." The boy shrugged,
The girl nodded. "Sí. We've lived here our whole lives. You're one of the Riveras, yes?"
I nodded. "I'm Miguel."
"My name's Armando." The boy said,
"And I'm Adelina." The girl said,
"We're from the Villero family. We're the tailors here in town." The boy explained,
I perked up when he said that. Villero. That was Aldina's last name. Could these two be part of her family?
"¡Niños! Time to come home!" A voice called in the distance,
We looked in the direction of the voice to see a woman about the same age as Abuelita. She was lean just like the boy but sported facial features similar to the girl's.
"Coming, Abuela." The girl called back,
"We'd better go. They need us in the shop again." The girl said smiling sheepishly.
"No hay necesidad de explicar." I told them, "I'll see you guys around?"
"Totally!" The boy nodded. Then both he and the girl took off.
"Bye Miguel!" The girl called back to me.
I stared after them before going back to my usual routine. I spent the next few hours in the Plaza before finally returning home. The whole time I couldn't get the thought of Aldina's family out of my head. Even though she was like my friend, I still didn't know that much about Aldina. Maybe they could tell me?
But for now, I'm just happy to be home.
And there you have it. The long-awaited chapter of "We Need Each Other". Welp, that's all I have for now and I will see y'all in the next chapter! Bye guys! ;D
