"Was it easy for Papa Hector to see Mama Imelda?" Miguel asked.
"Oh no," Mama Coco shook her head. "It was not easy for him. He had to sneak out when Tio 'Nesto was sleeping. I don't know why but Tio 'Nesto didn't like Papa seeing Mama."
Miguel and the rest of the family wondered that, too.
"Hector, this foolish romance must be stopped!" Ernesto shouted. The two men were in their hotel room while practicing their guitars. His statement made the tall and scrawny man accidentally strum the wrong note.
"Foolish!?" Hector was appalled. "My love for Imelda is true, not foolish!"
"It may be true but you've been spending time with her more than playing music!"
"I still write and play music!" Hector defended.
"Yes but what happens when you two decide to get married? If you keep up this courtship, we will never achieve our dream of becoming musicians!" Ernesto barked. "That woman will make you give up your dream!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Hector snapped. "Imelda would never make me do something against my will! Besides, I haven't proposed to her!"
"Don't bother asking her to marry you," the cleft chin man added. "Her aunt will never allow it-another reason why you should give up on Imelda!"
"No, I am not going to give up on her!" Hector cried. "Even if her aunt says no, I will not stop fighting for Imelda. I will show them that I am worthy enough to be Imelda's husband!"
"Good luck with that," Ernsto muttered, before leaving the room for a drink.
"You've been seeing a man, haven't you?" Tia Hilda snarled at her niece.
Imelda jumped at her aunt's voice, while she was sweeping the courtyard. How did she know?
"How did you-"
"I heard people on the streets talking about you seeing a man-is that true?"
"Si," Imelda said bravely. "What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong? Ha!" Hilda laughed. "I'll tell you what's wrong! Men are animals. They act all sweet and nice to you, but eventually, they'll get bored of you and leave you for another woman!"
"Rubbish!" huffed Imelda.
"Oh you don't believe me?" the older woman sneered. "That man of yours will have his way with you and leave you forever! Just you wait!"
"That's not true!" the young girl yelled. "Hector's not like that! He's a true gentleman! He loves and respects me, just as much as I love and respect him!"
"Who would ever love and respect you?" The older woman mocked as she walked away. "He will leave you, just like your parents did!"
Imelda bit her tongue and kept on sweeping, blocking her aunt's taunting words.
"My parents didn't leave me and the boys. They died." Her mind thought back to that one night when Hector sang to her. She recounted his sweet smile and his lingering gazes on her. Love is what the woman sensed from the young musician. Her heart knows what she and Hector have is love, why couldn't her aunt understand? Even if Hector decided to marry someone else, at least she'll be happy knowing that someone loved her. Still, Imelda hoped to one day be Hector's wife.
"Well, despite whatever Tio Nesto and Tia Hilda thought, Papa and Mama still continued to see each other," Mama Coco continued, her eyes sparkling. "It wasn't too long before Papa asked Mama to marry him, and she said yes! Oh Papa was so happy that he let out a grito while picking Mama up and spun her around. Mama laughed as he did that. When he put her down, they shared a kiss that was longer and sweeter than any of the kisses they had shared!"
The adults awed and sighed in happiness.
"Que romantico!" Rosa gushed.
("Bleh!" Manny and Benny groaned, sticking their tongues out).
"Did Papa Hector have to get Tia Hilda's permission and blessing to marry Mama Imelda?" Miguel asked.
Mama Coco's smile faded away and was replaced with a troubling frown.
"Oh, I don't think they asked. I think they eloped."
The whole family gasped.
"But why did they elope?" the preteen boy sputtered.
"Miguel, I think that is enough stories for now." Elene spoke up. She did it quickly before Mama Coco could answer. Like her grandson, the old woman didn't know either but she had a feeling why her abuelo and abuelita eloped. It was for reasons that her children and grandchildren (especially her grandchildren) should not know. "Time for you to do your homework."
"But Abuelita, I have already done my homework!"
"Now don't you start…"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Ah I wonder who could that be?" Enrique wondered as he walked toward the door. He opened it to find a boy who looked about fourteen, standing in the doorway. "Um, can I help you?" The man didn't know why, but there was something about that teen that unsettled him.
"I like to speak to Miguel."
Enrique's son came to the door, surprised to see his friend here.
"Chino, what are you doing here?" Not that Miguel was unhappy to see his school friend. It was rare for him to receive a visit from one of his schoolmates. "Do you need help with a school assignment?"
"No, I am not here for that," Chino replied. "I am here for the guitar."
"What?" Miguel was not sure if he heard his friend correctly.
"Do you still have that guitar which you took from the cemetery?"
"Si, but didn't we have this conversation before-"
"I like to have that guitar now!" Chino interrupted rudely.
Miguel's eyes widened and so did his father's. The rest of the family shared each other worried looks about this odd request.
"No, you can't have it," Miguel replied, firmly. "It belonged to my great-great grandfather, Hector."
"That's right," Enrique added, standing straight. "The guitar is a family heirloom."
"Ha!" Chino scoffed. "Since when has the guitar been a family heirloom? Everyone knows it belongs to Ernesto De La Cruz!"
"No, that's not true!" the twelve-year-old shook his head. "I understand the confusion, but the guitar really did belong to Papa Hector!"
"Why do you want it?" Enrique asked. He was mad at Chino but was still trying to stay calm.
"Look, I am told to get the guitar by someone, so give it to me or-"
WHAP!
Chino was hit in the face by a brown chancla, which was being held by a very angry Elena.
"Stop pestering my family!" She yelled, sticking her shoe into Chino's nose.
"Dona, can you please get your shoe off my face?"
"Can you please get your face out of my hacienda?"
"Abuelita, calm down!" Miguel said, trying to soothe her. Not that he was defending his friend, but the last thing he wanted was his grandma to make a scene.
"Who are you working for?" Enrique demanded, while restraining his mother.
When Elena lifted her shoe up from Chino's face, expecting an answer, it wasn't what she hoped for.
"I cannot tell you," the teenaged boy admitted. He was hit by Elena's shoe again.
"TALK!"
"I can't tell but please give me the guitar!"
"No, you cannot! Now leave!" Enrique barked.
Before Chino could say another word, Abuelita shoved her shoe in his face. Scared of being hit again, the teenaged boy ran away.
"And stay out!" Abuelita shouted before slamming the door shut.
"That friend of yours is suspicious, Miguel," Tia Carmen pondered.
"Oh you don't think he was one of those hooligans that vandalized our home, do you?" Franco said in a shaky voice. His hands were trembling.
"Oh no, he could be!" Tia Gloria gasped horribly.
"No, impossible," Miguel shook his head. "Chino was out of town when that happened."
"Then why was he asking for the guitar?" Rosa questioned.
"Should we notify the police?" Abel asked. "He could be a suspect."
"That is a good idea, mijo," Tio Berto agreed.
"But Chino is innocent!" Miguel argued. "Why would he vandalize our home when he had been out of town?"
"We're not saying he did, mijo," Luisa said gently. "But he could be a suspect. His behavior was odd, don't you agree?"
"Si."
"All the more reason to take caution," Enrique added sternly, to his son. "Until we find out who vandalized our home and bring Papa Hector to justice, I do not want you speaking about the case or the guitar to Chino."
"But Papa, he is my friend!"
"Friend or not, I don't want you talking about it to anyone outside of the family and authorities!"
Miguel pleaded again but was silenced by his father's glare.
"Do you understand Miguel?"
"Si," the boy sighed in defeat.
"Let's go to bed, everybody," Elena said, trying to diffuse the tension.
Everybody agreed and turned in for the night.
The matriarch of the family noticed that the boy hadn't moved from his spot.
"Elena, let me speak to Miguelito," she told her daughter.
Abuelita looked between her mother and her grandson. "All right," she sighed. "But I don't think he is in the mood to talk." She went to the kitchen to make hot cocoa, thinking that it would cheer him up.
"Miguel," Mama Coco spoke gently. "Are you okay?"
The boy wondered why his great grandma would ask that question. Either she was beginning to lose her memory again or she was being nice.
"Oh out of all the possible suspects, why do they have to pick on Chino?"
"They are being cautious, mijo. Just trying to eliminate possible suspects."
"But Chino is my best friend!" the boy argued. "He would never hurt me!" His anger cooled down when he saw the old woman looking troubled.
"That is what Papa said about Tio Nesto," Mama Coco said, softly.
"Verdad?"
"Si, I recall Mama warning Papa something about Tio Nesto. I don't remember why but she was suspicious of him. When Mama told Papa, he brushed off her warnings, and assured her they had nothing to worry about. He also said the exact same thing 'Ernesto is my best friend. He would never hurt me!' Mama Coco paused before she continued. "Sometimes...I wonder if...Papa was hurt by Nesto...just like Mama predicted."
Miguel wasn't sure what to say. So many emotions were whirling around in his head. Would Chino betray him just like how Ernesto betrayed Papa Hector?
"I'll be cautious, Mama Coco," the child promised her.
