At least try to get along with him.
That's what Héctor always used to plead Imelda to do. Ceci always heard their arguments when she was with them. And that was Héctor's frequent request.
Ceci found it weird. Héctor let Ernesto's amigos beat him up, never seeming like he minded, but if someone did something like that to Ernesto, then he got protective.
Ceci would never say this to him, but she's actually glad Ernesto is serving punishment for his crimes now. No longer will Héctor and Ernesto ever be in the same place again. Héctor won't have to stress over his amigo anymore.
Still, Ceci finds herself thinking about those past arguments as she works. Sometimes it was Héctor and her fighting, other times Imelda fought with him instead.
The topic was Ernesto almost all the time. Ceci can hear Héctor's exasperted voice in her head.
Why can't you just peacfully coexist with him?
Ceci shakes her head and sighs. It always annoys her when he tries to stand between people in arguments. Héctor always seemed to be right there when insults were fired. He always tried to stop it from escalating. Ceci kept telling him to stop, but he never listened.
Nothing seemed to thrill Héctor more than positivity. He hated fighting, physical and verbal.
Ceci thinks of one of their past conversations.
"Ernesto deserves better," he'd said, not making eye contact with her.
"But he doesn't need your help. He's older than you."
Héctor shot her a look, his cheeks flaming. "It hasn't stopped. It never will. 'Nesto deserves way better than most people let on, and you know it."
That was the end of that.
Ceci grits her teeth, fighting the rush of memories that come to her.
I'm not asking you to be overly nice to him. But at least pretend like you respect him.
Apparently Imelda refused to listen. Ceci finds herself strangely at ease thinking about that. Both of them know what a fowl person Ernesto used to be.
Héctor was, unfortuately, blind to it.
No one gets their hands on my Superhero.
Ceci cringes, remembering her witnesses of Héctor's loyalty. Héctor protected Ernesto more than he protected himself.
The way he saw things was: you could blame him, make fun of him, do anything you want to him, but Ernesto stayed out of it.
Ceci hated seeing Héctor protect his amigo that way.
Another reason she's glad that Ernesto is gone.