Victoria joined Coco, and Julio in breakfast cooking. Making her Mamá a cup of atole, and her Papá a pure black coffee after she placed all the meals on the table.

"Buenos días!" Rosita's cheerful energy entered the room with her.

"What do we-,"

"Have today?." The twins took their seats.

"Yours are fried chicken with black sauce!" Victoria smiled, "And yours is tamales, Tía."

Rosita smiled, and grabbed her utensil. Victoria took her seat, and enjoyed her favorite fried egg that Coco made. She looked at her family, where were her grandparents?

"Mamá Imelda isn't down yet? Normally she wakes earlier than everyone." Julio asked the twin.

"Well, she went for a late night fly last night," Victoria remembered her grandma left as Rosita was doing her Mamá's marking. "Maybe she's still tired."

"Héctor went with her-"

"But he's not on the couch this morning." the twin replied.

"I'll go check upstairs."

Victoria left the dining room, and took the wooden stairs. She reached for the door, and slowly opened it to be greeted by an unexpected sight.

A quilt draped across the bones as two skeletons laid there. Imelda's hair lay loose around her face as she leaned against the headboard in Héctor's pajama shirt, staring out the window. Héctor slept peacefully on her sternum, holding her close as she combed his hair with her hand.

Imelda turned her face to Victoria with no shame, simply brought her index phalanges to her mouth, and then pointed at sleeping Héctor. Victoria nodded, and then quietly eased the door closed, hurried down the stairs to the dining room.

"Are they up yet, mija?" Coco asked as Victoria went back to her seat.

"No, Mamá." Victoria smiled, "They're probably taking a day off today.".

Imelda could hear the front gate shut as she combed Héctor's hair while he was resting on her. Everyone already went to the zapatería. She never enjoyed overworking herself off, and she wanted to spend the day with Héctor, using all the precious moments that were finally granted to her. However, she doesn't know what to do alone at home with him too, so she decided she'd ask him when he wakes up.

He blinked drowsily at her, and nuzzled her sternum, "Buenos dias, mi vida.".

"Buenos días, mi amor." She replied with a smile.

Dios! I feel 19 again! Imelda thought as he leaned up to kiss her.

"So what will you be doing today?" Héctor asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." Imelda chuckled, "I'm pretty sure Victoria already told everyone that I'm taking a day off even though I don't know what to do at home.".

"Well, what do we do?" Héctor asked, "Before the accident."

Imelda smiled, and then got him off the bed. The couple showered together, and then dressed up in their usual outfit. Their familia couldn't stop smiling shyly when Imelda, and Héctor entered the workshop hand in hand.

Héctor stood at the height measuring column as Imelda took note of the height difference of each foot. He has always had proportion problems since she first met him, he'd walk funny until he wore the experimental shoe she made with the twin's help. That was her first regalo de bodas to him.

"What do you think, mi amor?" She handed him the sketch of the design.

"This is beautiful!" He smiled, and then looked at the plain extended heel of one of the shoes, "But can you add lettering embroidery to the heel?".

"Sure, what do you want to add?"

"Just 'H. Rivera' is fine," he smiled.

"Papá Héctor, why don't you sign un autógrafo on the heel piece, and then have Mamá Imelda embroidering it?" Victoria asked.

Imelda cut the leathers from the pattern, and then had Héctor sign the heel piece before she embroidered it with golden yarns.

The Riveras cleaned their work bench after the sunset, and then turned off all their electricity. As they were ready to leave the workshop by the back door, suddenly a knock came from the front door.

"We're closed! Come back tomorrow!" Imelda shouted back.

"It's Frida!"

The family invited her exclusively to the hacienda for dinner, and let her alebrije play with Dante, and Pepita outside.

"I will have my art exhibition next week at the Sunrise Amphitheater," Frida announced, "It's from midnight to sunrise, and since you owe me my dress. I was wondering if you could come perform at the exhibition?".

6 Hours!? Coco thought as she looked at her father, she remembered he left home early to perform, and then came back at 6 when he was alive, but he had obviously taken a break during the day! not constantly playing.

"I don't think I could perform for 6 hours in a roll, Frida." Héctor chuckled nervously.

"Gus, and the orchestra will be performing for the first 3 hours, Héctor." Frida rolled her eyes, "Hey! What if we have your family join you? All of you could pass 3 hours with ease.".

"Well up to them, I guess."

"I don't mind," Coco replied immediately.

She had heard Ernesto's version of her song all her life outside the hacienda, and had to force herself to shut her mouth. She had sung it with Miguel, but she also wanted to sing it with her Papá too, in case the Devil Cruz's fans would finally stop admiring that murderer's version.

"We wanna join too!" Óscar, and Filipe smiled.

"Do you remember how to play drums?" Rosita asked her brother.

"¡Por supuesto! hago!" Julio beamed.

"What about you two?" Frida asked Victoria, and Imelda.

Coco looked at her daughter. She has always been the quiet one despite having a billion words in her mind, but no matter what, before she does something, she'd always ask…

"What do you think? Mamá Imelda." Victoria asked her grandmother.

"Lo no se, Victoria," Imelda said uncertainly. "I don't mind performing, but I'm not sure what I could perform there, honestly."

"You sing best in all of us!" Héctor protested immediately, "But you don't have to do it if you don't want to, mi vida.".

"We'll think about it.".

Who do you think will be performing, and who won't? Imelda, or Victoria?

Vocab

Index Phalanges = Index Fingers

Regalo De Bodas = Wedding Gift

Autógrafo = Autograph

¡Por Supuesto! Hago = Of Course! I Do!