The wedding seemed just like theirs. Only it was way different. In a lot of ways. The sun wasn't as bright; it was behind thick looking clouds. There was no music, only the chatter and laughs of Imelda, Coco, Julio, and their other family members. And the decorations were a variety of colors, instead of just plain purple and white streamers and chairs.
Coco and Julio's outfits were slightly flashier, too. Coco's hair was piled on top of her head in two braids tied back with a sunset-pink ribbon, and her dress fell all the way to her shiny black shoes, which Imelda had made for her just for the occasion. Julio wore a white suit, thoroughly ironed, with blue sparkly designs on the jacket. His shoes were the same color as hers, and his hair was slicked back with so much gel that the sun bounced off of it as much as it did the sparkles.
Imelda tried as best she could to keep the memories of her own wedding out of her head when she was helping get everything ready so that she didn't start weeping at the sight of the frosted treats or the sound of Coco and Julio's giggling as it grew closer and closer to the celebration time. She tried not to picture Héctor's crisp orange mariachi suit or the feel of his lips on hers as she watched Coco and Julio share their own kiss up in front of her. She tried not to picture Héctor playing his music onstage for her when the afterparty started and there was no music to accmpany the chatter again.
She especially tried not to let her tears fall when she saw how close Coco was standing to Julio over by the table full of treats with their drinks in hand, the memory of the way that Héctor had chattered to her and made her laugh after his suprise performance coming back to her in a way that made her heart clench.
Imelda found herself staring at Coco the whole time, hoping that she'll never have to experience the pain that she already had. She knew it was a little too early to start assuming the worst, and besides, Julio was nothing at all like Héctor and never had shown any signs of the desire that Héctor had when he'd first started talking about leaving with Ernesto.
But she still thought it was possible, ever since she first saw the two of them together and realized what it meant. A small part of her while watching Coco and Julio's many kisses a few weeks before was always conduring up images of Coco's face streaked with tears as Julio backed out of a shared embrace with her and turned to go out the door without a second look over his shoulder. Imelda thought of how Héctor had promised to stay by her side forever at their own wedding then had walked out the door despite that.
Then again, the more she'd thought about it with each passing day, the more she realized how impossible it was that her sickening visions would come true. Julio would never leave Coco becuase, unlike Héctor, he knew that family came first. And now as Imelda watched Coco's friends crowd around Coco and Julio and explode into joyus laughter moments later, Julio's eyes glassy with pleasure and filled with clear adoration for Coco, her fears were silenced.
Coco threw her head back and laughed, her drink almost spilling over her dress in the process. As she wiped her eyes while she settled down she caught Imelda's gaze and shared a warm smile, reminding Imelda of just how much Coco looked like Héctor when she did so. Imelda wanted to smile back, but her heart wasn't in it as memories of Héctor circled her mind again, even though she'd gotten better at not thinking of him as the years went on.
Noticing this, Coco set her drink down on the table behind her and walked over to where Imelda was standing and put an arm around her, the gesture causing sudden tears of joy to fall from her eyes as she stared back at her daughter. Then Coco grabbed Imelda's hands and pulled her over to where people were still crowding around them.
They talked and giggled like little kids until the sun's light fully disappeared and rain finally poured over everyone.
And when Imelda finally found it in her manage a small smile Coco's way as her, Coco, Julio, and the rest of the family dashed back to the hacienda with their arms full of the leftover treats, Coco's returned grin and laugh as the rain practically made a second skin of her dress made Imelda's heart lift and all memories of him disappear as they reached the house, threw open the door, and slammed it shut with loud and hysterical laughter bouncing off the tile floor.