Imelda has always known that her brothers' reckless behavior would get them into trouble, but never had she expected that one of their ridiculous games or experiments would actually cause their lives to end.
She'd always, always told them to be careful whenever they try annotating the designs they're working on or joking around with each other on weekends or when business hours are over. She'd scolded them countless times for this reason. When they were younger she'd always be screaming at them until their parents stopped her, angrily jabbing and poking them while she snarled her complaints in their ears.
But now, storming toward the New Arrivals office with Julio and Rosita only two feet behind, the breeze in the air barely noticeable in the heat of her rage, Imelda can clearly see that her countless warnings have had no effect, even after all this time. It's times like these that make her wonder how Oscar and Felipe could be older than her when they act so irresponsible and childish sometimes.
Just like Héctor still does.
Imelda huffs and brushes that thought away as she trudges toward the large building and throws open the double doors. She keeps her eyes glued to the ground while guiding Rosita and Julio through the long walkways and dodging the many groups of people that push past the three of them as they hurry in other directions.
When she gets to the office, though, and first lays eyes on them, her rage deserts her and she stumbles backward at the sight she sees. She widens her eyes in slight disbelief as Rosita steadies her.
Imelda's brothers have their arms wrapped around each other, both choking out sobs and dragging their free hands over their skulls repeatedly. They're wearing their signature brown pants and white collared shirts with faded stripes. Imelda quickly notices that each person has their thin-framed round glasses in their laps and their work aprons are stained with tears. Their hair is more tousled than usual and their eyes are clouded and glazed, like Héctor's always were whenever he was sick.
Imelda feels her breath leave her as she considers the scene in front of her a little differently, putting a hand to her chest and forgetting that she has no heart that she needs to calm down anymore. The more she looks at them, the more she forgets that there are people staring at her. She feels her eyes sting with her own tears as she remembers some of her earliest times with them, or how much they tried to help with taking care of Coco after Héctor had left them.
Without another thought she rushes forward and nearly throws herself at them, thrusting both her and them into the large desk and scattering the piles of papers around her as she wraps her arms around her brothers. She squeezes them tightly as they return her embrace, not a word coming from either of them as they hold her and get her standing again.
Staring at both of them once she's upright, Imelda runs one hand over each of their faces to wipe their tears, her seriousness taking over once again as she frowns and reaches behind her, grabbing the two pairs of glasses and setting them on each stricken face. "What happened?" she asks
A cautious glance is passed between her brothers, and Imelda works on forming scolding sentences in her mind as she crosses her arms and leans back. She can almsot see the scenario in her mind: an image of them annotating whatever project or game they were working on until it went to far. She hears an intake of breath behind her and she knows without looking behind her that Julio and Rosita must be having similar thoughts.
Or, if they're not, they're anticipating what Imelda might yell when an answer is given.
Felipe sighs, and Imelda braces herself, her left hand sqeezing into a fist like it always does whenever she gets ready to yell at anyone.
But instead of telling her how they went out of control and let their immaginations get the best of them, both of them dip their heads low, regret in both of their eyes, and Oscar says in an unusually quiet voice, "We got sick."
Imelda widens her eyes and uncurls her hand, gaping at him as she goes still. She tilts her head, her eyebrows raised. "What did you say?"
Felipe nods rapidly, the guilt in his expression becoming stronger as he clasps his hands behind his back. "It was pneumonia. We were sick for four days," he adds. The tears in his eyes resurface and he wipes them with his right hand, letting out a shaky sigh.
Imelda feels herself stagger back once again as her accusations and scoldings die in her mind. She can't respond; her mind is racing more than it was when she first got here. She looks at the ground as she feels a stab where her heart would be if she had one, conduring images of her brothers side-by-side in their beds, faces pale and eyes glassy, hair tousled and matted from too much time spent just laying there.
Not for the first time, Imelda wishes she could be there by her family's side before this, so she could've at least tried to make what must've been a painful few days sick a little more bearable for them.
Like Héctor always made Coco and I feel better when--
Imelda brushes that thought away.
Bringing her head up once she finds the strength, Imelda locks eyes with her brothers and pulls them into another embrace, this one tighter than the first. She can feel them shaking against her, but she doesn't feel or hear anymore signs of tears from either of them. The three of them stand like that for a few minutes before Julio's voice breaks through the moment and reminds Imelda that there are other people in the room.
She lets go, strides to the office door, and with her hand on the doorknob she turns around to face her familia and smiles. "I think we should all head home, don't you?"
Her brothers give her their signature grins in response, walking towards her, one taking each hand as they stand next to her. Julio and Rosita give their own smiles as they step forward and join the three of them.
As they head out of the office and walk towards the doors to the exit they have to shoulder their way past people who are crowding the walkways, but for once Imelda doesn't care.
She has her older hermanos by her side again.
And for once, oddly, mercifully, Héctor is nowhere in sight.
At least that's what she thinks until they step out of the building and in the street once again, her and the others fanning themselves against the sudden blast of humidity and shielding their eyes against the sun.
This time Imelda doesn't have to look far, because as the building double doors swing closed behind her with a loud slam, she turns her head to the right and there he is. Leaning up against the gold brick wall of the tower, his head tilted up towards the trolleys and buses that zip over his head. His hair is frizzy under the straw hat he's wearing, and his eyes are wider than normal, flashing with something Imelda doesn't care to figure out. His clothes haven't changed; as always he's dressed in the samed ripped jacket and pants that she'd seen him in from the first time she died.
Imelda can't stop staring, and she actually lets go of her brothers' hands to glare. Héctor doesn't have a guitar with him this time, and his arms are crossed in an oddly content manner. He diesn't turn to look at her, either, as if she isn't there, as if there aren't four other people gawking at him along with her. The only clue that he notices Imelda is the slight slouch in his shoulders when she steps closer against her wishes. The wonder and fascination in his eyes darkens to a mix of fear and tiredness.
He actually has the nerve to shift his eyes over to her for a few seconds, and Imelda hates the way the sun catches in his eyes and emphasizes the tiny smile on his face when he catches sight of her brothers, whose severe stares she can feel from behind. She swears she can hear Oscar's eyes narrow and the crossing of Felipe's arms when Héctor grins at them. If he notices the message they're trying to send, he doesn't let on.
Imelda can't take the silence anymore after a few more seconds and she takes two steps backward, putting and arm around her brothers' shoulders protectively and staring him down.
"Stay away from mi familia, Héctor. I'll only tell you once." She hopes he hears the venom in her voice.
He sighs, gives a roll of his now emotionless eyes, and nods, uncrossing his arms and slouching a bit further. His gaze swings to the sky again with too much intensity, proof that he's avoiding her gaze on purpose. There's the slightest hint of offense in his stance and his expression as Imelda forces everyone and herself away from him. She doesn't remove her arms from their position on Oscar and Felipe's shoulders.
"I love you, Imelda," she hears Héctor whisper, but she just gives a snort she hopes only she can hear and doesn't bother to look back.
As Rosita opens the hacienda gate once they reach home, Imelda lets everyone walk ahead of her as she turns her back on them for a minute, finding it frustrating that Héctor's stupid lie he'd whispered earlier nips at her non-existent ears and heart more than it had before.
She steps through the gate, slams it shut, and clenches her hands to tight fists, glaring at nothing in particular as she walks up the stairs with her brothers to show them their room.
Even as she tries to forget it, there's a red haze in front of her. All she can think about is Héctor's offended look. All she can hear in her mind are Héctor's cruel lies.