Show Me Chapter 10
Hey everyone, I hope you're all enjoying this story so far and staying safe! It's been a bit of a rough month for me (not just with COVID-19), but all of you supporting my story means a lot to me! Happy reading and enjoy this chapter!
Héctor knew that sleep was a given sometimes. The dead neither required it nor relished from it. It had simply become a habit. But on this particular night, Héctor found that sleep was escaping him. It had only been a few months since his and Imelda's relationship had returned to what it had been in their happiest days, but Héctor couldn't shake the feeling of dread that came over him. Today had been a mess.
Miguel had taken off towards this unfamiliar place called Texas and, with no way of contacting him, it was safe to say that the dead relatives were nervous wrecks. Imelda had shown no emotion when the true contents of the letter were revealed, but Héctor knew that she must be worried sick.
And to top it all off, Josefina had written to Imelda again, pleading for a chance at reconciliation. Josefina had also included a side note for Héctor, asking him to try and talk to Imelda, and that if he wanted to meet up with her to talk, let her know. At that request, the two notes soon wound up as confetti on the Rivera's kitchen table.
But now, at nearly 1:29 AM, Imelda was fast asleep, her hair spilling out in ringlets on the pillow, her breathing even and slow. Even Pepita couldn't wake her up, Héctor noted as he moved the covers to better cover her sleeping form.
She had worn herself out worrying about Miguel earlier in the day, frantically writing and rewriting a letter to him, pleading for him to be careful and to not trust anything that Rodriguez said outright.
"Something feels wrong about this, Héctor," Imelda had said earlier as she was getting ready for bed. "It has de la Cruz written all over it."
"Imeldita," Héctor said softly as he got into bed. "We won't know for sure until we talk to him. And according to the poderes superiores, de la Cruz has been forbidden to have contact with any of his former 'amigos'. And that includes me!"
Imelda looked weary, almost tearful at that point. "But that won't stop him from trying to get revenge on our family, Héctor. And until we can find out whether Rodriguez is telling the truth or not, I can't trust him."
Snapping out of his daydream, Héctor gave up on sleep and quietly wandered downstairs, taking his blue notebook with him (the old red one used for songwriting had been locked away in the family safe). New songs filled the inside, but tonight Héctor couldn't think of any songs or write any poems. Deciding to head for the Arts District to talk to Frida about what was happening, Héctor was millimeters away from touching the door handle when a voice made him jump.
"Papá? Where are you going?"
Turning around, he saw Coco standing there, a look of concern written all over her face as she addressed her papá. Not wanting to alarm his only child, Héctor made his way over to her and quickly gave her a hug.
"Are you going to find Rodriguez, Papá?" Coco asked softly, getting her boots on as she readied herself to leave the house.
"Sí, mija," Héctor said. "This man lost everything and more and I owe it to him to help him get his legacy back on track."
Coco nodded, sympathy in her eyes. But then she asked. "But Papá, why in the middle of the night?"
"Because I know one artist who is exceptionally amazing at planning search parties and likes to paint until 4:00 am."
Coco had only been to the Arts District three times since her arrival; once to meet up with the search party for de la Cruz, another time to deliver a pair of tap shoes to Frida's assistant, Riya, and another time to formally introduce herself to the orchestra that had given her papá so much grief.
Having briefly woken Imelda to tell her where they would be going, Héctor and Coco quietly left the safety of the Rivera hacienda with Pepita in tow. When they landed at the Arts District, it was well after 3:00 am, and Pepita's haphazard flying indicated the alebreje was half-asleep and not used to being up this late (except on Día de los Muertos of course).
Héctor aimed his arm for the windowsill and tapped, hoping that someone, anyone, was still awake. Less than a minute later, Ceci came over, her hair in curlers and wearing a bathrobe, yawning as she opened the window.
"You do know what time it is, right, Héctor?" Ceci said as she looked at Héctor in annoyance.
"Hola, Ceci," Héctor said as he and Coco made their way into the main studio. Greeting Coco with a hug, Ceci continued:
"What are you y Coco doing in the Arts District at this time of night?"
Shaking her head softly, Coco said, "It's a long story, Ceci, but we can explain. Do you know if Frida's awake?"
Grumbling slightly, Ceci went into the back where the artists stayed if they wanted to work on their art pieces overnight. After a brief moment, Frida came out. Unlike Ceci, she was full of energy and despite being covered in paint, she looked utterly delighted at seeing Héctor again.
"Héctor! So good to see you again, amigo! And Coco! It's a pleasure" Frida said as she went over and greeted Coco with a kiss on each cheekbone.
"Igualmente." Coco said in her soft voice.
"So how can I help Mexico's greatest musician tonight?"
Héctor shrugged and became nervous, "Ah, well see, Frida. It's difficult to explain but, uh, we need to find someone. Again."
Frida became slightly sulky, "If it's that de la Cruz, Héctor…."
Coco shook her head, "No, no, it's not him. It's someone else. It's Jorge Rodriguez."
Ceci frowned slightly, "The bandmate? Héctor, qué pasa?"
Héctor sat down on a chair and started to talk. He knew this would take a while.
For the next two hours, the three women in the room listened with increased horror as Héctor explained what his living descendants were going through and why they would need the help of everyone in the Arts District.
When Héctor finally finished his story, there was a sudden hush as everyone took everything in. Finally, after a few tense moments, Frida spoke up, none of her usual bite existing as she sat down next to Coco, whose eyes had filled up with tears.
"Please, let us know if there's anything we can do to help," Frida said as she handed Coco a tissue. "And if it includes bashing that de la Cruz on the head or doing another search party, call me! But in the meantime, I'll see what I can do to find out about Rodriguez from my other amigos."
Coco smiled softly and with a polite 'gracias', she and Héctor reboarded Pepita to head back to the shoe shop.
"Papá?" Coco said. "What about asking Mamá Josefina for help? She would definitely know how someone could disappear and hide without going through the Final Death."
Nodding, Héctor said, "True, mija, but I'm not sure that your mamá would feel comfortable with her around. I think we need to give that idea time and I'll ask your mamá again later."
Coco sighed and agreed, not wishing to hurt her mother in any way. After all, Imelda had been a single parent for a very long time. Forgiving Héctor after everything was explained? No problem! But forgiving the mother who stood by and let her husband disown his only daughter? In Imelda's book, that wasn't going to happen.
Much to Héctor's relief, everyone was still sleeping by the time father and daughter returned to the shoe shop. As Coco went upstairs to go back to bed, Héctor stayed downstairs. He knew that Imelda would not agree with him on this, but he felt that Josefina should get a second chance and that she was their best bet for finding Rodriguez. After all, Imelda's parents had tried to set her up with Rodriguez before she was with Héctor so Josefina was bound to know something.
"Héctor? What's wrong?" a sleepy voice asked. Quickly straightening himself up, Héctor turned around to see Imelda, coming downstairs with an exhausted expression on her face. It was very clear that it had been another night with no sleep for the family's matriarch. And judging by the tear streaks on her skull? Probably caused by a dream about her mamá or Miguel. Héctor winced, suddenly feeling guilty at leaving in the middle of the night.
Ever since Héctor came back to the family, he had been refusing late-night gigs at various concert halls in the Land of the Dead. When asked about it, Héctor simply said that he wanted to be with his family and that performing gigs after dark was not something he wanted to do. To him, it felt a bit shady. If it was anything Héctor missed whilst touring with Ernesto, it was being with his beloved diosa.
"Nothing, amor," Héctor said as he embraced his wife. "But what about you? It looks like you've been crying."
Snuggling herself into her husband's arms, Imelda said, "Never mind me, Héctor. I just hate feeling so useless. We can't do anything. We have to wait and see what happens when Miguel comes home. What if something happens to him? Qué podemos hacer desde aquí?"
After giving her a hug to calm her down, Héctor said, "We'll contact the Department of Family Reunions to see if we can find out how he died. And as long as Miguelito has his family with him in Texas, no harm will come to our chamaco."