Show Me Chapter 19

Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well and staying safe! For those of you who were trying to guess Victoria's book, she was reading Gone with the Wind. If anyone has any pop culture references that they would like to see in future chapters, feel free to PM me or comment and I'll do my best to add them in! In the meantime, enjoy this chapter!

You know what you need to do.

Miguel bolted awake out of a dead sleep, a cold sweat dripping down his body. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was 8:03 AM. That had been a very strange dream, he thought as he got himself ready for the day. Who was that? But it wasn't just any day; it was the day of the anniversary party.

As soon as Franco's doctor gave the all clear, Luisa, Carmen and Gloria had taken off with the party-planning, coming up with ideas for food, music and sending out the invites. At the couple's request, the party was by invitation only to avoid getting press attention. The kids would also be in charge of the music. Rosa had thought she would just hook a speaker to her iPhone, but Miguel suggested that and a mariachi band would be provided so there would be music to appeal to every generation.

Shaking off the strange dream, Miguel quickly got himself ready for the day, determined to keep his mind off of everything had been happening. After all, parties were supposed to be fun! Last year, because of Coco's death right beforehand, Elena and Franco didn't get to really celebrate their anniversary. But this was going to be great!

As Miguel walked into the living room, he quickly went over the plans for the party in his head. He, Rosa and Abel would be playing the song Proud Corazon, a favorite for the couple. Everyone was bringing a dish, so shortages on food would definitely not be a problem. Elena had been convinced to take the day off from cooking and enjoy herself.

Suddenly, the sound of a sniffle reached Miguel's ears. Alarmed, he made his way into the kitchen where he saw Gloria, apparently upset as she read something on her phone.

"Tía Gloria?" Miguel asked quietly. "Qué paso?"

Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, Gloria turned around to offer her nephew a shaky smile. "It's nothing, mijo. Just got some sad news that's all."

Miguel had wanted to ask what about, but he sensed that it wasn't the time to bring it up. Maybe it would be better to ask his mamá to talk to his tía instead.

"Mamá?" Miguel asked his mamá later that morning when they were tidying up the workshop. "Does Tía Gloria seem to be acting strange lately?"

Sighing softly as she finished brushing up debris, Luisa turned to her son. There had been something on Gloria's mind and shortly after their return home, Gloria had confided in Luisa and Carmen, admitting what had been going on.

"Gloria, is everything okay?" Luisa asked as she washed dishes with Carmen. Gloria nodded softly and quickly checking to see if there was anyone listening, asked "Why do you ask?"

"You've been acting muy triste, lately," Carmen said. "Did something bad happen with Jule while you were in Texas?"

Unknown to the rest of the family, Gloria had started dating Julio Martinez, the investigator in charge of both her family's case and the Rodriguez case. Things had gotten quite serious and now Gloria was prepping herself to break the news to the rest of the family.

Shaking slightly, Gloria handed a letter from her doctor to the two women. As they read it their eyes became more and more sympathetic until Gloria couldn't bear it anymore.

"Just something I found out from the doctor," Gloria whispered with tears in her eyes. "I'm not dying or anything but I found out right before I left for Texas and I don't know how to tell Jule. Or Mamá."

Drawing her cuñada into a hug, Luisa said, "Lo siento mucho, Gloria. Is there anything I can do to help?" Carmen nodded, adding her support as Gloria wept.

"Can you be there with me when I tell Mamá?" Gloria asked as her tears dried up. "Díos, I don't know how to tell her without disappointing her."

The two women nodded, both promising not to say anything to anyone until Gloria was ready. But Carmen added one more thing.

"Julio Martinez is one of the kindest men I know, Glorita," she said softly. "He loves you very much and I know he'll support you through anything, including this. And Mamá will understand."

Blinking her eyes slightly as she returned to the present, Luisa simply told Miguel, "Tía Gloria found out some sad news before you left for Texas, mijo. She may be sad for a while, but she has her family with her to support her."

"But what's the news?" Miguel asked. "What could be making her so sad?"

Shaking her head, Luisa simply told Miguel, "Let her tell you when she's ready, Miguel."

Miguel wanted to ask more, but one look from his mama and he knew that the questions were over.

Deciding a change of subject was best, Luisa said, "Don't worry, mijo. Let's focus on having a good time today at the party and see if that cheers Tía Gloria up a little. It might help distract her and keep her mind off things."

Smiling, Miguel nodded and ran off to continue preparations for the party, which was now only two hours away.

The party was being held in the backyard, music coming from it as guests entered. As Abel and Berto were good at photography, there were dozens of photos of Elena and Franco together, displayed in a mural. Some of the townspeople had also donated photos, some detailing their wedding day and others featuring the birthdays of their children.

But Miguel's favorite photo was one that was taken in November of the entire family decked out in full mariachi garb, shortly after the ban had been lifted. It also included the ancestors, but only Miguel and Socorro were able to see that little detail.

"Papá Heccy!" Socorro giggled to herself as she clapped her little hands. Picking her up, Miguel nodded.

"Sí, Socorro! That's Papá Héctor." Miguel whispered to her, not wanting the other guests to overhear.

Not wanting to alarm anyone, Miguel brought Socorro inside for her nap and went back out to enjoy the party. The song that he and his cousins wrote for their grandparents was coming up soon and Miguel was so excited to perform it.

Calling everyone's attention, Miguel quickly began to play the song, his cousins accompanying him on violin and accordion. Franco and Elena cheered and clapped the loudest, incredibly proud of their nietos.

When the song ended, everyone clapped. "Olé!" Elena cried out. "Well done! That was estupendo!"

Taking a bow, the three cousins rushed off stage, Miguel pausing momentarily as he felt a gust of wind sweep through his body. Looking over his shoulder, Miguel thought he spotted a familiar glow, but quickly shook his head, blaming it on fatigue.

The rest of the party went by without any incidents, much to the relief and joy of the entire family. Everyone had a good time, even the mariachis who had performed a special song for the couple. Elena had suspected they were still a bit upset with her but decided not to bring it up. Franco even got to use some of his new dance steps, much to everyone's enjoyment.

Gloria had appeared somewhat sad and melancholy but when asked, the young woman blamed it on having a lot of things on her mind. Franco had made a point to talk to his youngest child later.

"Did Gloria seem a bit sad today, Franco?" Elena said as she got ready for bed that night. "I didn't want to say anything to embarrass her, but she seemed a bit down."

"We can talk to her in the morning, Lena." Franco said as he got into bed and turned off the light. "Te promesto but for now let's try to get some rest. That was quite a fun day we had, no?"

Nodding silently, Elena hugged him and whispered:

"Happy anniversary, mí amor."