Show Me Chapter 33
Date: April 9, 2019
If Elena Rivera had thought that standing up on an orange crate and speaking to the entirety of Mariachi Plaza was nerve racking, this had to be a new level. Her family in attendance, their matriarch paced back and forth in front of the altar in the church where many Rivera children had been baptized as they waited for people to come in.
It had taken some additional convincing on by the local priest, but Elena had persuaded to convince some of the business owners and schoolteachers to attend the meeting after school. At first many townspeople had said no, but after further pleading from her grandchildren, they agreed. After all, they had many questions and if anyone could put sense into what was going on it was "that" family.
"If Mamá Imelda were here, she would want us to set things right," Enrique said to his mamá as they patiently waited for people to show up. "We owe it to everyone to explain what we're doing. We knew from the beginning that not everyone was going to agree with us."
"I agree, mijo," Elena said. "But more importantly, we owe it to Miguel. If he hadn't brought music back into our lives, who knows what might have happened?"
Thinking back to Día de los Muertos 2017, Elena winced. Miguel had gone through a lot and now, with him almost 15, he was growing up before her eyes. As Abel prepared a VHS video recorder in the back of the church out of sight to avoid attracting attention (Mamá Imelda and the other Rivera ancestors could only use "dead" technology), Miguel quietly looked up at the altar, as if silently praying for the meeting to go well.
After the relatives in the Land of the Dead reported that they had not heard from Rodriguez but were not going to try to actively seek him out anymore, the living family decided to leave Sofia's name out of the statement, which was put on the shop's Facebook page.
In compliance with Sofia's wishes, all court records were sealed, never again to be seen by the public or the press. If de la Cruz's estate tried to leak them or access them in any way, they would face legal ramifications, which could also include jail time.
After much consideration and thought, we have decided to protect the privacy of the individual involved. She does not want to go public, nor does she want her name released. She has asked to provide this statement.
"My mother and grandmother have undergone much suffering thanks to de la Cruz's actions. At this moment, I do not wish to pursue this case further than what is advised, and I want to thank all involved for helping me and my family."
"Miguelito?" Elena called out to him. "Remember what we said?"
"No talking about the Land of the Dead, no mentioning Lopez and try to keep Sofia out of the questions as much as possible?" Miguel said nervously.
"Bueno," Elena replied as she kissed his cheeks with fervor. "And don't look so nervous, mijo. Todo va a estar bien.*"
Nodding his head, Miguel went to go and sit on his perch next to his cousins. Rosa didn't look very happy, as she technically was still grounded, but she steeled herself as the memory of what had happened to Franco scared her deeply.
While Abel finished setting up, townspeople began to flood in, curious about two things: why the Riveras were there and why was Elena Rivera was standing in front of the altar.
"Qué pasó?" One woman asked. "Why are we here?"
As the priest tried to get everyone's attention, Elena Rivera slapped her chanclas together with a loud THWACK! Everyone jumped except for Enrique who muttered, "Mamá." Taking a deep breath, Elena began to talk, calmly and more like Coco then Imelda. But when she tried to form words, her courage almost vanished. This was nothing like standing up on an orange crate in Mariachi Plaza. Thankfully, Miguel recognized that and spoke instead.
"I know that you all have a right to know what's been happening," Miguel said softly, being handed a microphone. "And we want to tell you, really! Just give mí abuelita a chance to explain! Por favor!"
"I know that I hurt a lot of people with the ban," Elena said as she grabbed the microphone. "And in our family, earning forgiveness is un gran paso*. After all, this is the town that my Mamá Imelda lived in for nearly all her life! And if she were here now, she would want all of you to understand."
As the townsfolk murmured nervously amongst each other, one brave teenage girl spoke up.
"What about the identity of the lady, doña?" She asked softly. "Who is she?"
Shaking her head, Elena said, "She does not want to come forward in order to protect her family."
"And we don't want to push her into doing something that she doesn't want to do!" Rosa said. "Kind of like when Bel—"
At a sharp glare from her abuelita, Rosa stopped. The "forbidden" books had been taken out of the house with Elena saying, "If you want to learn about los pájaros y las abejas* mija, talk to me first! Or better yet, read that superhero comic that Miguel is reading!
"Anyway, we want to respect her wishes," Enrique said. "So, if anyone has any questions, please come forward."
Several hands raised.
It took the Riveras about an hour to fully answer all the questions. Many of them were apologizing to Elena for being so hard on her since the lifting of the music ban but others had questions that were not related to the case.
"Does she like cheese or Harry Potter?" the town eccentric asked. Groaning slightly, Elena shook her head.
"What about the Rodriguez family?" asked Valentina, the mother of one of Miguel's classmates. "What's going to happen to them?"
"They settled with de la Cruz's estate," Enrique said. "The investigator located Jorge Rodriguez's body and the family wants to have a private, small funeral."
Enrique was careful not to mention that, due to all the difficulties at the U.S./Mexico border, having a funeral service abroad was simply out of the question. Stories about families being separated at the border had reached Santa Cecilia, upsetting many of the townspeople. Gloria in particular was very upset due to having friends in New Mexico and Arizona who were trying to reach their families.
Martinez had been aware of the difficulties and had offered to try to help, but the Rodriguez family politely refused.
When the Riveras got back to the hacienda, it was quiet. Franco and Carmen had stayed behind to keep an eye on Socorro and the twins, who were sitting in front of the TV watching an American movie (with Spanish subtitles) about a mouse.
"A few reporters called, Lena," Franco said to his wife. "But I told them what you told everyone else: that we were no longer involved with either case and that there would be no comment from either family."
"Bueno, bueno," Elena said distractedly as she sorted through the mail. It had become a ritual of sorts for the family to dissect the mail before Elena got to it, making sure she didn't see the hate mail and so wouldn't fly off the handle. "At least that happened."
"What happened, Abuelita?" Miguel asked quietly. "Is everything okay?"
Nodding, Elena said, "We got another letter from the Rodriguez family as well. There's also a note from Aria for you."
As Miguel grabbed the letter, he frantically scanned the note, as if he were checking for lies.
To the Rivera family,
We can't tell you how grateful we are for everything you've done. Papá Jorge's funeral was last week, and we plan to scatter his ashes in Santa Cecilia once everything at the border settles down. It was where his home was, and we feel that's what he probably wanted.
The money from the settlement will go to our grandchildren's college fund as well as help pay any medical expenses.
We are aware that Sofia Rodriguez does not want to pursue the case further, but please let her know that if she desires, we would be more than happy to help her with anything she might need.
Thank you for everything,
Alberto Rodriguez.
P.S. My granddaughter, Aria would like to add this note.
Hi Miguel!
Thank you again for the wrestler trading card! It was very cool, and I'll add to my collection! I'll send you another one soon.
Aria
A big shout-out to Heart of the Demons and Eris for their ideas! I'm a big Stuart Little fan and while I haven't read Reptil comics, it sounds very interesting, and I'll definitely read the comic! Also, a big shout-out goes to everyone who wrote in suggestions—I'll try my best to include all your wonderful ideas in this fic and in any future fics!
Translations
*Everything is going to be ok
*A big step
*The birds and the bees