Maybe they don't fully understand Héctor-- or his dedication to Ernesto-- but that doesn't mean they aren't almost as worried as Imelda.
"You remember how close they used to be, don't you?" Oscar asks his brother later that evening. He tries not to look up at Héctor and Imelda's closed bedroom door again, where Héctor still has himself contained.
Felipe nods. "It's impossible to forget, hermano," he replies. He, too, tries to keep his gaze away from the upstairs level of the house. Both of them go silent for a moment, each having their own memories of Héctor and Ernesto's friendship.
While Héctor did have a close bond with Imelda, him and Ernesto's has always been stronger. Oscar remebers how Héctor sometimes acted as if he was glued to Ernesto's side, and how Héctor acted like he was older than Ernesto, rather than the other way around. It always seemed like Héctor protected Ernesto more than he protected himself. It positively sickened Oscar and Felipe whenever they saw Héctor and his best friend together.
And now Ernesto's gone.
Oscar stares at his brother. "I think it's becoming to much for him."
"What is?"
"This." Oscar shakes his head and gestures upstairs. "Ernesto is gone forever now. He's forgotten. While Héctor might've been mad at Ernesto, I think he just missed his best friend. You remember the assault, don't you? After that, Ernesto was never the same. I don't think Héctor has even fully recovered from that, even though it was a long time ago."
Felipe squeezes his hands to fists and shudders. "Do you think Héctor is starting to become depressed?"
Oscar doesn't answer at first, thinking of Héctor's listless behavior these past few days. How he barely talks. How he doesn't touch his guitar all day. How he stares into space in a way that is so unlike him it chills Oscar to the bone.
He sighs. "I think so." It fills him with sympathy for Héctor when he says those words.
"Do you think we should do something to try and cheer him up?" Felipe asks.
Oscar sighs again. "The only way to do that is bring Ernesto back. And you know we can't do that. Once someone is forgotten, they can't come back."
Felipe shakes his head. "No. Nothing like that. I just meant find a way to distract Héctor. Take his mind off things."
Oscar doesn't respond for a moment, deep in thought. It would take a lot to drive Héctor's feelings away from the loss of Ernesto. And if they did manage to uplift Héctor's mood a little bit, his sadness would surely return within a matter of minutes.
Suddenly Oscar thinks of something. "What's Ernesto's favorite place?" he asks.
Felipe frowns at him. "How would that help Héctor?"
Oscar looks Felipe right in the eyes as he speaks. "I think he would like being somewhere that reminds him of his amigo. Maybe if we take him to Ernesto's favorite destination, he'll be at least a little happier." His mind is racing as he tries to remember where Héctor had said Ernesto liked to spend his time. All he can find, though, when he searches his memory is the excited tone of Héctor's voice-- no actual words register in his mind.
Felipe gets there before him. "El Beso Cantina," he says, smiling. "Remember, Oscar? That was the resturant where Ernesto liked to hang out with his other amigos."
Oscar nods. "Do you know where it is?"
"I think so." Felipe's smile fades for a moment. "Do you really think this'll help Héctor?"
Oscar shrugs. "It's worth a try. Anything is better than seeing Héctor so upset."
Felipe nods. "I guess you're right. But don't you need a reservation to get into that place?"
Oscar starts to walk away. "I'll get us one right now," he says. "Then we'll tell Héctor where we're going." He grins. "If Héctor refuses, we'll drag him out the door."
Felipe grins as well. "Sounds like a good idea, hermano," he says. "Let's give it a try."
