El Viaje de Coquita
El Capítulo Veinte
Socorro watched the performance from behind the stage, anxious about going up to perform.
Héctor massaged her shoulder. "Are you always this nervous before a performance?"
"Not really. When Miguel and I went to the plaza, we were just playing for ourselves; we weren't playing to please a crowd."
"Ah. You two weren't trying to be the best músicos en la plaza, right?"
"Were you scared of la familia finding out, or...?"
"Un poco. You remember what Abuelita said about music in our house, right?"
Coco remembered her daughter's words well. "Only when Santa Cecilia ceases to worship Ernesto de la Cruz will the Riveras allow a musician near their home."
Héctor chuckled at the sentiment. "Alright, so we just need to get you pumped up for the stage."
"Papá taught me to play the guitar in the time since I died, so one of us can play while you sing."
"Okay, first you just need to loosen up." Héctor held his arms out and shook himself like a wet dog.
Socorro mimicked his actions as best as her remaining flesh and blood would allow.
"Alright, now give me your best grito."
"My best grito?"
"Go on, belt it out!" Héctor let a grito loose as he spun around atop his crate. "Whoo, that felt good!"
Socorro took a deep breath and tried to do a grito, but was stifled by the pressure of what was to come. Even Dante shied away at the girl's attempt.
Coco massaged her bisanieta's hand. "Deep breaths, mija."
Soon, the band on stage finished up, and Héctor and the two Cocos were up. "Los Tres Campeches, you're on now!"
Héctor shouldered his guitar and wrapped his arm around Socorro. "You can do this, mijita. Just close your eyes and pretend you're playing for someone you love."
Socorro nodded as the contest announcer presented them to the audience.
Coco led her to the microphone. "Any time you're ready, mija."
As her late ancestors got into position, Socorro closed her eyes and took a calming breath, imagining herself in la plaza with her brother.
She sucked in as much air as she could before belting out a high-pitched grito.
The audience applauded, and Coco started up on the guitar. Socorro followed the tune with her own voice.
"Que el cielo no es azul, ¡ay mi amor, ay mi amor!
Que es rojo, dices tú, ¡ay mi amor, ay mi amor!
Ves todo al revés, ¡ay mi amor, ay mi amor!
Creo que piensas con los pies, ¡ay mi amor, ay mi amor!"
"Tú me traes un poco loco, un poqui-ti-ti-to loco
Estoy adivinando, qué quieres y pa' cuando
Y así estoy celebrando...
que me he vuelto un poco loco!"
As the audience bounced with the music, none of them noticed a giant winged jaguar enter the plaza through the entrance behind them.
Imelda looked around. "This must be it. She can't be far."
"Chiflado tú me vuelves, y eso está un poco loco;"
"Tu mente que despega, tú siempre con ideas;"
"Con mi cabeza juegas... todo es un poco loco!"
Socorro and Héctor tossed gritos back and forth as Coco sang the background chorus of "Todo es un poco loco con mi cabeza juegas"
The other Riveras started swimming through the audience, asking members if they had seen a living girl, to no avail.
"Un poqui-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-to loco!"
With a final grito, Héctor and Socorro whipped up the song's ending flare.
The audience erupted with applause, and the three peasants took a bow.
Coco patted her bisanieta on the shoulder as they retreated behind the curtain. "You sing just like Mamá used to sing."
"My, I'm just flattered."
"Mamá?"
"Imelda?"
"Mamá Imelda!"
"This nonsense ends now, Socorro. I am giving you my blessing, and you are going home."
"I don't want your blessing!" Socorro pushed past Imelda and ran for a stairwell.
"Socorro! Where are you going?"
"I'll meet you guys at de la Cruz's tower!"
Héctor and Coco watched as Imelda headed off in the other direction where Pepita was.
At the same time, the contest announcer appeared onstage. "Damas y caballeros, I have an emergency announcement. Please be on the lookout for a living girl; she answers to the name of Socorro. Earlier tonight, she ran away from her family; they just want to send her home to the Land of the Living."
Socorro emerged from the bottom of the stairwell, catching sight of de la Cruz's tower. She immediately ran toward it, pausing only to dodge a trolley on a track crossing her path. She slid down a water pipe and sprinted across the open pavement.
She was stopped when Pepita landed right in front of her.
Socorro ran into the nearest alley as Imelda slid down from Pepita's back.
"Socorro! Stop!"
The girl threw the door open and bolted up the stairs.
"Come back!"
Socorro gasped as she noticed a locked gate in her path.
"Socorro!"
She took off her sombrero and squeezed through the bars of the gate.
Imelda reached the gate, but was unable to reach Socorro. "I am trying to save your life!"
Socorro stopped to catch her breath. "I know you are. But I don't want to have to give up music to stay alive."
"What?"
"Are you just using me to keep Papá Héctor away from our home?"
Imelda was lost for words for a moment before heaving a sigh. "You wouldn't understand."
Socorro pulled out her book. "Are you just scared to admit your true feelings about Papá Héctor?"
"What are you talking about?"
She opened the book to where Miguel talked about his analysis of Imelda's family foto. "Mamá Coco told my brother before she died about your ofrenda foto. She said it was her who ripped out Papá Héctor's face, and that you had folded the guitar out of view. She kept the piece so it'd be safe from you, and to make you think that she was as mad as you about him leaving. Miguel assumed from that that you truly missed Papá Héctor, but you were afraid to admit it."
Imelda tried not to cry. "Lo admito. I did miss my husband when he never came home. But I had a child to raise, and I couldn't let myself crumble if she was to be raised the way she should be. Hearing his songs being played by the mariachis brought back painful memories, so I had to throw away everything that reminded me of him, including music, to be able to raise Coco. It wasn't an easy move, but it's had its merits."
Socorro sighed. "I get where you're coming from, but the family has come a long way since then. Not even Papá Héctor has the full story of what kept him from returning home. That's what I'm trying to find out by finding Ernesto de la Cruz. He would know what happened."
Imelda was forced to concede. "I will send you home as soon as I get there."
Socorro nodded to her and continued up the unbeaten path.