Chapter 2

"Mamá?! Mamá?!" A frantic voice sobbed loudly, almost waking Imelda, but it faded as she felt herself floatm farther and farther away.

She was at peace for a moment, and everything went silent. Seconds ticked by in total silence as Imelda felt herself grow stronger, and the energy return to her body. Suddenly, she felt as if she were falling and when she hit the ground with a jolt, her eyes snapped open. Imelda looked over at her sobbing daughter who held her hand, and her sense of hearing was restored.

"Oh, Coco, it's okay," Imelda yawned. As she yawned, she stretched up, feeling revived and rejuvenated. I haven't felt this good in years! Imelda thought to herself as her eyes focused on her arms.

"Ay!" Imelda cried, jumping up from the bed to look at her arms. Her arms were nothing but bones, literally. Ivory, solid, hard bones. No skin, no veins, just bones! When she jumped, the photo of Hector floated to the ground. She bent to pick it up, examining it before gently folding it up and placing it in the pocket of her long, purple dress.

Imelda's dark brown eyes turned to her bed where her body lay, cold and still. Coco held her corpse's hand and began sobbing frantically until Julio arrived at the doorway.

"Julio help!" Coco whimpered, reaching out to her husband. "I th-think my M-mamá is dead!"

Julio rushed towards his wife and mother in law, passing straight through Imelda. Imelda lurched forward at the strange feeling and then turned to watch the scene before her unfold. Her son-in-law gently took her body's arm, checking for a pulse at her wrist. He announced that she was indeed dead and gave the body a kiss on the hand. Coco sobbed and sunk to the floor holding her mother's hand.

At the ruckus, Elena appeared at the doorway rubbing her eyes sleepily before stopping at the sight of her mother on the floor crying. Imelda's eyes filled with tears as she watched Elena realize what had happened.

"No!" Elena cried, running to the bed to hug her grandmother.

"I- I'll go get the Doctor to confirm her death," Julio said quietly. He made his way to the door then turned, "Keep an ear out for Victoria. We don't want her wandering in here and seeing her grandmother like this, she's only nine years old…" And with that, Julio rushed out to grab the pueblo's doctor.

On the bed, Elena sniffled as she buried her face in her grandmother's chest and Imelda walked over to put her arms around her grand daughter.

"It's okay, Elena," Imelda whispered into her grand daughter's hair.

Still weeping, Elena sat up on the bed to look at her grandmother's body. She reached out to grab the photo of Héctor and look at it. Confused, Imelda, reached into her pocket to pull out the same photo.

"Is this him?" Elena asked in disdain, through her hiccup sobs.

After looking the photo over one more time, to see her husband's youthful face, Imelda put the photo back in her pocket and made her way to her vanity. She looked at her skeleton face in the mirror, and her hand flew to her mouth.

"I can't believe this is me," Imelda gasped.

"Yes, it's him," Coco replied softly.

Imelda's head was now nothing but a skull, her eyes black holes with eyeballs floating in the center. Her hair was strangely enough still on her head, the streak of graying hair visible in her bun. Imelda moved her hand down to her throat, and gasped. She could still feel the softness of her skin, but if she pushed down hard enough, she could make contact with her collar bone without an ounce of pain. Imelda swallowed and looked at her chest, nothing but ribs now. Literally.

Imelda frowned at the sight of herself. She quite liked her soft brown face and pink cheeks and red lips, but now all that was left was ivory and ebony. Imelda glanced at what was left sprawled out on her vanity and then reached down to grab her brush. Just as she had suspected, her hand went straight through the brush.

"So, I can only touch what I had on me when I died," Imelda concluded.

Meanwhile, Elena continued to glower at the photo of her grandfather. "Ese desgraciado," Elena growled, making a move to tear the photo.

"No!" Coco cried, snatching the photo from Elena and shoving it in her dress pocket.

"Mamá," Elena scolded, "Mamá Imelda would want us to get rid of that photo!"

Imelda turned to her fighting daughter and granddaughter and frowned.

"He's my Papá," Coco said, shaking her head. "It's my photo and I'm keeping it."

Hot tears of grief and anger burned in Elena's eyes. "Next thing you know you'll be listening to music!" She hissed as she stormed out of the room.

Imelda gave her grieving granddaughter a sad smile as the girl stormed out of the room. Elena is just as strong and determined I was when I was her age, so unlike her gentle mother, Imelda sighed in her mind.

Alone, Coco began speaking to her mother softly. "I know you're still here, with me in spirit."

"I am," Imelda nodded, walking over to her daughter hopefully.

"I love you Mamá," Coco whispered. "I love you… thank you for being such a good mother!" Coco moaned loudly then began to sob again as her mother's death began to sink in. "Ayyyy… Papá where are you?!" Coco cried. "Please, don't leave me all alone! Papá, you should have been here with her! She loved you so much… Even if she said she didn't, I know she did… Ay, Papá, why didn't you come home? This is all your fault… You really are never coming home… You really- really let me down Papá."

Imelda stared at her sobbing daughter angrily, her heart sinking. Imelda clenched her fists together. Héctor had really done it. He finally let Coco down.

"Oh you'd better be dead," Imelda growled through gritted death. "When I see you I'm going to kill you."

There was a knock at the door, Imelda and Coco turned to see Julio in the doorway with the doctor. The doctor came in, and began to examine Imelda. Then, he took out a certificate of death and wrote the date and time. It was official. Imelda was dead.

The second the doctor lifted the pen from signing his name on the paper, something magnificent occurred. An overwhelming flash of orange blinded Imelda, and she flinched, shutting her eyes tight. When she opened them again, there was a path of Cempasuchiles, or Mexican Marigolds, on the ground.

Imelda understood immediately. It was time for her to go. Turning to her daughter, Imelda whispered, "Te quiero mi amor. I'll see you in November."

Imelda stepped onto the path and the second she did, she traveled at what felt like the speed of light towards the graveyard of Santa Cecelia. However, where the graveyard usually ended into a forest, she now saw a bridge made of of Cempasuchil petals. It was brilliant and glowing and orange and beautiful. As she floated up the bridge, higher and higher, she felt weightless. She looked around, and saw how high up she was, how beautiful the stars were almost next to her. And then she was falling again.

Screaming, Imelda held down her skirt as she plummeted to the earth again. "What happened?!" she screamed, shutting her eyes.

Almost as quickly as she started falling, she stopped. There was no jolt as she hit the ground, instead, she felt as if she had just gently sat down on a chair. Opening her eyes, Imelda found herself seated in an office. A skeleton sat behind a desk in front of her, pulling open a file.

"Imelda Rivera?" The skeleton verified.

"Yes," Imelda nodded nervously.

The skeleton smiled and stretched out his hand to her, "Welcome to the land of the dead."

Apprehensively Imelda took his hand and shook it. The skeleton laughed at this, "You're braver than the rest of 'em! Everyone is always too freaked out that they're dead, begin cryin' when I stretch out my hand to them."

Imelda raised an eyebrow. "You find joy in the confusion and devastation of others?"

The skeleton chortled, "No, Señora."

Imelda rolled her eyes in disbelief and the skeleton continued, "All right, so it looks like you've got some family left. Your Mother is still here and so is your husband-"

"Héctor… is here…?" Imelda gasped.

"Yes Ma'am," The skeleton nodded. He leaned back in his chair in satisfaction, "He's waiting for you in the waiting room, just down the hall. Ah, I love it when lovers are reunited!"

"I do not love him," Imelda snapped sharply. She got to her feet and began to pace, contemplating this. Héctor is here, she thought to herself. How long has he been here for? Was I right to assume that he'd had an accident which is why he couldn't come home? Tears began to burn in Imelda's eyes as she recalled how worried she'd been the first year after he stopped writing them. Before she gave up on him. What if he's sorry- then she remembered Elena and Coco. She remembered how he left his daughter, knowing the risk that he'd never come home. The way that Elena resented him for leaving her mother helpless as a child. The way he finally let down Coco.

"I don't want to see that man," Imelda informed the skeleton.

The skeleton scratched his head. "Eh, but he's your husband, Señora. Tú gran amor…"

Imelda's hand flew to her mouth, and she gasped. "Y-you heard that?"

Sensing the imminent danger he was in, the skeleton fidgeted and replied, "Your mother and Héctor were granted the opportunity to watch your final moments… to prepare for your reuinion."

Imelda buried her face in her hands in shame. "Ay-ay-ay!" she shook her head. "How completely and utterly humiliating!" Imelda bit her lip, or over her lower jaw since she no longer had lips, and glanced around at her surroundings. There was a window, and a door, the only two exits. Imelda made her way to the window and glanced out.

Peering out the window, Imelda was shocked to see that at the bottom of the building there was no ground! The building was floating over a never ending black abyss. Imelda glanced at the door, thoughtfully tapping her fingers over her arm.

"Is there any way out of here that I won't have to face them?" Imelda posed sheepishly. The second the words left her mouth and reached her ears, she blanched and thought: Seriously? I'm afraid to face them?! Taken aback by this moment of weakness, Imelda blinked before standing tall and proud. She turned to the skeleton man, and said in the most confident voice she could muster, "Nevermind that. I am Imelda Rivera, I don't cower. I am strong, confident, and independent. Show me the way out, Señor."

"Sí, Señora," the skeleton man replied softly, making his way to the door. He opened the door for her, and Imelda stepped into the hallway regally and waited for him. Following the skeleton man down the hall towards the lobby, Imelda could practically feel her heart pounding in her chest. It's strange that I can feel my heart pounding though it's no longer there…

The skeleton man reached the door to the lobby and turned back towards Imelda. She nodded that she was ready and the skeleton man opened the door and stepped aside to let her pass. Imelda took a deep breath before walking into the lobby.

The second the door to the Family Reunion Offices creaked open, Héctor stood and stared at it hopefully just as he had every time the door opened since Imelda's death. The heart of his soul pounded in his chest and then it stopped when he laid eyes on her. Even as a skeleton, Imelda was as beautiful as the day she met him. Héctor staggered back when her dark, beautiful, black eyes met his. Her eyes were hard, as he expected, but he could see through the mask she was putting on. He could still hear her last words ringing in his ears… I want to hold you in my arms as I sleep one last time, mí gran amor…

"I-Imelda," Héctor stammered before running to her.

Tears fell freely from his eyes as threw his arms around her tightly and he spun her around. Héctor put her down, and moved his hands to her shoulders to stare into those beautiful eyes of hers…

"Imelda," Héctor sighed.

Imelda shut her eyes tight trying to swallow the rush of joy she felt as Héctor spun her around. When he put her down, she was glued to his eyes. She froze, she couldn't move, her heart melted, she felt like she was dying once again just looking into those eyes... After twenty six years, I'm looking into Héctor's eyes! Imelda couldn't stop staring at him, the man of her dreams, the love of her life. She had just prepared herself to be strong but with one glance he destroyed all the walls she'd put up.

How she had longed to see those eyes! Héctor offered her a shy smile and she melted again! How she had longed to see that crooked smile, that golden tooth peaking through his lips! The way his face gave that hint of nervousness despite those unnerving eyes. Héctor, Imelda gasped in her brain, it's you, it's really you!

Héctor raised his hand to her cheek, and brought his forehead down to hers. He felt so shaky, so nervous, so excited, so alive. He was here once again with his true love, with the love of his life! Imelda shut her eyes tight as his forehead touched hers. They were closed for several seconds, before she opened them again. In that time, Hector admired her eyelashes, her mouth, her dress, her hair… he admired everything about her. And when her eyes met his again, he couldn't contain himself any longer. Closing his eyes, Héctor leaned down to kiss the love of his life, something he'd been waiting twenty-six long years for. But the moment before their mouths touched, Héctor was slapped straight across the face, so hard that his head spun, literally. Héctor staggered back, in response, and his hand went to his cheek which stung from the impact.

Imelda closed her eyes as Héctor's forehead touched hers and tried to calm down. But she couldn't. It was just such a sweet gesture, the way they used to show affection when they were alive. She thought about them alive, and happy and in that moment, with Héctor's forehead to hers, she felt true bliss. But only for that moment. Imelda could never forget him leaving. She could never forget the way that Coco cried night after night for him. She could never forget the way he chose music over her, over his daughter.

With a new determination, Imelda opened her eyes to see Héctor's. This time she was looking into the eyes of the man that left her, a man that would leave his own daughter to feed his own ambition. She tried to convey anger in her gaze, but apparently it was misinterpreted because Héctor began to lean in to kiss her.

She thought about letting him kiss her. Be strong, Imelda, she thought to herself before reaching back and smacking Héctor across the face. Imelda almost cried out upon seeing Héctor's head twist at an unnatural angle, then around in a circle as if he were an owl. Héctor caught his head and held his cheek in shock, staring at her awaiting an explanation.

"I guess I probably deserved-" Hector started with a chuckle.

"You measly excuse for a man!" Imelda shouted, silencing the murmur of the private conversations people were holding in the lobby. Héctor paled and took a nervous step backwards, enabling Imelda to advance aggressively. "How could you leave your daughter like that? How could you leave me like that? You just turned around and never looked back! And then, after we fight, you stop writing me letters?! And never return. How long have you been dead for?!"

"Twen-" Héctor started.

"Nevermind that, I don't want to know!" Imelda glared, covering her ears. "I don't want to know anything about you, Héctor!" Héctor shivered at the way Imelda screamed his name in fury. She screamed it like Ehck-tohrrr, the pronunciation she used only when she was being either very sweet or very mean. Imelda herself paused for a second after saying his name, surprised at the way it so easily rolled off her tongue at him as if she'd just scolded him yesterday. It was as if no time had passed. But it had. A lifetime had passed. Imelda continued, "You are dead to me, Héctor!"

"Imelda, let me explain-" Héctor started, but it was too late. Imelda had already made eye contact with her mother and dashed away from Héctor and into her mother's arms

"Mamá!" Imelda cried, embracing her mother.

Héctor trailed behind her at a cautious distance, rubbing his arm as it was his nervous habit to do so. Meanwhile, Maria Gonzalez, Imelda's mother, hugged her daughter tightly.

"Where is Papá?" Imelda asked, pulling away from the hug, but still holding on to her mother.

Tears welled in Maria's eyes, and she whispered, "Forgotten"

A/N: Don't forget to review! :D (Pls) Also, Cempasutchil is the Mexican Marigold, the orange day of the dead flower. I'll be sprinkling some Spanish here and there and might forget to include definitions so if anyone needs the definitions let me know so I can remember to include them :)

Gran Amor~ Literal translation: Great Love. What it means: Love of your life

Tu~ your