Chapter Two
The first guests began to trickle into the Madrigal household, exchanging excited greetings and embraces. Tasks and break times divided amongst the Madrigals, they fanned out, the gradually growing crowd swallowing them. Julieta and Pepa, partially rejuvenated from their short break, checked on Isabella and Luisa's last minute juicing and clean-up, and promptly relieved the younger pair of siblings of their current task to mix alcoholic beverages with the bounty of fruit.
The majority of the delegated jobs involved entertaining and tending to guests, but those had been reserved. Anything that required tremendous muscle-power was given to Luisa. As per usual, she was shouldered with parking donkeys.
Rico followed her outside, the lead to Fernando's rope halter clutched in his hands. She left him by the fence to tie the donkey. Looping, weaving, and tugging, the young man created a tight quadruple knot around the sturdy post.
"Wouldn't a quick release knot be a lot easier?" Luisa suggested as she walked by, effortlessly ferrying a donkey and cart.
The startled farmer spun on his heel, his hand flying to his chest. His fingers clutched his shirt, his wide oculars following Luisa as he watched her set down her burden. "He…he, um…knows…how to…undo…that knot."
"An escape artist, huh?" Meandering over, she casually leaned against the fence. "Yeah, we have our share of donkeys that get out of their enclosure pretty often. You've seen them around, right?"
"A-a couple times," Rico admitted. Giving the knots a couple of test tugs, he pulled off the empty saddlebags to hang them loosely over the fence. Turning back to the muscle-bound Madrigal, he nervously gripped the hem of his shirt. "W-we…went through…d-different latches…b-because…Fernando kept figuring out h-how to…unlatch them."
The young woman expelled a laugh. "No kidding?" Shifting her attention to the chocolate-coated jack, she reached past Rico to gently lay a hand on the beast's head. "Smart guy, aren't 'ya?"
"...Too smart." The farmer side-eyed his donkey. He was completely disregarded in favor of basking in the attention he was receiving from the woman.
Music flowed from the open doorway and reached them, igniting the urge to dance within Luisa. Fingers gliding up Fernando's soft ear and pulling her hand away upon reaching the end, she focused on the awkward fruit farmer next to him. "You dance?"
Rico tensed. His mind conjured a few occasions where he swayed as he played his tiple and sang for the plants and animals, but that wasn't the same as dancing. His grandmother had been insistent that music was the secret to bountiful and flavorful crops and dishes and happy and productive animals. He didn't question her logic. As far as he could recall, her hands have always crafted delicious meals with the assistance of her own voice.
"I-I...d...don't know how," he finally responded after an awkward silence.
A gregarious grin played at Luisa's lips as she delivered a controlled, hearty slap to Rico's shoulder. A very unmanly squeak leaped out of him. "When I'm on my break, I'll give you a lesson."
His tension spread throughout his limbs. He opened his mouth, but he failed to make a sound. Even if he could speak, Luisa was called away by an approaching guest astride a donkey. There were more down the road who would require her assistance.
Rico's fingers fiddled restlessly with the rope, his focus shifting to Fernando's face as if to non-verbally implore him for advice. The burro stared back bemused. He was tempted to untie Fernando and flee. Such a cowardly act would surely leave a negative impression. How was he expected to perform a dance with a Madrigal, in the presence of a crowd?
"Aren't you coming inside?" Releasing the rope, Rico whirled to find Mirabel. He was astounded that he didn't hear her approach. The girl pressed her lips as she suppressed a laugh. "Sorry, but the party's already started. You're not thinking of leaving, are you?"
The pleading smile on Mirabel inspired guilt to well up within Rico knowing he considered it. His eyes darted to Luisa hefting a donkey and back to Mirabel. Pushing a nervous smile, he shook his head. It was impossible to say no to that face.
The final donkey was gently set down on its hooves. A satisfied smile passed Luisa's lips. While she liked handling these equines, she was eager to unwind.
She surveyed the herd, her eyes stopping at Fernando. The donkey tugged on his lead, tightening the bundle of knots. Striding up to the jack, she cleared her throat to attain his attention. Fernando ceased his yanking and smiled innocently.
"You're not thinking about getting out of that, are you, escape artist?" Luisa questioned, her tone playful.
Fernando vocalized an amiable bray. She gave him a scratch underneath the chin before she gave the knots an experimental tug of her own. They felt secure enough.
"These knots are pretty tight. I'd be impressed if you managed to get out of this." She chuckled as Fernando lipped her wrist. "You stay out of trouble, alright?"
Giving Fernando a final pat on the neck, she made haste to the party that awaited her.
Warm greetings were allotted as she weaved through guests. Her smile broadened, espying Isabella and Mirabel dancing. The tension that had previously kept her older and younger sisters at an emotional distance had entirely dissipated. Occasional bickering still existed amongst the family, but they never lasted. With Mirabel's efforts and the emotional reunion with Bruno, the familial bond was stronger than ever.
Even at her height, Luisa saw neither hide nor hair of her elusive uncle. She presumed he might have become overwhelmed and retreated into Antonio's room.
She did, however, find Rico lingering by the table, glass of fruit juice in hand. The young man was casting cursory glances while taking occasional sips, his wide-eyed visage something akin to a lost, confused child. Seeing him silent and alone among the merriment inspired pity. Didn't he have any friends here?
She was certain her family wouldn't mind if she took her break a little early. The guests appeared to be entertaining themselves. Technically, giving the boy a dance lesson was tending to a guest.
There was no straightforward path to Rico. Careening and sidestepping through openings between dense clusters of townsfolk, Luisa approached the young farmer from behind and extended her hand to his shoulder.
"Hey, there!" Her finger barely touched him and she ended up startling him. She stepped back as he spun to face her, the momentum inadvertently sending the juice in his cup flying into Osvaldo's face as the portly man closed in on a plate of sweet aborrajados.
Rico's attention shifted to Osvaldo, music and conjoined voices drowning out his whimper. Luisa's cheeks puffed out as she restrained a bubble of laughter.
"I-I'm s-so sorry!" Rico squeaked, clutching his dripping cup to his chest.
Osvaldo chuckled, fishing a handkerchief from his back pocket to wipe his face.
"Don't worry about it, son. Accidents happen." Balling up the soaked handkerchief, the older man snatched one of the aborrajados. "Now, if you had spilled on these, then we might've had a problem," he joked.
Luisa's hand came to rest on Rico's shoulder, and she felt him tense up. The poor boy really did need to loosen up. "I was about to take Rico here to the dance floor."
Even though the entire floor technically was the dance floor.
"Have fun, kids!" Osvaldo chimed, stuffed the pastry into his mouth.
Rico set the glass down on the table as Luisa directed him by his shoulder. He couldn't protest. Anxiety raced through him, mounting as they entered a clearing. It was only now he realized that he neglected to change his clothes. Dirty and sweaty clothing were unbefitting for a party.
Releasing him, Luisa's hazel oculars drifted over to her sisters. Someone like her new friend, inexperienced in dancing, wasn't ready to emulate such fast-paced movements. Returning her attention to Rico, her features softened as she took in his nervousness.
"We'll start out slow, okay? Don't worry about messing up. I wasn't a great dancer when I started out," she reassured.
Rico's head dipped into a slow, uncertain nod. He watched intently as she performed at a controlled pace for him to follow. He clumsily proceeded to imitate her, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. The flustered man could hear the gruff voice of his grandfather berating him for looking foolish.
Luisa found it difficult not to laugh as Rico stumbled and wavered. "You should'a seen me when I was a beginner! Dishes, furniture, bones-anything that was breakable didn't stand a chance. But, y'know, for me, pretty much anything is breakable."
The farmer glanced off for a fleeting moment. A small, amused smile tipped his lips, deep dimples digging into his cheeks. Her lighthearted chatter was calming.
Fernando scanned his surroundings for a human presence. The only pairs of eyes he could see belonged to donkeys. Ducking his head, he began to rub the back of his head against the fence in upward strokes. The section of rope behind his ears inched over the fuzzy extremities with each skyward scrap.
Feeling the rope halter loosen around his head, the equine backed up and slid right out. Satisfied over his easily acquired freedom, he pranced over to the open doorway.
His attention constantly shifted to take in everything. The revelry the humans were engaged in made him all the more eager to be involved. Predominantly, he wished to taste the food he was smelling.
As Antonio and a small group of animals crossed the donkey's path, he halted and focused on the child. The boy, never having met this particular donkey, lit up.
"Hi, I'm Antonio! What's your name?" the boy inquired.
Beaming, Fernando lowered his head to Antonio's level and brayed in his face. He was mostly drowned out by the music and myriad of voices wafting throughout the spacious room. The few nearby who did take notice didn't think much of it.
"Nice to meet you, Fernando!" the youth chirped. "Would you like to play with us?"
Fernando instantly responded with an affirmative bray and enthusiastically applied a lick to the boy's face. A giggle from him resounded, and the equine dove into his gang as they broke into a spontaneous game of tag.
As they passed the table, the burro forgot about his acquaintances. Backpedaling, he peeked between a conversing couple for a better view. His eyes lit up at the sight of the lechona. It wasn't the crispy skin, the tender meat, nor the filling consisting of seasoned rice and vegetables that called to him. Lodged in the swine's mouth, was a perfectly roasted apple.
Walking up to the table, he reached over a few other perfectly delicious appetizers. He was stopped short when a plank from the table sprang up to smack him on the nose. The startled donkey reared aback, his head unintentionally whacking the unfortunate man behind him in the face.
While Mariano's hands flew to his inflicted nose, Dolores slipped her hands around his arm to urgently guide him to a safe distance.
Turning tail on the table, Fernando launched a kick in retaliation. Table overturning, food and beverages spilled onto the floor. The music ceased and all eyes were drawn to the commotion.
Rico could only watch in horror at what his chocolate oculars beheld. Animals squeezed through guests in every direction to feast upon the now soiled food. A select few screeched as they caught sight of Bruno's rat companions. He internally cringed. As a farmer, he was familiar with the amount of work that goes into growing and raising crops and animals.
Fernando perked up as he espied the apple several feet away. Trotting over to the fruit and dropping his head, he deflated when a coati swooped in and snatched it up. Indignant, the jack gave chase, knocking aside a few people in the process.
Rico clutched the fabric covering his abdomen. His stomach churned, a soft whimper barely reaching Luisa's ears. The guilt was overwhelming. He was at fault. If only he had taken Fernando back home.
She had wondered if this donkey was Fernando. The concerning sound that emanated from the young man confirmed it. True to her word, she was impressed the beast of burden managed to escape his halter.
Upon closer inspection, sympathy seized her. Rico's eyes were misty. Was he...crying? She opened her mouth to ask if he was alright, but she was cut off by a single feminine voice that penetrated the pandemonium.
"Whose donkey is this?!"
Townsfolk parted to reveal Alma, her features contorted into a furious expression.
The battle with the coati won, Fernando approached Rico with slobbering chops. A wave of nausea crashed over the farmer. It took immense willpower to keep himself together as he was pinned by so many eyes.
Gingerly stroking Fernando's nose, he risked a glance at the Madrigal matriarch. She did not look happy with him.