Episode 6: Family History

It was spring cleaning day which meant Rodolfo was going to have Manny clean like he had never cleaned before.

"Okay Manny your first job is to clean out the attic."

"Oh come on Dad! Can't I do something else?" Manny complained.

"Well you can always scrub toilets with Grandpapi."

"Okay fine."

He climbed up the ladder to the attic and started moving around the boxes. The Rivera family had been living in the same house for generations and they had a lot of stuff packed away. He kept pulling and pushing one box after another, then he pushed aside one great big box and saw a carving on the wall behind it. It was a heart that had Miguel Rivera + Rida Sanchez.

"Hey Dad! What's this?"

Rodolfo went upstairs and looked at the carving.

"Hmm...Looks like one of the oringinal El tigre's old girlfriends."

"He had dates?"

"Yes, he had many women in his life."

"Well what about Rida Sanchez?"

"Never heard of her."

"Apparently he really loved her."

"Miho we'll finish cleaning the attic later right now I have to get to work and you have to get to school."

As Manny went to school he noticed Frida wasn't around so he went to the pay phone and called her.

"Hello?"

"Frida?"

"Hey dude." She sounded very weak and tired.

"Are you okay?"

"No I'm sick." She coughed into the phone.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not that bad actually it's great. Since my parents both have work that means my sisters have to take care of me and do whatever I say."

She sat up from her bed and rung the bell on her nightstand. Then Anita and Nikita came in with grim looks on her face.

"Yes."

"Sister Dear."

"Can you get me so more tissues and a churro?"

"You have enough."

"Tissues and you."

"Don't need any churros."

"Oh really? Then I'll just call Papa and-"

"No we'll."

"Get them."

They walked away grumbling under their breaths.

"Dude I am in heaven." Frida giggled.

"That's great anyway I hope you get better." He hung up and hurried off to school on the way he saw something shiny in a tree. Curious he climbed up and ran his hand through the trees and branches until he felt something. It was a metal key. He jumped down and examined it, wondering what this key could unlock. Then he saw a door not too far from where he was. The door was in a concrete wall he tugged on the doorknob. It was locked so he stuck the key in the keyhole and turned it three times. The door opened to reveal a long stairway leading down.

"Cool!"

Completely forgetting about school, he went downstairs. When he reached the end it was pitch black. He felt around for a light switch or something then his hand hit something. It felt like a glass field he stuck his fingers in it and touched something that was made of wax like a candle.

"Must be a lantern." His other hand felt a match. He rubbed it against the wall until a spark started then he lit the lantern. The lantern gave off a bright light that filled the room. The room was a lot bigger than he thought it had a fountain, a garden, a shelf that was filled with weapons, targets, and a swing. There were also pictures pinned on the wall.

"Nice place."

"Who's there?" A voice said. Manny tried to run but something grabbed him. "Crud!"

"How dare you intrude you shall die! But we can't kill him it would be wrong! Fool you have no spine! Oh Hi Manny."

Manny turned around and saw it was the original El tigre.

"Oh it's you! You scared me."

"How did you get in here? The door was locked."

"I found the key. Hey wait a minute! You're dead! How are you here?"

"When great heroes die they are allowed to visit one spot on earth and I chose this one."

"So why this place?"

"So I can secretly plan to rule the world!"

"Uh really?"

"No! Sorry force of habit." He said feeling embarrassed "When I was your age I found this place and turned it into a hang out. It was my favorite place."

"Well you have great taste."

Manny started looking at the pictures one of them was of a boy who looked just like him except his hair was a lot darker.

"Is that you?"

"Yep. I was quite the looker back then."

He saw another picture of Miguel and he was running from a girl who resembled Zoe Aves.

"Who's that?"

"Zola Aves the original Black Cuervo." Miguel said. "She and I briefly dated but it didn't work out."

That made Manny think of the carving he saw earlier. "Hey did you date a girl named Rida Sanchez?"

He looked at Manny as if he had seen a ghost.

"I didn't just date her she was...she was the only woman I ever loved." He sighed. "And she's you're great, great, great, great, great grandmother."

"Really? You know nobody really talks about the women that actually end up married to the Rivera men. Take my grandmother for example. What happened to her?"

"She died of old age. Her death was peaceful."

"So tell me about Rida." Manny said. "What was she like?"

"She was so beautiful." Miguel sighed. "So beautiful."

"How did you meet?"

"We didn't start out as a couple at first we were just friends. We did everything together, here's a picture of us when we were thirteen."

Miguel showed Manny the picture. His eyes popped out of his head when he looked at it. Rida looked just like Frida except that her hair was brown ( Hair dye hadn't been invented yet).

"She looks like Frida."

"Really? Oh yeah she does."

"Are they related?"

"No I guess it's just one of those things. Anyway when we became teenagers and after I broke up with Zola, Rida and I started to fall in love and eventually get married."

"So you guys were perfectly happy."

"I wouldn't say perfectly we had our differences." Miguel chuckled. "I remember when I started dating Zola, she said she never wanted to see me again."

"Why?"

"Because those two were enemies til the end."

"Really? Okay I'm starting to see a pattern here. So was that the only thing you fought about?"

"No but most of the time we didn't fight. We loved each other very much." Miguel looked back at the picture and started look sad. "Then one day soon after Dark Leopard was born there was a fight between good and evil and in the middle of the fight one of the villains tried to shoot me and she ran to help me which caused the bullet to hit her."

"Oh no! I'm sorry."

"I was so angry and heartbroken that it drove me insane!"

"Oh so that's why you have those urges."

"What urges? He's on to us! We must destroy him! No he's family!"

Manny looked at him like he was crazy which he was.

"Sorry! I get what you mean. After she died I went on a rampage which eventually led to my death."

"Did you see her again?"

"When I entered the land of the dead I tried to find her but I never did and it only caused my insanity to increase."

"This was yours and her special place wasn't it? That's why chose to visit her here?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "You know you and Frida are welcome to visit here."

"Really!" Manny exclaimed.

"Yeah it's your place now. Oh and one more thing." He pulled something out of his pocket, it was a sliver locket with a small ruby and sapphire on it. " I made this for her and now I want you to give it to your true love."

"Oh no I couldn't."

"Don't be ridicules she would've wanted you to."

He put the locket in Manny's hand, he opened it but there was no picture.

"The picture is long gone but you can find a new one." Manny hugged his ancestor then went back upstairs, locked the door, and hid the key.

"Where are you taking me?" Frida asked who was feeling better the next day.

"You'll see." Manny said leading her downstairs.

"Can I look now?"

"Okay now you can."

She opened her eyes. "Whoa! What is this place?"

"Our new hang out."

"You serious?"

"Yep!"

"Awesome!" Frida sat on the swing and Manny pushed her both unaware that there was a picture pinned on the wall that showed a thirteen year old Miguel and Rida doing the same.