Author's notes:

1920s slang:

Beef-problem

Chapter 8: Family Secrets

The shoemaker winced as he felt the sting of a big block of ice, wrapped in a towel. "Ow!"

"Hold still, mijo," Elena said, pressing the towel on him lightly.

After the gangster had left, her son attempted to take one step out of the restaurant. She grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. Upon seeing the red mark on her son's face, Elena wasted no time, sitting him down at their table and putting an ice pack on his face. After pressing the towel on his face, she allowed her son to hold it himself.

"Mama, why did you stop me?" Héctor frowned. "Andres and Frida are in danger! I have to save them!"

"You want to risk your life by going after that criminal? I don't think so!"

"Oh what a shame, what a shame!" Mama Coco murmured, shaking her head.

"It's okay, Mamacita," Elena consoled her. "Those riffraffs are gone now."

"I'm talking about what your son did!" The ancient woman frowned. "Héctor, mijo, why did you slap that woman? I thought I raised you to respect ladies."

Guilt gripped within Héctor's heart. Normally, he'd never strike a woman, even when he was a little boy. But tonight, his emotions were high and that intruder was the last straw that pushed him over the edge.

"That was no lady," he frowned. "That was a monster! I doubt she has any feelings."

"Yes, but even monsters have feelings," Mama Coco said, gently but firmly.

The rest of the family was standing around trying to make sense of the incident that had occurred.

"I expected a lot of things to go wrong," Gloria murmured as she put broken glass into a paper brown bag. "But not this!" When she was done, she closed the bag and tossed it into the fireplace. She let out a sad sigh. "If Héctor doesn't get married, then I can't get married! Oh, can this get any worse?"

"Can this get any worse?" Ernestina whispered to herself. She growled to herself thinking that her plan didn't go the way she expected. 'Stupid Andres!' The flapper thought. 'This is all his fault! None of this would've happened had he just heard me!'

"'Tina!" Helga hissed. "We should go now before they see us!"

Ernestina was about to nod her head when she heard the doors slamming open. When the flapper saw that it was the rest of the Madrigals appearing, she gestured to her henchwomen to wait. "Wait."

Felix Madrigal came running in followed by his wife, daughter, sons, nieces, and mother-in-law. Panting, he quickly scanned the room, seeing no one but the shocked Riveras. He also spotted his brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Although Julieta and Agustin now lived in their own house, Felix and Pepa would find time to visit. Their visits were always so secretive because if his mother-in-law knew about their visits, she'd be quite upset. Occasional visits were their only way of giving Julieta and Pepa updated information about Luisa J. and Isabella. Sadly, there had been no new information on the whereabouts of their youngest daughter or his other brother-in-law. Felix had hoped that they would not lose another family member tonight.

"They're gone!"

"Oh no!" Pepa moaned, as a rain cloud formed high above in the sky. "We're too late!"

"I told you the restaurant was on Pinecrest Drive, not Bowring Drive!" Dolores whispered harshly to her brother, who looked offended.

"Oye, I got the street names mixed up!"

"Ah, don't worry, Felix and Pepa," Berto said, somberly. "You didn't miss the engagement. It never happened anyway."

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Felix asked, scratching his head.

"The engagement!" Berto insisted. "The one that never happened!"

"Héctor was about to be engaged to Emiliana Visconti," Dolores whispered to him.

"The restaurant should be on Bowring Drive!" Camillo said.

"Oh Camillo, can we drop this subject already?" Dolores said, exasperatedly.

"No, really!" Camillo said. "This restaurant is so Bowring!"

"The food was boring!" Berto agreed.

"The decorations looked boring," Isabella observed with a critical eye.

"Even the music was boring!" Abel chimed in.

"Never mind about that!" Alma snapped, becoming increasingly annoyed. "Was Frida here?"

"Yes, she was here, all right," Elena spoke gravely. "But not anymore."

"Where is she now?" Pepa inquired.

"She's with the Princessa de Mafia," Carmen responded, with a sad sigh.

"QUE!?"

The moment Pepa shrieked, lightning bolts clashed against the sky.

Miguel's knees buckled and a whimper escaped from his lips.

Antonio and the other twins also cried and hid underneath one table that was still standing upright.

Julieta had been on her knees ever since her sister had been taken away. "Oh, not another one!" Her voice broke, as she put her hand on her heart. "First Bruno, then Mirabel, and now Frida!" Then she broke out into a sob. Her tears cascaded onto her husband's shirt. Agustin wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her.

The Riveras stood there gazing at her sympathetically. Another family member had been taken away from her.

Luisa knelt beside her best friend opposite Agustin and wrapped her arms around her. "There, there, Julieta," she said, softly. "We'll find your sister."

"Natalia, what happened?" Enrique asked the flapper.

"That's what I like to know, too!" Berto added.

Everybody else gathered around Natalia, silently asking the same question.

"I-I don't know!" the woman cried, helplessly. She was the only one that had been sitting on the edge of the stage. "One minute I was singing, and the next minute I knew-"

"Did he say anything about the love potion?" Agustin asked her, suddenly.

"Yes!" Natalia said. "He said he got it from a joke shop!"

"A joke shop?" Alma raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, I thought it was dumb too!" Miguel piped up.

"Hush!" Elena chastised him.

"After he sprayed himself with the potion, he wrestled a monkey over it, and then, that gangster put him in the sack and took him!" Natalia sighed. "He claimed the potion was real but since he said he got it from a joke shop, I think it's one of those silly costume props you get for Halloween."

"Yes, but why would the Princessa want it?" Héctor pondered. He was still nursing his cheek with the towel. "Unless it was a fake, what's her beef?"

"The potion is real," Agustin said hesitantly.

Natalia and all the Riveras stared at him.

"Agustin, what do you mean by that?" Enrique inquired him firmly.

"Agustin!" Julieta whispered to him, fearfully. Her eyes were tear-stained and her face was a bit puffy.

"It's time we tell them, mi amor," Agustin whispered back. "They have already seen the potion."

"I can tell them!" Dolores suggested. "I know everything because I hear everything."

"No, you are not old enough," Felix disagreed. "As the man of my family, I will tell them!"

"No, I should tell them," Pepa argued. "Julieta and I are the ones with gifts so it'd make sense if we tell!"

"I should tell because I'm the eldest!" Isabella said, her voice sounding a bit strong. She was still particularly upset about her last conversation with Bubo.

"I should tell because I'm the most hardworking one!" Luisa J. offered.

"I should tell because I'm the most dramatic one!" Camillo bragged. "After all, I am an actor!"

While the Madrigals were debating who should tell their secret, the Riveras stood there watching them awkwardly.

"What were Camillo and the girls talking about, Abel?" Rosa asked her big brother.

"Yo no se!" Abel shrugged, sweating a little.

"STOP!" Alma commanded, silencing the Madrigals. "I'll tell them."

Now that she had everyone's attention, Alma could speak on behalf of the family. It was not going to be easy but now that the secret had been out in public, she might as well say it.

"The Madrigals are descendants from a long line of Levite priests from Spain," Alma began. "Long ago, they were born with gifts which they used to glorify God."

Natalia and the Riveras looked at each other with confusion and skepticism. What did Alma mean by that?

"They had many abilities such as speaking in tongues, helping the blind see, and making the lame walk," The Madrigal matriarch listed. "When they had children, they were also blessed with gifts and had passed them down to their own children and to their grandchildren, and so on. Over the centuries, our powers had been reduced to a single ability which isn't matured until their tenth birthday."

On cue, Isabella came forward and spun around in a circle. This caused a bed of dark pink roses to blossom out from her feet and spread all over the walls of the restaurant. Some of the roses had covered up the flowerpot that Ernestina and her friends had been hiding. This made the Riveras and Natalia drop their jaws.

Ernestina spit out a rose petal that was caught in her mouth. "Bleh!"

Luisa J. picked up a fallen table with one hand as if it were simple. Then she lifted a stack of chairs up in the air. To her, they weighed as light as a feather.

"Wow!" Abel was amazed at how strong she was.

Pepa lifted her arm in an overarching gesture, creating a small rainbow. Manny, Benny, and of course her son, peeked through the tablecloth and awed at it.

Camillo transformed himself into many disguises such as Abel, Rosa, Miguel, Enrique, his grandmother, his mother, and finally back to himself. This made Rosa giggle.

"I already know your secret, man," Abel pointed out to him.

"What, you mean, you knew this!?" Berto glared at his son.

"You told Abel your powers a long time ago!?" Pepa's face burned red with anger. New lightning bolts were heard outside.

"Nice going, blabbermouth," Camillo hissed at his best friend.

"Oops," Abel said, guilty.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Elena exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that you and your family have been using magic for years and never told me!?"

"I have my reasons!" Alma answered firmly.

"What reasons?" Franco asked, feeling a bit angry too.

"Not everyone was blessed with magic," Alma answered, icily. "And those that weren't, were killed by witch hunters." Memories of gunshots and Pedro falling down flashed in her mind. "Which is why anyone who turned ten and received their powers, had to stay home from school to stay hidden."

"I can't believe this!" Elena threw her hands off in frustration.

"What does this have to do with the love potion!?" Enrique asked Agustin, feeling annoyed.

"Frida's gift was making potions," Agustin said gravely.

"Love potions are one of her specialties," Julieta sadly confirmed.

The next thing anyone knew, almost everyone from both sides of the family escalated into an ugly fight. Elena and Alma were screaming at each other. Franco had to restrain Elena from trying to claw her friend. Though he did add a few harsh words to Alma. Camillo and Abel both got into a fistfight. Rosa got into a wrestling fight with Isabella with Luisa J. trying to break them up. Pepa, Carmen, Berto, and Felix were also shouting at each other. Julieta and Luisa were the only ones trying to restrain their husbands from physically assaulting each other.

"Mama Coco?" Gloria asked her bisabuela, nervously. "Shouldn't we, um, stop them?"

"No, mija."

"But why not? I thought the purpose was to talk things out calmly."

"They started the fight and it's best we let them finish," Mama Coco said. "Yes, they are supposed to talk things calmly. Right now, how can they when both parties are outraged?"

"I hope they don't break any more dishes!" Gloria cringed, seeing her mother throw down a plate to the floor.

Héctor rolled his eyes for he was also not participating in the fight, either. "Oh, I have no time for this drama!" The shoemaker tossed his towel into a garbage can and turned to his sister. "Gloria, did you call the police?"

"Of course!" Gloria assured him. "They said they're on their way!"

"Good," He responded. "Natalia, you find the love potion."

"All right," his musician friend agreed.

"Mama Coco, you keep an eye on the family."

"No need to tell me twice," Mama Coco winked. "But what are you going to do?"

"I will save our friends!"

Miguel also joined Antonio, and the twins underneath the table. The feud was so loud that it was beginning to overwhelm him.

Dolores had backed up into a corner, covering her ears. Because there was so much fighting going on, she didn't hear a certain actress wanna-be and her henchwomen sneaking out of the restaurant. During the chaos, the girl spotted Héctor leaving the restaurant. She gasped and quickly stood up. "Listen to me!" She cried, as loud as she could. But the noise was drowning out her voice. Dolores ran onstage and turned on the microphone. "Listen to me, everyone!" She shouted, causing both families to stop feuding. "Does anyone realize that Héctor has left the building?"

"QUE!?" Elena cried. She ran toward the same door that her son had exited. "Héctooooor!" But she had been too late because he was already out and running. "Oh no, no, no, no, no!" She sank down to her knees and began to weep.

Once Ernestina and her followers were out of sight, they hid out at a nearby cantina.

"Oh 'Tina," Helga murmured. "I can't believe Andres messed up your plan!"

"That idiot!" Ellen quietly nodded.

"Yes, that fool!" Ernestina rolled her eyes. She took a sip of her drink. "But I'll think of something new, now that I have new information." She tapped her fingers together as if she were thinking.

"I know what you're doing!" Violeta said, stupidly. "You're thinking! Let me help! Let me help!" She was bonked in the head by her boss.

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Yes, she's trying to concentrate!" Penny said, meanly.

Finally, a huge smirk spread across her face. "We must keep an eye on them," the shady lady explained. "Either Héctor, his family, or the Madrigals would lead us to the love potion. We must get it back so I can still use it on Héctor."

"That's right!" Helga nodded.

"I can't believe the Madrigals are a bunch of witches!" Ellen hissed.

"Yes, I've known that for a long time," Ernestina said.

"How?" Penny asked.

"I spied on them," Ernestina answered, confidently. "Five years ago, I went to the Madrigals' movie studio. You know how I wanted to be an actress, right? Well, when I went there…,"

"Ay, Bruno!" Ernestina said. "Your family's movie studio is so…quaint." She and her boyfriend's loser friend were standing outside, staring at the building that was attached to the Madrigals' house.

"It is, isn't it?" Bruno replied excitedly. Since he learned from Héctor that Ernestina dreamt of being an actress, he thought of bringing her over. "Oh, you're going to love this business! My Mamá used to be in vaudeville back in Mexico before she quit to marry my Papá. They lost everything in the war. So to keep our spirits up, my Mamá got me and my sisters into acting so we could carry on the tradition. Then my sisters' kids decided to be part of the business too because they thought it was so much fun. Although acting is a lot of work, it is quite fun!"

"That's nice, Bruno," Ernestina stifled a yawn. "But can we go inside por favor? My feet are getting tired!"

"Por supuesto!" Bruno answered. He opened the door. Ernestina de la Cruz stepped inside before him. The flapper scanned the studio. It was gray and blank with some lights hanging from above the ceiling. There was a film projector, a big white sheet for staging, and a sound booth. There was also a table full of food.

"Looks…nice," Ernestina said, trying to be polite. "Where is your family? They should be here to see my audition."

"They're almost done with lunch," said Bruno as he closed the door. "I'll go and tell them you're here."

While he went inside his house to fetch them, Ernestina looked at herself in one of the mirrors. She picked up a trophy that was on the shelf and held it against her chest. Ernestina could just picture it. The fame, the glory, the adoration. "The Madrigals will be pleased by my talents."

"Bruno!" Alma was alarmed. "This is insane! Why did you ask Ernestina De La Cruz to audition for our film, without asking me!?"

"I thought she would love it!" Bruno said. "After all, she always wants to be an actress."

"Have you thought about our family?" Alma barked. "What if she sees the family's gifts?"

"You revealed the family's magic to Agustin and Felix long ago!"

"Yes, but that was because they were already actors from vaudeville, and your sisters were insisting on marrying them!" Alma took another deep breath, trying to relax.

"Well, since I am not courting Ernestina, we don't have to tell her our secrets," Bruno assured her.

"How can we perform beside her without revealing our secret?"

"She won't," Bruno said. "We'll have her do a solo scene."

"Yes, but then she'll wonder why she can't share a scene with us!"

"She can share a scene with Maribel, Felix, and Agustin," Bruno responded. "They're the only ones that don't have magic."

Alma was about to disagree when she realized that her son had a point. If they film scenes separately in groups, they won't have to worry about an outsider knowing about the magic.

"I'm still cautious about this," Alma frowned.

"Come on, Mamá. Give her a chance, Por favor!" Bruno beseeched. "At least, watch her audition, and then, you can decide whether she can be in our movie or not."

Alma sighed.

"All right, but if she is good, she'll have to either do a solo scene or perform beside Maribel and your brothers-in-law."

"Great! I'll go tell Ernestina we are ready!"

"What did I get myself into?" Alma grumbled to herself. She felt as if she were letting her guard down.

"Don't worry Mamá," Julieta assured her. "I'm sure Ernestina will be a great addition to our studio."

"I will be a star!" Ernestina boasted to herself. "Everybody will adore me! That way, I'll be so rich and famous that I'll never be lonely! I can hear people chanting my name! Tina! Tina! Tina!" She imagined a whole crowd facing her as she stood in a white and silvery gown. An announcer had announced her name as the best actress in a movie. She was given a trophy. Ernestina gives a speech on how grateful she is and how much everybody loves her. "I'm so happy that I can kiss the trophy! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!"

"Ernestina!" Bruno called, as he opened the door. "Ernestina!"

"Aah!" The aspiring actress jumped. "What?"

"My mother is ready for your audition!" Bruno frowned when he saw Ernestina holding the trophy. "Say, why are you holding and kissing Julieta's trophy?"

"Oh…Nada!" Ernestina lied, quickly setting it on the shelf.

"The children are still eating their lunch, but the rest of my family will oversee your audition," Bruno explained to Ernestina. He, Alma, Julieta, Pepa, Felix, and Frida, sat together at a long table. They faced their candidate who stood on a set.

Agustin sat down by the piano, ready to play a song.

"What song will you sing, Ernestina?" Agustin smiled.

"Sugar Moon," Ernestina answered, happily.

"What key do you want me to play?"

"A Flat."

"Whenever you are ready, Ernestina," Alma said politely.

Agustin played the first seven notes.

Then Ernestina screeched her first verse.

"Eeeeeeee!

"Oooooohhhh!

"Eeeeeeeeee!

"Ooooohhhhh!"

Pepa jumped up from her seat, causing a lightning bolt to strike the sky.

Felix spit out his water.

Bruno covered his ears.

Julieta and Alma dropped their jaws.

Agustin winced and hit the wrong note.

"So what do you think?" Tina smiled, looking as if she won the marathon.

"Can you…dance?" Alma asked, nervously.

"Of course!"

She flailed her arms and moved her head from side to side. Next, she slowly moved her hips down to the floor. Then she rapidly moved her hips and rear. She slapped her buttocks repeatedly, thinking she was being hilarious.

"Stop, stop, STOP!" Alma shouted.

"What?" Ernestina laughed, thinking her dancing was harmless.

"Can you…act?"

"Of course!" Ernestina said.

Bruno handed her a booklet.

"Please act out a scene from Romeo and Juliet."

Ernestina took the book and blankly read the lines. "Oh, Romeo. Where are you, Romeo? I can't see you from here on my balcony!"

"STOP!" Alma shouted.

"What!?" Ernestina said rudely. "Can't you see I'm acting?"

"Can't you see you're reading those lines wrong?" Alma challenged.

"I can't read old English!"

"She's awful!" Julieta commented.

"She's terrible!" Agustin piped up.

"She can't sing!" Pepa covered her ears.

"She can't dance!" Felix cringed.

"And she can't act!" Frida added, bluntly.

"What!?" Ernestina was outraged. "I'm not bad! I'm great! Bruno, tell them!"

"Um….sorry Ernestina," Bruno said apologetically. "I'm afraid my family is right. You are…not good."

"WHAT!?"

"You do have potential, but you need a lot of practice."

"WHAT!? Am I hearing you right? Am I hearing you right? Are you saying I'm bad? I'm not bad! I'm good! I know I'm good! My mother told me!"

"Your mother was either lying or delusional." Alma chuckled. "You stink!"

"Listen here, you old crone!" Ernestina snapped. "I'm good! I know I am good! You're just saying that because you're jealous and…."

Alma couldn't take the screaming anymore so she gestured to Bruno and Felix to escort her.

Bruno and Felix grabbed Ernestina by the arms, who was still yelling, and dragged her to the door. Bruno opened the door while Felix shoved her out of the studio. Then Bruno shut the door.

"Hey, what are you, blind!?" Ernestina shouted at the closed door. "I wasn't done yet!" The vain woman had grabbed an empty cup from Julieta's food table. She went to the nearby river and scooped up a cup of muddy water. Ernestina was about to go inside and dump it on Bruno when suddenly she saw something odd through the window. She saw Felix's son, Camillo transforming from himself to Ernestina. He made funny gestures and strutted around making Pepa laugh. She laughed so much that a rainbow appeared over her head. Ernestina even spotted Luisa J. picking up the props she had kicked while being escorted. How could a teenage girl carry five heavy props at once? Then she spotted Isabella creating a swing made of vines. As she swung, a trail of roses left her head and hands.

Ernestina was amazed at how they used their powers. 'What are they, witches, wizards?' She thought. She could hear Bruno and Alma arguing. It was hard to hear from the window but all the words she caught were "your vision," and "no talent." She changed her mind about dumping muddy water on Bruno and decided to come up with a better plan.

"…And that's how I'll get my revenge on them," Ernestina finished. "By telling the police about their magic."

"Shall we tell the police about the Madrigals?" Helga asked innocently.

"No, not yet!" Ernestina snapped. "I had already driven one Madrigal family member away by saying that I would tell the police if he didn't leave. As long as he stays away. I promised him that I wouldn't. Besides, the rest of the family may be useful to my plan." She tapped her fingers together as if she were plotting.

"Whether he likes it or not, Héctor will be mine…,"