Author's Note: This is a re-make of Chapter 3 because a reviewer pointed out that Miguel's cousins should be great-grandchildren of Coco's siblings; not great-great-grandchildren. So, I went back and fixed the mistake.

Miguel had climbed up to the top of Rivera hacienda, and went inside the attic. He quietly closed the door, so that one could hear him. He turned the light on, which hung from the wooden ceiling. The boy kneeled to open a trunk that was by the wall. Before he could, he heard the door opening. Fear gripped the boy's heart, as he quickly closed the lid of the trunk. When his eyes laid on a Xoloitzcuintli, he sighed in relief, "Oh Dante, you scared me!"

Dante just stared at him happily with his long tongue hanging out and glancing around.

"Quick! In here!" Miguel whispered frantically, ushering the dog. Dante followed inside as the boy closed the door, posthaste. "You know that if anybody heard me playing music, they'd be furious!" The boy opened the trunk and pulled out a guitar. It was an old guitar that Miguel had put together by himself. He tuned it up and began to strum the strings. "If only someone wanted to hear me play, other than you." Dante sat down next to him and listened to his human friend play the guitar.

The attic had been Miguel's private room that contained his secret collection of music, especially anything related to his favorite celebrity, Ernesto de la Cruz. There was even an ofrenda, dedicated to him!

Miguel put a VHS in the video cassette player and pressed play. It was a movie containing the best clips of Ernesto. Almost every day, the boy practiced playing his guitar by mimicking the deceased movie star. He had mastered all the songs that Ernesto had played and sang. His favorite song was Remember Me.

He loved how fun and exciting that song sounded.

"How could something that sounds so lovely be forbidden?" Miguel asked Dante. The dog said nothing but only scratched his ear with his leg.

"Is there anyone in the family who would know about the music ban, Dante?" Miguel asked.

"Arf!" The dog answered as if saying "Maybe."

"Maybe my cousins from out of town would know!"

Hector and Imelda had other children, in addition to Coco. Their names were José, Selene, Manuel, and Clara. Unlike Mama Coco who had stayed with her parents, the rest of the children had moved out of Santa Cecilia to open up branches of the Rivera shoe business.

Miguel texted his cousins Josefina (great-granddaughter of Jose Rivera), Indio (great-grandson of Selene Rivera), Raul (great-grandson of Manuel Rivera), and Anita (great-granddaughter of Clara) the same question.

Miguel: Do you guys know how the music ban happened?

Josefina: No, Miguel. Papa José doesn't like to talk about it.

Indio: No, I don't know. Mama Selene wouldn't say anything.

Raul: Papa Manuel said he will tell me when I am 21.

Anita: Lo siento Miguel, pero yo no sé. The last time I asked Mamá Clara, she preferred not to talk about it.

Miguel sighed. So his primos were just as clueless as him.

While watching a scene in which Ernesto kisses a woman ("Blech!" Miguel sticks his tongue out.), the boy receives a group text on his hand-me-down cell phone.

Carlos and Maria: Hola Miguel!

Miguel texted back.

Miguel: Hola amigos!

Carlos: Have you asked your parents if you can play in the talent show with us?

Dread filled him. He knew they were going to ask that question.

Miguel: Yes

Maria: What did they say?

Miguel: They said no.

Carlos: Qué!?

Maria: Qué!?

Miguel: I know, I know, but I told you they'd say no.

Carlos: That's not fair!

Maria: Did they say why?

Miguel: I asked Abuelita and she said it was because music ruined Papa Hector.

Carlos: How did music ruin his life?

Miguel: I don't know, she wouldn't talk about it.

Carlos: You got to be in the talent show! This is your time to shine. Like Ernesto de la Cruz said, Seize your moment!

Maria: Carlos, it is not the end of the world if Miguel can't perform with us. There is always next year!

Carlos: But there is a $200 prize in the show! I want to win the prize to buy a video game!

Maria and Miguel rolled their eyes at their friend's text.

Maria: How did music ruin his life?

Miguel: I don't know, she wouldn't talk about it.

Maria: Ask your parents. Maybe they will tell you.

Miguel thought about her suggestion. He knew what would happen if he asked his parents. Enrique would scowl and walk away in silence. Luisa would grow worried and change the subject by assigning him to chores.

Miguel: I'll think about it. I gotta go and work on the family tree assignment. Gotta get it out of the way! Bye!

As soon as he finished the texting, he stuffed the phone back into his hoodie pocket. He knew it was a lie but what could he do? As much as he was disappointed about not playing in the talent show, convincing his family to change their minds was impossible. To ease his conscience, he pulled his homework assignment out of his pocket and began writing on it.

So far, he has everybody's names down except Mamá Imelda and Papa Hector. He was unsure of their full names or their birth and death dates.

Lucky for him, the attic contained a few boxes of family albums.

It took the boy a while to find a family album that showed the early years of Imelda and Hector. As he tiredly, flipped through the pages, he was jolted awake when Dante jumped into his lap. He carried what looked like an envelope and dropped it into the boy's lap.

"Dante, what's this? Where did you get the envelope from?"

Dante pointed his nose at a box nearby. It was labeled "Certificates," which had been opened and knocked down with other certificates. "Oh Bueno, now I got something!" Miguel smiled, as he opened the envelope. Eagerly, his eyes scanned the marriage certificate, expecting to see Hector's and Imelda's birth dates...only to find something else instead.

Imelda's name was there, but not Hector's.

"No comprendo," Miguel whispered to himself. "How can this be?" He took the marriage certificate and exited out of the attic. Dante was about to follow him, but Miguel told him to stay. The last time he let Dante into the house, Abuelita threw a shoe at him, violently. Dante was frustrated that he couldn't come. How was he supposed to give his boy support?

"Mamá, Papá!" The boy cried, rushing into the living room of the hacienda. His mother was sitting in a rocking chair, sewing baby socks for her baby, which will be born in three months. Enrique was reading a newspaper. Berto and Franco were sharing drinks. Carmen and Gloria were talking to Mama Coco. Franco and Elena were watching over Manny and Benny. Abel and Rosa were taking selfies of each other with their cell phones (much to Abuelita's annoyance).

"Qué pasa, Miguel?" Luisa asked, looking up from her sewing.

It took her son a while to catch his breath from running.

"Was Mamá Imelda married to Papa Hector?"

"Claro está!" Enrique answered, looking up from his newspaper. "You know they've been together for many years! Right guys?"

The rest of the family nodded with "sí" and "por supuesto." Nobody except Mamá Coco noticed Elena looking as if she stole a cookie from a cookie jar.

"Then why does this say she was married to Ernesto de la Cruz?" the boy asked, holding a marriage certificate.

The family raised their eyebrows and looked at him, confused. Then they looked at Abuelita and Mama Coco. The former was sweating and the latter looked a bit sad.

The twelve-year-old boy marched up to his grandmother.

"Abuelita, is there something I don't know about?"

Elena breathed out a sigh and nodded her head. Now she had to tell him.