Chapter One: Fools Rush In
Long ago, in the 1910s, war and turmoil raged throughout México. Many men were fighting to overthrow the dictatorship of a leader, Porfirio Díaz, who violated the principles and ideals of the Mexican Constitution of 1857. The more men fought, the more men died. Many Mexicans fled the country to the United States to escape the violence and bloodshed. They had moved from a small town, Santa Cecilia, and settled down in California. They picked the state because the palm trees and water reminded them of their old home of Oaxaca. They called their new village, New Santa Cecilia to symbolize their beginnings in a brand-new land.
At first, the town started as a unanimous community. Until the town was divided into two sections. There was the West side that was inhabited by the rich and some of the upper middle classes. All worked on jobs on farming and railroads. The Riveras were the only family that specialized in making affordable shoes of high quality at their family shoe shop. The Madrigals worked at their film studio where they created their movies. They were ruled by a mayor who was scatterbrained and clueless, needing constant help from the Madrigals.
On the other side was the East side, which was full of poor and lower-middle-income families, and some shady people. No one ever dared to go in there because it was controlled by the mafia. The Sanchezes had made money by doing dirty work. Anybody who feared their safety stayed on the West side. Even the mayor was too scared to go over there and negotiate with the mafia. Aside from the east side, the people thought that their troubles were behind them. They came to start a new life. But the Sanchezes, the Madrigals, and the Riveras had learned the hard way that life in the United States wasn't so easy.
On one particular day in 1922, the Rivera family were at their home, preparing for a party. A wedding.
Héctor Rivera, the youngest son of Franco and Elena Rivera, was getting married today.
In his bedroom, the young man smiled as he combed his hair. He gazed at his reflection in the mirror, admiring his black pants and white guayabera. It's the only time he got to wear something so sophisticated.
The groom glanced at his dresser, a photograph in a frame of a woman with perfectly bobbed black hair, brown eyes, and a smile that seemed sincere. "Oh Ernestina de la Cruz, I can't wait for us to be together!" He kissed the picture a few times and sat back on the dresser. "We're going to be newlyweds, really soon. I can hardly wait!"
The young man held up a rose in his hand. He sniffed it, closed his eyes, and sighed heavenly.
Héctor felt as if he were on cloud nine. He felt like singing a song.
"Wise men say only fools rush in
"But I can't help falling in love with you!"
Then he began to spin around. Unknowingly, through the excitement and with eyes closed, Héctor grabbed a newspaper from his dresser instead of the picture frame.
"Shall I say
"Would it be a sin
"That I can't help falling in love with you!"
The groom gave it a big kiss. He opened his eyes, realizing that his lips were tasting paper; not glass. When he did, his eyes widened as a gasp escaped from his lips. On the front page of the newspaper was a picture of a woman dressed in black and purple and smoking a long cigarette. The headlines read, "PRINCESA DE MAFIA AT THE BANK!"
So shocked that he kissed that picture, that he dropped it to the ground as if it were a hot potato. He heard the door knocking. "Come in!"
The door opened. It was his best friend, Andrés, who was a short and fair-skinned man with dark blonde curly hair, and blue eyes. He was dressed in his finest blue tuxedo. An odd choice for the Rivera men but perfect for Andrés.
"Héctor, vanamos!" Andrés said. "Your family is all ready. Be sure to grab your coat because it is going to rain later."
"Coming amigo!" said Héctor as he grabbed his rose. He picked up the newspaper and set it back on his dresser before leaving his bedroom.
Lucky for Andres and the Riveras, there were no rain clouds yet. Just partly cloudy and partly sunny. It made the drive easy for Héctor's older brother, Enrique did not know how to drive the car on muddy roads. When the family and the best man arrived at church, they were greeted by two people. The first person was a large man with glasses and a receding hairline, dressed in a priest robe. The second one was a young woman with blue eyes, blonde hair in a horizontal tapered bob cut, and a red gown.
"Hola," the priest greeted the family. "Here he is, the lucky groom!"
"Hola Padre José," Héctor greeted, politely.
"Hi, Héctor!" the young woman grinned, excitedly. "Hi, Andres!"
"Hi, Natalia," Héctor and Andres grinned back. The three friends immediately exchanged hugs. After the usual greetings and exchanges, everybody went inside the church. Héctor scanned the hallway as if he were looking for someone.
"Dónde está Bruno?" the groom asked. "Where's my best man?"
"I don't know," Andres shrugged. "He told me yesterday that he'll be here."
"Natalia?"
"I'm not sure," the maid of Honor shrugged, as well. "Shall we look for him?"
"Not quite, we will wait for him," Héctor answered. "He's probably running late."
"Padre José, has the bride arrived?" Abuelita asked. "My mamá wants to give her a family heirloom for her wedding."
"She's in that dressing room, down in the hallway to your left," Padre José answered. "Just follow Natalia; she will take you ladies there."
While Abuelita, her mother, her daughter, Gloria, and two daughters-in-law, Luisa and Carmen headed to the hallway, the groom asked the priest if he had seen the best man.
"No, I haven't seen him," the priest shook his head. "I had telephoned to his house but no one answered."
"Well, maybe he is on his way," Héctor smiled, being hopeful. "When his family arrives, he will be here too."
"Well just in case he doesn't, do you have someone who can step into that role in the last minute?"
"Andres can do it."
While the groom was talking to the priest, Enrique noticed that his son, Miguel looked sad. His nephew, Abel, and niece, Rosa did not look so excited either.
"What's wrong, niños?" the father asked. "Today is the day to celebrate your Tío's marriage!"
"Why did Tío Héctor have to marry Ernestina De La Cruz?" Eleven-year-old Abel grumbled.
"She's not nice," his ten-year-old sister shook her head. "At least to us."
"Do I have to give up my room?" His eight-year-old primo asked. "Yo no quiero!"
It took a while for Enrique to process all this information and ruffled his son's hair. "No Miguelito, you won't have to give up your room." He looks at the older kids. "Your uncle is marrying Ernestina De La Cruz because he loves her so much that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her."
"But she is going to live with us!" Miguel cringed. "She'll keep Tío Héctor all to herself and won't let him play with me!"
"Does she love him?" Rosa inquired.
The mustached man gave a brief sigh as if he was trying to think of a proper response. "I am sure Ernestina loves your Tío Héctor back."
In the dressing room, was a tall, thin woman with black hair in a boyish bob cut, and brown eyes.
"This dress should be above my knees, not down to my ankles," the bride grumbled. "And where is my lipstick?"
"Right here," said one of her bridesmaids, who handed it to her.
"Gracias, Tanya," Ernestina said as she took the red lipstick from the brunette girl in orange. "Ugh, I can't believe I am getting married today," she groaned, before applying it on her lips.
"I know!" said another bridesmaid, Violetta. "Yesterday was your last night of freedom as a single woman!"
"And last night as a flapper," said Rebecca, the third bridesmaid.
"Now you are settling down," smirked a fourth one, named Helga. "Which means no more fun for you!"
"No more dancing, no more drinking, no more smoking, and no more wearing makeup!" a fourth bridesmaid, Ellen added in a sing-song voice.
"And did Helga also mention, no more fun?" Penny giggled. "You'll be stuck as a housewife doing cooking and cleaning all day long!"
Ernestina rolled her eyes.
"Oh, if only I could relive the bachelorette party from last night. That foolish Bruno was trying to ruin everything!"
"What bachelorette party?" an old grandmotherly voice asked.
The bride and her bridesmaids turned to the source of her voice. They didn't hear Mamá Coco, or Hector's mother, sister, and sister-in-laws entering the room.
"Oh, nada!" Ernestina said between her teeth.
"There was a bachelorette party and we weren't invited?" Luisa questioned.
"How come we weren't invited?" Gloria asked.
"Probably because her dress is so 1911!" Penny whispered to Rebecca, who quietly giggled. They always mock any young woman who wore skirts down to their ankles instead of up to their knees.
"What was that?" Abuelita frowned, her voice sharp.
"Nothing!" the girls said.
"You said something about Bruno?" Tia Gloria inquired.
"Oh nada," Ernestina rolled her eyes. "Just that that ridiculous man was trying to stop me from marrying your brother. That man has bad mojo you know!"
"Oh, I am sure he was looking out for my brother," said Gloria, shrugging.
"After all, Bruno and Héctor had been best friends for a long time," Luisa added.
"Well, he was acting very inappropriate toward me," Ernestina said, her eyes darting anywhere but at Gloria and Luisa. "He was harassing me by saying that I was not being a good girl. I had to tell him that he must learn to be nice to me or don't come to the wedding!"
Gloria and Luisa had no idea what to say. They knew Bruno to be a bit brutally honest, but he was still a decent fellow. Why would he harass the bride?
"Ernestina," said Mamá Coco. "I would be so happy if you could wear my pearl necklace for your wedding." She held it up for the bride who was curious for she loved jewelry. "It has been worn for generations in my family. First by my mother, next by me, then by my daughter, Elena, then my Carmen, and later, Luisa. Now I want you to wear it."
"Of course, Mamá Coco," Ernestina said taking the necklace. She seemed to smile when she saw how old it looked despite its cleanliness. The bride put it on letting it rest against her neckline.
"Oh, you look so bonita!" Mamá Coco marveled.
"Gracias," the bride responded automatically.
When she was finished dressing, she announced, "If you don't mind, I need to go and powder my nose." She made her way to the door.
"Do you want us to help you?" Abuelita asked.
"No, no, no," the bride declined. "By all means, stay inside."
Her bridesmaids shared each other sneaky eyes, secretly.
As soon as the bride closed the door, she smirked and tiptoed toward the exit. Ernestina unclasped the pearl necklace and let it fall onto the floor.
"Get ready!" she whispered to the man in front of her.
"The wedding is going to start soon?" The man asked her. He was very muscular with a long beard and dressed in a black v-shirt that showed his chest.
"Yes, Musa," Ernestina whispered. "Once the guests finished piling in, they are going to start the ceremony. You come in and sit in the back. Once the priest asks, 'Is there anyone who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace,' that is when you stand up and shout, 'I object!' That is when you seize your moment!"
"And what will happen after I do?" Musa inquired.
"Then I will seize my moment by apologizing to the groom that I am in love with you and not him. I will shout your name, run into your arms, and kiss you!"
With that said, the bride captured the man's lips with her own. The secret couple let go for air.
"Now was threatening that poor best man yesterday or so that necessary?" Musa asked, his arms stop wrapped around her. "You were planning to dump Héctor anyway."
"Oye, my reputation is very important to me!" the bride hissed. "Having you stop the wedding, will make Héctor look bad and me look good. I want the public to sympathize with me, not Héctor."
"So if everything goes according to plan, they'll sympathize with you, instead of the groom?"
"Yes, and if the groom gets angry, I will stay calm, cool, and collected. That will show the audience that I was the 'poor innocent little flower' that ran straight into the arms of another man because of the groom's 'terrible temper.' Not to mention that his shrewish mother is a handful."
"Oh, you are a genius!"
"After that, we will drive up to Hollywood, and celebrate our victory at a bar. And then you will help me get a role with your film producer?"
"Um, of course!"
The secret couple resumed kissing and were hands all over.
Héctor was standing by the altar, making sure his hair was nearly combed. "Where's Bruno? I hope he gets here soon." He looked out for Bruno's family, the Madrigals to see if they would know where his best man (and friend) could be located. Although Andres had stepped up to be the best man, it didn't mean that the groom was no longer worried about Bruno. "Strange, I couldn't see his family," Héctor said to himself, as he scanned the pews.
"I don't see him or the Madrigals either," Natalia said. She was standing next to the bridesmaids. "And the bride hasn't come out of the powder room yet!" She frowned when she thought she heard the bridesmaids giggling at her last statement.
"They'll be here soon," Andres assured him. "I'm looking forward to this wedding!"
"Oh, I am not looking forward to this wedding," Berto grumbled to Franco. They were sitting in the pews, taking a break from their ritual rehearsals.
"Why do you say that mijo?"
"Have you seen the way Ernestina treats Héctor? She is always condescending towards him."
"Now Berto, Ernestina is just a very opinionated woman, you know."
"Yes, but she needs to respect him just like he respects her!" The eldest son responded. "Not to mention that this relationship was based on an unhealthy reason. He was her rebound!"
"I am not thrilled about my brother marrying Ernestina, either," Enrique added, joining the conversation. "Papá, can't you talk to him?"
"Tell him what?" Franco asked, a bit tired. "Your mother and I had talked to Héctor many times before," The old man sighed. "No matter how many times your mother warned him that something was odd about her, he kept insisting that she was kind. As long as he loves her and she makes him happy, I have no reason to doubt."
Almost all the Rivera women appeared out of their dressing room. Franco noticed that his wife had a worried expression on her face but couldn't understand why. Before he could ask, the guests started piling in, greeting and congratulating Elena and Franco.
Everybody sat in the pews. As soon as everybody knew, it was time to start the wedding.
Before Padre Jose could begin the ceremony, Abuelita quickly whispered to him that the bride was nowhere to be seen.
"Is something wrong?" Héctor asked his mother and the priest.
"It seems that the bride is no longer here," Padre José answered, gravely.
"She went to the bathroom after I gave her my necklace," Mama Coco announced, innocently.
Héctor waved off his disappointment quickly and tried to think of something positive.
"No problem," he smiled confidently. "Maybe I can check on her."
"Ah, ah, ah, ah!" Abuelita spoke sharply before her son could descend from the altar. "It is bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony!"
"I got nothing to worry about, Mamá," Héctor shook his head. "What could go wrong?" He walked away from the altar and still in love he began to sing, not hearing his mother calling him to stop.
"Shall I say
"Would it be a sin
"If I can't help falling in love with you!"
"Ay, Ay, Ay!" Abuelita groaned, watching her lovesick son leave.
"Uh oh!" Miguel piped up.
Meanwhile, the bride had shaken off her veil and was dancing.
"Like a river flows surely to the sea," Ernestina sang, loudly and carelessly. She looked at herself in her pocket mirror. She had been checking out her face, covered in makeup, for the thirtieth time.
"Darling so it goes
"Some things are meant to be!" Héctor sang, softly. The groom didn't see her in the bathroom when he peeked in there. But he did see his grandmother's necklace. What was it doing on the floor? The necklace was a family heirloom, tracing back to Mama Coco's great-grandmother. Knowing how important the necklace was, the groom picked it up and gently put it in his pocket. He began to check other rooms such as the school classroom, and the study room. There was no sign of her.
"Oh…some things are meant to be…," Ernestina repeated, as she and a man danced through a patch of weeds. They drifted further away into the graveyard.
"Take my hand," Hector continued to sing quietly while Ernestina repeated after him in the distance. ("Take my hand!")
"Take my whole life too!"
("Take my whole life too!")
"For I can't help falling in love with you!"
When the groom had checked all the rooms, he went to the exit door. Upon stepping out, he saw a wedding veil on the grass. He picked it up. He was getting closer to his true love! He wondered why she left it there.
He was still determined to find his woman and they would be married! With a song in his heart, he resumed the chorus.
"I can't help it!"
("I can't help it!")
"No, I can't help it!"
("I can't help it!")
For I can't help falling in love with you!"
("So crazy, so crazy in love!")
"Take my hand, take my whole life too
"For I can't help falling in love with you
"For I can't help falling in love with you...!"
"Oh, Ernestina!" A bearded man shouted, happily.
When Héctor came upon the main entrance of the cemetery, he spotted Ernestina, as expected.
What he didn't expect to see was another man happily kissing Ernestina. The moment he saw his bride kissing back the other man, he was confused.
'Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!' Héctor thought, his smile turned upside down.
Gray clouds rumbled above the groom. 'What was Ernestina doing? Why was she kissing another guy when she should be walking down the aisle? Did she never love me?' Raindrops began to splatter onto the ground. Blinking hot tears, Héctor flung his engagement ring angrily, on the pavement, and ran away.
At the sound of thunder. Ernestina opened her eyes. She caught a glimpse of her fiancé running away.
"Uh, was that Héctor?"
"Uh oh," Musa groaned. "I think he saw us."
"Oh, mierda," the former bride cursed. "There goes my reputation. So much for my plan!"
"Come on, let's hop into my T-Ford and we'll drive to Hollywood."
"Good idea."