Chapter 2: Santa Cecilia

As soon as the train squealed to a halt in Santa Cecilia station and the harried train attendant managed to pry open the door, Héctor leapt from the passenger car, belting out a soulful grito and twirled in a circle, swinging his cases and nearly taking out a few bewildered pedestrians in his wake.

"Buenos Dias, Santa Cecilia! Aaaay-ha-heeyyy!... Ah heh- perdon, señora." Héctor reigned in his excitement long enough to apologize to the poor old lady whose head was nearly knocked off by his guitar case. He also didn't notice the train attendant shake his head and sigh, glad to be rid of this annoying boy who talked his ear off for eight hours about his beloved familia.

The train station was very small, and by the time he passed the ticket booth Héctor was in the outer marketplace. Héctor face lit up as he saw all the familiar faces at their own stalls, and he took a deep breath in. Smells of leather, straw, oil, animals, and street food, all cooking under the hot sun and melding together into a wave of nostalgia, melting away the ache in his chest. I'm home. Finally!

"Héctor?"

Héctor turned to the direction of the voice and smiled as he recognized his neighbor. "Facundo! Qué onda?!" He set his cases down and embraced, then lifted, the shorter man.

"Oy oy oy, basta! You know I hate it when you do that!" Héctor put the man down, but still smiled. "I am surprised to see you, though. It's been what, eight months since you left?"

"Six actually," Héctor sighed, "but it might as well have been eight. I must have really been homesick if I've missed seeing that mug of yours."

"Oh, like you're one to talk." Facundo harrumphed. "Well, amigo, I haven't seen you or Ernesto's names splashed across the papers, so I'm guessing your little path to fame and glory didn't turn out quite like you had hoped?"

Héctor scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "Ah heh heh-… It's true, were not famous, per se, it's more like we're… well known! I haven't given up with my tail tucked between my legs, if that's what you're thinking. It's just been put on the back burner for a while so I can spend time with my precious girls."

"Ah si… you're… girls." Facundo awkwardly coughed and shifted his gaze away from Héctor. "Well, I was just getting some feed for my horses, but if you want I can give you a lift back home."

"Ah, Facundo, I have so much energy right now I could practically sprint home!" Héctor sighed, and then turned with a smirk. "But if you're offering…"

Sitting backwards of Facundo's horse drawn buggy on top hard bags of grain, Héctor waved at passersby and shouted greetings to all the neighbors, the viejos, and snot-nosed brats that he didn't ever think he would miss six months ago. Some waved happily, while others, which caused Héctor some concern, shouted back that they didn't think they would ever see him again. Never come back? How? His family lived here, why wouldn't he return?

Finally, the buggy pulled up to a courtyard with the large set of green doors that he had painted himself, and Héctor jumped off in excitement and joy. "Gracias, Facundo!"

"De nada, Héctor."

"Oye, why don't you stay for lunch? It's Friday, so I'm sure Imelda will be making sopa de pescado!"

"No gracias amigo, I don't want to be caught in the cross fires."

"Eh?"

Without another word, Facundo snapped his reins and made a quick escape from the Rivera complex. Héctor shrugged. More for him anyway. In his haste to come home he had ignored his stomach by bypassing all the stalls selling grilled meats and pan dulce, not to mention he hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, which was only half of a chorizo that had seen better days. Just the thought of Imelda's cooking made his stomach fold in on itself to remind him how empty it was.

As he walked up to the doors he heard a sweet sound, like tinkling little bells, and a large grin split his face. Ah, how he had missed that voice! Peering through the crack at the doors, his heart melted at what he saw: His sweet little Coco, sitting on the ground by the edge of the boarded up well, humming a little song to herself while making her doll dance and twirl to the tune. Even from a distance he could tell she had grown a bit since he had last seen her, and that the song she was humming was their song: Remember Me.

Héctor took his guitar out of his case and, slowly and quietly, eased the double doors open and slipped inside. Thankfully she was facing away from him. Then, very softly, he started to play the accompaniment. Coco stopped humming and looked up and around, probably thinking her mind was playing tricks on her, and that's when he finished the song with a loud flourish. Coco's head whipped over her shoulder in shock, and her eyes grew big as saucers and let out a gasp too big to have come from such a little body. Héctor put the guitar on the ground and held out his arms.

"Mija…"

"PAPÁ!"

Coco shot up from the ground and sprinted as fast as her chubby little legs would allow, letting out high pitched squeals and stumbling a little. Héctor met her halfway through and pulled her into his arms, spinning her around, laughing with tears in his eyes. Then he peppered her little face with wet kisses.

"I- *mwah*- missed- *mwah*- you- *mwah*- so much! Ay, my sweet little Coco!" He kissed the crown of her head, inhaling the scent of talcum powder, lilac soap and milk, and hugged her tight. "Pobrecita, I'm so sorry I was away for so long."

"It's been forever since your last letter, Papá! I was worried!" Coco said as she looked up with big doe eyes.

"Perdonome, mija. But I'm here now! And isn't your Papá in the flesh better than some old letter?"

"Sí!" she giggled, which turned into shrieking laughs as Héctor started blowing raspberries on her neck. They were so busy laughing and hugging, they didn't notice they were being watched, until-

"Yes, it has been a while since your last letter. A whole month, to be exact." An icy voice startled Héctor out of his revelry, and he saw his wife standing in the doorway, arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face. Oh, that face. So strong like steel, but still so soft and warm that it made his insides turn to jelly. And those sharp eyes sent a bolt of lightning straight to his very core.

"Imelda…" Héctor whispered. "Mi amor-"

"Would you be so kind as to hand me my daughter please?" Héctor could not deny her anything, yet he reluctantly handed Coco to Imelda, despite only just being reunited with her. Imelda looked at Coco and smiled in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Mija, why don't you go inside and set the table with your tios, make sure they don't break anything."

"Sí, Mamá!" Coco chirped, and skipped inside where Oscar and Felipe were waiting, looking at Héctor like they had seen a ghost. Héctor tipped his head and waved to them, which they meekly returned before slamming the door shut.

"Imelda, I cannot tell you how much I-"

*WHACK!*

An explosion of pain whitened out Héctor's vision before a sea of colorful stars cascaded down. He pinched his nose and barely managed to bite down several curses, knowing little ears were nearby. Having been so enamored with seeing his wife, he didn't notice Imelda stealthily slipping off her boot the second she had put Coco down. As his vision slowly came back, he was faced with his irate spouse, wagging the shoe in front of his face as if threatening to hit him again.

"For weeks I have waited for you without a word! Would it have killed you to at least write to let me know where you were?! I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere, or off with some tavern maid!" she screeched.

"I-Imelda, I would never- Ay, I think you broke my nose!"

"Oh please, if I was trying to break your nose, you would surely know it!" She huffed. "You could have at least written to Coco. For four nights I've had to console her, she's had such horrible nightmares of you never returning home!" Her hardened face cracked a little and Héctor could see the hurt behind the fire. "And the stares of the townspeople. And the talks I hear whispered as I walk past. I can take a lot of things, Héctor Rivera, but I will not stand being abandoned!"

Héctor sniffed and looked at his fingers. No blood. That was a good sign. "Never! I would never abandon you, mi diosa-"

"Don't call me your diosa!" she snarled. "You abandoned me and your daughter as soon as you walked out the door with that payaso to follow some stupid musical fantasy!"

"You're right."

"And now you come crawling back- wait what?"

"I said you're right." Héctor smiled sadly and rubbed his sore nose. "It was stupid. I thought that if I traveled the road I would be inspired to write new songs. I should have realized from the beginning that all my inspiration came from you. And Coco. My beautiful muses." Imelda's expression didn't change from the flattery, so maybe some humor would. "You know what kind of songs I managed to come up with? Let see, there was Ten Hangovers in a Row, then came the romantic ditty Why Are There Brown Stains on the Ceiling?, and of course, my favorite, The Ballad of the Snoring, Sleep-Talking Roomate!"

Nothing, not even a smile. Mierda.

"I had writer's block so bad, I couldn't even write to you these last few weeks. I must have started a dozen letters, but nothing I wrote could describe how miserable I was, how much I wanted to sleep in my own bed, braid my daughters hair, hold you in my arms as we danced to La Llorona for the hundredth time. How much I just wanted to come back home. And in the end, I just figured I would show up to surprise you both! I guess you were surprised, huh?"

Imelda looked away and sighed, and the toll of the last few weeks showed in her face and voice. "I'm… relieved more than anything." She turned back to glare. "But I'm also wary."

"About?"

"You want to come home now, but what about the future? What if you get antsy again and want to pursue your fame and glory with Ernesto again? How long would you be gone then? Would you come back-"

"Then!" Héctor interjected while holding up placating hands. "Then I would think back on this trip and decide it's just not worth it! And it's not." Imelda still stared hard. "Please, Imelda, what can I do to prove to you that I'm here to stay?"

Imelda folded her arms again and pondered, and then her eyes fell to something on the ground. "Your guitar."

Héctor looked over his shoulder to where he had left the instrument on the ground and back to Imelda. "Sí?"

"Smash it."

Héctor felt the blood drain from his face and his heart lurch. He looked back at the guitar frantically and then to his wife. He let out a weak chuckle. "Pero, mi amor." He paused and gulped down the lump in his throat. "You-you gave it to me for my birthday."

"Sí, I bought it, and now I want it gone. You said you wanted to prove to me that you're here to stay; this is the only way I can keep you from wandering off again. No-more-music!" She emphasized.

His eyes widened at that. No more music? A guitar was one thing, but to give up all music entirely? Would it be worth it? But, again, he thought about the last few months were he had nothing but music, and no loving family to come home to. That life was not ideal either. Maybe some time down the line things could change and she would lighten up, but right now was a crucial moment in their relationship, and he was determined to save it. He sighed and nodded. "Aye, only for you, mi amor."

Héctor slowly walked over, picked up his guitar, and walked over the center well. That would be the best place to cause the most damage. Holding the instrument like an axe, he tapped it against the edge of the stone border, then raised it high above his head, the gold tooth of the painted skull winking at him for the last time. "Adios, amigo." He said, and then brought it down.

"NO, STOP!"

Muscles tensed in reaction, halting the guitar descent into oblivion, and then gravity kicked in, sending Héctor flying backwards and hard onto his rump. The guitar slipped out of his grasp and hit the ground with a twang! but was otherwise unharmed. Héctor groaned and sat up, rubbing his sore behind as a flurry of purple skirts flashed passed him and knelt by the guitar. "Dios mio, it's not scratched is it?!" Imelda shouted as she looked over the guitar from every angle before sighing, relieved to know it survived unscathed.

"Imelda?" Héctor was confused. What was going on?

Imelda looked at Héctor with wide eyes. "You-… You were really going to do it. You were going to smash your guitar, for me?"

Héctor's eyes softened and he reached out and caressed her cheek, happy that she didn't flinch away. "I would anything for you, diosa."

Imelda face crumpled and she launched herself into Héctor's chest, wrapping her arms around him squeezing hard. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I would never make you make that choice. I might as well have asked you to cut off your arms!"

"I think I might draw the line there." Héctor chuckled.

"Oh Héctor, how I have missed you." Then she planted such a passionate kiss on Héctor's lips, which he happily reciprocated. All the worry, loneliness and stress melted away from them as they reclaimed their passion for each other. All was right with the world again.

They finally broke apart when Imelda accidentally ground down on the sore part of his face. "Ay! Why did you have to hit my nose?"

"It was the biggest target." Imelda deadpanned, and Héctor couldn't help but bark out a laugh and kiss her again. Imelda squeezed his sides again, and then pinched his belly, causing him to yelp again. "You've lost weight, idiota."

"Yeah, I suppose I have-"

"You can't afford to lose weight, flaco! I can feel your ribs underneath your suit!"

"Oye!" The two of them turned to see Felipe leaning casually in the window sill, smirking. "If you two lovebirds are done screeching at each other, the sopa de pescado is about to boil over!"

"Then take it off the fire, you lazy bum!" Imelda rose to her feet and patted the dust off her dress. "And you!" she glared at her husband. "You are going to eat no less than three bowls as well some bread and fruit. You did not come home just so you can keel over and die from malnutrition!"

Héctor laughed. "Ah Imelda, you are an inspiration! I'm not home five minutes and I've already come up with some new lyrics to an old classic!" He picked up his guitar, grateful to still have his old friend, and plucked out a familiar tune.

Imelda recognized it immediately. "Oh no…"

You say "Smash your guitar!"

Ay mi amor, ay mi amor!

But then you change your mind

Ay mi amor, Ay mi amor!

"Callate!" Imelda screeched as she ran into the house, laughing like she hadn't done in a long time.

You nearly broke my nose

Ay mi amor, Ay mi amor!

It doesn't need to get any bigger

Ay mi amor, ay mi ammooorrrr…..