Chapter 9: Melan-colic

Ernesto walked through the large green double doors into the Rivera complex, carrying a brand new record bearing his name in big cursive letters and Héctor's in a smaller print. He couldn't help but look at it again with glowing pride: Finally! Their dream had come true! Fredo had already told him that multiple stores had already sold out of the records and several reprints had already been ordered. And the reviews in the papers had been phenomenal. He was officially a record breaking, chart-topping singer and Héctor was now a critically acclaimed songwriter! It had all finally happened, and he didn't even have to-

Oh.

Once again the horror of what he had almost done to his best friend, his little brother, came crashing down on him and he had to hold back the bile that had risen in his throat. He tucked the record back underneath his arm and sighed heavily. For almost a year now the crushing guilt had been a burden on his soul and, at one point, had nearly destroyed him. But he had managed to bounce back, in some form, and had gone on with his life. It had helped a little being around Héctor and seeing him healthy and happy with his family, but he kept his distance from them most of the time. He felt unworthy to be even near that glow of contentment.

There was another reason to come to Santa Cecilia other than giving Héctor their record. It had been two weeks since the birth of the twins and, just like he had done with Coco, Héctor had asked him to come to their baptism and become their godfather. He was even kind enough to wait until Ernesto's schedule could clear up so they could do it many days later than what was normal. But Ernesto was instead going to personally decline it this time, his feelings of inadequacies and guilt getting the better of him. Surely Oscar and Felipe would make much better godfathers than him.

"Hola, Ernesto." A voice called out from the workshop.

Ah, speaking of. "Hola… Oscar?..." he hazarded a guess. At the other man's nod, he laughed. "Bueno! Such a lovely afternoon, isn't it? And how are things in the Rivera household with your new additions?"

Oscar's eyes darted nervously away and he clutched and twisted a half-made shoe in his hands. "Ah heh heh… Well you know… It's an adjustment, that's for sure… but, it-… we…"

"It's been absolute hell and I want to throw myself headfirst into our well and drown myself." Felipe finished, popping his head out from the door.

"Oh…" Ernesto winced. "That's a little extreme, don't you think muchacho? I mean it can't be that much different from when Coco-"

"There's two of them!" Felipe cried.

"And they haven't stopped crying since day one!" Oscar wailed.

"Imelda and Héctor have been taking care of the babies-"

"While we run the shop and watch Coco!"

"Orders are backed up!"

"We've barely slept!"

"IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE!" both men finished as Ernesto backed away from them. Looking at them closely they did look extremely tired, with dark circles under their eyes and rumpled clothing. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea.

"W-well, I'm sorry to hear that… But I have something that will cheer you all up!" Ernesto smiled as he pulled out the record. "Our first recording! I'm sure that my soothing, dulcet voice will calm your frazzled nerves and breathe new life into all of you! I must get this to Héctor, where is he?" Oscar and Felipe paled, glanced at each other and pointed to the other side of the courtyard to one of the bedrooms. "Gracias, chicos!"

Felipe reached out a hand to halt him. "Uh, before you go in there, we must warn you: Don't go in there."

That stopped Ernesto. "Por que?"

Oscar chuckled nervously. "Well, you see. Héctor's taken it in on himself to be, in his words, the ultimate Papá. See, he takes care of the babies so Imelda can sleep-"

"And even when she is awake Héctor still helps with the babies!"

"He hasn't slept in days!"

"He's gone loco!"

"Don't go in there!"

Ernesto glanced at the bedroom where his old friend was in trepidation, but he quickly shook it off and smiled. "Do not worry mis amigos. If there is one of the many things I pride myself on, it's getting Héctor to see reason. I'll get him to sleep, rest assured!" And with that he walked up to the door and gave a knock. Now that he was closer to the room he could faintly hear the sound of a baby crying loudly. He turned back to flash a smile at the twins, only to find that they had scurried back into the workshop and slammed the doors. Cowards.

"Who is it?" a voice croaked out.

"Héctor, my friend! It's me, Ernesto! I've got a surprise for you." The door slowly creaked open and Ernesto held out the record. "I thought you might like to hear the fruits of our labor finally- MADRE DE DIOS!"

Héctor looked terrible. No, he looked horrifyingly bad. His hair was saturated with grease, was sticking up at all ends and had something white and crusty matted in some strands. His clothes where wrinkled to impossible levels and were stained with sweat and what Ernesto could only guess as excrement. And his face was haunting. Skin had broken out and turned waxy, stubble clashed with his ghostly pale pallor, and his eye bags were so dark it looked like he had been punched in both eyes. The whites of said eyes were pink and bloodshot, and they darted around as if looking for an unseen foe. And in the crook of one arm he held a screaming, beet red baby.

"Who followed you?!" Héctor growled as he glanced behind Ernesto.

"What? No one followed me. Héctor-"

"Get in!" Héctor pulled Ernesto into the bedroom, who recoiled at the smells wafting through the air as he stumbled to regain his footing. Héctor slammed the door shut and resumed rocking his screaming child. "They're everywhere, you know. They want my songs. They want my children. They're just being greedy. They can either have one or the other, not both!"

"Who? Héctor what are you talking about?" Ernesto asked, a little scared now.

Héctor suddenly went cross-eyed and his head tilted to the side. There was a second's pause before the baby let out another shriek, causing Héctor to jolt back upright and start rocking again. "Cálmese, Matty. Cálmese…" he cooed, before realizing he had another guest. "Ernesto, when did you get in here?"

"You just pulled me in, Héctor. I'm here for the babies' baptism, remember?" Ernesto gestured to the crying baby and smiled. "Who's this little guy?"

"Ah, si." Héctor smiled dazedly before looking down at the screaming child. "This is my son Satán- MATEO! Sorry, this is Mateo. Matty, this is your Tio Nesto, and also your soon-to-be godfather."

Ernesto sighed sadly and ducked his head. "Ah, about that Héctor... I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I'm sorry to say that I can't be the godfather to the twins. It's an honor, truly, but I just don't think that I'm the right person for the job. Your cuñados are much more suited than I could ever be. I hope you understand, Héctor… Héctor?" He looked up and again saw that blank, cross-eyed expression and tilted head. "Can you hear me, Héctor?... Héctor!" He slapped his hands together and Héctor jolted to life again.

"Cálmese, cálmese…" Héctor rocked the baby again, and looked up. "Ernesto, when did you get in here?"

Ernesto sighed and decided to try a different route. "I came to bring you our new record, amigo. I know it's a bit late but I thought I would just bring it when I came for-"

"Ooh, Ooh!" Héctor jumped a little and went to the other side of the room. "Speaking of records, mira mira! I've written twenty new songs, Ernesto!" He thrusted a stack of wrinkled pages into Ernesto's chest. "Twenty songs for Balero Records!"

"Barrera." Ernesto corrected. "And twenty songs? Dios mio Héctor, you didn't have to write any so soon after our first release. There is such a thing as overexposure." Still his curiosity was piqued and he leafed through the potential new material.

"Ah, my friend, when inspiration hits you then you must use it! Seize your moment, right?" Héctor giggled, not noticing Ernesto's wince at his words. "I haven't slept in ten days Ernesto, and I have never felt more inspired! It was hard at first, but once you punch your way through that hard, painful wall then you can reach the same state of bliss as I have! I see the words floating through the air and I just… pluck them out and lay them gently on the page. Like little flower petals in the wind. So soft. So enchanting." Héctor giggled again as he rocked his crying son. "Yes, yes. Sing some more, Mateo! Sing for your Papá!"

"Héctor, um… these songs don't make any sense." Ernesto said as he held up the mad scribblings.

"Hmmph," Héctor stuck his nose in the air. "You just don't understand modern music! This is what the people want nowadays. This is the future of music!"

"No, I'm serious amigo. No one will like these!" Ernesto flipped through the pages. "The melodies are all jumbled, most of the songs are about shoes and colic, and this-", he held up a few pages in disgust. "This is just a five page essay about Santa Anna."

"I researched very hard on that one, Profesor Calderón." Héctor said proudly and cross-eyed again. Another cry from the baby caused him to jerk again and he looked at his friend. "Ernesto, when did you get in here?"

Ernesto growled and flung the papers away. "This is ridiculous Héctor! You can't go on like this! You need to sleep!"

"I can't sleep!" Héctor yelled, backing away. "Imelda needs me! My children need me! They both have colic, you see, so they're both crying all the time. But when Mateo is sleeping, Leticia is crying. When Leticia is sleeping, Mateo is crying. They have never been asleep at the same time. I've tried everything! Singing to them, rocking them, rubbing oil on them, making herbal pastes, giving them massages. I'm at a complete loss Ernesto! I'm their Papá; I should be able to take care of my own children!"

Héctor's outburst caused Mateo to start screaming again, and whatever energy Héctor had gained from his tirade immediately left him. "This baby won't stop crying Ernesto…" And then, to Ernesto's horror, his face crumpled up. "I can't stop crying either…" Héctor broke down in exhausted tears, and he started to sag as he wept.

"For Heaven's sake, give him to me before you drop him Héctor!" Ernesto reached out and took the baby from Héctor's weak grasp and looked the child in the eyes. "And you, it's time to end this madness and go to sleep, Mateo! You are killing your Papá! Be a man and suck it up!"

To the shock of the two men in the room, Mateo did just that. His crying shifted to a small whimper, a sniff, and then a sigh, as he looked up with watery eyes to this man with a large face. Then his eyes drooped and the baby eased into an exhausted slumber. Ernesto was astounded. What just happened?

"He-heh heh… He stopped crying…" Héctor smiled wildly. "Ernesto you did it! He stopped- AAaaooohh…" Héctor violently tilted forward and it was only Ernesto's quick grasping at his shirt that prevented him from falling and hitting his head. Héctor leaned heavily in Ernesto's hold. "Ernesto… I don't feel so good…"

"Just sit down before you fall down, idiota!" Ernesto growled. "I can't hold you and a baby."

"I thought I was sitting down?..." Héctor whimpered as he let Ernesto lead him to bed. As he sat down, the fumes Héctor had been running on coughed out their last pathetic puff, and after the sound of a dying engine broke out from Héctor's throat he collapsed onto the mattress and snores immediately erupted from him. Ernesto shook his head at his friend and awkwardly rocked the boy sleeping in his arms. Who was the baby in this room supposed to be, anyway?

The door creaked open and Ernesto saw Imelda walk through carrying the other baby. She looked bad and exhausted too, but not to terrifying levels like Héctor was. "Oh, gracias a Dios! He's finally sleeping! Both of them!" She walked over and placed a hand on Mateo's chest.

Ernesto smiled. "Imelda, I am very sorry to say this, but you have a very stupid husband."

Imelda sighed. "Don't remind me. That idiota has been killing himself for over a week just so I can get an hour or two of sleep!"

"What about Oscar and Felipe?" Ernesto asked. "Haven't they helped with the babies?"

Imelda snorted out a laugh. "The fact that I trust my children with this sleep-starved, crazed buffoon over my brothers speaks enough about their parenting skills with a newborn. Not since that incident with Coco and the masa…" Suddenly the little girl in her arms started to jerk around and a little whine broke out. "No Leti! No no no no no!" But her mother's pleading was in vain and Leticia started to wail.

"DIAPERS!" Héctor bolted out of the bed as soon as Leticia started to cry and crashed down to the ground, his limbs splaying everywhere. "I'll get diapers! And I'll get warm bath water! Don't worry mija! Papá's got you!"

"No Héctor! Por favor!" Imelda pleaded, rocking her daughter and looking like she was going to start crying too. "Please, go back to sleep!"

"Imelda, let me try something!" Ernesto said as he took the little girl with his free arm and held her close along with her brother. "Leticia!" he said in the same stern voice as before. "You have cried enough for today. All your needs have been met; there is no need to complain anymore! Silencio!" And just as before the baby's crying came to a halt as she looked up at Ernesto with wonder in her eyes. Ernesto grinned proudly at Imelda, who stared at him in shock.

"Santa Anna?..." Héctor mumbled with his face pressed to the ground, before going limp again and falling into a snore filled slumber.

"Gracias, Ernesto." Imelda whispered as she grasped his arm. "Gracias!"

"De nada, Imelda." Ernesto said. "I guess I have a way with children." He smiled down at the two babies in his arms. "Listen, why don't you get some sleep too? I can watch these two for a few hours while you and Héctor rest, what do you say?... Imelda?" He didn't notice while he was looking at the babies that Imelda had stumbled past him towards the bed before collapsing face first down on it, her snores in perfect synch with her husband's. "Alright then, I'll just leave you two alone." And with that he walked out and closed the door on the two slumbering parents.

He settled down at the kitchen table and stared at the two babies. Leticia looked just like Coco had when she was born, except not as round in the face and she had inherited her Papá's big ears. Mateo, on the other hand, was the spitting image of Héctor, right down to the slight, downward slope of his little nose. His facial features were softer that Héctor's were however, and he had his mother's sharp eyes. These were two beautiful babies alright. And to think they wouldn't even be here if he had-…

Mierda.

Ernesto let out a broken sigh and stared at the two babies full of guilt. "I'm so sorry, niños." He choked out. "I'm so sorry and ashamed of what I almost did to your Papá. You see, I almost k-… killed him for his songs. I don't know what came over me, if it was rage, or greed, or both… But your Papá is the best man I have ever known and I promise you that I will never hurt him, or his family, ever again for the rest of my life!"

Mateo continued to sleep in his grasp while Leticia just lazily blinked at him. Ernesto laughed a little. "I thought if I confessed to someone, it might make me feel better… But it didn't… Not that it's your fault, niños! It's entirely mine!" He stared at the two a little more and smiled. "I guess you both like me though, right? Maybe I'm not so bad after all…" Ernesto shook his head and laughed. "I know what! How about I sing you a song? Any requests?"

Leticia stuck out her little tongue, causing spit bubbles to pop out, and started to suckle gently on it. "Cielito Lindo, eh?" Ernesto smiled. "An old song, but a classic! You have good taste Leti." And as he softly sang the song and rocked the babies, he finally found himself in that glow of contentment he had thought himself unworthy of before.

"G-going so soon?" Héctor asked worriedly as he held his children in his arms.

It had only been a few hours after the baptism, but Ernesto had already packed up his suitcases and was heading out the door. He turned back around to look at Héctor. He still looked a bit peaky, but still in far better standing than he had been two days earlier.

"Si, I must return to Mexico City." Ernesto said. "Fredo wants me to do some publicity stuff for the new record. It is selling like crazy all over the city! You should be proud, amigo."

"Si, whatever. When will you be coming back?" Héctor asked desperately. "The next day? Tomorrow? Tomorrow would be fantastico! These kids just love their new godfather, after all!"

Ernesto rolled his eyes. "I can't come back tomorrow Héctor, or the next day. In fact it'll probably be months before-"

"Months?!" Héctor cried as he tried to grab onto Ernesto's sleeve while still holding onto the baby. "No no no, you can't be gone that long, Ernesto! I need your help with the babies! Please!"

Ernesto placed his suitcase down and placed his hand on Héctor's shoulder. "Héctor, these are your children. You've done it before, you can do it again."

"But Ernesto, they only sleep when they're around you! When they hear your voice! What am I supposed to do?!" Héctor moaned.

Ernesto paused a little to think, before snapping his fingers and smiling. He unlatched his suitcase, reached in, and grabbed the first record he and Héctor had ever made. Then he placed it in Héctor's hand before giving him a hearty slap on the shoulder. "There you go, all set! I autographed it and everything." He closed his suitcase again and winked at Héctor. "Adios, chamaco!"

And so he left his sputtering, desperate friend standing in the doorway, and as he got further away he couldn't help but smile when he heard two babies start to scream and cry at the top of their lungs.