Chapter 11: Let's Go to the Movies!
"Moving pictures?" Héctor asked as he set the table for supper with Ernesto trailing excitedly next to him. Ernesto had made a surprise visit just an hour earlier bringing with him various toys and other gifts to the delight of the children before telling Héctor that he had some important business to talk to him about. Normally Ernesto dealt with all of the more complicated business transactions of their partnership, with Héctor just reaping the benefits and living a simpler life, but Ernesto insisted he needed play his part in this venture. "There's not many of those in Mexico. That's more of an American thing, isn't it?"
"We saw an American movie last year, Tio Nesto! With Clara Bow! It was so romantic." Coco swooned as she clasped her hands in front of her chest and gazed off dreamily.
"It was boring!" Leti said as she laid silverware down. "Matty and I saw Metropolis and it was so cool! It had robots and explosions and a lot of people died in it!"
"And the sets were amazing!" Matty chimed in, not willing to admit that the film had given him nightmares for a week.
"There's also one thing in common with those movies." Imelda said carrying in two plates stacked high with tamales. "They have no sound. You're a singer, Ernesto. Sound is an important aspect of singing."
"Ah, but that is where progress marches on, Imelda!" Ernesto said proudly. "Ever hear of The Jazz Singer? It's called a talkie! The first movie to have sound in it, it is a technological breakthrough! And that technology has finally made its way here to Mexico. Héctor, we should really grab a piece of this for ourselves." Ernesto held Héctor close and waved his hand through the air. "Just imagine your name, in big bold letters, on that large silver screen. Under my much larger name of course."
"It does sound good…" Héctor smiled. "But how much would I have to do?" Despite the eight years he had spent uninterrupted in Santa Cecilia, he was still not willing to leave his family for long periods of time.
"You won't have to do any more than what you have already done! Just write me some more zingers while you're here at home, I'll sing them on screen, and all of Mexico will eat it up as always. And just think, if American movies can make their way here, what's to say our movies can't go to America? Or Europe? Asia! Héctor, with this new form of entertainment we can literally play for the world!" Ernesto finished and smiled as he saw the stars shine in Héctor's eyes.
"Alright amigo, you sold me. Let's do it!" He shook Ernesto's hand as his children cheered and Imelda smiled. "I bet Fredo would be more than happy to go into the movie business with us as well."
"Aaah, there's the rub, my friend." Ernesto sighed. "I believe it is time for us to part ways with Barrera Records."
"Huh?" Héctor was confused. So far Fredo had been really good and generous with them. "But why?"
"Héctor, I think it is time for us to make our own company, don't you agree? See, I have recently come across some… findings about our employer that I wish to discuss with you in private, but they have convinced me that this the time for us to seize our moment! Unfortunately that means you would have to come to Mexico City with me to sign the release forms." Ernesto turned to Imelda. "We would have to leave in the morning Imelda, but I promise you I will have your husband home, safe and sound, by three days' time, only this time as the head of his own company!"
Imelda pondered for a bit, before sighing and nodded. "Alright, I guess I can relinquish Héctor for three days."
"Can we come to Mexico City too, Papá?" Leti asked. "I've never been on a train before."
"Sorry, niña." Ernesto said warmly as he patted her head. "This is a business trip only, very boring for children. But I can promise you this: When my movie debuts, you are all invited to the premier, wearing only the finest of clothes, and I'll take you all over the city for sight-seeing!" The children tensed up with glee and chattered excitedly between themselves.
"Alright, enough talk about business at the dinner table." Imelda said. "Let's eat!"
As they ate Héctor leaned over to Ernesto and whispered, "Hey Ernesto, what did you mean about findings with Fredo?"
Ernesto swallowed a mouthful of tamale and turned serious. "Like I said, it's sensitive, amigo. I'll tell you about it when we're on the train." Then he gave a charming grin. "And you heard Imelda, no business talk at the table!"
Fredo Barrera glared from the other side of his polished mahogany desk at his two star clients, and then reread the release forms that he had just been presented with. An oily smile formed across his face and he chuckled. Clearly these men had no idea who they were dealing with! Like he was really going to release his two biggest money-makers, just so they could become his competition. And what really infuriated him is that they were asking for the rights back to their songs. No, scratch that, his songs! Over my dead body, he thought.
"Ernesto, my boy, I am really disappointed in you." Fredo said in a fatherly tone. "After all we've been through together, all the years, and you want to leave me and take the songs that have made me a fortune. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry!" Then he dropped the affection and growled, "No, I think I'll just laugh, because this is the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened in all my thirty-two years as a producer. So why don't I just rip this up, pretend this never happened, and we can all continue on as a family?"
Ernesto chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Fredo. See, Héctor and I want to get into the moving picture business, and we want to use our songs in them."
Fredo's eyes bulged in shock, then he let out a relieved laugh. "Ernesto! That's what this is all about?! My boy, if you want to become a movie star, you can! Sing your heart out for the entire world to see and hear! You would have the full support of Barrera Records-"
"That's the problem amigo." Ernesto gave a feral smirk. "We don't want you or Barrera Records to have anything to do with us ever again."
Fredo pounded a fist on his desk and roared, "You listen here, pinche cabrón! You were a nobody when I found you, singing in dive bars to pay for your hospital bills! I made you who you are, you and that esqueleto there! You think you have what it takes to compete with me?! I swear, if you leave, I will make sure no one in Mexico ever hires you for even un quince años!"
Héctor couldn't keep his silence anymore. "And if you don't let us go then we will destroy you!" he shouted in seething rage with his fists clenched tightly to his sides. Ernesto's hand on his shoulder and his quiet shushing didn't calm him in the slightest, but it did keep him from advancing on the little man.
Fredo backed away in his chair a little, surprised at the normally reserved songwriter's ire, before laughing. "Destroy me? And pray tell how would you two do that?"
Making sure that Héctor wouldn't pounce on Fredo, Ernesto released his hold on the younger man, straightened his tie and picked up his briefcase. Reaching inside he pulled out a headshot of a young girl, with curly black hair tied up in a bow, smiling with a missing tooth, and placed it on Fredo's desk. "This is little Bianca. She's nine years old and resides from Guadalajara. She's part of your Rising Stars program, is she not?"
Fredo glanced at the picture. "Si, she is." He replied, not getting what this had to do with anything.
"Bueno." Ernesto nodded, before pulling out another headshot. "And this one is Ana Maria from Pachuca. Such an angelita, and seven years old." He placed it on the desk and continued. "Josefina from Veracruz. Now this one confused me, because how much talent could a five year old child possibly have to be hired to a talent agency?" This picture was added to the others and he leafed through the other pictures. "Then there's Delfina, Mara, Isadora... Do these names ring a bell?"
As each name and picture was presented to him, it started to click what Ernesto was getting at, and Fredo grew more and more pale and sweat started to bead on his forehead. But he kept his nonchalant glare and growled out, "Just what are you implying, Ernesto?"
"Oh, I'm not implying anything." Ernesto growled back and slapped the pictures onto the desk. "See it all started two weeks ago, when I was coming to your office for a friendly chat, when I saw little Ana Maria with her parents leaving after a meeting. While you and her parents talked, I noticed something… off about the little girl. I have to admit I am great with children, one of the many talents that I possess. So it wasn't that hard to bring her to my side and coax out the truth of what you had been doing to her and the others."
Now Fredo was beginning to look nervous. He smiled weakly and held up his hands. "Gentlemen, please-"
"Children, Fredo! You have been violating these babies!" Héctor hissed out. "How could you?! You disgusting rat!" Héctor's skin crawled and he felt nauseous at the thought of any of his precious children being anywhere near this man. Thank Dios they never had the displeasure of meeting him!
"I paid for them! I'll do what I wish with them!" Fredo roared. He would not tolerate this affront on his character!
"Is that a confession then?" Ernesto asked smugly.
"Even if it is, there's nothing you can do about it! It's my word against yours! I'm a very influential man, chicos. You two are just some two-bit musicos that I could easily replace if I wanted." Fredo leaned back in his chair confidently.
"That's the thing though; you don't want to replace us. We are just that good." Ernesto said. "So let's say you don't sign these release forms. We will spread the word. You'll do some damage control, no one will believe us, and everything will be fine... But, there will always be that thought in the back of their heads. 'Did he really molest those babies?' And that thought will grow and fester until someone will decide to investigate further, you will be exposed for the slime that you are, and you're precious little empire will come crumbling down like a polvorón. Ooorrr…." He drawled out as he slid the release forms over to Fredo. "You can sign these papers, we keep our mouths shut, and we can all go on our merry way!"
Héctor was horrified. "Ernesto! We can't-"
"You won't say a word to anyone?" Fredo asked.
Ernesto mimed zipping up his mouth. "Our lips are sealed!"
"Fine!" Fredo barked, picked up a pen and messily signed the release forms. "Take your papers, start your estupido company and never show your faces to me again!"
And with that he flung the papers at Ernesto, who calmly picked them up off the floor and rearranged them. "Muchas gracias, senor!" Ernesto smiled jovially.
"Ernesto, are you loco?! We can't just let this man abuse more children. We have to stop him!" Héctor cried out.
Ernesto's smile faded and he sighed sadly. "I know that Héctor, but as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. We can't prove anything." He sneered at Fredo's smug grin and turned back at Héctor with sad eyes. "I mean, what can we do? We would have to, I don't know… Round up all those little girls, take them for a tour of my mansion, give them toys, galletas, chocolates and all sorts of treats. Then we would have to convince them that they should tell their parents about what this pederast did to them. Then with the parents on board we would go to the police so that the girls can officially form a case against him, complete with vivid details about Fredo's body markings so that the police can verify it later during the interrogation. Then we would have to have the police be waiting outside the door to witness a confession from this cabrón before they bust in with a secret code word of my choosing to formally arrest him!" Ernesto gasped for air after he finished his spiel.
You could hear a pin drop, it was so silent in that room. Héctor blinked in confusion. "That's… weirdly specific…"
Ernesto grinned widely. "It's also what I did. CHIHUAHUA!" The doors busted open and several officers in uniform came in with their guns drawn and pointed at Fredo before two of them slammed Fredo face down on the desk and cuffed his hands behind him. Ernesto jumped up and down with glee and pulled a bewildered Héctor towards him. "Look Héctor look, the fireworks have begun!"
Fredo screamed, kicked and yelled out every curse word he could think of as the two officers hoisted him up and off the ground and carried him out the door. Ernesto sweetly waved goodbye to his former manager and turned back to Héctor, who stared at him in awe.
"Guh- I d-… Wha?... How did?-… You?" Héctor stammered, feeling that his brain was melting out of his skull.
"This is a nice desk, eh hermanito?" Ernesto said as he walked behind it and sat down in the plush chair. "Ahhh… And this is a nice office. A bit small for my tastes, but a good starting point for Rivera de la Cruz Productions."
"Ernesto!" Héctor finally choked out and grinned widely. "I can't believe it!"
Ernesto rolled his eyes. "Don't get so sentimental. It's only because my name begins with a lower case letter, and de la Cruz Rivera would look stupid in print."
"Not that, pendejo!" Héctor laughed and went around the desk to hug his friend. "I mean about what just happened! You saved those children Ernesto, and many others! And you got us out of our contract! That was the most amazing, heroic, and sleaziest thing you have ever done!"
Ernesto leaned back in the chair and smiled proudly. "That's Ernesto de la Cruz in a nutshell. Now come with me amigo, and let's make some movie magic!"