Chapter 24: Wedded Bliss
"Mamá, I'm… I'm scared."
Imelda and Rosita looked up from the embroidery they were working on to Coco, who was standing on a table getting fitted for her dress. It was a lovely snow white dress with red flowers and green leaves all across the bottom, and long lace sleeves currently being worked on by the town seamstress, Ceci. At first Coco had been thrilled when it was time to make her dress, but now that the big day was tomorrow her fears and doubts were beginning to make themselves known. Several times already Ceci had told Coco to stop shaking like a leaf, but it looked like the poor girl had finally reached her breaking point.
"Whatever for, mija?" Imelda asked as she worked on a large flower on the skirt. "This is the day you've been waiting for years to happen. You were excited just a few hours ago! If you're worried about the ceremony tomorrow, don't be. All the townswomen are cooking up a storm right now, your Papá has got an excellent band to play at the reception, and Padre Antonio can do wedding ceremonies in his sleep."
"It's not about the wedding, Mamá." Coco said shyly, her face starting to turn red. "It's about… after. You know… with Julio."
"Aah…" Imelda smiled in understanding.
It took Rosita a few seconds to get what Coco was saying, but when she did she gasped and dropped her needle in shock. Ceci merely raised an eyebrow and looked at Imelda. "Should we leave the room for this?"
Imelda shook her head. "No there's no need. Coco, as your wedding sponsor it is my job to guide and advise you in all matters of wedded life, including your first time with a man. Rosita you may stay as well, you should know this too for when you get married." Rosita looked mortified at this, but she nodded her head. "And Ceci, what I'm about to say wouldn't phase you in the slightest." Ceci smirked and went back to her sewing.
"Coco, tell me, what do you know about intercourse with a man?" Imelda asked.
Coco blushed even harder and mumbled out, "Well… I've heard that it hurts a lot. And that I'd have to just let it happen if I ever want to have children. That's what a few of my friends have said."
"Sí, but they didn't marry Julio." Imelda held Coco's hand and looked her in the eyes. "Julio is not some gruff caveman who will take you any time he wants. I can tell that you are going to marry a fine young man, because I can see a lot of your father in him. Both are sweet and gentle people who listen to the ones they love."
"I hate asking this but… what was your first time like with Papá?" Coco asked.
"Terrifying, for both of us." Imelda clarified when Coco's eyes widened. "We were both so in love but we didn't know what we were doing, or even how to start. So here's your lesson on lovemaking, Coco: Take things slow. Learn what each other likes and dislikes, be gentle with each other, experiment. Trust me, Julio will be just as nervous as you are. And yes, mija, it did hurt at first. It always does, but that pain is fleeting and soon it will start to feel good, I promise."
Coco released a shaky breath and nodded in gratitude. "Okay, nice and slow. Got it. Gracias, Mamá."
Imelda patted Coco's cheek. "Just remember your first time could lead to a baby in your near future, so be prepared. That's how we got you after all."
Coco smiled. "Aww, I was a wedding night baby?"
"No mija, you were the reason we had to get married."
"What?! OW!" Coco jerked her arm away when she was stabbed with a needle. "Ceci!"
"I told you to stop moving." Ceci said. "Now enough talking, ladies. We have to get this dress done by the end of tonight. Julio is going to be floored when he sees you walking down the aisle, and all of the townsfolk will see the masterpiece of Cecilia from Santa Cecilia!"
Héctor sat on the other side of the room playing absentmindedly on his guitar as he stared as Julio and Facundo getting dressed for the wedding. Julio was wearing a traditional wedding shirt with embroidered green and red beads and crisp black slacks. The poor boy was sweating up a storm and his father was patting his forehead with a towel to mop it up so it wouldn't stain his clothing.
Julio had his eyes closed as he practiced his lines. "I g-give these thirteen coins… to you, my wife Socorro. N-no, that's not right. I give these thirteen coins to you, my wife… Coco? Papá, should I say Socorro or Coco?"
"Just say what comes naturally to you mijo, you'll be fine. And stop sweating, for crying out loud! This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life!" Facundo stood Julio out in front of him and he gave a watery smile. "Look at you, mi niño pequeño. You look so handsome Julio! I just wish your Mamá was here to see this."
"Papá?" Julio said. "Coco and I decided that if our first child is a girl then… then we would name her after Mamá."
Héctor immediately stopped playing at the word child and glanced up at Julio. This boy was about to marry his daughter, he was fine with that. But after? Ay Dios mio! He hadn't even thought about that! This man was going to have intercourse with his baby Coco! The thought made him violently gag and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Thankfully the other two men in the room didn't seem to notice.
"Ay, chico precioso!" Facundo cried and grabbed his son into a crushing hug. Julio broke free to smooth out his shirt as Facundo cried to the heavens. "Did you hear that, Vicky?! Your name will live on through our future granddaughter! Oh, I've got to tell Rosita, she'll be so thrilled!" And with that he raced out of the room and left Julio alone with his future father-in-law.
The fact made itself known instantly when Julio nervously looked over at Héctor, who for his part just smiled sweetly back at the boy. Then he started to play again on his guitar, a soft lilting melody that wove through the air and soothed Julio's beating heart. Slowly he began to relax and just listened to the music, bobbing his head and closing his eyes. He always did enjoy Héctor's music, heck all of Mexico did. But it was an honor to get to hear his unpolished works that could be potential hits in the future.
"Do you like this song, mijo?" Héctor asked as he continued to play. "You don't mind if I call you mijo, do you?"
Julio's eyes opened and he grinned. "No, please do if you wish. And yes, I always like your songs… Papá Héctor."
"Ah, Papá Héctor. I like that!" Héctor continued to flutter his fingers over the strings to bring forth more beautiful notes. "You know why this song is pleasing to the ears, why all good songs are?" At Julio's head shake he continued, "It's because it's played gently and lovingly. When you softly brush the strings just right, and provide the right amount of pressure on the frets like so, you can make beautiful music mijo."
"See, I like to think of women as I do guitars. Just like guitars you can bring forth beautiful music from them as well. A happy guitar is a happy woman. But only when you are soft and gentle with them like this." He finished the little song with a gentle flourish and Julio nodded in agreement. "Now tell me Julio, which do you prefer: That song… or this one?"
TWANG!
CLANG!
BANG!
SNAP!
Héctor violently strummed the strings with such force that Julio jumped back against the wall, terrified and clutching at his ears. On the fourth assault on the poor strings three of them snapped in two and hung lifeless in shredded curls. As the horrible clash of butchered notes ended and the echoes of the nightmarish songs faded away Julio slowly dropped his hands down and stared at Héctor with a newfound fear and respect.
Héctor glanced at the three loose strings and shrugged. "Eh, I needed to restring it anyway. But I ask you again chamaco: Which song do you prefer?"
"Th-the first one! The first one!" Julio squeaked out.
"Excellente! You have good taste in music!" Héctor placed the guitar down and headed towards Julio. "Just remember what I said, treat your woman like a guitar if you want her to be happy. Show her love. Treasure her. Just don't ever let me see Coco with her strings broken, okay mijo?"
"Yes, Papá Héctor! I promise I will be gentle with her! In… all aspects." Julio whimpered out. "I never want to hurt her again. I'd rather die before I ever do that."
Héctor's shoulders relaxed and he wrapped an arm around Julio. "Aw, I know you're a good kid, Julio. It's just that Coco's my daughter, and… this is hard for me too. Especially since this is the only time I'll ever see my daughter… get married."
The mood turned from tense to somber and Julio patted Héctor on the shoulder in sympathy. "I know... And I should explain… We decided our daughter will be named Victoria Leticia."
Héctor sniffed and rubbed at his eyes before smiling down at Julio. It was true, the only thing that would have made this day more special is if Leti was with them now, getting dolled up with her sister and on the verge of becoming a woman herself.
"Gracias, mijo… Ah, look at the time!" Héctor exclaimed as he looked at the clock. "Wipe that sweat off your brow, straighten your shirt out and look alive, because it's showtime, chamaco!"
The ceremony was a long, but beautiful affair. On Julio's side was Facundo and Matty, with Facundo wiping at the tears coming down his face as well as the sweat on his bald head with a handkerchief. On Coco's side was Rosita by herself except in her hands was the glamour shot of Leti. Julio had gasped and smiled when he first saw Coco walking down the aisle with Héctor and Imelda by her side, and she blushed and batted her eyelashes back at him.
Héctor placed Coco's hand in Julio's and then he and Imelda took a seat on the first row. When Imelda looked over she wasn't surprised to see a tear streak down Héctor's face and handed him a handkerchief. "Basta, this is a happy occasion, Héctor."
"I know diosa." Héctor said shakily as he dabbed at his face. "That's why I'm crying."
The ceremony concluded with Padre Antonio announcing Julio and Coco as man and wife. Julio gave a chaste kiss on Coco's lips, both of them physically holding themselves back from the rapturous kiss they wanted to plant on each other. Then they walked down the aisle hand in hand as the townsfolk cheered and gave their blessings as they passed. Now that the formalities were done with, it was time to get the party started!
Tables were filled with an assortment of foods and snacks for all to enjoy, as well as a table solely for numerous bottles of alcohol. One bottle had been from Señor Cavallero to honor the bride and groom, which was then promptly used to water the flowers growing near the dumpster. As everyone was seated and eating Héctor came up to the makeshift stage and started to clink his glass.
"Disculpe, señors y señoras. May I have everyone's attention, please?" With all eyes on him Héctor cleared his throat. "I would like to thank you all for coming to my daughter's wedding. This is a very happy occasion for our family, especially after the great loss that we suffered not so long ago. So we would like to take a moment to honor two women who mean the world to our families, but unfortunately could not be with us today. First of all to the mother of the groom, Victoria. You have a fine son señora, and I trust him with my daughter wholeheartedly. You should be proud."
The crowd politely applauded and Héctor continued. "And second, to the sister of the bride, and my youngest daughter, Leticia… Leti, our hearts ache every day for you, but always know that you inspire us to live our lives to the fullest. We love you, mija!" The crowd applauded again, Matty the loudest, and Héctor smiled. "And now, without further ado, here's the newly married couple!"
From behind the stage Julio and Coco raced out onto the dance floor, both of their hair a little messed up and Julio with lipstick smeared on his face. The crowd laughed at them and Coco nervously tried to wipe the lipstick off of him with her thumb but only managed it to smear it further.
"Someone get him a towel, por favor." Héctor joked, earning him a big laugh. "And now, to play the first song for the lovely couple, straight from Veracruz, it's Los Chacalacos!" He left the stage and a group of purple suited performers came from behind the curtain, all of them bouncing with glee at the privilege to perform at Héctor Rivera's daughter's wedding! Instead of their usual bombastic playing, however, they started off with a slow waltz that they had been practicing for days, and it was beautiful.
Julio guided Coco in the waltz masterfully, both of them gliding across the dance floor to the music, mesmerizing the audience and making their parents beam with pride. Privately they conversed amongst themselves.
"You are such a good dancer, señor." Coco playfully said.
Julio chuckled. "Years of practice, mi amor." Julio twirled Coco around before pulling her back to him. "I love your hair, by the way."
"Don't get used to it. It was a pain to do. I don't know how Mamá does it every day." Coco said. "What about the ribbons?"
"Oh, they're lovely too. Yellow, blue and… green." Julio's eyes widened. "Hey! Are those?-"
"The very same ribbons from my Santos Reyes dress. Mamá found it in an old chest. The dress I was wearing when you fell in love with me." Coco smiled lovingly at Julio. "Five years old, huh?"
"Well I didn't realize it was love at the time, I just thought 'I want to dance with that cute little girl too!' I soon figured out what it was eventually." Julio said.
Coco's smile faded and she looked at Julio guiltily. "Still, all that time… I'm sorry I didn't fall for you sooner than I did."
"Ay, mi Coco. Any man would tell you that you are most certainly worth the wait!" Both of them laughed at that and continued to twirl and dance to the music, lost in each other's eyes and happier than they had ever been.
The party continued long into the night, alcohol flowing like water down the newlyweds throats until both of the passed out into drunken stupors, flopped haphazardly onto the bed on their first night in the same bedroom. Both of them had to be dragged out and dressed appropriately for the midmorning brunch that followed, and then had to greet every well-wisher with pounding headaches.
Suddenly a bright red car drove up to the Rivera house and a teenage driver stepped out of it. He walked up to Héctor and tapped his shoulder. "Señor Rivera, I have a message addressed to your daughter."
"Eh?" Héctor looked down at the note in the young man's hand and immediately recognized the handwriting. "Oh no…"
"What is it Papá?" Coco asked as she walked up with Julio by her side. Héctor simply shook his head and pointed at the note for her to take. "Oh, it's from Tio Nesto!" At the mention of Ernesto's name several guests gasped in shock and crowded around the couple as Coco ripped open the letter and read it aloud.
My Dearest Coco,
I would like to give my deepest congratulations to you on your wedding day. I hope you had a wonderful ceremony and that it was everything that you had dreamed of and more.
As much as I wished to have been there to see you, I did not want to detract any attention from you or your groom, being as huge a celebrity as I am. This was your day niña, and you deserved the spotlight for a change.
Still I did not want to leave you with nothing, so I present to you a wedding gift: Straight from Germany, a cherry red BMW 326, complete with four doors and a state of the art braking system. It's high time you start living like the princess you truly are!
Happy Driving!
Your Godfather and honorary Tio, Ernesto de la Cruz
Coco and Julio gaped at each other, then the car outside, then each other again. Finally both of them let out the loudest gritos any of them had ever made and charged straight for the car. The other guests crowded around them as Julio hopped into the driver seat with Coco next to him. Oscar and Felipe raced to the front of the car with their cameras and snapped pictures of the beaming couple as Julio mimicked driving while Coco hung out the side window.
"Do either of them even know how to drive?" Imelda asked tiredly as she stood next to Héctor.
Héctor shrugged. "I guess they'll learn." He felt a tug on his shirt and saw that it was the teenage messenger asking for his attention.
"Can I get a ride back to the train station?"
Julio groaned and rolled off of Coco, both of them slick with sweat and panting heavily. That was it. They had actually done it. They had started off both shaking with fright, blushing horribly as each new bit of skin was exposed, and fumbling as they groped at places they had never dared touch before. But they took their time, made sure they told one another what was good and what was not so good, and in the end it worked out.
There was pain on Coco's part, but the knowledge that this was normal made her able to endure it long enough for the pain to meld into pleasure. And what pleasure it was! Never before had she felt such a building tension that left her groaning and asking for more, until in crashing waves she reached her peak and was left breathless and sated. Then it was over, and both of them finally felt connected as man and wife.
Julio turned towards her with worried eyes. "Coco… are you alright?" Coco nodded as she stared up at the ceiling with glazed eyes, then to his surprise she slapped a hand over her mouth and started giggling like mad. Julio smiled in confusion. He was glad he hadn't hurt her, but giggling? "What's so funny?"
Coco gasped through her laughing. "Those… Those weren't gritos! Ah ha ha ha!"
It took several moments for her to calm down, but at Julio's questioning Coco told him the story of the night her Papá had come home for good, and the song he and Mamá made that she never got to hear again.