Chapter 27: The Riddle

Héctor walked with Imelda in the long, dark hallway.

"Listen, Shoemaker," the gangster whispered. "Now that you know my secret hobby, promise me that you will never speak to anyone about this?"

"Don't worry, Señorita," Héctor shared with her an assuring smile. He gave her a wink, which gave the gangster butterflies in her stomach. "My lips are sealed."

"Gracias," Imelda blushed, moving a loose strand of hair behind her earlobes. "Now tell me about that underwear incident."

"Oh, Jiminy crickets!" The man blushed while rolling his eyes to avoid her gaze. "Andres broke his washing machine and didn't know how to wash his clothes the old-fashioned way. So, he asked me to make him make a new underwear set! It was embarrassing!"

Imelda laughed. The way she smiled while laughing made her look attractive in his eyes.

He quickly snapped out of it when she asked him what was wrong. Changing the subject, Héctor asked her about the many paintings on the wall. The amount of just ten was easy on the shoemaker's eyes, compared to the twenty-five that he had seen earlier in the drawing room.

"How were you able to afford so much artwork?" He wondered. "They must have cost a fortune!"

"I didn't," the dark beauty reminded him. "They were all from some truck that dropped them by accident."

"Of course," Héctor said in a deadpanned tone. "I should have known."

"Oye, idiota!" Imelda sassed. She smacked him in the head with her shoe.

"Ow!"

"They were worth a steal!"

"I see," the man rubbed his head. "Well, um, you have good taste."

The woman chuckled as she slipped her shoe back on.

"There!" Gloria sang. She just put the finishing touches on her boyfriend's shoes. "All done! Good as new!"

Sitting in his chair, Bruno observed his shoes. They used to be worn out and torn, but now they're put back together. His girlfriend even took the time to shine and polish them. He stood up after he put them on.

"Gracias, mi amor. You are the best!" He kissed her on the cheek, which made her giggle.

"How sweet!" Natalia teased them. "Any wedding bells ringing?"

The couple's breaths were caught in their throats, a simultaneous "Wedding!?" escaping from their lips, while a shared heat was rising in their faces, their eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and dawning realization.

"It's too soon!" Gloria replied, holding her arm.

"We just started courting!" Bruno spoke sheepishly.

"Bruno? Girls?" Héctor said as he and the gangster approached them. "We are all here now."

"Oh good!" said Natalia. She picked up her shopping bag that was set down on a small table. "I got all the ingredients Frida requested! You won't be disappointed at all!"

"You and Frida better not waste my time and patience, gringa!" Imelda warned Natalia, poking her finger in the woman's chest. "If you pull another trick on me, I will rip your lungs out."

Natalia looked as if she witnessed the sinking of the Titanic.

"Oye!" Héctor whispered to Imelda. he pulled her arm away from the frightened Irish woman. "Why are you talking to her like this? She's our friend, remember?"

"Remember the lemonade fiasco?"

"Of course I do, but you've got to be nice."

"I'll be nice when they make the antidote, idiota!"

"Hoo boy," Bruno sighed, slapping his forehead.

"Look, it was an honest mistake," Héctor continued firmly. He put his hands on her shoulders. "At least try to be patient with them, por favor."

Imelda took a deep breath in and breathed out.

"I'll try, shoemaker."

"All right," Bruno piped up. He was trying to change the subject before they started arguing again. "Let's talk to my sister!" 'This is not going to be easy,' He thought to himself.

So everybody, plus Oscar and Felipe, went to the room where Frida was being held. They didn't let her out of the cage but gave her the ingredients that she needed to make the antidote for the potion. Or so they thought.

"Thank you for bringing those things to me", Frida smiled.

"Of course!" Natalie beamed.

"So how does the antidote work?" Héctor said.

"I don't think those ingredients are made for an antidote," Bruno carefully observed. He had seen his twin making antidotes before, and most of these things, like a nail filer, didn't go with any of the recipes she had used in the past. "Are they, Frida?"

"Oh well…," Frida grinned sheepishly. "They're not for the antidote."

"Wait, what?" Gloria was dumbfounded.

And so were Imelda and Héctor.

"You lied to us?" the prophetic man frowned, crossing his arms.

"I bought all these things for nothing!?" Natalia threw her hands up in the air, in anger. She couldn't believe how many shady people and cops she had to dodge last night. And for what? Just for little things?

"Hey, a girl's got to shop!" the potion maker sassed. "You can't expect me to lose my beautiful face while being stuck in this cold cage, do you?".

"Why are you little…!" Natalia growled. She reached for Frida and attempted to put her hands around the potion maker's neck and strangle her. But she was held back by the prophetic man and the shoe lady.

"Hey, hey!" Gloria strained. "Take it easy!"

"Don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs!" Bruno added.

"Golden eggs?" Felipe snickered. "More like poisoned eggs."

"Or rotten eggs," Oscar sneered.

Each of them was smacked in the head by their sisters' shoes. "Hey! OW!"

"That hurts!" Felipe whined, rubbing his head.

"And so do your words," Imelda snapped at them. She may be angry at Frida, but mocking her gift is the last thing she ever wanted to do, even if she didn't think her love potion was powerful. It may not have worked out for her and the past, but it did work out for some other people. "Disculpe Frida, my brothers don't know when they cross the line between being obnoxious and disrespectful." She put her stilettos back on.

"Meh, I'm used to it," Frida shrugged her shoulders. "It's not the first time they did it."

"Por favor, Frida," Héctor pleaded. "Tell us how to cure Andres and my kids!"

"And our kids, too," Bruno reminded her. "Remember, their lives are at stake!"

"What's the worst that can happen to them?" Gloria asked. She could not remember well how she acted when she was under the influence of that awful drug.

"The longer they stayed lovestruck, the crazier they'd become!" her boyfriend answered, gravely.

"Oh no!"

"Oh, sí!"

"That's bad!" Héctor gulped.

Imelda cringed, remembering the pink glossy eyes she saw in those poor teenagers and preteens.

"Don't worry, I know the answer," said Frida confidently. "But I'm afraid you are not going to believe me if I tell you right away.

"What do you mean?" The shoemaker blinked.

"Well," the strange woman explained. "The cure for those who were affected by love potion is not concrete. It is abstract. It's like the wind; you can't see it or touch it, but you can feel it. It is common-"

"Oh, stop beating around the bush and tell us, idiota!" Imelda barked.

"Okay, okay, Señorita Impatient-pants! Here is what I'll do," Frida clarified. "I'm going to leave you all with a riddle. If you can figure out the answer, then you'll figure out the real cure for the love potion. Everybody cue up your ears because I am only going to say this once!"

"We're waiting!" Imelda tapped her foot loudly. Her taps softened when she felt the shoemaker's hand upon her shoulder.

"The antidote is more powerful than the potion," Frida explained. "It is patient, kind, selfless, does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. And it never fails!" She leaned in to whisper into the shoemaker's ear.

"…What is it?" she asked in a low tone, clearly hoping that someone would understand.

Everybody pondered on the cure for a while.

"Hmm…power!" Imelda shouted out.

"No," Frida said. She found it uncomfortable that her old friend didn't consider her clues.

"Money!" The twins exclaimed.

"No, not greed, you silly heads!" Frida said, exasperated.

"Is it family?" Héctor asked.

"Close, but no," said Frida.

"Is it loyalty?" Gloria asked.

"No, not quite."

"Faith," Bruno said.

"Close, but no," said Frida.

"Trust!" The twins shouted.

"Pixie dust!" Natalia added. She was met with bewildered looks. "Well, it could be!" Her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment. "Um…I'm…going to check on Andres." She exited the room, trying to be as less awkward as she could.

Oscar made a swirling motion with his finger and made a small whistle while Felipe snickered.

"Can't think of anything else, Frida," Bruno shrugged.

"Take your time to figure it out," his sister advised. "No need to rush."

"Sí," Gloria nodded, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. "Meanwhile, Bruno and I are going to talk about something else, bye-bye!"

"Gloria, Bruno, wait!" Hector called out to them. He sighed when they shut the door behind them. "Oh, what do they need to discuss that they can't do in front of me?"

"Or me?" Imelda frowned, crossing her arms.

The young couple were in another empty room. It was small enough for two people to go inside and sit on the loveseat.

"I didn't know you had another fireplace here," the Rivera woman studied. She and her boyfriend made themselves warm and cozy.

"We have three of them," the prophetic man answered. "The mansion gets cold at night time, so they are useful." It works out well for him and the rest of the gang who were always fighting over heat. "Now, what do you want to ask me?"

"Tell me about your vision."

"Now?" Bruno was a bit puzzled.

"Oh, I know you said you were going to show it to me, but I am very anxious, and I can't wait!" Gloria rambled, feeling the rush of excitement. When she caught her breath, she looked at the man with pleading eyes. "Please show it to me!"

"Of course, mi amor," Bruno smiled lovingly. Although he was a bit startled, deep down, he trusted her. He fished out of his pocket a brown sack. Opening it, his hands pulled out a green glowing slate. "Let me show you what I have seen."

He put the slate in front of him and his girlfriend. He swiped through the slate to the right. Gloria's eyes sparkled at seeing what looked like her young musical-loving nephew dancing with a girl with glasses. She figured that must be Mirabel. When the vision showed her brother, she felt a giddy feeling that he was finally kissing a woman. She squinted her eyes and got a good look at the woman's face. Her jaw dropped.

"Imelda!?"

"Yes, that's her with Héctor!"

"No, no no no no no!" the woman panicked, putting her hands on her cheeks. "That can't be true.

"Every time," the odd man sighed, throwing his slate up in the air. But his girlfriend caught it before it reached the ground. She rewatched the vision again and again and again.

"It's because she's a gangster, isn't it?" Bruno asked glumly.

"Huh?" Gloria looked up from the slate. "No, not really!"

"Or is she not rich enough?"

"It's not that, either," she replied. "It's just that…I'm worried that she might be well…too angry."

"Is that all?" the man chuckled.

"She's like a ticking bomb! Gets mad over everything, doesn't she?"

"Afraid so," the man hated to admit. "Say one word or do something to trigger her, and there she blows!"

"What if she kills my brother all because he did something to upset her like, uh…playing music by her window?"

"Calmse, Mi amor. I know my boss has a short fuse temper, but she's not that bad. And she certainly won't kill anyone over music."

"Well, has your boss killed anyone?"

"No, nunca! Imelda is known for other things: robbing, cheating, bribing, and jaywalking. Until yesterday, she had never kidnapped anyone before, so it is unusual for her to kidnap someone. Believe me, I was not proud of that.."

"Well, however bad she is on the spectrum, I will not let her be courted by my brother. I will not let my brother marry her. No way, no how!"

"Okay," said Bruno in a sing-song voice. "Then have fun living the rest of your life being unmarried."

"How did you know that?"

"Oh, everyone knows that custom. If he doesn't get married, then you won't either. You will have only rats as your companions."

"Rats!?" Gloria scrunched up her face. "Don't you mean cats?" What lonely single lady ended up with rats instead of cats?

"No, because rats are my company," the strange man paused and cleared his throat. "Well, not anymore. They would have been here if my boss didn't make me say goodbye to them."

"What is that?"

"She has a cat who eats them."

"Ah, sounds reasonable."

"Sí, but back to our subject. Héctor has tried every woman on his side of the town. Hasn't he?"

"Yes! Any woman that came into my family shop and flirted with my brother was chased off by my mother's shoe."

Bruno threw his head and laughed.

"My parents had tried to set him up with someone, but that didn't work out. I know she'd try to set him up with someone else, but you know how stubborn he is. I wish he'd stop feeling sorry for himself and marry so that I could marry, too. I don't want to end up being all alone with no company except rats! But it is no use. There's not one girl that he won't refuse."

"Well, I have a girl for him that he simply can't refuse," Bruno smirked. "And mi amor, you and I are going to be his matchmakers."

"And then?"

"And then…," he put his arm around his waist and whispered in her ear. "We shall marry."

Gloria gasped happily. Marrying Bruno had always been her dream since she was eleven years old. She had always told herself that if he asked, she'd be his wife forever and ever. However, why did she have to give up her sweet brother to the most ruthless and dangerous woman? Should she reject the offer? Or accept it and see what happens? Or should they think about this?

"I don't know Bruno," she shrugged. "I will assist you, but before we plan their wedding, can we see where their relationship goes? Love takes time to develop, you know."

"Of course," Bruno said, patiently. "You said you will help me?"

"As long as my brother is not marrying Ernestina De La Crud, ahem, Cruz, I am fine."

From the corner of her eye, the shoe lady gasped at seeing the door open. Quickly, the prophetic man snatched the slate from her hands, and tucked it behind the woman's skirt. He dipped her and leaned in for a kiss. Just in time.

"Aah!" Héctor squawked and slammed the door right away.

The couple pulled away from their first kiss.

"Whew, that was close!" Gloria felt breathless from the kiss.

"Sí," Bruno's voice was hoarse. He pulled away, but his girlfriend pulled him back for another kiss. Not that he complained.

"They could have warned me!" Héctor said to himself. "Oh, I can't believe they're doing it!"

"Doing what?" Imelda asked. She was standing beside her brothers, who looked amused at their guest's bewildered expression. "What's Juan showing your sister?" She hoped it was not her diary. Sometimes, she had caught her brothers, and sometimes, Bruno reading her diary to figure out her secrets. If Bruno is reading her diary again, she will hit him with her shoe.

"Maybe they're being naughty," Felipe hissed to Oscar.

"Or acting romantic!"

"Well, whatever they are doing, I want their help, and they'd better not be fooling around!" Imelda growled. The gangster headed to put her hand in the doorknob when the shoemaker quickly jumped in front of her.

"Don't go in!" he quickly said, blocking the door.

"Oh, come on-"

"Por favor!"

"Por qué?"

"Trust me, you don't want to see! Bruno has been having one of his crazy moods where his eyes turn green, and he speaks pig Latin!"

"Pig Latin?"

"If you try to speak to him, he will squeak and thrash around the room like a Tasmanian devil!"

"Oh, that's ridiculous!"

She tried to get by but gasped when he grabbed her hand.

"No, don't go in there, for your own sake! Don't go! "

"All right, all right!" Imelda sighed. She cleared her throat, and the shoemaker blushed, letting go of her hand. She wondered if he wanted to hold her hand a bit longer. "But what about your sister?"

"Only she can nurse him back to health!"

"If you say so…," the dangerous woman shrugged. "I wish he would help us with this riddle, though!"

"Yo también. I have thought of all the possible abstract possibilities."

"I bet Frida is playing a trick on us."

"I hate riddles!" Both Héctor and Imelda both grumbled at the same time. They glanced at each other and blushed while looking away.

"Um, I don't suppose your library has any answers, does it?"

"Now why would-actually that would be very helpful."

"Sí, vamanos!"

The gangster led the shoemaker down the hallway toward the library.

"Looks like they're working together," Felipe whispered to Oscar.

"Maybe Bruno is right!" Oscar nodded.