Packing Up the Baggage {Héctor}
Aug 7, 2018 10:07:09 GMT -5
Post by Mamá Imelda on Aug 7, 2018 10:07:09 GMT -5
"Eh.. about a few days or so before, give or take..."
Héctor was perhaps being a bit vague, and that was perhaps very telling on how right Imelda was, or wasn't, in her guess on the time, but she actually didn't ponder this possibility too far either, after just allowing for the maybe of it. She scanned over the tools herself, and whole workshop, just getting up a plan for how best to go about the tour and what to show first as Héctor joked about the family's siesta, which brought another small smile to her face.
It would be a lie for Imelda to say she hadn't missed this, and hearing Héctor's jokes on a regular basis. She had, very much, it was what contributed to her so forceful banishment of every reminder of him!
"Haha yes! It looked good, eh?!"
Imelda just smiled and nodded, she had wondered at the time, and mostly during her confrontation of him in the alley way when she got such a good look at the details, what kind of artist he'd somehow convinced along his way to do the job; and it had just made her curse artists in her head again, especially as Miguel rushed off away from her!
Héctor's words on wanting to just practice could stand as they were, and didn't have to raise suspicions of why, especially as he cut off when he did.
"Eh.. I picked up a few things when I pretended to be Frida.."
She had been aware of that scheme! In fact she'd almost run across him one time due to it, though he may not have known, back when she was still avoiding him and after quite a few times of having to send him away. The familia had been running late and all filing into a line to go through the typical and annoying devil box scanners when she recognized something familiar about Frida trying to get through.
She had quickly shuffled the family off to another line, making up some excuse about the worker and something she had done before that had annoyed Imelda and cringed both at the very fact that he would do such in public and the very public display of his being dragged off again.
Mortifying at the time, and shaming now. She had always accused him of all the wrong, but she could have treated her husband better too in many of those instances. Well, but they were behind them! Though were they...
"Yes, I was surprised to find Miguel had met Frida Kahlo of all people", she'd known who she was, even avoiding all forms of art as she did, "and not to mention you with him", Imelda gave a chuckle, or tried, though it came off a bit forced. She would not say it was still bothering her, though at the time of learning how many times Héctor had visited the art district, she had wondered if in all the time he'd found someone who didn't just push him aside.
Was Ninety Six years of waiting really a fair ask? Of course everything in Héctor's devotion since she'd allowed him back even in so short a time-frame should have dispelled any of those crazy thoughts, but then his devotion before should have helped her through the doubt of his never coming back, and it didn't.
The mention of those drawings he'd done for Coco helped, and the memories of domestic life they brought with them. Imelda's chuckle turned fond and real again, "Aye, she'd bother me from the moment your letters arrived, no matter what I was doing, to read it that very instant, and always said she knew exactly what you'd drawn, and I just went with what she said...", Imelda laughed, and cut off herself on adding "until I could ask you", since she had never got the chance, and also tried to move on since even that sweet reminder could lead to thoughts of having to comfort Coco after the letters had stopped.
"Haha! And to think that you were only chasing after the love of your life the entire time!"
Imelda rolled her eyes, "You still only hear what you want to hear, Musico", but there was nothing but fondness in her 'criticism' and even calling him that again like she had when they were dating. Her smiled showed his guess was correct though, even when she hadn't known it.
He claimed Pepita gave him a head start, and Imelda chuckled again, honestly he wasn't wrong in her devotion either, and at the first instance of having to ask her alebrije to chase Héctor off, Imelda had wondered if she would do it; and been surprised when she did.
"But I didn't know that he was running away from his family..I thought it was only the police!"
Héctor seemed to realize his mistake the moment he spoke. Imelda simply turned back to him with a slightly quizzical and amused look, "and you just helped a random kid do that and run away from the authorities".
"..but when I found out that he had lied about having family here after that talent show, I had told him to stop chasing that music fantasy of his and go back to his family.. and that's when he ran away from me.."
Imelda's look melted to something softer. "He ran away from me too", she admitted, in continuing of admitting things, and having to glance aside again as she did. "Shortly after that I suppose, Pepita and I found him. Even...even after I sang then too, to show him I understood, and...explained how much I had loved those early days when...when you were there and everything was good. Before Coco brought even more good. He only accused me of making him chose sides, which I was, and, well, got into Ernesto's clutches as you know", Imelda sighed at herself again, then glanced back up to Héctor.
"But I thought..Even if my photo would be put on a stranger's ofrenda, I could maybe finally cross over the bridge and see Coco.."
"I know you said not to be anymore, but...I'm sorry you had to go through that kind of desperation, Héctor", Imelda said sincerely.
She laughed again as Héctor pointed out the record player, "Sí, it does!", she agreed, smiling up at him softly and knowing she didn't have to say why she'd got it. "I, um, notice I forgot records though", she admitted, "Maybe we should go later and remedy that?", the possibility of having to avoid Ernesto's ripped off records in such a store, and curious questions from the clerk perhaps, didn't occur to Imelda.
After enough of them were arrived and assembled, Héctor requested an insight into Rivera Shoe Making; Imelda wasn't so sure her craft was designed for such observations, but she couldn't say she would mind showing her husband how good she, and they, had gotten at their craft. She glanced to the others, who shrugged as if it was up to her, as it ever was.
"Well alright", she smiled over to him, sitting there on his box and looking as interested as a person could, and then tried to ignore him just so she could work as they set about their usual routine. It was halfway through cutting a strip of leather she noticed how far away he was and how that would probably hinder.
She thought about it for two seconds, then pulled up a stool beside her own, "Here, why don't you sit here, you can get a better look at the table".