Slim Chance is Still a Chance! {Héctor}

[Mamá Imelda]

Imelda could not say that she enjoyed needlepoint, but she liked it better than mending old clothes for some reason. Really it should be one and the same. Sophisticated girls did 'fun sewing' though, and while Imelda would never try to be uppity or act like she was anything but the simple daughter of a laborer that she was, she could give it a try.

Now if only the cactus flower would turn out! Imelda scowled at it and tried her stitch again. She recalled one of the older women about town, who had a knack for all kinds of sewing, saying that relaxing was key. Imelda started a small hum, focusing her stitch, and to her joy this one went better. She hummed even more, not even really about to pin down the tune.

Hmhmm...

Oh, it was La Llorona, of course. Imelda recalled the song, and the legend associated with it. The ballad was perhaps a bit sappy, but her alto voice was able to add in a few sketches of the recalled lyrics into the tune, after glancing up from her work and about her to ensure no one was currently in the courtyard of her parent's hacienda.

She didn't want to be caught even by them. Some of the desperate suitors to have tried to gain her attention had said they were just sure "ella tenía una voz para avergonzar a los ángeles" (she had a voice to put the angels to shame), or some such drivel! Imelda personally was falling for none of it, and didn't humor them with 'letting them hear, just one line'.

Not even that stupid, decked out local boy with the broad shoulders, smooth voice, chiseled chin and arrogance enough for the whole town, who bragged of being a Musico. How he and his hermano would travel and bring back riches, and some of them maybe even for her.

Why that would interest her, Imelda didn't know!

The empty courtyard could hear just one line though...

Me subí al pino más alto, llorona, a ver si te divisaba
Me subí al pino más alto, llorona, a ver si te divisaba

Imelda completed out another line of the cactus for under the flower, still having a bit to go, but the singing helping her, she found,

Como el pino era tierno, llorona, al verme llorar, lloraba
Como el pino era tierno, llorona, al verme llorar, lloraba...

[Deleted]

"Fine! Who cares?! Dumb Nesto.." The scrawny, teenaged musician remarked gruffly with a roll of his eyes. He had seen this beautiful girl first from far away, walking along the side to her house perhaps, but before he could even think about approaching her, Ernesto just shoved him away and beat him to it! What was worse was that the woman was probably going to fall for Ernesto's looks and charms before he would even get the chance! "Some hermano (brother).." He kicked a small rock on the ground as he trudged away in annoyance. Still, Héctor cared about his best friend enough not to ruin his moment, he did beat him there first after all, so Héctor decided to do what he always did when he wanted to keep his mind off of things: music.

Pulling out a song book from his back pocket, Héctor slumped down to sit by the wall of another hacienda that was playing La Adelita on their fancy record player by their window - and by fancy, it was more because he didn't have one. Propping the songbook up on his bent knees, the young musician was listening to the way the song sounded and attempted to copy the melody with his guitar before scribbling the musical notes on as fast as he could so that he could remember how to play it right on his own. Even if it was about the Mexican military, given the Mexican revolution of their time, Héctor couldn't help but love the romance of the song lyrics about a beautiful woman named Adelita, who was a valiant but beautiful woman that a soldier fell in love with enough to follow her by land or sea. The young teenager hadn't been in love before enough to fully understand that kind of devotion, but he still continued to write the lyrics at the music played regardless:

Y si Adelita quisiera ser mi novia (And if Adelita wanted to be my girlfriend)
Si Adelita fuera mi mujer (If Adelita could be my wife)
Le compraria un vestido de seda (I'd buy her a dress made of silk)
Para llevarla a bailar al cuartel (And take her to barrack's dance)

Suddenly, the record player gave off a scratch and abruptly stopped playing.

"No, no, no! Hey! ¿Qué pasó ahí? (What happened there/What just happened?) Why did it stop?! Oh, come on! The song did not even finish yet!" The teenager whined and complained about the unfairness of the music suddenly stopping in the middle of a song like that. Who does that?! It was possible that it wasn't anyone's fault and it simply stopped because the record was bad or something bumped into the record player, but Héctor still found it unfair either way. Dejected, the young teenager laid his head back against the wall and stared up at the sky defeatedly with an annoyed, "Ughh.." This was not a good day, but on the positive side, he supposed that it least it wasn't raining as well.. but just in case, he decided to put away his song book back into his pocket just to keep it safe from any potential rain.

Just then, Ernesto walked over to him, causing the young teen's annoyance to become even more frustrated. "I don't want to hear it, hermano.." Héctor remarked begrudgingly as he began strumming the similar melody of the song he had just heard playing, trying to see what he could remember without looking at the paper. He did not want to hear the tales of his dumb romance with the girl this time. Yet as much as Héctor tried to stay mad at him, he couldn't. Ernesto's recommendation that the woman he was pursuing wasn't worth it anyway was what actually peaked Héctor's interest enough to stop playing guitar and completely remove any thoughts of his previous annoyance with his older best friend. Wait. Wait. Wait. Ernesto? Not being able to charm that girl?! That had never happened before!..Wait...wait...but.. Wait...that meant that there was still a chance!

Ignoring his best friend's recommendation, Héctor lied to him saying that he had forgotten something and bolted with guitar in hand over to find the girl again, wondering which house she would be at, when he instantly stopped in his tracks upon hearing the most beautiful voice that poured into his very soul and nearly left him breathless - and it wasn't because of the running! The teenaged boy with scruffy raven hair then peeked through the barred windows of the door to the courtyard of the hacienda, only to find that it was the same beautiful girl he had seen from far away that was the one that was singing La Llorona! His brown eyes widened and his mouth dropped in amazement before he immediately sunk behind the wall by the door in astonishment to catch his breath, trying hard to come up with something to say.. What was he going to say?! He had never done this before! Well, he had to think of something good! Something better than Ernesto...

But he couldn't. He didn't even show up through the doors of her courtyard or announce himself. Instead, Héctor ended up saying nothing as he continued to listen to her sing, closing his eyes as he let her musical voice reverberate its beautiful rhythm against his own heart beat. He simply continued to strum the La Llorona song that he knew by heart on his guitar from behind the wall, hoping she would just keep singing with no one to stop her.

[Mamá Imelda]

Imelda was feeling more and more pleased with herself at how this was probably going to come out, and allowing herself to become more and more distracted, her voice lifting to a sort of normal volume that still wasn't shouting, but wasn't hiding in so much; wasn't so self conscious as she forgot about worrying about anyone being there to hear her.

La pena y la que no es pena, llorona, todo es pena para mí
La pena y la que no es pena, llorona, todo es pena para mí
Ayer lloraba por verte, llorona, hoy lloro porque te vi
Ayer lloraba…

Imelda hummed a bit more, having finished out the parts she recalled of the song anyway, so she just cycled back to the beginning she had before hummed over and not sang truly. It was all distracted, and no one could hear her anyway...

Except...maybe they could? While humming, she caught a faint guitar riff, if she wasn't mistaken, one that she was now better able to hear, perhaps. W-was it connected? No...who would be anywhere near enough that...but it was seeming to follow along perfectly...

Shaking it off, Imelda returned to both her work and actual lyrics.

Ay de mí, llorona
Llorona de azul celeste...

Something caught her attention, again, and she lifted her head more purposefully. Pausing instantly in both stitching and singing and glancing, she wasn't even sure why, towards the doorway of the courtyard.

Just as she was trying to listen in earnest, to decipher if she had heard something, since she was sure she had, a noisy bird in a nearby tree had to start up trying to join in with her or something! Only it was very bad at it! Just shrilling discordantly. ”Vete, ¡fuera!”, Imelda stood and shooed at the bird.

It flapped off. She huffed still holding her embroidery hoop. Her focus for both was not broken, and Imelda returned to trying to think out...all of this. The bird was obviously not to be blamed for the guitar, but...

"¿Hola? ¿Hay alguien? (Hello? Is someone there?)", Imelda called softly, waiting and listening.

[Deleted]

An adoring sigh escaped the young musician's lips as he listened to her continue to sing, playing his guitar softly along with her words.. until he flinched when she stopped singing and heard her yell, quickly using his hand to cover over the strings of the guitar to make it cease vibrating it's last chord. His eyes widened as even a bird looked intimidated, flying quickly away out of the hacienda. What a valiant woman! Just like in the song Adelita! Still, he for sure thought he was caught. His heart was beating so fast. "Que voy hacer.. que voy hacer?! (What am I going to do?!)" He whispered to himself out of anxiety, rummaging through his mind on how to actually talk to this woman. 

"¿Hola? ¿Hay alguien?"

Héctor flinched again, thinking if he had just made himself get heard. Oh great! Now what should he say?! Unwittingly in his panic, the 16 year old said the first thing that popped into his head:  ".. no?" As soon as that word left his mouth, Héctor face-palmed so hard, that it probably left a red mark on his face, though perhaps that blended with his blushing on his tanned complexion. Well now she knew for sure that he was there! No, he had to remain calm. Ernesto would tell him to seize his moment; and if he was going to talk, he was going to talk now! 

Breathing out and shaking everything off like he usually would to help him relax before any performance, Héctor quickly fixed up his raven hair as best he could and popped his head from behind the barred window with a broad grin. "Eheh.. just kidding! ¡Eso fue una broma (that was a joke)! Hey! ¡Buenos días, senorita! No te preocupes, linda (Good day young miss! Don't worry, pretty girl).. I..I was just passing through!" The teenage boy tried to be gentlemanly as he tried to reassure her that he was not at all some kind of stalker, then glanced down at his guitar in his hand before smiling up at her, "..Playing guitar! Nothing to do with your beautiful singing whatsoever!" His suddenly let out a soft gasp upon making himself appear as if he was there a while instead of passing through. ".. Wait! No! Did I say singing?! Ahaha..I meant to say.. record player?" The tone in his voice raised a pitch higher at the end out of his timid response and his nervous laugh, grinning sheepishly at his own attempts to come up with a way where he wouldn't end up like that poor bird, but even comparing her voice to something official from a record player was still really weak considering the record player sounded much farther away. Ay! This was diarrhea of the mouth of the highest proportions! He lied so terribly! Why was he lying so terribly?! Even he was better than that!

Upon seeing her more closely, Héctor took a minute to absorb with such an admiring expression just how beautiful the woman before him was: from the shape of her brown eyes and contour of her lips upon her beautiful complexion, to the way her body curved so attractively in her dress. The skinny teenager did his very best to focus on his manly posture, puffing out his thin chest, if you can even call it that. As much as all the signs and everything in his body was telling him to run away, he just remained planted there. He couldn't leave her even if he wanted to. 

[Mamá Imelda]

Imelda continued to stare at the doorway, her foot starting up a light tapping. She had not been wrong...or she was fairly certain she had not been wrong. No...someone was there...proven when they answered out that they were not!

Imelda frowned more severe and didn't have to wait much longer before a head and skinny body belonging to the voice emerged, holding a guitar. Oh! She had been heard, and by this...whatever he was!

Mariachi at least was obvious by the suit...

That arguably didn't help him, and Imelda frowned deeper a bit while a heat of embarrassment threatened over her cheeks. She didn't even know this kid (by name anyway, she might have seen him about, and he might not have been that far from her own age) and he'd just caught her singing! And just what was he doing sitting outside of young ladies doorways anyway!

"Eheh.. just kidding! ¡Eso fue una broma! Hey! ¡Buenos días, senorita! No te preocupes, linda.. I..I was just passing through!"

Imelda's arms crossed at that, but anything she might have been about to say to that was curbed and not needed as the boy went on to dig his own hole deeper!

"..Playing guitar! Nothing to do with your beautiful singing whatsoever! Wait! No! Did I say singing?! Ahaha..I meant to say.. record player?"

Some of the sternness in Imelda's features melted, just to confusion. Though a red tint quickly overtook her cheeks at the admission that he had been that guitar riff she had thought she had heard. She glanced aside, then back to the strange kid, then aside again as that became a bit distracting. It wasn't that anything in that angled face was attractive, but...well, it wasn't not...

"We don't have a record player...", it came out a bit unsure though it was meant to catch him out in his lie. But she was getting distracted and any abstract thoughts on his stupid features were beside the point!

Glancing back to him, Imelda frowned again and marched up, "You don't think I don't know what's going on!", she pointed a finger, hiding the burning shame she was starting to feel the more she thought on it with her stern frown, "That amigo of yours sent you, didn't he?! What? Embarrassing me in the town square wasn't enough, you have to follow me to my house and....and make up lies about my singing just to...embarrassed me further?!", Imelda was frustrated that as she got closer on to the boy, though she had to glance up to direct her words and glare, she had to blink rapidly to avoid moisture showing as it stung the corners of her eyes in her embarrassment.

"I want you and your stupid amigo to listen, Musico! I have no need of...of...", as she blinked up at him, for some reason, and all at once, Imelda lost her point entirely! She blinked a few times again, but not to curb frustrated tears, then frowned, "Oh go on before I sic the dogs on you!", they didn't own dogs, just Pepita, but he didn't have to know that.

Imelda turned and stormed into the house, slamming the door in her wake just so he heard it and its point.

Speaking of said cat, and perhaps to show a bit of Imelda's own hand, and the lie in her statement, in that it was calm and so there obviously were not big dogs, a gray cat hopped up on the fence shortly after her mistress and walked along it to nudge at the strange boy's hand curiously.

[Deleted]

"We don't have a record player…”

At this point, Héctor was mentally kicking himself. Of all people, of course she did not have a record player. The fact that he did not have one either did not count because now she just caught him in a lie! He could only grin nervously at her, but boldly admitted to lying after she had caught him: “Eh..heh..That.. was a lie..And I apologize for doing that!”

"You don't think I know what's going on!"

Large brown orbs blinked in confusion at the edge of her finger pointing so closely at the tall musician with his thick eyebrows raised, parting his lips as he stared down at her in wonder of what she was talking about. With his feet planted firmly to the ground, the tall teenager closed his lips again and was rendered completely speechless as he just watched her yell at him with a slight nervous smile, accusing him now of lying about her voice since she had uncovered his lie about the record player. “But-“ He parted his lips as if to explain that he was not lying about her voice, but he wasn’t able to get any words through when she began speaking again.

That was, until suddenly, she stopped.

At this point, Héctor could have taken advantage of this abrupt silence to explain himself, but he couldn’t, he just gazed down into her beautiful brown eyes that seemed like they were hurt. When she commanded him to leave with the threat of siccing the dogs on him, Héctor let a nervous laugh escape his lips in hopes that she was joking, but it dissipated as he watched her beautiful figure walk away, slamming the door behind her. Despite every fiber in his being telling him to run for it before the dogs would come, he wasn’t able to move as his gaze lingered at the door for several minutes, almost as if he couldn’t even think of what just happened because he was practically mesmerized.

Something nudging on his hand suddenly snapped him out of it, causing him to blink down with a concerned frown as if it were one of the dogs the young lady was talking about, but his face brightened into a smile upon seeing that it was a cat, and a calm one, which only meant one thing. “Hey..!” He smiled curiously as he bent over a little to pet the cat. “So you were the one that chased away the dogs, eh?” Héctor joked with a knowing smile, pretending as if the cat was fierce enough to have scared away the dogs that the young lady was talking about but knowing that there must have not been any dogs. Well, if it were true, he would truly believe it if the cat’s owner was just as fearless. “Haha..Que gatita mas valiente! (What a valiant cat!)” He praised the brave cat with a laugh, before his smile turned to an affectionate smile. “..Just like her..” An adoring exhale escaped his lips as he gazed at the door that the young woman had gone through and slammed behind her. She really was valiant and beautiful just like in the song La Adelita.

A small frown formed on his lips when he recalled seeing those frustrated and hurt eyes, thinking about how she thought that Ernesto had sent him. What had Ernesto done to have embarrassed her like that? Unfortunately, he had walked away before he even got the chance to see what had happened. Héctor couldn’t be mad at whatever his friend did though, not if he did the same thing in embarrassing her by catching her singing. The 16 year old turned his attention back at the cat with a raise of an eyebrow. “..Do you think there’s a chance?” He asked the cat about what he thought his odds were with her owner with a small insecure smile, before suddenly beaming brightly with confidence, trying to lift his own spirits up. “Haha of course there is! Who doesn't like a visit from Héctor, eh!?” He grinned confidently with a triumphant pose in his stance, before suddenly sprinting off excitedly with his guitar, “I’ll be back tonight, gatita!”

Dinner was late, but the scrawny mariachi teenager was playing with his food with a dreamy smile whilst Ernesto was talking, somehow directing every topic of conversation around the beautiful girl without a name. His thoughts raced as he tried to think about all kinds of ideas to get the valiant woman's attention, but then he'd just settle on thinking about how beautiful her singing voice was. “No, hermano..Only a song has the power to change a heart..” The love-struck teenager mused absent-mindedly in response to something Ernesto had said, thinking about the way her voice affected his heart, when he suddenly blinked upon realizing what he had just said! "Hey! Ernesto! That's it!" He exclaimed to Ernesto, suddenly placing his hands on his best friend's shoulder with an excited shake. "I have to sing! I have to play! If she will not listen to my words, then I will make her listen.." He picked up his guitar high in the air, "To music!" He suddenly bounded off with the guitar, uncaring if Ernesto was going to follow him or not. He was going to get the beautiful girl's attention even if it killed him! 

Héctor finally came to the hacienda that belonged to the girl and tried to go around it from behind, where he was met with two balcony windows on the second floor that could have been the room of the young girl. Yet which one could it be? “De tin marin de dos pingue.. cucara, macara, títere... fue!” (Spanish versión of Eenie Meenie Mieney Moe, Catch a tiger by it's toe.. but not the same translation obviously xD) He began pointing at the two windows while he tried to whisper his decision making tune, until it finally landed on one of the balconies with a broad grin. “Ahaha! That one! I'm betting everything that this is the one!" Oh his heart was beating so fast!! He wasn't sure if he should call out to one of them to ask her what her name was, but if he were to guess wrong, then there was a chance that the other window would not be listening. He would have to settle for getting her name later and be loud enough for the both of them to hear regardless. Okay, okay. He had to relax. He had to perform! Shaking his whole body off of the nerves, he took his a deep breath and gave his best grito that was enough to jolt even the neighbors: "AHHHHYIHAIIII!!!" Ah, that always felt good! And just like that, the musician began to strum a common song, but with his softer tone of his voice that was filled with longing, the tune became a lot more romantic: 

Valentina, Valentina,
yo te quisiera decir (I would like to tell you) 
que una pasión me domina (That there's a passion that drives me)
y es la que me hizo venir. (And it's what has made me come here)

Dicen que por tus amores (They say that because of your love)
un mal me van a seguir, (Something bad will happen to me..) 

Unfortunately, the musician wasn't able to get passed those lines when suddenly the windows to the balcony that he was in front of opened. With a heart beating so fast, he instantly wore a hopeful smile in delight that he had impressed her enough for her to come outside! That was, until he was met with an older gentleman red with anger that instantly caused a terrified gasp escape his lips. 
 
“OYE! LARGASE DE AQUÍ, NIÑO! (Hey! Get out of here, boy!) NO HAY NINGUNA VALENTINA AQUÍ!! (There is no Valentina here!)  

“Ah! Eheh..Disculpa! (My apologies!)” The teenaged musician grinned sheepishly and instantly tried to hide by the wall underneath the balcony, hearing the man slam the door again very similar to the way the young woman did to him earlier. He face-palmed defeatedly again. “Well, I would have changed it if only I knew her name!" Héctor grumbled in a whisper to defend himself belatedly, knowing that he would have changed the name in the song to her name if he only knew it. "Ah...What I would give to know that name!" The tall teenager glanced up at the other balcony that probably belonged to hers and sighed as he was about to kick a rock whilst trudging away, when he suddenly stopped upon having another idea. After picking the wrong in his hands, he squinted his eyes a little to make his aim count and then tried to throw the rock at the window in hopes to get the girl's attention in case she was still awake and hearing him sing earlier. "Psst! Hey! Tell me your name, linda!  Please..I.. I brought you some flowers!" Héctor instantly noticed some flowers sprouting through the fence that belonged to the neighbor's yard and yanked them before she would notice to demonstrate to her that he also had flowers. Yes, he was desperate and yes he didn't have money to pay for the expensive rosas in the flower shop, but he hoped that perhaps his intention to sing for her and to show her that he only had his humble heart would be enough for her to know that he was prepared to do anything for her. 

[Mamá Imelda]

“Eh..heh..That.. was a lie..And I apologize for doing that!”

Imelda blinked at his nervously grinning face, and the odd statement. It...was odd, and the last thing she expected him to say; or like that. She expected him to deny it flat out, if anything, or if he didn't, stammer maybe, which he did a bit of. Something in it could be called endearing if...Wait, no, no it couldn't! Imelda got back on track of reprimanding this odd kid.

He tried what was probably a statement of denial partway through her tirade, but otherwise just stood there like a deer in headlights before grinning nervously at her threat of the dogs. If it was even half tempted to pause Imelda and make her think through her actions, she didn't let it and just continued on inside the house, feeling the situation done with.

Pepita, thankfully, knew better than her, and knew her better than she did in that moment.

Imelda had other things to try to get her mind to than where the family cat was, but if she had sought her, some of Pepita's guiding job might have been easier.

“Hey..! So you were the one that chased away the dogs, eh?”

Pepita leaned into his pat and mewed intelligently, almost like she understood that jest and encouraged him slightly, or gave a response back.

“Haha..Que gatita mas valiente!..Just like her..”

He glanced to the doorway, and Pepita just continued to blink at him intelligently, giving a light purr. He was a good sort, and the perfect sort for her mistress, the cat knew. He must be on his own without Spirit Guides, too, well, she could look after him too...

The boy rambled a bit more, then brightened up.

“I’ll be back tonight, gatita!”

Pepita watched him dart off, just lazily swishing her tail before giving another mew and hopping down.

Imelda didn't know it, but it was why her cat sat on the balcony later, hidden in the shadows caused by the disappearing sun, so of no help with identifying windows, sadly, and that lead to the boy picking wrong. For all her guidance she wasn't going to do his job for him too much though, so just sat and listened, with the rest of the household and possibly neighborhood, as the boy began, jolting a bit at the grito before he began a softer melody.

Imelda was inside her room at the time, having left the window cracked for her cat, even telling her if she could catch some ratas while out there, and before they got to the house, it would be appreciated by Papa. The cat must have just decided she didn't care, or was too busy with the smaller ones...

Midway through brushing her hair, Imelda caught the noise from her courtyard as well! Qué? No...no, no, no, no, no! With a sinking suspicion, she peeked and then stepped back inside to where he couldn't see. He was outside the boys' room...maybe if she just pretended she didn't hear him...

It seemed to work, as Papa came to shout down at the intruder, no doubt with Oscar and Felipe grinning at his distress if she knew them. "Pepita...come inside, ahora!", Imelda hissed to the cat while Papa was shouting and she had a moment to do such unnoticed. The cat just turned to blink at her, looking almost amused or smug. "Fine! Stay outside!", Imelda shut her window. She walked across to her door, then felt a bit bad of it, and was on her way to try to let the cat back in when the tap to her window came.

Pepita had jumped to the balcony ledge and then crouched out of threat of the rock, and just watched.

"Psst! Hey! Tell me your name, linda! Please..I.. I brought you some flowers!"

Imelda peeked, without opening the window, for her cat's sake she said, then heaving a giant sigh, decided she should try to get him to go away. Why on earth was he still here after Papa had threatened him?!

Imelda was still in her day dress, so it wasn't too improper as she stepped out on the balcony, squinting down until she saw him. "Go home!", she hissed, noticing he had flowers, but not able to tell they were the neighbors in this light. She didn't care where they came from though. Leaning on the rail, she regarded the boy once more, maybe she could humor him...and just maybe...

A small smile she would deny came to the corner of Imelda's mouth, "Yours first, Musico", she challenged, "You've got one, Sí?". She waited to see how one small challenge went.

[Deleted]

"Go home!"

The teenaged musician parted his lips upon hearing her tough words, his hand that contained the bunched up flowers lowering upon realizing that she wasn't interested in the flowers as he had originally planned. Even with the flowers and the song, she still insisted on him going home! Normally, this would deter a boy from trying, but not all boys were as determined as Héctor. "Oh, I would, linda.. but the thing is, I won't be able to sleep tonight if I go home without knowing your name! Please..give me this chance.. I'll make it worth your while!" He pleaded with the girl with what he hoped was a convincing smile as he tried to summon all of his charms, hoping that his words would give some weight in her decision that he was literally willing to do whatever it takes just to get her name.

"Yours first, Musico. You've got one, Sí?"

When she leaned against the railing of the balcony, Héctor could see how the setting sun was casting a beautiful hue on the tanned skin of her bare shoulders exposed by the dress she wore. Though he was not close enough to be able to see the color of her eyes, her beautiful countenance as she looked down upon him with her challenging smile was enough to make him melt. His eyes glazed over and his smile practically gleamed in the dimming sun upon feeling that he was this close to getting her name! "My name is Héctor!" The raven haired teenager introduced himself simply with a grin as he stood tall with the guitar standing on the floor beside him and holding it by the neck, trying to still bear confidence with his name despite the fact that he was clearly missing his last name. Normally, this was the part where the guy would tell the girl his proud last name to show off his lineage like all the other men, even Ernesto, but Héctor didn't have a last name simply because he had no family to his name.

Héctor knew that the girl was probably going to ditch him at this point since most girls were not interested in men that came from nothing, so he quickly tried to convince her with more words before she had the chance to so. "I know that you're still upset about me.. y lo siento mucho for embarrassing you before.. and perhaps just now.. and how about for all the future times?" His gentle voice was genuine when he made his apology about embarrassing her upon meeting her and even just now in case he had also embarrassed her with his singing or grito in front of the neighbors, his features demonstrating that he truly felt bad for making her so upset, though his tone of voice heightened in pitch at his question towards the end with a sheepish smile if that was not too imposing on the idea that there would even be future interactions with her.. but there was a chance he was probably going to embarrass her trying to interact with her anyways even if it wasn't his intention to, especially when he apparently had embarrassed her without even trying earlier!

A sigh escaped his lips as he glanced down at the flowers he held in his other free hand that was not holding the guitar upright, "It really was not my intention to make you feel bad.." He glanced up at her with sincerity plain on his features, truly hoping that she would believe him. "But if I am honest with you.. I would do it all again if I could just hear you sing one last time.." The hopeless romantic added gently yet bravely, freely admitting this in all of his honesty and not backing down from that statement either. He would be willing to commit the same mistake again: to risk being yelled at by her and make a fool of himself in front of the neighbors, even to get yelled at by whoever that intimidating man was, all to come across hearing that voice again. "Because your voice.." He smiled affectionately as he even thought about her voice playing it's sweet tune against the beat of his heart. "That is truly a gift to be shared with the world.." The musician spoke gently up at her before he glimpsed over at the guitar that he was holding by the neck. "And I do not say this lightly..because my dream is to one day play for the world!" The young musician revealed to the young woman with a proud smile, remarking that he would not readily say that someone could compete with him to just anyone if his own dream was to play for the world; yet just as he was quick to admit when he was wrong, Héctor readily recognized talent when he saw it and made it plainly obvious when he didn't... and he believed that she could easily compete against him in a crowd with that powerful voice if she wanted to. "..I only wanted to know the name that such a voice belonged to..please...tell me your name, querida.." He finally concluded with a timid but hopeful smile, hoping his words would spark some sort of interest enough for her to at least give her name to him despite the fact that he was a nobody from Santa Cecilia.

[Mamá Imelda]

He wasn't giving up... Though Imelda wasn't sure she expected him to.

"Oh, I would, linda.. but the thing is, I won't be able to sleep tonight if I go home without knowing your name! Please..give me this chance.. I'll make it worth your while!"

Imelda rolled her eyes at the first no doubt canned line, then frowned at the other. Just what was he suggesting? Perhaps nothing, but she was already on alert. She got a name for her question, though. Héctor. No last name she noted, or he just didn't bother and withheld.

As she still tried to come up with her response, and no doubt in fearing to give her too long, the boy--Héctor--went on.

"I know that you're still upset about me.. y lo siento mucho for embarrassing you before.. and perhaps just now.. and how about for all the future times?"

Imelda meant to frown perplexed yet again, but another reaction entirely slipped out of her; she giggled at that last bit. Ok it was half cute and..., Imelda got herself back on track. He seemed sincere in what else he said...

"...But if I am honest with you.. I would do it all again if I could just hear you sing one last time.."

Imelda frowned again, but just pondering through it all, and she still had yet to answer him one way or another on her name. Not that she exactly could right now, while taking in and assessing the rest of what he said.

"Because your voice..That is truly a gift to be shared with the world.."

Well, one thing she knew; she had no intention of doing that! She didn’t even let her family hear her. He wouldn’t have heard her if he hadn’t been prying!

"And I do not say this lightly..because my dream is to one day play for the world!"

He would perhaps regret saying those words later; they would replay at the worst moments in the future.

Currently Imelda just looked mildly intrigued by them.

"..I only wanted to know the name that such a voice belonged to..please...tell me your name, querida.."

She glanced him over in the slowly failing light yet again, and recalled his features better from when he’d been peeking over her gate. Well...maybe she could at least give that...

”Imelda”, she answered simply, giving her family name with it because why not? He’d find it out anyway now that he knew which house was hers.

A few things which Imelda could have added flickered in her mind, but she awaited out Héctor’s responses; and to find out possibly what he’d meant by Worth Her While before she made suggestions, like climbing the tree in the courtyard so she could get a better look at him; improper as her father would say that was!

[Deleted]

"Imelda.." Héctor closed his eyes for a brief second and breathed her name like it filled him with air. It was making his heart beat all the more rapidly now that he finally had a name to put to that beautiful face and that beautiful voice that practically had him hypnotized. His large brown eyes gazed up at her affectionately. "Gracias.. I never knew I could want something so much, but it's true.." His gentle voice was truly filled with gratitude for allowing him to have her name, wearing a timid smile after admitting incredulously just how much he wanted something so simple, but right now he felt like he was the happiest man in the world just to receive it.  

"I don't pretend to think that I deserve to be by your side, Imelda.." The musician spoke humbly, knowing that she could have any man that she wanted at her very command, recalling the words that he sang to her earlier, "You can always cast me aside and follow the rules like the rest of the world.." The rules for courting a woman like her in these days was to be rich enough to provide a woman with financial security and to have a good reputation in his family name to maintain or improve her status in society. Unfortunately, Héctor couldn't promise her riches to promise her security, and he didn't even come from any family to even give her any kind of status. As the rumors would later say about the famous musician, he truly started out as a nobody from Santa Cecilia, and for both Héctor and Ernesto, the world was their family. If she wanted to follow the rules of society, she had every reason to do so, but like his words from his previous song, all he could give was his humble heart:  

"But if I could have even the smallest chance to prove that I can be worthy of you.." The sixteen year old further alluded to the point he made earlier that he truly meant what he said about making it worth her while, not realizing that he would later sound so similar to his great great grandson wanting to be worth being given a blessing. "Then I promise to do whatever it takes to make it come true.." He swore to her with a devoted smile, "Because in the end, I will always follow what I feel in my heart.." And Imelda was the one that was commanding all of the feelings that he held in his heart; whatever she said, he was at her disposal.

Gently setting down the bunched up flowers on the ground in front of him, he pulled up his guitar with his two hands again. Héctor gazed up at the beautiful figure of Imelda again in the balcony, with the light of the remaining glimmering sun casting on her like she was on a spotlight and giving her tanned complexion a beautiful tinge of purple. Just to prove that he would follow whatever was in his heart, he began to strum a few melodious chords that sounded just right together from the top of his head. And then.. words began to slowly form from the bottom of his heart with a gentle tone of his voice: 

Yo quiero hacer.. que una canción, una canción llega hasta el corazón (I want to make.. a song, only a song that could even reach the heart) 
De mis acordes, solo un acorde que vibra el alma con sensacion y te-encordes (That my strings, just a string can reverberate your soul with sensation/feeling and entwine you)
Que un ritmo, de mis ritmos toca el mismo latir que seguimos (That a rhythm, from my rhythms can play the same heartbeat while we would dance them)
De los movimientos, un movimiento que te envuelve conmigo sin remordimiento (From my movements, a movement that can involve you with me and not regret it)
Y que mi canto, que mi canto te lleva al cielo azul y da encanto (And that my singing, that my singing can lift you into the blue skies and be enchanting)

Ay, que una canción, una canción llega hasta el corazón (Oh, that just a song, just a song that could even reach the heart)
Que la melodía, sea una melodía que enciende tu pasión de cada día (That the melody, is a melody that ignites your passion every day)
De las cuerdas, que cada cuerda te trae un amor que recuerdas (From the chords, that every chord brings you a love that you'll remember) 
Y que mis letras, unas letras me abren tus puertas (And that my lyrics, only lyrics can open your doors to me) 

"Yo quiero hacer que una canción, una canción llega hasta el corazón..” (I want to make a song, only a song, that could even reach the heart)" At the end of the song when he was unable to come up with more words, Héctor stopped strumming and realized that he had just created a tune without even writing down the words! And now it was gone with the wind! He had never done this before. All this time, he had just sang popular music, but now he was starting to feel that perhaps he could make his own music. The musician parted his lips as he stared up at her. That was when he realized in that moment that Imelda was quickly becoming his muse to sing his own music, and this was all because he wanted to prove to her that he was willing to do whatever it takes to prove his worth to her. 

(These are my lyrics that I rhymed in Spanish, but I suck at rhyming in English too so I left it alone)

[Mamá Imelda]

She drummed her fingers a bit on the railing, watching him, not from any true impatience or lack of really wanting to be there, but as Imelda thought through how good of an idea this was and watched his reaction to being given her name.

"Gracias.. I never knew I could want something so much, but it's true.."

"Yeah, ok, fine, now...", he went on, even as Imelda tried to find what exactly it was she was going to tell him or ask him to do next.

"I don't pretend to think that I deserve to be by your side, Imelda..You can always cast me aside and follow the rules like the rest of the world.."

She should, she knew...and as he'd all but admitted, this boy had nothing!

"But if I could have even the smallest chance to prove that I can be worthy of you.."

"Mira, you seem like a nice..."

"Then I promise to do whatever it takes to make it come true..Because in the end, I will always follow what I feel in my heart.."

Imelda had been ignoring and avoiding, to herself even, any kind of admission that his overly sapped words had any effect whatsoever, and so far it had been easy, but at this last...she halted what she'd before and in between tried to say and couldn't help a small smile coming to her face.

Nor could she help leaning closer a bit on the railing and chuckling softly, "You're going to get eaten alive with that kind of attitude, Musico, and not just by the dogs", if she was still pretending there were dogs, it was obvious by now that there weren't given he was standing in the courtyard unharmed.

Imelda looked slightly unsure as he started signing, but then just gave another small smile. The sap of the words he kept spouting in song and just in general was slowly not mattering so much, though Imelda would still say she wasn't just giving in to agreeing to anything just yet...still, she could humor him maybe. If it kept him coming around...

"That um...", a strand of Imelda's braid fell loose and she brushed it back behind her ear slightly, "That, wasn't too bad...though the sky's red right now, Tonto", she admitted to his song, and teased slightly at the end; and she was being very guarded about her compliment, it was more than just Not Too Bad.

She then glanced at him fully again, "But do you mean it? You'll do anything to prove your worth? I...guess I could tell you what kind of flower I really like", Imelda was tempted to feel bad, but no, he couldn't just get to waltz up, poetic song or no, and the same test she'd before given would work here too.

"Do you know the cactus field on the other side of Señor Perez's farm? Well I have never seen flowers so beautiful as those cactus flowers, in all honesty...though...I understand, it's too much to ask, still you asked for a chance", Imelda's smile wasn't so much mocking as intrigued and slightly amused.

[Deleted]

Oh that laugh! The sixteen year old hopeless romantic smiled affectionately up at her as she leaned against the balcony railing, secretly vowing to himself that he was going to make her smile and laugh for as long as he lived. He hoped, with his luck and desperation determination, that he would be able to convince her to be with him, and that they would live many long years where he could make that vow come true so that he could forever hear that laugh ringing in his ears. 

"You're going to get eaten alive with that kind of attitude, Musico, and not just by the dogs"

The raven haired musician chuckled slightly at her threat with a sheepish smile before instantly changing that around in a positive light, playfully pretending that he didn't just hear her threat because he was so far away. “What? Imelda! ¿¡Dijistes que me vas a comer a besos?! (Did you say that you are going to kiss me all over?!) Ah, but we only just met!” He placed his hand on his heart with an enthusiastic grin before chuckling playfully and using his thumbs to grip onto his suspenders underneath his casual jacket all confidently, proudly changing the whole "being eaten alive" into a popular Spanish saying for being kissed all over. He shrugged with a hopeful smile, and it was obvious by that look he had that he was imagining that to actually happen, and with the shrug that meant that he wouldn't mind that at all! “By the way, I have met your gatita! I had to thank her for chasing away all the dogs for me!” He remarked with a sly smile, but still being playful in pretending that she had dogs along with her and they were merely scared off.  The gentlemanly Héctor could tell everyone else that they were wrong, but he would never think about saying that Imelda was wrong, so he was all about playing along! 

"That, wasn't too bad..”

Anyone would have been insulted by the half compliment, but Héctor didn't pretend to think that he was as good for it being his first time singing from his heart. He brightened up into a gleaming smile with his heart beating so fast, so hopeful. This was it! She really liked him! He KNEW that music was good idea all along! It really can change a heart!  

“..Though the sky is red right now, tonto.”

His smile faltered only a tiny bit in confusion as he lowered his guitar down to stand on the ground, holding it by the neck. What? She tells him that the sky is red!? Ay no! He meant the blue sky in general, not just right now! That didn't make any sense! Why was she seeing everything in reverse? Wait. Did that mean that she didn't like the song? No, that did not make sense either.. he saw her smiling earlier! Héctor tried to figure out what Imelda was thinking, but was left completely baffled as to whether she liked the song, or was even interested in him or not. However, that seemed to change and his heart paced up pretty quickly with an amazed smile upon hearing that she was considering that he would do anything to prove himself, even mentioning about her favorite flower. "Yes! Anything you want, bonita! Tell me any flower you want and I guarantee that I will get it for you by tomorrow night!" He proclaimed as he stepped forward a few steps and gazed up at her with a confident smile, certain to easily get it within the night! Getting a flower was easy! He knew a guy that could let him borrow something from a shop..

"Do you know the cactus field on the other side of Señor Perez's farm? Well I have never seen flowers so beautiful as those cactus flowers, in all honesty.."

After picturing where the cactus field was in his mind, the nobody from Santa Cecilia parted his lips in astonishment upon hearing such a request! “Ehh...Cactus.. flowers?” He echoed softly in shock, trying to process what she had just said and what he had just promised to bring by tomorrow night without thinking! He was completely bewildered in trying to figure out whether she was interested in him or if she was messing with his mind! Héctor quickly tossed her a confident smile though, trying to hide his trepidation. “Oh those cactus flowers are so beautiful, linda! I can see why you like them! Uh..one tiny question?…Do you have another favorite flower that is a bit more… eh..accessible?” He grinned sheepishly, hoping that she had some flowers that were simpler to get? Surely she knew how dangerous and difficult that was.. anyone would have to be loco to get a flower from a cactus!

"...I understand, it's too much to ask, still you asked for a chance"

The fact that this opportunity was on the verge of slipping away instantly caused him to gasp softly and halt everything out of his desperation. Ernesto did infuse him with the idea of seizing his moment after all! “No wait! Claro que si, mi reina (My queen)! Ahaha! I..I was only kidding! I’ll get you your cactus flowers!” He quickly reassured her with a broad smile, promising that he would get the cactus flowers as if that were the easiest thing in the world! "Why don't you start looking for a vase to put them in because you're gonna need it by tomorrow night!” He narrowed his eyebrows defiantly with a confident grin, eager to prove to her that she would have them ready for her tomorrow. “But until then, I will leave you to dream about them, eh? Buenas noches, Imeldita!” The gentleman blew her a kiss without expecting one in return and waved at her before hoisting up his guitar and slipping out the door of the courtyard. 

Just as he got out the door and turned, he bumped into the 20 year old Ernesto, causing the skinny teenager to nearly fall backwards, "Oof!" Thankfully, he caught his balance enough when he staggered back to remain standing. “Oye.. oye! Were you here this whole time?!" He whispered to him hoarsely with a face palm slapped onto his face, embarrassed to think that Ernesto had been watching him struggle this entire time! He could tell that Ernesto was about to ask whether he really wanted to do this, and Héctor waved it off as he began to walk away. "Look, I know what you are going to say.. and I am going to do this! I already made up my mind! Don’t try to stop me, hermano..” The teenager said defiantly as he walked back home alongside of his older best friend. He was determined to do this! However, he was surprised to find that Ernesto actually was going to let him! Héctor glanced up at him with surprise on his features. Ernesto wasn't physically stopping him from doing this dangerous request to get the cactus flower? Why? That was when Ernesto told him that if he wanted to do this so badly, then he simply needed to seize his moment. Héctor grinned enthusiastically at his best friend's support in this! Yes! That's right! If Imelda wanted that cactus flower, well that was just what he was going to do! Come tomorrow night!   

[Mamá Imelda]

She was shamelessly teasing, Imelda would admit to that, and her Mamá would be so infuriated to hear of it, and to know she was letting this kind of behavior go on and encouraging young men in the garden to keep coming back to trample the flowers, but...he was cute, she was deciding this more and more.

Her smile was mocking but soft...until shock took over her whole face followed swiftly by color!

“What? Imelda! ¿¡Dijistes que me vas a comer a besos?! Ah, but we only just met!”

"What? No! I...I...you!", Imelda glowered down at him, her face going even redder, and noticed, even in the light that was slowly falling more and more, but still visible enough, his smug face and smile like he was...oh!

She just continued to watch, frowning, hands gripping the railing as he went on.

“By the way, I have met your gatita! I had to thank her for chasing away all the dogs for me!”

It was just further mocking, and it should have enraged her further! But oddly enough Imelda found herself just sighing. Crossing her arms, still less than pleased with him, but not hurling further words (or anything else!) at the moment. She missed Pepita lifting her head slightly with an almost smile and then laying it back down, just watching the two from over by the door.

By the time they were onto flowers, Imelda was chuckling again.

Héctor promised her one by tomorrow night! Well, before he heard which one it was.

“Ehh...Cactus.. flowers? Oh those cactus flowers are so beautiful, linda! I can see why you like them! Uh..one tiny question?…Do you have another favorite flower that is a bit more… eh..accessible?”

Imelda chuckled, before going on, to basically say no, and give him an out; one which he didn't take. It sent him almost into a panic, in fact! The very idea of just giving up. Well...that was something refreshing, and...in a way Imelda was glad he didn't just give up.

She actually found herself looking forward to tomorrow night as she listened to him go on with further sapped words before jogging off. She chuckled and then went inside, leaving the window open for Pepita, who walked in after her.

"It's sort of sad, Pepita, but you and I both know he won't actually come back. Senor Perez does have dogs".

<>

Because of the truth of this latter statement, Imelda was already thinking through exceptions to her own challenge, something she'd never done with any of the other boys to try to catch her eye. In fact, that was the whole reason for the challenge, to get rid of them!

Yet now...she didn't know anymore...

What if Héctor really didn't ever come back?

What if he ended up resenting her for the challenge...

All these thoughts were what lead to Imelda pacing her balcony slightly the next night, "Oh come on, Tonto, I didn't mean it, just...be ok...", she muttered, but to where he couldn't hear of course. Especially since he wasn't below her window.

[Deleted]

At home, the sixteen year old musico wore a love-struck smile, not being able to think without recalling all of the things that had happened that night. Opening his booklet on his lap, he sighed as he tried to recall all that he had sang, but he wasn't able to remember the words or even the order. Perhaps Imelda was making him go un poco crazy with the liberties that she took to request that cactus flower. He was still a little nervous about that! Perhaps the words would come to him later if he kept practicing the melody. Pulling up his guitar, he tried to replay the music with some of the chords that he remembered playing. No, no.. that came first. But what in between this chord and then this other familiar chord? With now a mix of what he remembered playing and what he tried to put together from what he didn't know, he began to practice the new music and began writing down the musical notation onto his song booklet for the first time.

"Oiga! Levántate, Ernesto! (Listen! Get up, Ernesto!)" Héctor whistled for Ernesto to get up in the morning, trying to get his twenty year old friend to get moving faster. "Ay que practicar, hermano! We have to rehearse as soon as we can! I need to get that flower by tonight!" For the first time, he was so anxious to get the rehearsal over with so that he could figure out how to get that flower as soon as he could! The fact that he didn't have even a plan was making him more anxious, as he preferred having a plan of action always. He hoped that he would have enough time after the rehearsal to survey the area what he had to work with in order to come up with something to get that cactus flower. Sometimes, Héctor wondered if Ernesto even cared about rehearsals.. but he was probably just feeling frustrated, surely Ernesto knew that this was important for them to practice well on what they were going to perform! 

After eating their brunch, the rehearsal during the day took longer than expected, mostly because Héctor took it seriously on making sure all the songs would be coordinated to flow well with each other. Finally, they were able to get it done in time for both of them to be able to head over to the cactus field by la finca de Señor Perez, only to really be given the reality check that getting a cactus flower on top of a cactus was really not going to be easy at all. "Oye, cierra el hocico (Listen, shut your trap), Ernesto! I am trying to think of a plan!" He shoved Ernesto teasingly with a playful smile before placing his hands over his face as he tried to think of a plan. "Oye, oye, oye, oye (hey)...!" His face lit up when he was suddenly getting something! Maybe he could climb onto Ernesto's shoulders and get it! "...no.." He shot his own idea down, knowing that Ernesto would not want to risk making a bad move and get pinched as well. His best friend didn't deserve to get hurt too over something that Héctor wanted to do. "A ver, a ver, a ver, a ver...(Let's see)" He mused with a stroke of his small beard pensively as his whole body turned 360 degrees, glancing around at all the surroundings to see what he could work with, when his brown eyes landed on the fence post right next to some tall cactuses that had flowers on them. "Okay.. okay...!" The only way he could get to the cactuses that were right next to the fence post, but he would have to climb at it from the other side in order to reach the top of the cactuses without getting hurt. It was the perfect plan!

Getting a boost from Ernesto, the skinny teenaged boy was able to climb the fence from the other side to survey the whole farm, being able to see the cactus flowers right next to the fence on the other side. His bright smile was full of confidence until he saw the dogs fighting over a stick aggressively before they were called inside to eat their meal.  "No, no, no, no! I have to be loco for doing this!" He muttered to himself fearfully with his thumb and his index finger covering his eyes, really thinking that this was not a good idea anymore. Ernesto seemed to repeat what he had said as if to make sure. "..No! I said I have to do this!" He defended himself childishly, completely lying about the fact that he had said the complete opposite. There was no way he was going to show fear in front of Ernesto. When he got down again, he tried to breathe calmly as he took of his jacket and his bandana tied around his neck so that he could give it to Ernesto. Now, he was only wearing a long sleeved white shirt and his blue pant slacks. "Like you said, hermano.. I just have to.. 'vivir el momento'..(Seize your moment, literal translation: Live your moment)" He smiled, though it was a nervous one, partly wondering if he was truly going to live through this moment. No, Héctor tried to shake these thoughts away and loosened up before he managed to quietly get through the gate door and slowly start sneaking through the field of crops. "Okay... okay....okay.... voy bien... voy bien...(Going well..)" He whispered to himself reassuringly, trying to instill his own self-confidence like he always liked to do before a performance.  

This farm seemed to stretch out a lot longer than he had initially thought now that he was actually in it. As soon as he thought that he was close to what he felt was the half-way point, he turned around to see his muscular friend's head peeking up on the fence by doing a pull up. He smiled encouragingly and gave his friend a thumbs up, when he parted his lips upon noticing the look of fear in his best friend's widened eyes. That was when he slowly turned behind him to find the three dogs facing him, causing him to gasp loudly as he frantically took several steps back with his hands raised up. "Eheh.. hola cachorritos! (Hi little puppies!)" He grinned with a high pitched tone that was hopeful that they would react pleasantly to his friendly tone. However, they did not, even worse was that they were growling upon not recognizing the voice and baring their teeth. An audible gulp was made at his throat, suddenly recalling Imelda's words: 

"You're going to get eaten alive with that kind of attitude, Musico, and not just by the dogs"

What if Imelda was right? What if he were to never get a chance to see Imelda again? Just as he slowly took another step back, the young boy stepped on a bone that looked like a femur, causing his eyes to widen in fear this could one day be his bones that they would feast upon, before blinking in realization that he could use this to distract them! Quickly, he kicked up the bone with the tip of his shoe into his hand, demonstrating the bone to the dogs to get them interested. "Heh-Hey! Cachorritos, quieren el huesito? (Puppies, do you want the bone?).. then go..GET it!" Throwing it diagonally towards the house by the side that he came from as far as he could throw so that the dogs could be at the opposite of where he wanted to go, the teenaged musician was delighted to find that his plan worked! The dogs instantly raced each other to get the bone, which allowed Héctor to run for it as fas as he could to continue forward to the other side of the fence where the cactus flowers were. "HAHA!" He couldn't help but laugh triumphantly, or perhaps out of his nervousness, upon tricking the dogs as he ran for it. Unfortunately, his moment of triumph was short lived when the raven haired boy glanced behind him upon hearing the dogs barking from behind him as they were running a short distance behind. "AHH!! No, no, no!" The thin teenager exclaimed in trepidation before he suddenly leaped over a hurdle of farming equipment thanks to his tall height, though because he was not in any sports, the musician parted his lips in shock that he actually made it over it! Just as he finally made it to the fence post, the young man tried to use the horizontal wooden beams of the fence that stuck out to climb the fence, which caused him to slow down due to the fact that his feet were too big to get a good footing on the fence. 

Unfortunately, it was enough for the dogs to catch up and jump up at him just as he was halfway up the fence, one of them barking at him with foam coming out of his mouth, another one of them biting his shoe, and another one jumping up to bite his pant leg above the other foot. "AYY!" Héctor yelped in pain upon feeling the dog bite into his leg. He tried to keep his grip onto the top of the fence tightly and climbed up higher until he was finally close enough to reach the cactus flower with one hand gripped onto the top of the fence and the other hand trying to reach the cactus flower as carefully but as quickly as he could. "Almost.. there...AH!" Just as he tried to reach over and grab one purple cactus flower, he suddenly winced upon feeling the dog that was barking try to jump up on his back, failing to bite anything because he was so skinny, but scratching at his back with his nails on his front paws just as the dog descended again. The reaction caused him to flail his free arm right onto the prickly body of the cactus. "AYYYYY!! Sst! Miércoles! (Literally means Wednesday but he's trying not to curse)" Tears filled his eyes automatically at the pain as the young man stared at his sleeved arm covered in needles, half stuck onto the cactus still. With a groan, he slowly took his arm out of the cactus with a lot of wincing, before he slowly reached up and grabbed the other red cactus flower successfully. 

There. He did it! 

..Now what.  

Héctor glimpsed over the bed of cactuses that he could fall into on the other side of the fence that he was on, pondering if he should deal with his entire body covered in needles, or if he could face the dogs that were already tearing at his clothes and scratching up his skin and somehow get to the other side of the fence where Ernesto was. A helpless exhale left his lips as he tried to get his limbs ontop of the fence to prevent himself from getting hurt by the dogs, though he was too tall to be able to completely be ontop of the fence without his limbs dangling and audible sounds of tearing at his shirt sleeves and pants being made. He was stuck. 

At least that was, until a noise was uttered by his best friend, causing him and even the dogs to look over quizzically. Then the young musician saw a tiny cat on top of the fence post on the other side, easily walking atop of the fence post and even boldly jumping a few feet and landing on the fence post by the adjacent side of the fence. "No manches?!( No way)" He murmured in shock that the cat was actually intelligent enough to understand just where he was! The dogs snarled at their worst enemy being ontop of that fence post and ran over to the other side of the fence to bark at the cat. With the dogs no longer nearby, Héctor instantly let go of the fence and jumped down onto the ground again, landing on his feet, but falling onto his knees with a wince upon feeling the pain in his legs from the bite. Glancing over at the prickled hand that gripped the two cactus flowers, he brought himself up to his feet and ran for the gate. the cat was luring the dogs too closely by the gate, causing Héctor to move diagonally through the crops towards the corner of the house. Climbing onto the fence, he staggered whilst climbing up due to the pain in his leg and his shoe slipped, causing him to drop the purple cactus flower onto the ground. "No, no! Argh.." He exclaimed in frustration as he saw the cactus flower on the ground. The desperately in love boy did have half a mind get back down to pick it up, but a quick glance over at the dogs indicated that they had just seen him. "Ernesto! Ayudame (help me), quick! Help me up, amigo!"  He called out to his friend desperately, who instantly did a pull up and reached for his hands to pull him over the fence onto the other side, causing the teenager to land onto his face in the dirt covered ground. 

"Gracias hermano.." Héctor murmured softly to his friend with a tone filled with intense gratitude, glancing over at Ernesto after he painfully helped him get out all the cactus needles out of his skin for him to at least look decent to Imelda. He smiled over at the little cat walking towards them and sitting next to him. "Ven aqui gatita (come here, little cat).." After putting on his blue jacket to hide his torn shirt underneath and wrapped his bandanna bow around his neck, the musician picked the cat up gently in his arms, wincing slightly at the pain of where the needles used to be, but smiling down at the cat anyways at he pet her, "Oye, que valiente eres (you are so brave), eh?! I knew it all the time! Thank you for doing that!" When they headed back towards town where Imelda's hacienda was, Ernesto remained behind as he painfully walked through the courtyard with the tiny cat in his arms before he gently let her down so that she could be back with its owner. This time, Imelda's cat managed to climb her way up to the balcony, where she entered inside the window that Imelda had opened, purring as she rubbed against Imelda before trying to head back through the window to lead her outside of the balcony.  "Hola seniorita Imelda! Tengo una sopresittaaa! (I have a little surprise!)" Was the enthusiastic sing-song voice that came from Héctor who was found underneath her balcony, hiding the cactus flower behind his back with a triumphant grin, knowing that he had completed the task just as he promised her. Anyone else would tell him that he was crazy for doing that for someone as fierce as Imelda, but perhaps it was worth being crazy over her. 

[Mamá Imelda]

After a bit more pacing, Imelda gave it up and called it a night, going inside but leaving the balcony window open for Pepita, since she knew the cat was still out and about. Sure enough the cat came strolling inside not long after Imelda figured she might.

She didn't know half of what Pepita got up to in the course of a night.

"Well, there you are", Imelda bent and pet Pepita, moving over to close the window, but finding that her cat continued on outside to the balcony again. "Pepita...", Imelda went to try to coax her cat back inside, but was interrupted by a voice from the garden...

"Hola seniorita Imelda! Tengo una sopresittaaa! (I have a little surprise!)"

No! It couldn't be! Imelda rushed the rest of the way across the balcony in stunned shock, and then continued staring down at Héctor in the same emotion. "Estas vivo! (you're alive)", she exclaimed in breathless awe, then snapped herself out of her shock to try to maintain her teasing front.

"I mean...what is it? You got a purple flower from off the cactus?", there was something in his countenance as she said that (did his face lose color?)...Imelda found herself retracting instantly, "¡Lo siento! Estaba bromeando...(I'm sorry, I was teasing/that was a joke)".

Her smile softened and she leaned on the balcony once more, "What is it, brave conquistador?".

It was too dark this night to see him and what he held properly by, though Imelda got that it was a cactus flower! No doubt from the field she'd mentioned, and even if it wasn't...

The first ever to actually do it?!

"Here come...up here, you can show it to me better", the teasing left her voice a bit for seriousness and as she indicated to a tree that she knew quite well jutted at the perfect angle to allow for access to her balcony by the amount of times she'd made sure if she had to push boys off of the branches. She never had, of course, but she'd been prepared! "You can climb again?", she asked and checked.

She helped Héctor a bit and as he clambered up, though as she got a look at the sleeve of the arm she grasped she gasped, "¡Tu brazo! (your arm)", without asking if she could, she pushed the sleeve up and peered at what she saw, clicking her tongue slightly, "Idiota...", she was chiding herself, under her breath, though that may not have been clear.

Her gaze was soft as she glanced to him again and helped him the last bit of the way to the balcony. She was simply helping him after everything he'd gone through just for her, but still, Imelda put a finger to her lips to warn him to keep quiet unless they wanted her Papa chasing him off.

Somewhere in that she took the flower he had gone through such trouble for and presented, "Gracias...", she distractedly tucked it into her hair, "Here...come sit on the bench, I'll get a rag and see what I can't do about this", she indicated from his scratched up arm to a bench just inside her room but not too far so that he'd be uncomfortable hopefully, but away from the night air.

Any and all protest of his came to little and she was soon studying her handiwork as she dabbed at his injured arm with a wet rag before trying some homemade salve of her mother's. She didn't know about his bit leg, just yet, and didn't know if he would actually tell her about it if she even thought to ask. Nor about the rest of him and beyond the shirt he was wearing.

She was already pushing proper behavior even inviting him in, "Did you get hurt anywhere else?", she asked, then paused, "And are you sure you wouldn't like to woo some girl who doesn't ask you to risk your neck for her?", she asked in a softer tone, glancing aside and then back up to him from where she knelt by the bench tending to his arm.

"Forget the dogs...", she chuckled, "Some day you're gonna get killed just because of me". She was kidding, but...one day her words would kind of come true, and Héctor would pay for her and the family they had...

[Deleted]

"Estas vivo! (you're alive)"

The raven haired teenager's eyebrows rose with a huge surprised grin that parted his lips upon hearing that she was happy that he's alive! That meant something, no?! It could have easily just have been her shock that he was alive after she had purposely tried to get rid of him in her own crazy way, but the hopeless romantic was not going to think about that. Of course she liked him! And he was going to count that as a blessing anyways; He was alive to tell the tale, and give the flower that Imelda asked for!   

"I mean...what is it? You got a purple flower from off the cactus?"

That hit him perhaps harder than even the dog's bite on his leg. A soft gasp escaped his lips and he almost couldn't even breathe as his smile instantly faded into a look of shock, his mind recalling the purple flower falling from his hands and onto the floor of the other side of that fence. No! The flower that fell was the one that she wanted! The worst thing was, he didn't even ask what color flower she wanted, or else he would have most certainly tried to make sure he at least had that one! Ay! What was he going to do?! Did that mean that she wouldn't accept the red cactus flower that he had hiding behind him? Should he go back to get the purple flower that he had dropped?! His countenance paled at the thought of facing the dogs again, but he was actually considering it.. 

¡Lo siento! Estaba bromeando!"

Imelda was truly messing with his mind now! All of his concerns instantly disappeared from his face upon hearing that she was only joking, and he chuckled timidly upon acknowledging that she got him good! Waiiit. Wait. Wait..Did that mean that the flower thing all a joke and he literally took it seriously!? No, no, no, she was not making any sense! Oh the liberties she was taking over him being willing to do whatever she wanted! 

"What is it, brave conquistador?"

Watching her lean against the balcony with that beautiful smile and hearing her call him brave was enough to brush all of his overthinking, causing the young musician to puff up his chest a little bit proudly while his heart paced rapidly in excitement for being able to show what he was able to get for her. "Tada!" He pulled out from behind him the red cactus flower with a bright smile. 

"Here come...up here, you can show it to me better"

The sixteen year old Héctor parted his lips in amazement upon hearing her invite him up there to show her more closely! Even more when she asked if he could climb, which meant to him that she wasn't teasing him either. This was truly a blessing! Héctor had probably done enough climbing for the day, but the slender boy had so much energy, and combined with now possibly the adrenaline rush that he was having for even being close to Imelda, it was what allowed him to climb the tree. Of course, he struggled when he got to the middle and grabbed one of the branches. He flinched at the pain before seeing his blue jacket have a bit of blood stained on it where the cactus needles used to be. Obviously the pressure he was giving his arms in the climb caused it to bleed again. He glanced over at Imelda just as she pointed out his arm, sadly noticing it, too. He wasn't sure what to say, he didn't want to show how hurt he was or show look unproper in front of her with showing anything stained or ripped. Imelda was so formalita in comparison to him. 

To his surprise, she seemed to want to help him. Since he had the cactus flower in one hand, the skinny teenager allowed her to assist him as he reached towards the end of the tree branch, reaching for her hand to be able to clamber onto the balcony. Once he stood on his feet at the balcony next to her, he wore shy, but heartfelt smile as he gazed down at her tanned hand on his. She was only helping him, but he still relished in her touch. "..I hope you still like red, Imeldit..!" He paused upon her shushing him and quieted shyly before presenting her with the cactus flower that had a mixture of red and pink hues. It wasn't the flower color she wanted, but he hoped that it was enough to show her that he tried at least..

"Gracias..."

A heartfelt smile formed on his lips as the teenaged musician watched Imelda actually tuck the flower he gave her into her beautiful hair. The secret artist admired how, if it were possible, she looked even more radiant with her beautiful dress and now complete with the flower in her hair, especially up close. For once, he was actually speechless. When she invited him inside, he parted his lips in shock that he was actually allowed to be inside of her room, but wordlessly and obediently followed her inside. While she went to get a rag, the teenager winced a little as he sat down because of his back arching where the scratches were along with that bite mark on his leg, but obediently remained on the bench that she had indicated, not daring to move anywhere. He was too much of a gentleman to go exploring a lady's room. Still, from where he sat, he took a moment to glance about what he could see of the room with an awed smile, still amazed at even being invited at all. He turned when she came back with a rag and what was probably salve, causing him to raise his hands up, flinching as he did so because of his arm, with a meek smile, "Ay Imelda, gracias..but..no te preocupes (don't worry).."The teenaged boy quietly insisted that it was okay, trying to be as tough as the men were supposed to be when it came to dealing with pain, though mostly because he was shy and not used to someone worrying over him like this. Still, Imelda tried to quiet him down with her insistance and proceeded to pull his sleeve back. "..But you really don't have to do this..!" He whispered to protest against it, but it couldn't be helped. He quieted down obediently when she insisted and winced with a hard inhale upon feeling her dab onto his skin with the wet rag. He tried to hold his breath, trying so hard to be like the men that didn't show any pain, but he couldn't, it was plain on his expression that it was truly painful. "Wait, wait...Ah..!" That escaped him in an exhale and bit his lip to quiet himself down, flinching with closed eyes upon feeling her dab onto a part that his hand, probably the part where the needles went deepest when he got it stuck on the cactus.

"Ssstt..!" The young man could feel a bit of tears forming at his eyes as a reaction to the pain when he peeked at the bit of blood she was cleaning up on his arm where he probably had about a dozen tiny holes on his tanned arm. Thankfully, the tears didn't come down and would eventually go away. Well, at least he took out the needles before hand because that would have been so much louder, and at least he didn't look like a cactus to make himself look more ridiculous than he probably was already.  He noticed the salve looked homemade since it did not look like it came from any brand container, and after a few minutes, it was cooling down his skin to where he was able to take a moment to gaze up into her concentrated brown eyes and admire how she was taking care of him like this. Ernesto taught him that the world was their familia; if he wanted to do anything, only he could do it because no one was going to do it for him. He had never had family to receive this kind of nurturing care since he was a boy at the orphanage, and it was also a  nuturing side of her that he had never seen before. An affectionate smile formed on his lips as his heart beat so quickly, loving the feeling of being so close to her and having her tend to him in this way. For this alone, he was willing to go through more cactuses just to be able to have this feeling of being cared for again.  If she asked for anything more from him, he was now crazy enough to be willing to do it.

"Did you get hurt anywhere else?"

Héctor paused for a moment as he deliberated on an answer to that before waving off his non-injured hand with a small smile, "No.. estoy bien!" (No.. I'm fine) He lied a bit with a timid chuckle, though he was technically telling the truth by doing a play on words with the fact that he did say 'no estoy bien' which meant I'm not fine depending on where the pause was, but honestly he was being shy about asking the other places, not wanting to put Imelda into an uncomfortable position.  Upon hearing her ask if he was sure about not wanting to woo anyone else that he would not have to risk his neck for, he blinked and peered at her curiously with a raise an eyebrow at her. She was not making sense, why else would he go through all this if he was not sure? "Ay Imelda.. tu vez todo al revés! (You are seeing everything backwards!)" He said lightly with a playful chuckle, now it was his turn to lightly tease her. "You think I would be willing to look like a cactus if I did not know how much I wanted to do this?" He asked her, smiling down at her reassuringly, wanting her to know that it was worth it if it was for her. Just like he sang to her yesterday, she was the only one for him. "Yo haría todo por ti, Imelda.. (I will do anything for you)..Tell me anything you want y pa' quando (casual/informal way of saying and when you want it), and I will make it come true... If you asked me to go back to get that purple flower, then I will do it all again for you!" He promised devotedly with confidence, now no longer even afraid of the dogs anymore if it meant that Imelda would care for him like she did. Did she not see how much he was willing to do just to be with her and prove his love to her? 

"Some day you're gonna get killed just because of me".

"Imelda.. you said some day?" The hopeless romantic musician mused with his heart throbbing in his chest, smiling meekly at her but so full of hope now. "..Does that mean that you will see me for more than a day?" Up until now, Héctor only dreamed that he would be able to spend another day with her, but it sounded like she was giving him a guarantee that there would be another day for it to even be called a some day. He would perhaps not know how true those words she had said would be, but for now he just smiled with a shake of his head in denial of that happening. He could see himself living a long time, playing for the world, and hopefully being with Imelda until he would grow old with her. Still, he was more than happy to reassure her. Placing a hand over hers, he smiled down at her warmly. "Aunque la vida me cueste, Llorona.. no dejare de quererte.." (Even if it costs me my life, I will never stop loving you) He sang softly to her in a gentle tone with a small smile, recalling the La Llorona song that she was singing yesterday; He wanted her to know that if he should ever lose his life, that he would truly never stop loving her no matter where he should end up.

With that, the gentleman felt it was best to take his leave and then stood up from the bench, but winced at the pain of his back straightening up where the scars were. "..No, Imelda..no estoy bien.." (I'm not fine)  He admitted weakly and slowly took off his blue jacket, careful not to hurt his arm that she took care of in the process as he pulled it off of him to reveal his long sleeved white shirt torn at the back where the dog's nails slashed at him. He wasn't sure what she could do nor expected her to do anything, at the most expecting her to at least tell him how bad it was since he couldn't see behind him. He just wanted to show her so that she knew the reason, or at least one of the reasons, why he was still in pain, and would hopefully understand why he lied earlier to prevent her from being in an uncomfortable position.  

[Mamá Imelda]

There was something almost, super cute in the way he presented the flower after she asked, with his flourished Tada and everything! Imelda giggled lightly again, but tried to keep up that front of teasing unaffected. She wasn't really sure why, maybe it would be ok to let him know how cute she was thinking him more and more.

How happy she was he'd accepted and now met the challenge.

Sure it had been unfair to ask, maybe, but her prepared up challenge for getting annoying boys to go away now worked to try to prove Héctor's own devotion beyond blind infatuation. Not that she didn't still wonder if it was still that and how far.

Would he still be like this after a week? A month?

She could only stick it out with him and see.

"..I hope you still like red, Imeldit..!"

She giggled again as she shushed him and nodded, Yes red was fine.

Though his protests about her aiding him went unheeded, they did not go unnoticed and Imelda smiled again, sure he didn't know how cute he was just in general. She feared her tending manner may have lacked, though, she was used to having to be the insistent older sister to Oscar and Felipe's squirming and trying to squirm out of washing cuts and bandaging. She winced as Héctor did. "Lo siento...", she whispered, "Did that hurt?", she tried to go gentler; and noticing the tears and not thinking through her actions too far she swiped her thumb gently to catch a few, smiling apologetically to him again. For all of it.

Imelda was not often vulnerable in front of others, but she just had to ask what she did, and smiled softly, and a bit stunned also, to his answers.

"You think I would be willing to look like a cactus if I did not know how much I wanted to do this? Yo haría todo por ti, Imelda....Tell me anything you want y pa' quando, and I will make it come true... If you asked me to go back to get that purple flower, then I will do it all again for you!"

"No no", she laughed lightly, and to still keep their voices down, "I'm done asking impossible things...though gracias for putting up with them...".

"Imelda.. you said some day? Does that mean that you will see me for more than a day?"

Imelda chuckled again, "Nothing gets past you, Musico". She smiled and then nodded, "Sí". She then smiled again to his throwing the song lyrics back at her.

Still a gentleman though he then stood to take his leave, but came clean about the extent of his injuries. Imelda gasped as she saw those along his back as well. "I don't know what I could do about that...except, here, take this at least", it was an old, unused hankie, but clean and folded and given along with some of the salve it would maybe cushion enough to get him home, and tying it lightly from behind him was not too pushing a scandal she felt. Or no more than the rest of it. And surprisingly it wrapped around very well and worked. He was so flaco, she noticed, but to no criticism.

[Deleted]

"Lo siento...Did that hurt?"

Upon hearing her soft apologetic whisper, the sixteen year old Héctor winced and parted his lips to reassure her that it wasn't that painful in a helpless attempt to sound strong, but his words fell into speechlessness when she gently used her thumb to catch a few tears that welled in his eyes. His breath was suddenly caught in his throat and he almost didn't breathe in that moment. Oh no! She had caught him with tears in his eyes! Yet what surprised him was that she could have made fun of him for showing emotion and embarrassed him since men were not supposed to show that kind of emotion - to be the "rock" for the women, but she didn't, even when she had every chance to. She was accepting of him wearing his heart on his sleeves, of him bearing emotions as plainly as he felt them. A fond smile formed on his lips as he gazed at her with a look of gratitude for doing this, and even for allowing him to instantly feel so comfortable around her, like he could truly be himself around her.

"I'm done asking impossible things...though gracias for putting up with them..."

Oh, he loved that laugh! It instantly made the teenager smile so affectionately at her, even as she promised that she would not ask for any more impossible tasks and thanked him for putting up with it. "No, de nada..(Your welcome)" He said it simply with a tone that sounded as if he was devotedly willing to do so, as if it was beyond a question in his mind for him to do the impossible for her. "Gracias a ti (Thanks to you), señorita.. for even giving me the chance.." He whispered softly with a sweet smile, wanting her to know that it wasn't one-sided when it came to gratitude. He wouldn't have done all of this if she hadn't given him the chance in the first place, even if he didn't know that she was only trying to get rid of him, but she also didn't need to take him up and tend to his wounds either. Even being with a nobody from Santa Cecilia like him probably went against everything she was taught, but somehow he knew that she was capable of going against social norms. All of this only confirmed what he initially thought about her, the very reason that he wanted to pursue her so vigorously. In his eyes, she seemed like a fierce woman that was capable of more than she probably thought she was allowed to do. He hoped one day, she would perhaps see that, too.

"Sí"

Sometimes, the hopeless romantic Héctor would say his dreams out loud as if to hope that someday the universe would make it come true, but even Imelda's simple yet sweet confirmation caused a soft gasp to be uttered by the young musician as he blinked his widened brown eyes in surprise. This was the first time that one of his wildest dreams that he would toss out to the universe actually came true! "A poco..?! (Mexican slang for really?! in shock)" The teenager whispered in shock, trying to get himself out of the land of speechlessness. "No estas bromeando? (You aren't joking?) Really?!" He said excitedly again a little louder with a wide hopeful smile, but still gently enough not to be heard, as he placed a hand on his chest in hopes to muffle his heart pounding against it. After seeing her smile after he sang to her, he noticed that she did not pull away from placing his hand on her hand, only confirming that she wasn't teasing him at all about wanting to see him again for another day.

The young musician was truly grateful that Imelda was not upset for slightly lying to her earlier about his wounds. He was glad she was understanding that he truly did not want to put her in an uncomfortable position. To his surprise, though, Imelda had offered to wrap around a cloth with some salve on it around his thin waist so that it covered the scratches on his back, and he also tried to help her so that she didn't feel uncomfortable while doing so as much as he liked feeling her touch. "Ah..Sst..Ay gracias por todo (Thank you for everything), señorita Imelda.." He winced a little just feeling the cloth touch his wound, but he was already starting to feel the cooling salve kick in, making him smile so appreciatively down at her for helping him out with even this when she did not have to. Even Héctor knew that showing parts of his skinny waist that was exposed by the tears in his shirt was pushing it for the formalita Imelda. The dog bite in his leg was nothing in comparison to this though, and would most likely result in a bruise anyways, so he wasn't too worried about that as much as his back that he would not have been able to get to, or much less even have the funds to have someone look at it to heal it. Gingerly, the teenaged gentleman took both of those dainty healing hands of hers and kissed them in the center before gently lowering it down. He kept them in his hands for a few seconds longer, only to gently caress her soft skin on top of her hands with his thumb as his eyes fondly gazed down at her with an appreciative smile, before he let go of them. "Buenas noches, Imeldita! (Good night)" He murmured sweetly before turning away towards the balcony so that he could climb down the tree again and head home, already looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow.

[Mamá Imelda]

Yes, it was odd, the quick show of all of the emotions Héctor showed so easily, but while Imelda was strict on herself about social rules and following the norm, that didn't translate to judgement of him, she found. It was refreshing, in a way, to find a boy not afraid of showing even a hint of emotion like many of the others about.

Of course with Héctor one got a hint and then the whole stockpile, she realized, but...it was sweet...or he was...she wasn't quite sure which.

That and his smiles. Imelda found her own soft appreciation of them same as he was her laugh and as she went about her work and banter. What kind of loco boy thanked someone for what she had put him through, though! As he did! Imelda gave a softer chuckle again, a common response around this one it seemed, but made sure to not look like she was laughing at him.

De nada...I'm kind of glad I did...", she admitted.

"A poco..?! No estas bromeando? Really?!"

His voice rose a bit with these questions, and Imelda shushed him quietly again, listening for any sound of any of the family coming, before turning back satisfied they weren't and nodding, giving a slight glance to where his hand rested on hers, but not removing it.

Of course all of this was far more open than she'd allow herself to be in public...a fact she didn't realize yet he wasn't prepared for...to her it was common sense.

She was pushing so much decorum though! Helping him to tie the handkerchief she decided not to worry about getting back, and allowing for all of this, but she found she didn't care so much when it meant she got to see that smile of his. And feel as he lingered holding her hand.

Not...not that she would say she liked him just yet...but...he was alright she decided as she watched him climb back down and dart off. She even watched the space of the dark garden he'd disappeared into for a bit.

<>

Of course if there was one thing Imelda had down (she felt) it was that slight control over things and following along with the rules established just far enough, while maintaining that fire of hers. All this to say her parents and even nosy twin brothers weren't given cause to suspect a thing next morning, same as they hadn't the day before and as she went about helping with the chores for Mama before going into town for her also.

She had left the flower Héctor got her in her basket she would be taking while at the house, and so no one asked anything, but off a whim decided it was innocuous and no one had any business asking her what it was anyway, so wore it again as she went about her errands in town.

She was frowning at the avocado farmer selling his wares, currently, and trying to decipher if he was giving her a run around when she felt a suspicion of a presence she should maybe pay attention to...she refused to turn for that very reason though.

[Deleted]

Ernesto had asked so many questions about what went on inside the room that night, but Héctor wasn't able to say much except what was obvious with the bandages. All he said was that she had wanted to see him tomorrow, which was not exactly her words, but that was what he understood. That was clearly a good sign! After tending to his bite on the leg, and finding it not as bad, he was finally able to get to sleep, turning on his side upon feeling the pain in his back. He almost couldn't sleep that night, just recalling everything, but then he was finally able to slowly drift into slumber as he began to think about her beautiful laugh or her beautiful voice that always somehow relaxed him - contrary to most people who would say the opposite when it came to the fierce girl - but now he couldn't wait until he would see her again tomorrow.

While Ernesto was giving him some pep talk the next day after she was pointed out from far away, Héctor nodded at his best friend's words and ideas while he gawked at the beautiful girl from far away with a love-struck smile. "Okay, hermano.. gracias for helping me out with this! I will do what I can to make it come true!" The teenager grinned with determination as he set off running over, before being told to slow it down to not appear too desperate. 

The musician wore a normal casual jacket over a long sleeved shirt and pants, obviously not wanting to wear his torn up shirt and pants in efforts to look decent in front of Imelda. He did not carry his guitar behind his back using the strap, not wanting it to hurt his sore back, but he did carry the guitar case in his hand while he strolled over. "¡Hola señorita, Imelda!" Héctor greeted Imelda in a sing-song voice once he got next to her with a smile. However, it seemed to the young teenager that she was very focused on what this avocado farmer had to offer, not at all thinking that she was ignoring him. He was much too hopeful from last night to get the message that would have been obvious to anyone. Instead he set down the guitar case next to him to greet the farmer. "¡Hola Nacho! ¿Qué huele? (Literally means what smells, but it's also slang for What's up)" The teenager greeted the farmer named Ignacio with a joking smile, playfully meaning a double meaning of his words given that he wanted to know what was going on, but also given the fact that the man owned a farm. The musician knew all the vendors in the small town by name since he worked the streets a lot, and he had a nickname for every single one.. because why not? The world was his family! Héctor kept glimpsing over at Imelda, before realizing that perhaps he could gain her attention by helping her out with getting a good deal! "Hey.. ¡No hagas eso Nacho! (Don't do that!) Why don't you give her your special discount, eh? Come on!" He tried to put on his most charming grin for the farmer in hopes that he would give her a discount and win her favor. 

"I don't have a special discount, Héctor!" Ignacio said gruffly, glancing around in hopes that no one else heard that. He didn't want his customers to get upset that there was talk about special discounts when there weren't any.  

Héctor's charming grin was slowly slipping onto one of a sheepish one, hoping to still salvage this and not look bad in front of Imelda. "Wait! Wait..Listen, Nacho! If you give the discount and we win the next talent show at the plaza, I promise to tell everyone about your famous aguacates (avocados)! Oh, you would get so many customers here! Imagine the entire audience at your gate, amigo!" He proclaimed confidently, knowing that they were going to win just based on how well they had been rehearsing lately. "C'mon, do this for me, amigo.." He murmured pleadingly to him now, desperate to get that discount. Ignacio relented, but only to get Héctor out of his face, and threatening lowly that if Héctor didn't do well, he was going to put it on his tab. 

"Yes!" All the young Héctor heard was a yes, of course, so he was thrilled to see that Imelda was going to be given a discount. "You see? Anything for you, Imeldita!" He grinned at her enthusiastically before softening his gaze with a warm smile upon taking in how beautiful she looked with that flower in her hair. "Oh..Que linda te vez (How pretty you look) with that flower in your hair!" He complimented her sweetly, ".. I wonder who got it for you.." He added playfully with a shy smile, knowing the answer, and gently reached for her hand to lift her hand to kiss it. All the while, he had in mind to ask her out since things were turning out so well for the two of them ever since yesterday!

[Mamá Imelda]

"¡Hola señorita, Imelda!"

That voice sent a thrill through her, but not the good kind this time, one of panic and...horror? That was a bit of an exaggeration, still somehow she knew...

Imelda turned to him, wide eyed, and watched as Héctor joked with the avocado vendor. Who was apparently named Ignacio. Not that that fact was in any way important to Imelda, but every small fact was seeming to make double the impression as she took in every small bit of the situation yet in a distracted way.

"Wait! Wait..Listen, Nacho! If you give the discount and we win the next talent show at the plaza, I promise to tell everyone about your famous aguacates! Oh, you would get so many customers here! Imagine the entire audience at your gate, amigo! C'mon, do this for me, amigo.."

It was somehow getting so much worse with every word of this back and forth banter. She had to stop him...stop all of this somehow.... Imelda's mind started to actually work, and as she glanced to the side and noticed two of the girls from the house across the way, about her age, and so peers to be contended with in social situations, pause at the other side of the market. Antonietta lifted a hand to cover her mouth and whisper in classic conspiring, gossiping, whispering to her prima as both noticed Imelda over with the músico vagabundo.

Imelda couldn't hear the words, but she felt like she could...

"You see? Anything for you, Imeldita!"

She blinked, coming back from noticing the neighbors as they noticed them. Huh? What?. His smile caught her a bit off guard and she gave a small one back...he was kind of cute...

"Oh..Que linda te vez with that flower in your hair! .. I wonder who got it for you.."

He was just trying to be cute again, but somehow her smile fell, and as he took up her hand. Wait...not here...cielo he was about to...

Imelda forcibly jerked her hand back, mostly panic in the move, "Héctor, Basta ya!", she turned, holding her own hand in her other one, as if to halt his taking it up again and frowned, the look softening, but then letting out a sigh, and of course she had to go and use his name like she knew who he was...

Imelda sighed again and picked up her basket, her face going red. "You just have no idea about anything, do you?!', of course how was he supposed to when she only said this, even a part of Imelda realized it made no sense not to tell him he was just being too enthused, right here in the middle of town, where everyone could see and hear him!

But she shouldn't have to tell him that! Turning she started to march off. If he wanted to come by later, she'd tell him what he did wrong! And admitting to seeing him again did not mean he could accost her the next day!

[Deleted]

The sixteen year old musician's hopeful smile widened upon seeing her return her small, but sweet smile back at him. All the while, he was thinking how proud he was to have done a great thing in helping her out! Perhaps this would show her that he would be willing to defend her, like all the caballeros would do, regardless how where he stood in status in comparison to her. Things were really going well enough for him to ask her out on a date! 

"Héctor, Basta ya!"

The tall, raven-haired youth stiffened and parted his lips in surprise upon seeing her pull her hand away and yell at him to stop, his eyebrows arched with bewilderment as he mentally tried to figure out what had just happened between the time she smiled to now. "But, I.." He thought it was okay to lift her hand like a common greeting that caballeros liked to do, they even did it yesterday! Did she realize that she no longer liked to be kissed on the hand? Maybe he said something wrong?! Was there a right time to say things? He wasn't sure if it was just him being hopeful, but he thought he caught her face soften a bit, and the hopeful youth thought for sure that she was going to go back on her words.  

"You just have no idea about anything, do you?!'

When Imelda yelled that out, with her beautiful face turning the same similar shade of that cactus flower in her hair and the same way that it did when he first caught her singing, the young Héctor blinked and stood there dumbfoundedly, only being able to helplessly watch her grab her basket and stomp away. He glanced back at Ernesto with a helpless shrug and a questioning look, hoping that his friend would give him some kind of sign as to what just happened or even what to do next. There were unfortunately two things that were against Héctor when it came to knowledge of the situation. For one, unlike Ernesto, Héctor had very little experience with women, only enough to know how to behave in a gentleman-like fashion around them, but he had very little understanding of women in general. He didn't think it was at all because he wasn't good looking, just that he was shy and he was more of the long-term romantic type than anything short term, like Ernesto would have advised him to be. For another thing, Héctor had not paid much attention to social norms, so if there were specific rules on how to act at different times, then he knew nothing about that. 

Ernesto had signaled him to forget about it and come back to him. However, Héctor realized that Imelda did not take the avocadoes that she was interested in buying, even with the discount. "Dame quatro, (Give me 4) Nacho.." He softly asked Nacho, pulling out some change from his bag of money tied around his belt to pay for it. Ignacio only sighed and shook his head in a pitiful manner at the boy, almost as if he should have known better than to try with someone above his league like that.

Once Ignacio had placed the avocadoes into the bag, the young musician picked up his guitar case in another hand and boldly ran after Imelda with a look of determination, completely going against Ernesto's previous signal to leave it alone. "Wait! Senorita Imelda! Wait!"  He called out to her gently to stop, though the slender boy still managed to catch up to her even if she didn't. "Lo siento..de verdad! (I'm sorry, honest)!" As he tried to settle his breathing from running, he apologized for bothering her again, ".. But you forgot your aguacates.." He lifted up the bag of avocadoes for her with a sweet smile before gently placing it in the basket she held in her hands, acting as if she had paid for them and merely forgot them. "Te dejo tranquilita (I'll leave you alone to be tranquil/relaxed).. Hasta Luego! (Until we meet again!)" He reassured her with a soft smile and politely waved goodbye, promising not to keep bothering her today. He was desperate, but he wasn't a stalker or particularly eager to make any young lady uncomfortable. "C'mon Ernesto! We still got that rehearsal, amigo!" The happy-go-lucky musician called out to his best friend with a grin as he ran with his guitar case over to the plaza, whistling for his friend to start moving quickly. No matter what happened to him, he always had music to turn to. 

After rehearsal, Héctor was backstage, sitting at the edge of the stage with his long legs dangling down. He had his guitar in his hands, strumming the La Llorona song with a dazed smile, still thinking of Imelda and her beautiful voice. Ernesto began talking to him about the difficult girl and encouraged him to try again with someone else. "No, hermano..I didn't dream it up! I know what is real.." The hopeless romantic knew there was a connection with her.. he just needed to figure her out, that was all. "Ah, what does it matter, amigo? The rest of the world can do what it wants..I'll just play my guitar and tune out the world! " The teenager shrugged it off with a small smile, trying not to let the rejection get to him. Whenever life got him down, Héctor would just play his guitar, and allow the rest of the world to do whatever it wanted to him. He would never give into their dumb rules, the free spirited musician would follow his heart in whatever he wanted to do. As long as he had music to distract him from life's many letdowns, he knew he'd be okay. He couldn't imagine how all of this would be like for him to experience without being able to turn to his music. 

Closing his eyes, Héctor tuned out Ernesto as he began strumming along to La Llorona before it slowly transitioned into a new song, with the same familiar melody he was working on the first night he met Imelda. Oh, he simply couldn't get her out of his mind! He had to figure out someway to get her attention in a positive way, just like the night before. Figuring her out was the hard part though, it seemed she wanted certain things at only certain times! Perhaps he could start from the beginning, and get her attention again with music? 

[Mamá Imelda]

Of course a part of Imelda felt bad even as she first began storming away. It was obvious Héctor hadn't meant anything by his naively misplaced and over enthused greeting, but then...no! He should know that was not the time or place to do such!

"Wait! Senorita Imelda! Wait!"

Imelda's thoughts were interrupted upon by that slowly familiar becoming voice calling out...

She should have picked up her pace, but something made her slow at least enough to let him try to catch up, though she also did him no favors and didn't make it too easy for him.

What now? She wondered, and steeled herself to have to over-explain his even feeling hurt and stupidly not knowing what he did, but Héctor didn't ask anything further of her, just held up a bag with a smile.

"Lo siento..de verdad! But you forgot your aguacates.."

Oh..., she supposed she had, in her rush to just leave the area. Well, but she had already been planning up to just tell her Mama she had forgotten or...something. The worst that would happen would be to be send out for them the next day, possibly a lecture about being forgetful, but Imelda could handle that.

Héctor saved her the lecture though, as well as some of her family income buying them for her and all. How did he even have enough, being a traveling musician, she she supposed?

It made the show more showing and touching.

Genuine guilt hit Imelda, but not enough to get an immediate reaction out of her even as Héctor placed the avocados in her basket; that and Héctor hardly gave her enough time before he was excusing himself and calling to that definitely more annoying friend of his as he jogged over. Imelda just watched him, sighed and kept on, at least for that moment.

<>

"Mija! The husks!".

Imeda was beyond distracted later that day, and her mother had to repeat her request to her to hand her said corn husks for tamale preparation. "Oh! lo siento, Mama....", Imelda handed over the bundle.

She heard a suspicious round of comments from the corner her brothers occupied, something about recent acquaintances and her focus since! Luckily Mama didn't seem to pay it much mind. Imelda shot them a look and, once she'd aided with enough of the preparation to excuse herself, exited the cocina and casa.

Her steps sort of wandered, but perhaps not surprisingly veered towards the music district and she soon found herself seeking out the very stage Héctor and said annoying friend were practicing at.

She gave Ernesto de la Cruz not a bit of notice, and in fact waited until he wasn't around to approach and listen as Héctor strummed. It was familiar...she tried to place the tune and then realized it was what he had been playing earlier.

Imelda waited a bit longer, then cleared her throat, "Eso es...well, that's still very nice...", she gave a slight compliment, glancing down and then back up, "I...I suppose I owe you an apology for snapping earlier...". This gangly teenager had somehow managed to accomplish the impossible; with anyone else Imelda would be hard pressed to be caught admitting to wrong of hers so lightly and in public no less!

[Deleted]

Behind closed eyes, Héctor lost himself in the song and he played along with the chords, figuring out which chord sounded better each time he repeated it. He was so into his music, that he barely paid mind to Ernesto mentioning something about dinner before he left. Eh, he wasn't hungry. If he didn't have his music right now, he probably would be obsessing about what he had done wrong over and over, making him feel guilty for upsetting Imelda and letting him feel down about himself. No, thankfully, he still had his music to help him feel better, hoping that the music would aid him with an idea in some way to bring him closer to Imelda. 

"Eso es...well, that's still very nice..."
 
The teenaged musician almost didn't register the sound of the clearing of the throat, figuring it to be Ernesto just trying to get his attention, when he suddenly blinked his eyes upon hearing that beautiful, familiar voice. "I-Imelda!" He gasped softly as he gaped at her with his eyes widening upon seeing Imelda actually there in front of him! Oh, it was a good thing his guitar was in front of him because he felt that his heart was coming out of his chest in that moment! "Oh, eh.. gracias!" He smiled shyly, glancing down at his guitar that he half wondered was possibly magical in some way for granting his wish so quickly like that! 

"I...I suppose I owe you an apology for snapping earlier...".

The scrawny raven-haired boy parted his lips, looking back at her upon hearing her seem almost remorseful for what happened, causing him to feel guilty again for earlier. "No, no.. I..I didn't mean to make you snap, señorita Imelda.." He reassured with an embarrassed smile, not wanting her to think it was her fault. "I'm not good at following the rules of the rest of the world.. yo no sirvo pa' eso, (I don't roll that way) you know?" The teenager casually explained, wanting her to know that he truly meant what he said that he didn't follow the rules that the rest of society did. "I just follow what's in here.." Héctor placed his two fingers on his own chest that was showing above the guitar to demonstrate that he was referring to his heart. His brown eyes gazed into her beautiful brown eyes in that moment with a knowing smile. He didn't say it, but he felt that maybe she was also capable of following her own rules, too.. at least he hoped she would. She had shown it by not allowing Ernesto or just anyone to be in her presence, and she had shown it even now by coming up to him when she didn't have to associate with him from the start.   

"You want to sing with me for a while?"  The young musician asked simply with a smile, strumming to La Llorona on his guitar to see if she was interested in singing while no one was around. He wasn't sure if this was the right time to ask, but it was only in making mistakes that he was truly able to learn. 

[Mamá Imelda]

Imelda wasn’t accustomed to shy smiles, but she felt one as she watched Héctor’s adorable stunned reactions, and pondered that for some reason she was the cause.

Héctor was immediately onto his part in the blame of earlier, in a pattern that would become familiar, but was shockingly new now. At the least most men of the day would have let her blame herself with only a noncommittal hum maybe, or all out blamed her themselves. Imelda might have blamed her own abrasiveness on this, but she knew that was just how she was regardless.

Along with her own noticing of the facts, Héctor went on to admit that he didn’t follow the typical rules of the rest of the world. Imelda tilted her head slightly and regarded him curiously, smiling wryly as he said he followed his heart.

”I’ve heard it’s a confusing organ, Señor”, she lightly teased back. Trying to make up, oddly enough, though some would have said that meant she shouldn’t tease him.

And maybe he was right in his assumptions, but Imelda wasn’t going to say so just yet.

”You want to sing with me for a while?"

It was such a simple question, and at the same time not...

Imelda fidgeted with her hands slightly as she thought. Here? In semi-public? She glanced either side of her, then back to Héctor. She noticed what he was strumming, almost in trying to convince her.

”I, um, I don’t...sing...in public”, she said simply, but kindly enough; and somehow she knew he would have a response and convincing ploy on that maybe. Well but she wasn’t going to make it too easy at first, and plus what she’d said was true, she didn’t.