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Chapter 1.
DÍa de los Muertos
“Do I have to go?”,Hector asked,his face smashed in his pillow,as Adira tried to pull him out of bed. “Yes you have to go, Troy has been driving us nuts with training these past three months. We deserve some time to enjoy ourselves.”,she replied.” Besides, your sister has been excited for this celebration for a whole month.” She took another one of his pillows and smacked him with it,”And to be fair, you of all people should want to go, the party is for a Hispanic holiday”.
Hector sat up,he took the pillow from Adira and smacked her back. A smile creeped on his face. Adira smacked back again,and laughed.
She got up and snatched his satchel from his bedpost and tossed it to him,”If you want to leave once we get there, I won’t stop you. But at least give it a shot. It’ll mean a lot to Ella.”
He glanced at her,then at his satchel,”Give me one good reason I should go.” He said looking back at her. She shrugged, ”The festival will have alcohol?”
“I can get a whole bottle of tequila in one of my dad’s cabinets in the kitchen. You think I’m incapable of stealing it if I wanted to?”,he replied,pointing his thumb behind him,gesturing downstairs.
Adira sighed and looked at him. “Come on man,it’s the Day of the Dead. And we both know Ella’s gonna be disappointed if you don’t go.” Hector looked down at his bag then back to Adira. Even though he preferred to stay home and lay in bed while reading a book half asleep,his sister had been talking about the Dia de los Muertos celebration for an entire month. She even helped plan it. And he knew she looked up to him,not to mention they didn’t see each other often,so it was the least he could do. “Fine,but I’m only doing this for Ella.”
“Yes!”, Adira exclaimed,putting her fists up in the air. “Oh,since you brought up your dad’s tequila stash,you don’t mind smuggling a bottle in your bag,right?’’, she added. Hector looked at her and sighed,rolling his eyes he said, ”Just wait for me outside my window,”. She smiled at him and she jumped out his window,as Hector climbed down his stairs to the kitchen.
He walked into the kitchen quietly,trying not to wake his dad. His father wouldn’t have missed this celebration for anything but tonight his father went to bed with a cold,and Fernando didn’t particularly like Hector going out on his own. He went over to one of the storage compartments next to their stove and reached towards the top to get the key that locked his fathers alcohol cabinet.He grabbed the key and went into the dinning room where the cabinet was placed,he crouched down and unlocked the doors,grabbed one of the bottles and stuffed it into his bag. He locked the doors of the cabinet,got up,and headed straight for his window.
He tiptoed up his stairs and walked down the hallway to his room. He came into his room and grabbed his cloak,then came to his window. Adira looked up at him and smiled, holding her hands up to catch the satchel. Hector threw it down to her and she caught it. He was about to jump out his window to join her,until there was a knock on the door.
Hector whipped his head around to the door. He stumbled back into his room,took off his cloak and jumped on his bed and grabbed his book from earlier. “Hijo,are you still up?”,his father said with a raspy voice as he came in.
“Hola Papá,shouldn’t you be resting?”Hector replied. Trying to look as natural as possible.
“I was just checking on you,I didn’t mean for you to miss out on tonight.”
Hector looked at his dad as Fernando gave him a sad smile.
“ Oh it’s alright…we can visit Abuela some other time.” Hector responded,returning his fathers expression. He really didn’t want to bring up his grandmother. “Get some rest,hijo.” His father said,they wished each other good night and his father went back to bed.
Hector got up from his bed and opened his window again to find Adira still waiting for him. “You good man?”, she asked. He nodded in response as he climbed down the brick wall of his house. “What took so long?” ,Adira asked once again. “My dad walked in,I almost got caught.”,He replied.
He took his bag from her as they walked further down the alleyway to another road.
In the distance they could hear laughter and cheers of joy and upbeat music. As they got closer to the festival,marigold petals started to appear more and more on the streets,and people's voices became louder. Children ran by with their faces painted like skulls with beautiful colors and patterns. The sweet smell of freshly baked sugar cookies was near,and the voices of people singing. They arrived at the festival to see banners hung high with gorgeous patterns of skulls and flowers,marigolds scattered everywhere. People dancing and singing,others playing music. The road where the celebration was being held lead all the way to the cemetery,so there were candles lit to light the path. Some people were there at the tombs of their family members and loved ones,laying food and gifts for them to take. It was beautiful,it reminded Hector of his abuela,Día de los Muertos was her favorite holiday. He’d help her set up the ofrenda for his abuelo. After,she’d cook a small feast for their family every year and make sugar cookies for dessert. Then they would go and visit his abuelo in the cemetery and bring food and his father would play all his abuelo’s favorite songs while they were there on his guitar. However,she was gone now. He felt like the holiday was dead without her. He wasn’t ready to let go.
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Erin looked at her clock as she was getting ready. “Sh!t,i’m late!” ,she exclaimed as she tried to fix her skirt. “You’re not seriously gonna leave me with all of these kids,right?” ,her brother Jose asked as he stood outside her door holding their baby brother Gabe. “Papí and Vivian,left me alone to take care of you guys when I was younger than the twins,” she answered him,with a tone of annoyance in her voice, “besides Abuelita is gonna be here to help you,and so are Lyla and Al. It’s not like you’re gonna be alone.” He rolled his eyes and walked away with a groan.
A knock came at the front door,then the door opened. Ella came running into Erin’s room. “Why aren’t you ready?!”,she exclaimed. Erin jumped and hit her head against her wardrobe door. “AY! SANTA MARIA!”,she yelled. She rubbed the back of her head with her hand. “Estrella,I thought we talked about showing up unannounced.”,Erin added. “Oh never mind that,” Ella grabbed her by her shoulders and sat her down in front of her vanity. She took Erin's hair brush and started to comb out the knots. “I told you I need help with the festival decor,then I need you to help me out with food,then we need to go get stuff for our ofrendas,then we need to head to the cemetery before it gets too crowded.” Ella continued to rant on about the festival,as Erin gritted her teeth as her best friend continued to brush her curls. She took the brush from her as she still went on about the celebration,Erin put a section of her hair in a small bun. She turned to face Ella,hoping she was almost done so they could leave. The longer they’d stay the more late they’d be. “Ella,you know I’d love to hear your rant about this but we’re already”,she turned to look at her clock once more “15 minutes late.” “What!?! Why didn’t you tell me,come on!”,Ella took Erin by her wrist and dragged her to her front door.
“Wait,Ella,I need to talk to my siblings before we leave.”
“Fine,but make it quick.”Ella closed the door behind her and waited outside as Erin called her siblings down.
“Okay,you all know the drill. Lights out by 9:30,dinners on the stove. Alejandro,remember to finish your english homework,Lyla remember to give Gabe a bath before bed.” she looked down at Mia and Lazerath, “Lazerath,keep Mia out of trouble please. I don’t need her breaking things.”
“Okay,name one time I broke something in this house.”Mia replied,sounding offended.
“Mia, you broke my mothers vase and almost broke her music box. Which leads me to another thing,stay out of my room.”
Mia rolled her eyes and walked away from the group. “That goes for everyone,got it?” ,her siblings nod. “Good. Oh Jose, remember to tell Abuelita that I’ll be staying at Ella’s tonight.” “Got it,have fun.”
She said goodbye to all her siblings,and joined Ella outside. They began to walk towards the cemetery. The street leading there was where the celebration was being held. They arrived there and the sight was beautiful. Candles and torches were lit on the path,children and adults alike were dancing and singing. Beautiful music was being played loud and could be heard from far away. Banners of every color were hung up in between buildings. The sweet smell of tamales filled the air along with the scent of other foods and desserts,empanadas,almijas,there were tacos and shrimp,Erin even smelled her favorite,leché flan. The dresses the woman wore were beautiful,colored with bright oranges and yellows,small details of pinks,purples and reds. Erin’s and Ella’s dresses weren’t too different from the rest. Ella’s dress had a white top and her skirt was purple with orange stripes with white and orange flowers. Her skirt and top had ruffles,and her top was decorated with red flowers on her collar and had black thread hemmed to it. Her hair was put into a bun with a few strands out near her face. Erin’s dress had a white top too,but with a red skirt with small red flowers with vines pattern along the bottom. Like most people there,Ella’s face was semi painted like a skull with pretty patterns. Ella had a red flower painted on the side of her skull.
They walked along the side of the road,since people were dancing and mingling in the center of it. They continued to walk until Erin saw the table of food. She stopped for a minute and took a moment to smell and appreciate all of the delicious meals. There were all her favorites. She felt her mouth start to drool with inpatients,she couldn’t wait for Ella to let her eat. “So like,can I eat while helping out with the food or is that not allowed?” Erin asked,still paying close attention to the food. “I actually just checked in and they said they don’t need us anymore,apparently. So yah you can eat,then we can go set up our ofrendas.”, Ella responded,giving her a sweet smile. “Let me just see if my brother is here yet. He said he was gonna visit his abuela tonight.”
“Umm,okay. I’ll just meet you at the cemetery then.”,Erin said,taking an empanada and putting three more in her bag,she gave one of the ladies there some change and continued to walk with Ella.
“Alright so I’m going to find my brother,I’ll meet you at your mom’s grave?”, Ella asked. “Sure,see you then.”,Erin replied. They waved at each other as they went their separate ways. Ella disappeared into the crowd of people,as Erin walked up the hill to the cemetery. She walked up the path on the hill and passed a few families. She then took a left at the fourteenth row of graves and stopped in front of the sixth grave stone.
Engraved on it was:
Elana Diane Castillo Sanchez
A loving mother and was taken too soon. May she rest in peace.
She took a small white blanket out of her bag and placed it in front of her mother’s tombstone,she then took some candles out and placed them on both sides,and put a napkin out,and placed the empanadas she bought,there. She took a small music box out of her bag,she opened it and as it played a soft tune she stared at the picture on the bottom of the lid. It was a picture of her and her mother when she was five. She was nine when Elana died. She remembered all the sweet memories of her mother. The pastries she baked,her beautiful laugh,her soft curls and joyous smile. She missed her sweet,gentle voice that would sing her to sleep,she’d sing this exact song while tucking her in,and oh how she wished to relive those memories instead of living with her father and his wife. She put the music box down next to the empanadas,and sat quietly as the music played. “Why’d you have to leave me Mamá?”,Erin said in a voice barely over a whisper. She whipped a tear away from her face,and sat there as she continued to listen to her mothers sweet lullaby.
Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.
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“Hey are you okay?” ,Hector asked,concerned. The girl looked up at him with surprise,her eyes watery. She wiped her face and said, ”Yah I’m-I’m fine.” She put her hair to one side,then closed her music box. “You sure?” ,he asked again. She nodded her head and faked a smile,then put her music box into her bag. “Do you mind if I sit?” ,he said pointing at a spot next to her. “No,go ahead.”,she replied. He sat down next to her,and they were silent for a while. She offered him an empanada,and he took it with a smile. She smiled back and took one for herself.
The shouts from the festival were loud and celebratory. However the cemetery seemed quiet and peaceful,despite all the noise.
“Who are you visiting?” ,she asked,she seemed calmer now. “My abuela,she died earlier this year.” ,he said,hanging his head down as he took another bite out of his empanada . “ Oh,I’m sorry. Were you two close?” Hector nodded as a response to her question,he didn’t want to give a verbal answer,he’d get too emotional.
“I’m supposed to be looking for my sister,you think you might have seen her around here?”,he asked her. Remembering what he came to the cemetery for. Adira said that Ella would meet him at his abuela’s grave,however when he arrived she wasn’t there.
“Maybe. Can you give me a description of her?”,the girl asked.
“Brown hair,hazel eyes,short.”
Her eyebrows came together,and she squinted her eyes at him,“Is her name Ella?”
“Yah,you know her?”
She nodded,stood up,took her last bite of her empanada and offered her hand to him.Hector took her hand and got up. She then led him out of the cemetery and they both walked down the road.
“You must be Hector,I’m Erin.” ,she said with a smile as they walked side by side. “Oh so you’re Erin. My sister has told me a lot about you. Your dad is one of the deacons at our mom’s church right?”,he said. Ella had told him about Erin and how close they were,and all the times they’d hung out together.However she failed to mention how beautiful her best friend was. She had dark brunette curls,her eyes were the color of ambers,and her skin was tan with small freckles covering her cheeks,her nose,and shoulders. And the red flower she had in her hair only complemented her complexion even more. He had to admit,if he knew they were gonna meet he would’ve made more of an effort to look nice tonight. All he wore was a white tunic with a pair of black pants with a brown belt,along with his satchel that hung over his shoulder. His hair was put in a low ponytail with a few strands left loose to frame his face.
They continued to walk down the road until Hector could spot his sister,she was talking to Adira near a food cart. “There she is.” ,Erin said. They walked towards them. Ella smiled and waved as she approached them. She ran up to Hector,then jumped into his arms for a hug. He caught her and squeezed her tight. “Yay,you came!” ,she exclaimed, ”I almost thought you were going to be a no show.”
“And miss a chance to see you? Never.”
Ella smiled brightly,then turned to Erin. “I see you two have met,where’d you find him?” ,Ella asked. “Oh we bumped into each other at the cemetery.”,Erin replied.
Ella playfully punched Hector in the arm,”So that’s where you were.”
“Yah well,I was given the impression that you were gonna meet me there. But someone decided not to show up.”
Ella rolled her eyes at his comment,as she linked her arm with his.
The four of them went on for a stroll on the side of the roads and the celebration went on. Hector and Ella decided they would go visit Hector’s abuela later on. They ended up finding a good spot to sit down in the grass near the cemetery entrance. As they all conversed and ate,the party went on,with everyone's cries becoming more joyous and cheerful by the minute.
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