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The sounds of hammers resonated through the workshop as the Riveras worked on their craft. Leather covered the tables as they were cut and refined into shapes that accommodated each customer’s foot in a way that only a Rivera could achieve. Laying across the leather were large swaths of fabric and clothes waiting to be tailored. Suits laid on ironing boards and dresses were hanged and pinned to have their measurements adjusted. Batches of gifts were strewn around waiting to be wrapped in shiny, colorful wrapping paper and tied up with knots of ribbon. A murmur of excited chatter filled the workshop as they prepared their last batches of orders quickly in excitement for the slowly approaching event.
As they chattered among themselves, nobody could hear the sputtering stop of a car engine, and the quick clacks of heels across the pavement outside. The clacks continued, increasing in volume as the figure briskly approached the shop from the back rather than the front, and three quick knocks were heard. The chatter stiffened quickly before returning, though more tentatively.
“Uhm, Mama, isn’t the shop closed today?” whispered Berto as he lowered his hammer.
“Are we expecting any guests today?” Gloria asked, turning around to the others, receiving various forms of head shakes and shrugs.
“Then wh-”
“HOLA!” clanged a leopard print clad woman as she strutted into the workshop with the confidence of a blind and deaf rabbit in a wolf’s den. “Have you heard! My baby boy is getting MARRIED. And to such a bonita senorita, what was her name, Isabelle? Oh, well she seemed fitting for my sweet, baby Teto.”
“Imelda is a very good choice,” voiced Elena as she got up from her seat, arms crossed across her chest.
“Imelda? Ah, yes! A very pretty name for such a pretty lady. Fantastico! I bet she will look so beautiful in a wedding dress. Aye, Teto has such great taste in women from what I can see. Very pretty, and very smart, haha!” chittered Mari as she strolled around the workshop with reckless abandon, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room.
“Oh, how much he has grown! I can’t wait to walk him across the aisle an-”
“Actually Mari, we have something to discuss regarding the wedding,” interrupted Elena. She walks across the workshop and towards her sister, her steps loud and resonating through the now quiet workshop. A nail slipped off the workbench and loudly pinged.
“Oh, ever the tough sister! I just got here.” said Mariana. Behind her, Berto is whispering behind his hand “And just as quickly, she’ll disappear,” before getting smacked by Gloria.
“Mari. Living room. Now.”
“Okay, okay. Put your ‘mama’ voice away. I get enough of that out of you and Mama when we were kids, and I don’t want to hear it for another second. You haven’t changed a bit, since I was last here, hermana,” Mari chuckled as she hopped out of the workshop and into the adjacent room. Elena sighed heavily, muttering “neither have you”, and followed her sister, raising her hand to stop the others from following her.
Elena shut the door behind her as she saw Mari sit in one of the chairs, back straight with her hands on her lap and chatting away about sweet nothings.
“He’s getting married! This is so exciting, though isn’t he a little young to settle down? He hasn’t even reached fame yet, and he’s already found someone to marry and live with. Of course, I’m happy for him, but this is a little soon, wouldn’t you think, Lenita?”
“No. The timing is just fine. Actually, I have some things I wanted to discuss with yo-,” Elena started as she settled herself in a chair adjacent to Mari’s.
“Oh! Yes, you wanted to discuss something with me. Is it about my trip through Mexico? Oh, I’ve been doing SO WELL. Fame is perhaps juuuust within reach,” she said with her fingers pinched closely together. “I can almost taste it, ‘Lena.”
“Mar-”
“Well, okay, that was a lie. It’s actually been quite difficult as I’ve gotten...older. Takes a lot more work and time to get what I could when I was in my youth. It’s a shame. I think I’m still quite the looker. It’s just that fame is not as easy to grasp as I thought.”
“Ay dios mio, you finally got it through your thick head. How did you even get it in your head that you can get famous just through looks?”
“First of all, I have skills, but looks do play a big part in first impressions. That’s just common sense, dear sister. Once you set foot into the industry, you’ll know,” Mari said with a level of perhaps misplaced self-confidence. “Speaking of getting into the industry, how is Teto doing? Besides the marriage of course, so at least his love life seems to be going well. Again, a little young in my books, but I suppose that’s because he is my baby boy. I heard he was doing so well with his little internet thing that he was doing with that other boy. What a nice looking boy, that one. What was his name? Ernie? Anyways, how is he? I didn’t really get to see him when I was passing through” prods Mari, ignoring her sister’s rising frustration with every word.
Elena opens her mouth to let out a retort before closing it shut, processing Mari’s words, and asks with a bit of uneasy confusion and suspicion, “Passing...through?”
“Oh! I found out where Teto lived; you know how he sends me those annual letters, right? It was easy to track him down, so I went by and paid him a little visit, and we had some mother-and-son time.”
“Oh, that...how did it go?”
“Oh, it was so nice. We had some coffee and caught up. Then we went around the city, and he showed me all the fascinating places in Capula. He even showed me where he worked. This nice, quaint school where he teachers music to young children. How sweet.”
“Well, he is a very good music teacher. He’s very attentive to the students, and I think he enjoys his job very much.”
“Mmm, well, I expect my son to be very good at music. But isn’t it boooring to work at school, grade papers, and listen to music made by young, inexperienced children? Doesn’t he want to go to some big city like Mexico City and see some real music? To wrap himself up in the professional world and to receive more fame and recognition beyond just one town?”
“Mari, you are being ridiculous. Being a teacher is a highly respectable job, and he isn’t ‘trapping’ himself in this career.”
“Oh, you just don’t get it. You never did. None of you ever did. Why would anyone EVER want their children to go to some mediocre job, when you know they can go for something bigger? He has so much potential, and to just settle for some teaching position. This job is stifling him!
“Mariana!” Elena shouted, suddenly to her feet, eyes narrowed and glaring at Mari with the anger reminiscent of their own mother.
Mari shrank back before Elena huffed, and muttered “Oh, of courseee you would think that having this sort of STABLE job is stifling him? Mari, just because he isn’t traveling, or...” Elena gestures her hands around in a circular motion as she collects her thoughts, “...galavanting to some tour or whatever catches his fancy doesn’t mean he isn’t using his ‘full potential.’ No. Being a teacher means he teaches the next generation the joys and wonders of music. I’ve spoken about it with him before and I’ve seen how much he has enjoyed it. Just because YOU don’t find anything fascinating about his career choices, and think you know something he’s more suited for, doesn’t mean it’s what he wants, do you hear me Mari?”
For a second, Mari had a distant look, one that Elena has seen very few times from her flippant sister. A small flicker of hurt showed in Mari’s eyes before it disappeared and Mari smiled.
“Oh, well perhaps I don’t know about the joys of teaching music. And he did seem to favor his current job over whatever his Mama picked for him.” Mari said with a smaller, perhaps more genuine and gentle smile. Before Elena could question her, Mari’s grin widened again and her original perkiness returned.
“Anyways, I didn’t come here to talk about this. I wanted to discuss my role in Teto’s wedding! Oh, I hope it’s something BIG and fancy. I would want nothing less for my little boy, and I doubt that after this marriage he would be able to have a party bigger than this one, or one just as big, especially when he is saddled with little Miguelito.”
Ay, this is going to give one heck of a headache.
Elena sighs and grimaces. Her hand raises and massages the growing knot between her eyes as she takes a deep breath before her face hardens.
“Yes, about Hector. We have to discuss your role in the wedding.”
“What of it? I’m his mother and my role is to guide him to the altar, no? Are we doing something else this time? Is it because we don’t have a father in the role? No matter, don’t even worry about it. Oh! Or are we finally going to do something untraditional? Now, that would really spice up the wedding!”
“I suppose we can say the latter. I got a call from Hector recently, and he…” Elena took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as she thought about how she wanted to break the news to Mari.
“Well, he called me some time ago, and he ... requested for me to take your place at the wedding.”
At that point, it felt that time had almost stopped as the information settled on Mari. Elena shifted and reached for two mugs and a nearby teakettle. She nearly dropped the kettle as she heard a shrieking laugh reminiscent of the cry of a particular woman by the riverbank that Elena’s mother warned her about in her youth.
“AHAahahaha! Elena! When did you learn how to tell jokes! Ay, you make me laugh. I know I haven’t been around that often in Teto’s life, but he should know that I wouldn’t miss his special day.”
“You did miss his first day of school, his Communion, his teenage years, when he first went to college, and pretty much the majority of his life.”
“Alright, alright, you don’t need to list all the things I’ve missed. I was busy. You know what fame life is like, no?” pouted Mari, bottom lip jutting out and eyes large in a large set of puppy dog eyes, not unlike a pair Elena has seen from a particular boy of hers. “I’ve just been so busy, and trying to be the best mother I can be for Teto.”
“If you were, then you would have stayed,” muttered Elena. Her arms crossed and brow twitching.
“Not this again,” sighed Mari. She threw her head back, moaned and raised her head again with a flippant face. “I couldn’t stay home with him because he would hold us back from fame. I needed these jobs and I couldn’t do it while looking after him. Anyways, keeping him with me would make his education suffer. Look at him now, he has a college degree, a job, and he seems to be well on his way to fame. He came out just fine, so in my eyes, I think I made the right decision.”
“All of that is no thanks to you, Mari!” Elena snapped as she abruptly stood up and as she slammed her mug on the table with a loud clack. Mari hopped suddenly, eyes snapped open in alarm as her shorter sister seemed to tower over her.
“Mari. Hector did that all on his own. He worked hard at school, on music, at college, and at his current job. Of course, I did have to push him to work on his college applications when he got older and….rebellious,” Elena pointedly glares at Mari before continuing. “But that’s besides the point. He got all of that done without you there to support him. As his mother, you should have been there along the way to support your own son as he walked through his life. And what did you do? You walked out on him because you’d rather have some fun than handle the burden of raising your own child!”
“Elena! How dare you!”
“‘How dare you?!’ Is that what you say to your sister, the one who raised your own son, so you could have your fun?”
“You only wanted me to follow the way that YOU and Mama raised kids. Ay, just because I raised Teto differently from you, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Yes, the way I did it was...unorthodox, but Teto came out just fine and that’s all that matters!”
“Pfuh, you think I’m mad because you ‘just raised him differently?’ And you looked at him and thought that he came out, just...just FINE? He absolutely DID NOT. That boy only came out just half as okay from having some ABSENTEE mother because of the efforts of me, Vico and my children. If it weren’t for the efforts that WE put in, he would have been a thousand times worse of a mess than he is now.
“He’s not a mess. Seemed fine when I saw him.”
Elena shoots up, her voice suddenly much louder and firmer as she utters “Of course he seems more fine NOW. It took him 27 years to get to this point. Only recently did he stop flying through his life by the seat of his pants. Before this, he was an utter mess. I would know, I’ve been watching, and taking care of him for years. YEARS. Practically his entire life. I’ve taken care of him, and seen his weaknesses. Do you know what his weakness is? He ALWAYS goes back to people who’ve hurt him, and it’s your selfish behavior that caused it! You’re his MOTHER, and you are the cause for your son’s worst behavior!”
“I did what I thought was BEST for HIM.”
“It WASN’T. It ultimately hurt him.”
“I wanted to give him all the riches. We were going to live like royalty in a big house, and music tutors, everything! I was going to give everything my little boy wanted.”
“He doesn’t WANT that. He just wanted YOU, no, he NEEDED you, and you couldn’t even give him that. The both of you could have lived in a ditch with no money, and a pile of garbage for a house, but as long as you were with him, he would have been the happiest little boy.”
“I wanted to give him more!”
“You can give more when you have more to offer. All I asked for you all those years ago was for you to give Hector the bare minimum, your care, and you couldn’t even do that!”
“If I had him with me 24/7, reaching my dream would have been impossible! All those years, I wouldn’t have been able to get anything. It would have been impossible for me to give him what I needed to give him.”
“No, you WANTED fame. Hector needed love. You put your wants before the needs of your own child. As his mother, you have to give up some things for the sake of your child. He is your number one responsibility, whether you liked it or not!”
“I COULDn’t. I-. Mari cried before her voice halted, and stopped. Her face went solemn as she quietly murmured, “I...I wasn’t ready to give up everything.”
Elena blinked and stared at her sister as if she had suddenly transformed and became a different person. Never in her life would she think her sister would...recognize the views of others. To understand why people wouldn’t follow fame. Was she finally becoming aware? Then, Elena's face shifted to grim expression, though still soft as she looked upon her younger sister, and sighed. “No. You weren’t. But here we are.”
The two looked at each other, and both sighed. Elena saw Mari’s tense body slowly release as she collapsed down into her chair, her straight back arching, as her hands slowly moved to cover her eyes. Elena watched as a sister sat still, so still that if it weren’t for the slight rise and fall of her chest, she could’ve been a statue. It appeared that all of the energy she kept up had oozed out, and all she was left was an emptiness. A quiet murmur poured out between her hands.
“I really am too late. I’m really too late for even that, huh, Elena?”
“Hm?”
“Ahahah. I guess I can’t deny it anymore, ‘Lena? That day I spent with Hector? I...got mad at him when he didn’t take the offer I worked so hard to get for him. Why would he turn down a contract that would have granted him splendor and fame? Something he could have completed in 5 years, and would have ended with him having EVERYTHING. Who would turn away something like that?” Mari chuckled to herself, voice heavy in disbelief. “He gave it all up because he wanted his job as a music teacher in some small town and to stay with Imelda and Miguelito. You’d think he would want to give them riches and splendor, but he didn’t. He did...he did… he did exactly what YOU would have done, Elena.”
“...hold on, you did WHAT?” Elena cried. Though she was choked up by what Mari just said about Hector being just like her, her mind was still reeling by the fact that she had offered her son a 5 year contract during such a pinnacle time in his life.
“Mari, wha-, of course he wouldn’t have taken the offer now! He was trying to get married, and finish adoption. That’s a massive deal! At the very least, now is a terrible time!”
“Ay, ay, I thought that now would give him even more of a reason to take the offer. You know, to support his own family! Give them a boost.”
“Mari, that’s just encouraging Hector to repeat your mistakes except now instead of just affecting Hector, you’re affecting his fiance, and Miguelito!”
“I just, you know, thought I finally got him what I could have given him. After 27 years, I thought I had finally gotten him what he wanted,” Mari’s fist clenched before quickly releasing when uttering, “But he turned it away. I was too late. He doesn’t love me, does he.”
“Que?” Elena muttered, and she saw her sister’s lip had started to wobble, and tears filled the corners of her eyes. She appeared to become more and more wound up until, like a guitar string, until she snapped and broke into tears, drowning in realized sorrow of what she had lost.
“Oh, Lenita, my own son hates me! You should have SEEN him.” With that, she broke down sobbing into her hands, ruining her makeup, and leopard dress. “I have never seen him so angry at me. Ay, I can’t take it knowing my own son detest me!”
Elena, startled by the sudden turn, feeling the conversation move forward in a positive light before being pulled back 20 steps, jumped, and shouted “Ay, ay, don’t do that! He doesn’t HATE you. He’s mad, and disappointed. You can’t honestly blame him for being a bit upset for making that move right now?”
“I just wanted to give him a once in a lifetime opportunity!”
“One he didn’t want. Honestly, you told the boy in the middle of his adoption process to just delay the meeting? Estas loca? We just talked about it. This isn’t something he needs or wants, and it’s at such a bad time. Don’t be so brash.”
Mari’s weeping grew, and Elena swallowed a gulp of guilt for scolding her sister when she was already down. Ay, she’s grown cold. Something Victoria may have done, but not her. No, Victoria wouldn’t even say a word, and just let her sister deal with the consequences. But she was not Victoria, though she did miss her.
“Ay, Mariana, it’s not too late. He still wants you around. You can still go to the wedding as a guest. Don’t make too much of a fuss, and just be there quietly supporting him. Okay? Just, be there for him, support him on his special day, and he will be so grateful. You can’t change what has happened, but you can be there for him starting now. Can you do that?”
Mari, tears dripping as she dragged out a handkerchief, and wiped her eyes and sniveling nose, composed herself, and gazed upon her sister with a look of determination.
“Okay. I’ll go. No fuss, no noise, I’ll be there for him.” She stood up, wiped up any further messes, puffed up her hair and fixed her dress, as she gazed down at her older sister. She reaches out her arms, gesturing for a hug. Elena, looking at her sister, giving a small smile as she closed the distance, gave a tight hug.
“Gracias hermana for taking care of Hector,” murmured Mari into Elena’s hair before retracting. Elena looked up, and saw her sister give a small, sincere smile, before she shook herself off, and gave a wide, cheery smile.
“Well, I haven’t made any preparations! I guess I should go and do that. Oh, so nice to see you ‘Lena. I’ll see you at the wedding!” chortled Mari. She picked up her purse, turned around, and prepared to step out of the room.
“Mari, wait.”
Mari stopped, turned, and glanced at her sister.
“Before you go,” Elena gestured to the chair Mari just left, and held a cup of tea. Mari moved, and sat back in the chair and accepted the cup Elena gave her. The two sat together, neither uttering a word. Both drank their now chilled tea quietly, listening to birds outside. No sounds appear to be occurring in the workshop, no doubt eavesdropping, though perhaps not intentionally with how loud they were getting. Elena, sitting up straighter took a breath.
“Mari, you know you didn’t have to give up everything. You just needed to be there for him. You made the decision to have a child, and you need to live with that. Perhaps you wouldn’t be able to reach the same dreams you once wanted, but you didn’t have to give up everything to give Hector what he needed. He would have wanted you to follow your dreams too. You just needed to choose an alternative route where you support Hector and live your dreams. It’s not the same as what you wanted, but the relationship between the two of you would have been better. You were doing well with that during the first years of life.”
“I know. But I couldn’t stand it. I felt trapped.”
“Mari, having a child is not a trap. It’s a new experience, a new joy, a gift. But I suppose for me my children were treasure to me. I always wanted to be a mother, and have children, and then grandchildren. You were a free spirit, and still are. Perhaps you weren’t built for motherhood, but it doesn’t excuse you for your actions. However, I can understand why this was so difficult for you to make the choice to give up some fame for Hector’s sake. I want you and Hector to be happy, you know? If you needed help, I was always there to help you along the way. You knew that, and just, you took it too far. Honestly, I’m more angry at you for giving up on Hector, for not trying to still be there for your son.”
“I visited!”
“You visited every couple of years. That’s not enough. I was willing to watch him every once in a while, but he needed to be with you most of the time. It’s okay that it was hard for you, but you shouldn’t have given up on him.”
“I know.”
“That’s all I wanted to say. Now, don’t cry, Mari. I can’t have the one day you choose not to look nice during your son’s wedding. Ay, what shame it’ll bring on our family! You better be there or else you’ll hear quite the word from me!”
Mari chortled, and laughed “Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” She got up, waved a goodbye, and walked out of the dining room, chittered her farewells to the family in the workshop, who were no doubt eavesdropping, though perhaps not having to try very hard with the noise level, and she pranced out of the building. A car engine was heard revving on before rolling across the pavement and roaring off.
Berto’s head peaked in, looked around for thrown shoes, and whispered “...So umm, did it go well?” questioned Berto.
“Ay, it went just fine. Come on, we have work to do! No point dwelling in the past!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the distance, the phone rang. Elena sighed before slowly got up and picked up the phone. She was greeted by a nervous “hola” from a certain troublemaker.
“Hola Tia Elena! Ahhhh, I may have….ummm hrmmm…”
Elena gave him a second to hem and haw before giving a curt “Spit it out, Hector.”
“Oh! Ah okay, I may have told Mama about my wedding, and I wanted to, heh, tell you because you know, I asked you to take her, uhh, role in my wedding. Lo siento, I should have told her, but I didn’t know what to say, and I didn’t want to let her down and-”
“I already know, Hector. She just came by, and told her about the arrangements. There shouldn’t be any issues.”
“Wait, ah she’s still coming right? I know she won’t take that specific role in the wedding, but I still want her to come and all, just more as a, what’s the word?” Elena heard Hector lightly tap the receiver as he, no doubt scrunching his face bit, mulling over some words. “Passive member? I still want her there! You didn’t tell her off, right?”
“No, don’t worry about it, mijo. She’s still coming. I told her she was invited to attend, but she will have to be at the sidelines. She told me that she supports your marriage, and she plans to be there for your special day.”
A sigh is heard over the receiver. “Ah, I’m glad she can come. I hope she follows through. I would be really happy if she could come,” Hector said quietly. An extended silence went between the two, a small sound of a plastic cord being twirled mindlessly seeped through the phone. A gentle exhale is let go. “Hey, Tia Elena? Gracias for all this. I’m really happy that you’re doing all of this for me. It really means a lot.”
“Of course. It’s what family does. Now go relax. I know you probably have been stressing over this like some tonto, so go rest,” tutted Elena. “I’ll see you before the rehearsal, and I better see you in good health! Fix that wild hair of yours. It’s your ceremony, so look good for once!”
Gently, she then quietly huffed “I have to go now, but everything will be fine, okay mijo?
A quiet murmur of agreement and goodbye is uttered before the phone is hung up with a light click.