time will not take the life from me.

“¿Te sabe?” Her head tilted, eyebrows pinch in confusion at the unfamiliar type of greeting. Once she caught on, she giggled and shook her head. “Tontería–honestly, Héctor, you think I’ll judge you for that? I know how much it means to you.” With a wide smile, she stepped inside, coming face to face with the mess of an apartment. “I will judge you for this mess, though. Maybe you wouldn’t lose so many things if you picked up around here. I know organized chaos is a thing, but this is extreme!”

“Gracias. This is why you’re the best ever.” He waited until Coco was inside to plant a big kiss on her cheek, smiling brightly at the non-judgmental response he had gotten in regards to his mild crisis... up until she saw the apartment and had her judgment be well-grounded as more than adequate. “I swear I know where everything is.” Héctor jumped over a discarded CD pile as he spoke and walked around the place. “Those drawers are for clothes, except for the last two where I keep my journals. My shoes are always by the door and my capos...” He picked up a plastic box and held it up, many capos slid inside– the golden one nowhere to be seen. “They go here!”

“You’re welcome,” she answered, his bright smile warming her up to a small grin. Atta looked over the flyer in her hand. She wasn’t one for parties, but she knew the event would boost local morale. “It sounds fun,” she said, her expression still mildly stoic. “Okay, I’ll come. What kind of food are you serving again?”

“It will be! And as we all know to be true, more the merrier.” Yes, Héc always looked forward to being involved in any event where music could be brought in, but nothing made him feel as good as being surrounded by a sea of familiar and new faces that were bound to find a sort of common joy for a couple hours. “Bueno, there’s going to be plenty of tamales; tacos won’t come until later. We’re of course pairing that off with atole and café de olla if you like your late caffeine a little sweet. There’s a lot of snacks and candy but I’m going off on what I’m most excited about.” He stopped himself from resuming his train of thought, there was an undeniable spark to his gaze. “Oh! We’ll also have some games. The prizes are small but funny... much like myself.” Héctor laughed.

I believe in you, Aurora repeated in her mind. With a tilt of her head, any tension she had in her body melted away, revealing a soft, grateful smile. “You know, I haven’t heard that in a long while.” Her family believed in her ability for greatness, but they didn’t see ballet as a part of it. “It’s nice to know someone does,” Aurora added, reaching out to squeeze his hand. She pulled her hands up quickly to cover her warm chuckle. “If my career wasn’t riding on your ability to pull it off, I’d love to see it. I’m just not sure a mustache would suit you.”

“With my whole heart, I’m always in your corner.” Héctor said, though the smile that accompanied it turned a bit sad. He couldn’t understand why Aurora would say that– actually, what he couldn’t understand is how anyone could know her, how someone could witness her talent and not let her know how much appreciation there was for everything that she was. “I don’t want to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong... but that can’t possibly be right– right?” A long time ago, he understood what it was like not to be supported by those you loved; unlike him, she deserved every bit of encouragement that could come her way. He squeezed her hand back and bowed his head. “Not to under-appreciate the classes I had, but you are certainly the highlight this classroom has seen all week.” Héc meant it, rehearsals had gone well but they hand’t been nearly as entrancing. “You’d be surprised! I had a mustache for years and I’ve got the pictures to prove I can pull it off.” The man laughed. “My ex-wife would agree with you, but I think it added a bit of flair. I like the dramatics.” With that Héctor let himself fall back-first into the piano, the smashed keys chaotically echoing around them.

Dante: Pues mi abuela decía que saben mejor recién hechos Dante: Pero no sé… Dante: Es medio tarde, no quiero mantenerte despierto toda la noche Dante: Por la comida y la limpiada y así pues!

Héctor: Bueno, no soy nadie para discutir con eso. Héctor: JAJA no juegues. Apenas son las ocho, ya vente. Héctor: Qué crees que no voy a aguantar o qué? Héctor: No. Ya valió. Haré café de olla también. Héctor: No te tardes :D

Héctor left his phone down on the counter and looked around his mess of a kitchen, the deep sigh that followed was long and tired. “Puta madre.” He thought he’d have around half an hour before Dante got there; he started to collect all of the dishes and pans until there was a heap inside the sink– he also mentally cursed himself for not having bought a dishwasher already. It wasn’t often that he cooked, it was time-consuming and frustrating and he didn’t see the point of doing it if he didn’t have someone to share it with. Slowly but surely, Dante had become one of the people he’d grown closest to and he wanted to keep nurturing that friendship. With his permanent state, Héc was aware of the fact that he had to make the most out the people he had in his life in every single moment. He mulled over the facts as he made the coffee, a recipe he held near and dear to his heart.

After a while, with the stuff drying off in the rack and a table that was all set, there was only a knock to look forward to– he practically chucked the napkin holder away and leaped to the door once he heard his guest had arrived. Héctor opened the door and grinned. “Hey! ¿Listo para acabarte este desmadre?”

Aurora was surprised at how intrigued he was by the idea, as she was only joking. She gave him a strange look, but her grin soon returned as she lept toward the center of the room. “You can if you want to,” she laughed, facing herself in the mirror as she practiced her arabesque. Aurora easily hopped up onto her toes, bouncing for a moment before turning to see him. “Well, let’s hope I can win them over so you don’t have to chase after them. I love you, but that would be embarrassing.”

“Then I definitely will. To be honest, that was more of a warning than a possibility.” He laughed softly, feeling his chest fill with pride as he watched Aurora practice her movements. She moved and flowed with a rhythm that was only hers, he admired the connection the girl had to the dance. It was impossible for Héctor not to be moved by moments like this, he believed every single person had a unique spark of expression to them and this was Aurora’s to enjoy. “I believe in you.” He smiled wholeheartedly before shaking his head. “In any case, if they need some sense to find them... I can always borrow a fake mustache from the theater department and pretend I’m a casual bystander that has been so utterly captivated with your talent that is incapable of holding back from jumping at your defense.” Héctor shrugged. “Just saying.”

She nodded. “I know… I approved it.” There was a moment of silence in which Atta’s brows knit together as she tried to understand where the conversation was going. “Oh, you want me to come?”

“Oh right.” Héctor breathed out and chuckled a bit more awkwardly than he had intended to. “Thank you for that!” He exclaimed with sincere joy, nodding along to Atta’s words. “Well, of course! Leaving aside the fact that it’s probably all alive thanks to you, we’d love to have people join us and have some fun. What do you say? I promise you we’ve pulled together a lovely, lovely evening.”

Dante: Ah bueno, suena prometedor entonces Dante: Bueno, ya no tanto. Dante: Pero a ver, quieres que nos veamos mañana pero ya hiciste los frijoles?

“¡Ya sé, ya sé! Es una tontería.” Héc laughed nervously, he hadn’t dared open the door to his apartment all the way through... but deep down he knew Coco would probably be perfectly able to see the disastrous state of his home from where she was standing. “I’ve searched everywhere for it, and I swear it has vanished, poof!” He said dramatically as he finally stepped away from the door. “I can’t play without my lucky capo– you remember how it went last time.”

“Maybe she is living vicariously through me,” Rory giggled, “She died before I was born. Maybe I’m her reincarnate.” She took his hand and gave it a little squeeze. “I’ll save you a seat in the front row.” Rora was on her toes again, talking as she pirouetted towards the mirrors. “It’s one of the hardest turns in all of ballet. But, they’ll only be impressed if I get it right.”

Héctor kept quiet for a moment, if there was something he absolutely had to believe in, it was the intricacies of the spirit world. “Mi hermosa Aurora, I think you just might be onto something. Never underestimate the pull of your soul.” He said with earnest devotion, not failing to return the squeeze with a genuine smile of his own. “I promise to use it if I’m not standing up and clapping through the whole thing.” Héc teased, settling in his seat as he focused on the dancing. “You’ll get it right, because you will make it your own. Besides, Art is not about thing being perfect; they’ll commend you on your attitude, I will personally give them a piece of my mind if they don’t bet on everything you can bring to the table.”

Dante: Lo que quisiera saber es de donde sacaste los totopos Dante: Porque si son de esos chafas que venden acá me voy a decepcionar.

“Oh, I wish,” she beamed at the comparison, but brushed it off with a wave of her hand. She knelt down to adjust the ribbons on her shoes. “Ancora is putting on Giselle for their summer ballet intensive. I think I’ll include that in my audition piece.” 

“You have the blood to become greater than her! She wishes she were alive to witness your rise.” Héctor’s eyes widened at the name. “Giselle? Well, now I know where I’ll be when Summer ends.” He grinned at Rory. “Fantastic job, that move looks like it isn’t a walk in the park. I’m sure they’ll kneel when they see your performance... both at the audition and the ballet, of course.”

@dante-xolo