Coco(Hector x OC)

Chap 11

"Why the heck would you want to be a musician?" Hector asks as the walk the dirty, poorly build streets of shanty town.
"My great great grandpa, was a musician." Miguel replies. Maria watches as Hector's face changes to disgust.
"Who spent his life performing like a monkey for complete strangers? Blech, no no thank you, guacala, no." Hector shivers in disgust. Miguel scowls and says something under his breath.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Hector turns to Maria, surprised by the sudden attention.
"Well, Miguel wants to be a musician. We need Ernesto's blessing." Maria looks away.
"Thats Miguel. I meant you." Hector crosses his arms.
"I uh. I wanna sing. But I can't go back unless Miguel gets Ernesto's blessing. The clerk said, 'you came with him, you leave with him' or something like that." Maria tries to remember that moment but can only think of her parents. "Hector, the truth is..."
"So how far is this guitar anyway." Miguel quickly interrupts. Hector smiles and jumps off a ledge and hits the ground, falling to pieces. After reassembling himself, he says, "We're almost there. Keep up chamaco, come on." Hector whistles as he runs ahead. After Maria and Miguel catch up, Hector greets some people familiarity
"These people are all your family?" Miguel asks.
"Eh, in a way. We're all the ones with no photos or ofrendas. No family's to go home to. Nearly forgotten you know. So we just call each other tío or cousin." Hector explains. He reaches down and grabs a bottle of liguid, probably alchohol and continues walking. Maria giggles as Dante gets splashed by a frog alebrije jumping into the water. Hector smiles at her.
"Hector!" An old looking skeleton with white hair calls for him at a table.
"Tía Chelo. He-hey!" He laughs and pops the top off the bottle he grabbed and pours a bunch of shots. "Hey, save some for me." He laughs grabbing two shots and asking where someone named, Chicharron.
"In the bungalow. I don't think he's in the mood for visitors." The same woman informs.
"Come on, who doesn't love a visit from cousin Hector!" He scrunches his face at the end and enters a bungalow. Miguel slows down and glares at Maria.
"I saw what you were gonna do Maria. Why were you gonna tell Hector about my family?" He whispers.
"I don't wanna keep secrets from him. I feel like we're doing something bad Miguel." Maria explains in a hushed voice as well. They were interupted when another voice starts yelling at Hector about a femur. When they enter the room they see another skeleton shake profusely and glowing a bright beautiful orange.
"You okay amigo?" Hector asks sadly.
"I'm fading Hector. I can feel it. I couldn't play that thing if I wanted to. You play me something." Hector shakes his head and pulls himself away.
"No you know I don't play anymore Cheech. The guitars for the kid and his friend." Hector explains with a look of sadness and longing.
"You want it, you got to earn it." Checharron declares. Hector looks at the guirmtar and grabs hold of it.
"Only for you Cheech." He sits on the hammock and tunes the guitar. "Any requests?"
"Heh, you know my favorite, Hector." Chicharron gets comfortable as Hector starts playing a soft tune on the guitar. He than starts to sing about a "beautiful" girl named Juanita. After the song ends Chicharron smiles and thanks Hector. He than glows bright orange and turns to golden dust. Hector takes his drink and makes a toast to Cheech.
"Wait, where did he go?" Miguel asks as Hector starts to walk away.
"He's been forgotten. When there's no one left in the living world who remembers you, you dissapear from this world." Hector explains sadly making Maria tear up.
"But I've met him, I can remember him, when I go back." Miguel announces.
"No chamaco, it doesn't work like that. Our memories have to be passed down by those who knew us in life. But now, there's no one left alive to pass down Cheech's stories. But hey, it happens to all of us eventually." Hector hand the guitar to Miguel.
"Even you?" Maria asks. Hectors happy face then turns sad again.
"Even me."