Work Text
Say that I'm crazy or call me a fool
But last night, it seemed that I dreamed about you
Miguel's fingers shook as he lifted the guitar. He had no idea if this would work. This was probably futile. He was already in enough trouble as it was. Mamá Coco had never mentioned this song, never mentioned any song, never gave any indication about this. And to play a song with a guitar and sing in front of his whole family, after what had happened, after what he'd said to them-But he had to try. Héctor - Papá Héctor - had sung this song to her. If this wouldn't make her remember him, nothing would.
When I opened my mouth, what came out was a song
And you knew every word and we all sang along
He hesitantly picked out the melody, having only heard it once; gaining confidence as he continued, he began to sing, familiar words to such a different tune. Slow, haunting, aching, full of love.Heedless of the rest of his family, he continued. He thought he heard Abuelita start to say something, but Papá's deep voice hushed her, and no one interrupted.And Mamá Coco saw him. Really saw him, in a way she hadn't for a long time. She looked up, and watched him, and he could see that she knew who he was, and where she was, and when they were.She began to sing along as well. Quietly, hesitantly, a lifetime's worth of silence battling to suppress a song of the soul. But she won, and she sang with him, the song she knew by heart.He could hear his family shuffling, gasping, awed. But still there was silence. Most of them had never heard a song before. No one told him to stop, or gently reminded Mamá Coco about the rule. They just watched.
To a melody played on the strings of our souls
And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone
Miguel wasn't the only one fighting back tears when the two of them finished singing.And then Mamá Coco spoke. She spoke of her father, whom they all knew only as "that walkaway musician." But she revealed a different side of him, a father who was kind and tender and loving, certainly not the type to leave his wife and young daughter to fend for themselves.Miguel knew he hadn't, but no one else did. Not even Mamá Coco. Miguel was able to tell her what she'd been longing to hear her whole life - that her papá loved her, still loved her, so much. But she didn't know why he had never come back. She would soon, though. He would tell her the truth, no matter what.Mamá Coco's letters proved her right. They showed a caring, funny, kind man who loved his wife and daughter, regretted to leave them, and hoped to be back soon. Over ninety years old, Mamá Coco had had them stored away in her drawer this entire time; they were older than most of the family. Miguel looked at Héctor's faded black handwriting on the yellow paper, his words and feelings and songs all poured into the ink, unaware he had mere weeks to live, and blinked very hard.The family listened to Mamá Coco speak with rapt attention; the letters were passed around from hand to hand. No one mentioned the song; in fact, Miguel was certain he heard his father humming it under his breath.Clearly, the song had done Mamá Coco good. She had loved it. She was happy. She recognized all of them now, and knew exactly who each of them were.Normally, they wouldn't have spoken of her father. As far as any of them knew, he may have been a good father for a time, but not for long.But this was the most lucid they'd seen her in years. If she was talking, no matter what she said, they were going to listen.
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón
Miguel embraced Mamá Coco, and both his parents, and Abuelita, apologizing to them all. He would come up with an explanation later.Then he went around hugging the rest of his family, too; they were surprised, but didn't mind.He'd come so close to never seeing them again, just like Papá Héctor. He hadn't quite realized it until now, but now he shuddered with the implications. He wished that this time in Mamá Coco's sunlit room would never come to an end. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to simply never see them again. He didn't want to.He loved his family. He knew it for certain now. He hated the ban on music, but his family he loved. They would go through rough patches and easy ones, good times and bad, bicker and plan and dream together, because they were family and that's what families did. The most important thing they had was each other.
¡Ay mi familia! ¡Oiga mi gente!
Canten a coro, let it be known
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón
A year later, Miguel sang. He sang for his family, finally embracing music after all this time. He sang for the love they had for each other, and always would. Finally, his family had come to realize what he had always hoped was true - that music and family could coexist. It didn't have to be one or the other. And what better way to show it than by singing a song dedicated to his family, for and about them?At the closing notes, Papá and Tío Berto swung him up on their shoulders, and Miguel laughed with joy. Enjoying music, with his family, was all he had ever wanted.He looked over his shoulder at his living family beaming with pride and joy, and knew his dead family was there too. This is for you, Mamá Coco, he thought. This is all you ever wanted, too.