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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 19

Story Summary: Another Day of the Dead is finally here. La Muerte goes to the land of the living and is shocked to see Maria, the jewel of the town, unsatisfied with her marriage with Manolo. Another wager is struck and La Muerte finds herself falling hard for a human. 1 year after movie! Main ship: Maria X La Muerte (kind of slow burn) but there is another :)

Chapter Title: Hey There Stranger!

Coffee?

Manolo and Joaquin were returning from their date when Chuy ran into them. In Joaquin’s case, quite literally. The soldier fell back on his butt, opening his mouth to yell at Chuy to get off him. Manolo had his mouth open too but only to laugh. Both men’s mouths snapped quickly when they noticed that Chuy’s eyes were huge and he was squealing. They never heard Chuy sound so much like a pig until now and it chilled them to the bone.

Chuy jumped off Joaquin and ran in a tight circle, his squealing turning into frantic beying. He stopped running and jutted his snout in the direction of the mansion, giving two short beys. Joaquin and Manolo gave each other one glance before bolting towards the house. Chuy kept up with the two as best as he could, but soon he fell away.

Joaquin was the first to the mansion and he slammed his shoulder into the front door. It crashed open with a loud bang and slumped awkwardly, its top hinges having been ripped out of the wall. His hands grabbed at the hilts of his swords, pulling them out of their scabbards with practiced ease.

By that time, Manolo had ran up beside him. Without a word passing between them, Joaquin handed Manolo one of his blades. The two walked into the foyer much quieter than their entrance, their eyes scanning their surroundings constantly.

“Where’s Maria?” Joaquin whispered furiously to his boyfriend.

“I don’t know,” Manolo murmured back. The two men were climbing up the stairs, their ears straining to hear anything amiss.

Soon, they were in front of Maria’s room. The door was shut, a now common sight, and Manolo and Joaquin nodded silently. Joaquin stood in front of the door with Manolo beside him, the sword raised. Joaquin counted down from three and turned the doorknob as quickly and quietly as he could. He threw open the door and the two dashed inside.

The room was empty.

Cursing, Joaquin and Manolo went back outside.

Chuy had finally caught up with the two. He was in the foyer, beying loudly. Joaquin and Manolo ran towards the sound and found Chuy pointing with his snout towards the library. The three walked to the library, Chuy leading. Now that he was back at the mansion, the pig had calmed somewhat but there was still a nervous speed to his step.

The library’s doors were wide open, which struck the two men as odd. Maria had always made sure the doors were closed. The three went inside and found Maria in the middle of the floor. The woman was out cold, an arm curled protectively around a book as her hair spilled over her shoulders and covered most of her face. Manolo handed Joaquin back his sword and carefully took the book from the sleeping Maria. Maria gave a grumbling protest in her sleep but she did not wake up. Manolo looked at the cover and saw that it was Moby Dick. He could have sworn Maria had thrown the novel away when she found out Mary as really La Muerte in disguise.

“Here,” Manolo said, handing Joaquin the book so he could see the cover as well. He saw Chuy give a sad bey and walk closer to Maria. The pig sniffed at her face, screwing up his snout at the scent he found. He nosed at her hair, causing the woman to grumble again and squirm slightly on the floor, but her eyes still did not open.

Finally, his wet nose made Maria turn in her sleep. Her hair moved only a bit away from her neck and Manolo and Joaquin frowned in confusion. Chuy looked at them expectantly as he waited for the dots to connect in their minds. Slowly so as to not awake Maria, Manolo knelt. Manolo brushed back Maria’s hair from her neck and the two men cursed under their breaths.

There was a bruise forming around her neck like a hand had curled its fingers right around it. The fingers were extremely thin and long and neither men knew who the hand could have belonged to. Chuy nosed the shoulder strap of Maria’s dress, pulling it away to reveal another bruise. This one had four scrabs as if the fingernails had pierced Maria’s skin. Manolo and Joaquin looked at each other, both men unsure of what to do now.

Manolo was the one who acted first. He lifted a hand to grab Maria’s shoulder to wake her but he glanced at the bruise. His hand fell on her waist and he shook her once gently. Maria muttered something under her breath and the two men caught a whiff of alcohol. He shook her more incessantly, murmuring her name at the same time.

“Wha?” Maria grumbled as her eyes lazily opened. They were unfocused and the men knew it was from more than sleep. They were red and blinked wearily up at Joaquin and Manolo. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. “What’s going on?” Maria asked.

“We want to ask you the same thing,” Manolo said softly. He nodded down to Chuy who laid his head in Maria’s lap, gazing up at the woman. “He came and led us to you.” Manolo gestured towards Maria’s neck. Too late the young woman tried to hide the bruise with her hand, only able to cover it partially. “What happened?” He could not hide the edge in his voice. Manolo looked up at Joaquin and saw the same hardness in his eye. Whoever had done this will pay.

Maria looked away from the two and her eyes fell on the book still being held in Joaquin’s hand. She then saw the swords out and sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Joaquin said a bit too harshly. “Someone hurt you.” He grabbed back his sword from Manolo after placing the book unceremoniously on a nearby table. Sheathing the blades, he bent down to help Maria back to her feet. He didn’t like the way she stumbled. “Who did this?”

Maria shook her head. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does,” Manolo countered, getting up on his feet as well. He held out his hands in case Maria stumbled again. “Whoever hurt you could hurt someone else.”

“He won’t.” Without any other explanation, Maria walked out of the library, presumably towards her room.

Joaquin and Manolo could only watch her go. They didn’t know what else to say. “Do you know who did this?” Joaquin asked Chuy. The pig gave a sad grunt and shook his head.

Manolo frowned to himself. There was something he was missing, something that should be obvious. He could feel it tickling the back of his brain. It was at the tip of his tongue but the word, or name, alluded him. Manolo trusted that Maria was telling the truth about the person not hurting anyone else. But that didn’t mean whoever did this wouldn’t hurt her again. “We need to watch over her.”

Joaquin responded with a solemn nod of his head. “You need to help too,” he told Chuy. “You’ll walk her to and from the orphanage and Manolo and I will walk with her whenever she leaves the house.” He shuddered at the thought of telling Maria this plan.

Surprising, and worrying, them, Maria was silent the morning after as Manolo and Joaquin told her what they intended to do. She simply shrugged and moved the eggs around on her plate.

Her attitude did not improve for the entire week that followed. There were no more incidents but Joaquin and Manolo were no closer at figuring out who had hurt Maria in the first place. Joaquin had the brigade do double shifts and he took to strolling the streets for most of the night. Manolo would train and perform for the town’s people as usual, but he searched the crowds for an unfamiliar or unfriendly face and found the usual people cheering him and the bull on. Even Chuy was walking through the town, sniffing here and there to catch a stranger’s scent to no avail. They did not try to press on Maria too much, each time they asked she became even quieter than usual. The last time, Joaquin had suggested that a new group of banditos had come to San Angel, Maria took her plate of barely eaten food and went to her room alone.

Now Maria was asleep and Joaquin and Manolo were in their room, their voices hushed even though they sound proofed the room months prior.

“What were you thinking?” Manolo asked Joaquin. “We need to be subtle about this.” He was sitting on their bed, watching Joaquin pace back and forth in front of him.

“I’m tired of being subtle, Manolo!” Joaquin groaned. “We need to find out who hurt Maria and we need to find out now!” He waved a hand towards the window and into the streets. “I can’t keep forcing my men to chase after a ghost. We can’t keep chasing after a ghost.” Joaquin had scarcely slept this past week, as well as Manolo. “That bull almost hurt you today.”

It was true, Manolo couldn’t deny it. As the week went on, his reflexes dulled and his steps started to become sloppy. This morning during a practice routine, he was almost impaled by the bull’s horns. Manolo would have been if the bull hadn’t yanked his head to the side at the last second during the charge. He still barreled into the matador and Manolo suffered a new bruise on his side as well as aching bones, but he was alive.

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Manolo asked, at his wits end. “Maria won’t tell us who hurt her and we can’t find the fucker!” He jumped off his bed, his fingers curled into fists.

Joaquin shook his head in despair, having no answer. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“Then what!?” Manolo yelled. He marched up to his boyfriend and waved a hand wildly at the window. “Someone hurt Maria! Someone might have wanted to kill her!”

That broke the dam inside Joaquin. “I know!” He roared back. Joaquin and Manolo weren’t ignorant, only someone who wanted to kill would have left such a mark on Maria’s neck. Something must have stopped the attempt, maybe a civilian happened to pass near them. If that was the case however, that civilian would have gone to the brigade or Joaquin himself. Maybe Maria fought back? Joaquin and Manolo had already dispelled that idea. There were no signs of struggle, no bruised knuckles if she punched or skin under her nails. Joaquin and Manolo were at a dead end. “I know Maria could have been killed,” he whispered, his shoulders deflating. He was the town’s hero, why couldn’t he protect his family? His eye stared imploringly at Manolo. “I don’t know what else we can do if Maria won’t talk to us.”

Manolo had no response to that. He pulled Joaquin into a tight hug. With a start, he realized that Joaquin’s shoulders were shaking and there was something wet dripping onto his neck where Joaquin buried his head. Manolo rubbed at Joaquin’s back, his own frustrated tears spilling out. “We’ll figure something out,” he said to both of them. His eyes widened when he saw his breath. When had it gotten so cold?

Joaquin must have felt it too. He pulled away from the embrace, his eye roaming throughout their room.

“Are you done?”

Manolo and Joaquin whirled around towards the voice. Xibalba was standing in the darkest corner of the room. The god took a step forward and the candles around the room snuffed out. He cast an eerie green glow but Manolo could not find himself to be frightened. There was something stiff and sluggish in the way Xibalba moved, like he didn’t have full control of his limbs. His wings were constantly twitching and a feather would fall every once in a while. Manolo felt a strange sense of pity for the god and a look to Joaquin showed that the hero felt the same.

“Why are you here?” Joaquin meant to make his voice demanding but it was a difficult task to accomplish with one of his cheek wet from his tears.

Still, Xibalba answered. “It’s my, it is La Muerte.” His voice was strained and gravely, like he was only gaining his voice back after losing it. “And Maria.” Xibalba’s eyes were slightly glazed over. “How is she?”

The question put the final pieces together. The marks on Maria’s neck and shoulder. They were made by very slim fingers. Manolo glanced at the hand that was clutching the purple staff. “You,” he whispered, too low for anyone to hear. Xibalba had found out about his wife’s and Maria’s relationship. He hurt Maria. He tried to kill Maria! “You,” Manolo said again, louder.

Joaquin seemed confused but he caught a flash of guilt in Xibalba’s eyes and his nod. He clenched his teeth and reached for his swords. “You-”

Whatever insult Joaquin was about to make was drowned out by Manolo’s bellow. “YOU!” Manolo snatched one of Joaquin’s swords from its scabbard and practically threw himself at Xibalba, Joaquin close behind. He managed to jab the sword at Xibalba’s neck but in his rage he was off target.

The sharp edge cut into Xibalba’s neck but it was little more than a graze. Green blood oozed out of the wound and when it touched the metal, it bubbled as the blood ate away at the steel. Xibalba snapped his fingers and the two men froze, Manolo in mid air, his arm thrust out and his mouth open into a snarl. Joaquin’s face was expressionless but his eye was feral with its hatred.

“Enough,” Xibalba said casually, flicking his wrist. Manolo and Joaquin were thrown to the back wall by an unseen force and were unable to move no matter how hard they struggled. Xibalba glanced down at where Manolo had dropped the sword during his push back. The bubbles spread through the metal and soon there was only a puddle of silvery green metal. He lifted a finger to wipe away the blood on his neck, the wound had already closed. “I did not come here to fight, fools.” He allowed the men to slump down on the ground, their backs still pressed against the wall. “I need your help.” It was obvious that Xibalba was loath to admit it.

“You bastard!” Joaquin yelled.

“I’ll kill you!” Manolo shouted.

Xibalba’s wings twitched behind him even more. “You may not have to.” His words gave Manolo and Joaquin pause and Xibalba was quick to talk in that moment of silence. “The Land of the Remembered is dying.” He waited a few seconds for the words to be processed in their heads. The fight went out of them soon enough. “La Muerte is neglecting her realm.”

“Why do you care?” Manolo asked, genuinely curious. From his perspective, Xibalba should be delighted that La Muerte is allowing her realm to fall into ruin.

“Balance,” Xibalba answered. He held up a hand and Manolo and Joaquin could see the fingers quiver uncontrollably. “The Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten are on a scale the likes you could not even begin to comprehend. If the two realms are not balanced, everything falls apart, including gods.”

Manolo and Joaquin shared a concerned look. They had the same thought: if a god like Xibalba was this effected, what about their families in the Land of the Remembered? “How can we fix this?” Manolo despised Xibalba but he was wise enough to know that he couldn’t let his feelings get in the way. If what he was saying was true, and he didn’t doubt it, then his family was in danger.

“La Muerte must be happy,” Xibalba looked as if he had to force the words out. “If Maria does that then so be it.”

“Wait,” Joaquin held his hands up like he could physically halt the conversation. “You want your wife to get back with Maria?”

Xibalba nodded although the pain was clear in his eyes. “Yes. La Muerte is happy with Maria so she needs her.” For a moment he looked almost human with his shoulders slumped and his hands gripping onto his staff like an old man to a cane. “I want her to be happy and if that’s with Maria instead,” he took a deep breath, “instead of me then so be it.”

Manolo and Joaquin could only stare at him for a few moments. Manolo glanced at the closed door and for an absurd instant he wondered how Maria and Chuy hadn’t heard them. “Do you have an idea?” he asked Xibalba.

“Yes.” Xibalba’s fingers nervously tapped on his staff. “I know how to get La Muerte to meet me at the tree outside San Angel. It’s, it’s where we first met.” He took a swallow to fruitlessly get rid of the lump in his throat. “You two will get Maria to go there tomorrow.”

The two men looked at the puddle that used to be one of Joaquin’s swords and nodded to the god. At once they were alone in their room. “How did we get ourselves into this mess?” Joaquin asked.

“I don’t know,” Manolo said. “But we have to try. For Maria.”

“For Maria,” Joaquin agreed.

#thewager #book of life #maria posada #joaquin mondragon #Manolo Sanchez #xibalba #chuy

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bradcristianmartinez · 5 years

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“The unhurt are the unborn.”

Medoff, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳, 1998

#markmedoff #thewager

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tomershivam5 · 4 years

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timbophoto · 7 years

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loveinquotesposts · 4 years

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https://loveinquotes.com/rod-mckuen-one-of-his-poems-says-somethingabout-it-not-mattering-who-you-love-but-the-important-thing-is-that-you-love-%e2%80%95-carolyn-brown-the-wager/

Rod McKuen. One of his poems says somethingabout it not mattering who you love but the important thing is that you love, ― Carolyn Brown, The Wager

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izzybeads · 6 years

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 16

Chapter title:I’m Sorry

Coffee?

It was now the Day of the Dead. Mary wanted nothing more than to disappear into her castle but Maria had specifically asked her to come with her and the others. Mary could not say no.

So she was standing outside Maria’s mansion, knocking on the door with one hand and clenching a bouquet of roses in the other. She waited a minute before Joaquin opened the door. He smiled at Mary and beckoned the woman inside. He was wearing a very stained apron, however the uniform underneath was as pristine as always.

“We’ll be ready to leave in a few minutes,” he said, leading her towards the kitchen. “We’re making some traditional foods for our families and it got a little out of hand.” Joaquin’s eye caught sight of the roses. “Whose are those for? Maria said you don’t have family here.” His eye fell to the floor as he gave an embarrassed cough. “Sorry, I just meant,”

“It’s okay, Joaquin,” Mary interrupted his unnecessary apology. “They’re for General Posada, Maria’s father.”

Before Joaquin could respond and possibly make the situation more awkward, the smell of food drifted over to them. They entered the kitchen and Mary stopped in her tracks.

The entire place looked as if a tornado had passed through it. There was batter splatter on several places on the walls and the sink held a precariously tilted stack of dirty dishes. Mary was somewhat surprised to see that the counter where the three had placed finished plates of food to be clear of any mess. Mary spotted Maria bent over to grab a metal sheet from the oven, warm loafs of bread perfectly cooked to a nice brown situated on them. There were three different types of bread, or rather it was apparent that three different people made the same type. Joaquin’s came out the best with noone being surprised. Maria’s was a bit lumpy, along with Manolo’s, but they still looked good.

Maria grinned at Mary and took off her oven mitts after setting the bread down to cool. “Mary, we weren’t expecting you for half an hour.” Without hesitating, she pulled Mary into a hug, turning her head to kiss her cheek.

“I know, but I couldn’t stay in that apartment for another moment.” It was true. Since she received the page from Xibalba a month ago, Mary had been restless. Her mind was constantly wondering back to how that future could possibly occur and how it could be avoided. Like before, Maria had noticed and asked if Mary wanted to talk about it. Mary had declined, fearing that talking about the page or even trying to give a half truth would cause everything to spiral out of control. Maria had relented but her patience only made Mary’s heart ache more.

It took another half an hour to clean the kitchen, even with Mary helping. Chuy tried to help as best as he could, like licking off the splatters from the walls where he could reach. Joaquin tried to chase him out but as soon as he turned around, Chuy would dash back in to lick at another splatter. After five times of chasing the pig out only for him to run back in, Joaquin gave up and left the pig to happily lap at the batter on the walls. He did vow to wash the entire kitchen once over when they came back, earning laughter from the other three. The cleaning gave the bread more than enough time to cool down enough to safely transport. The four people and Chuy headed out of the mansion and made their way to the cemetery.

Other families joined their journey and soon there was a steady river of people walking and holding their offerings. Mary felt some stares from people when they noticed she only held a bouquet of roses. She almost somewhat jokingly told Maria that she should slip away and get some other offerings but the river became several streams as they passed under the archway to San Angel’s cemetery.

Joaquin, Manolo, and Maria split away from each other, the three heading to their respective family graves. Mary and Chuy followed Maria as she strolled to her father’s grave. Mary could not help but recall how Maria had looked at the last Day of the Dead. She was glad that Maria seemed much happier and that she had a hand in creating that happiness.

Mary and Chuy stopped a few feet away from the grave, giving Maria some privacy to place the offerings in front of the grave. Afterwards, Maria closed her eyes and tried to feel her deceased father’s presence. Mary saw General Posada stand next to his daughter, lifting a hand to rest on her arm in a comforting gesture. The corners of Maria’s lips tilted up in a small smile, somehow knowing that her father was with her.

“You can come closer, you know,” Maria told Mary and Chuy, opening one eye to look at them.

The two walked to the grave, keeping respectfully silent. Mary laid her bouquet of roses in front of the statue. She studied the statue more closely, trying to ignore the fact that she could see General Posada standing not five feet away from her.

“He was a good man,” Maria whispered. “I know most daughters say that about their fathers, but he truly was a good man. He helped build the town’s brigade to stop Chakal and his bandits from raiding the town.” She nodded towards the hook that replaced General Posada’s hand. “He even gave up his left hand to protect this town and its people.” A few tears budded in Maria’s eyes but she made no move to wipe them away. “Even though it hurt him, he sent me away to Arroba to become a proper lady. It took me so long to realize that he only did it because he thought it would be best for me. It would have been safest for me to be a proper lady.” Maria chuckled. “But I have his blood. I could never be a proper lady. I was a fighter, just like him.”

Mary, not caring who might have been glancing at them, wrapped an arm securely around Maria’s shoulders. “He’s proud of you.”

“How do you know?” Maria’s question had some humor in it but it also shined with her curiosity.

Mary shrugged. “I just do. Any father that has a daughter like you can only be proud.”

The two women listened to the people around them talking quietly but happily, feeling their deceased relatives coming from the Land of the Remembered to visit them. Several children, the same ones from the previous year in fact, were running about in a game of tag. Mary could see Carmelo waving at her from a few tombstones away to where Manolo’s family was. She had to resist the urge to wave back. Mary looked back and noticed that General Posada was watching her, a frown on his face. This took her aback but she schooled her features.

After seven minutes, Maria looked over at Manolo, unable to see his family standing around him. “I should be the dutiful wife and see if he needs anything.”

“I thought the husband was supposed to check up on the wife,” Mary teased. She heard General Posada huff in annoyance at her.

“I’ll be back soon,” Maria said, sneaking a kiss on Mary’s cheek before moving towards Manolo.

Chuy glanced between the statue and Maria and decided to trot after the woman, giving a bey of goodbye to Mary.

Mary watched and once she was sure they were out of earshot, she looked at General Posada. Now that his daughter was not in the vicinity, he fully glared at Mary. She glanced away, almost ashamed, before meeting his gaze again.

“I don’t care that you’re La Muerte in disguise,” General Posada said evenly. “If you hurt my daughter I swear I’ll,” he continued in a mutter that Mary could not understand but the message was quite clear.

A flash of the illustration passed in her mind’s eye. That damn page was never far from her mind. She turned her head to look at Maria and Manolo laughing at something, but the laughter was tinged with sadness. She looked back at General Posada. “Can I have your blessing,” she asked suddenly, unaware that the words were out of her mouth until she heard her own voice asking the question.

“No.” There was a frankness to the answer that shocked both Mary and General Posada. It shocked General Posada because he had refused a goddess’s request and it shocked Mary because of the swiftness he gave his answer.

“Why?” Mary had to know. She was afraid of the answer, she knew what it was, but she had to know.

General Posada gave her a quick glare as if she was a teenager caught out late with his daughter and not the ruler of the realm he presided in. “Because what you’re doing is wrong.” He waved his hooked hand to his daughter. “You’ve been lying to her this entire time. Even before you two started seeing each other.”

“I had to,” Mary replied.

It was General Posada’s turn to ask, “Why?” The expression he gave her made it clear that whatever excuse she could possibly give was not going to be enough.

Mary almost did not answer. At first she had no excuse. Her wager with Xibalba had all but won, she made Maria happy as she could and she was happy as well. Xibalba had left her and now she was free to explore her feelings with Maria. All in all the only reason why she had not told Maria she was La Muerte was because she was afraid. And she blamed that twice damned page.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to explain herself, General Posada continued. “If you truly care for my little girl, maybe even love her, you’ll tell her the truth.” With that, Posada left the realm of the living.

Mary stared at the spot that General Posada had previously occupied for a minute. She looked back at Maria and noticed that she had ended the conversation with Manolo and was heading back over to her. Mary glanced around the area, hoping that Posada would return as his daughter neared. When it became evident that he wouldn’t, she knew she had to tell Maria the truth.

“Sorry that I was gone for so long, Mary,” Maria said. There was only happiness in her eyes and Mary felt cold. She leaned against her lover, looking back up at the statue of her father. She sensed something was amiss with Mary and looked at her. “What’s wrong, mi amor?” Maria whispered the last bit and it stung Mary more than she expected.

“I need to show you something,” Mary answered. She took one last gaze at the statue before leading Maria away from the cemetery. Luckily, the families around them were too busy celebrating and praying to notice the two women slipping away.

Mary and Maria did not exchange any words as they walked. Maria was growing more and more concerned as Mary led her first through the town and than out on the bridge leading away. Finally, the two stopped in front of the old tree.

“What’s going on, Mary?” Maria asked. Her instincts told her she didn’t want the answer but she was going to get it nonetheless.

Instead of answering, Mary kissed Maria. Soon she backed Maria against the tree, her heart hammering in her chest in desire and fear. Mary broke the kiss, studying Maria’s eyes. There was desire in them too, so much that Mary was enticed to go back to the apartment and forget all of today. However, there was a burning curiosity in them too, and Mary knew she could not leave this place until she told Maria what was in her mind.

“Please,” Mart begged, her voice trembling, “please understand why I did it.”

“Did what?” Now there was fear in Maria’s voice as she stared back at Mary, the desire and endearment still present in her eyes. She probably thought whatever Mary had to tell her was some dark secret but nothing that could split them apart. Mary prayed to whatever god that could hear her that Maria was right.

Mary kissed her desperately one more time. “Close your eyes,” she whispered, her forehead pressed against Maria’s.

Maria did as she was asked and Mary took a few steps back. She tried to snap her fingers but she was too nervous that no sound was made. Mary had to try again before a sound rang out, much louder than what should have been produced.

“Open them,” La Muerte said.

Maria frowned at the change in voice but her gut told her it was still Mary. A part of her wanted to keep her eyes closed, to tell Mary to stop whatever trick she must be playing. Still, her eyes fluttered open and then gaped wide at the goddess standing before her. For a miraculous second, Maria thought Mary must have somehow used makeup and changed her clothes to look like La Muerte. She appeared different than when Maria remembered seeing her two years ago. The eyes were much dimmer and the marigold flowers in her hair were dull, like they were on the cusp of dying. But there was no denying that this was indeed La Muerte, the ruler of the Land of the Remembered.

“I don’t understand,” Maria finally said, taking a step back. Her eyes dashed around, searching for Mary even as her heart told her she wouldn’t find her. She focused back on the goddess. “Where’s Mary?”

La Muerte looked saddened for a moment before replying. “I think you already know, Maria.” She said the name like a lover would and everything fell into place in Maria’s mind.

“What? You, you can’t be Mary!” Maria exclaimed. She could feel the panic raise inside her, along with betrayal. She searched into La Muerte’s eyes and gasped as she recognized them. They were different to be sure, but they held the same fondness as did Mary’s.

“Maria, please, listen to me,” La Muerte said, seeing Maria accepted the truth of her identity. “I didn’t want to lie to you.” She took a step forward, intent on pulling Maria into her arms like she’s done a hundred times before. Maria took a step back, holding up a hand and stopping La Muerte without having to say a word.

“Why?” Maria asked, tears welling in her eyes.

“I had a wager with Xibalba,” La Muerte began.

“Another one!?” Maria yelled out, cutting La Muerte off before she could get another word out. “How could you?” She gestured between them. “Were you - this entire time did you - did this mean nothing to you? Was this just some sort of sick kick for you?”

“No!” La Muerte tried to take a step forward again and Maria took a few steps back. Each one hurt as if Maria had struck her. “The wager was if I could make you happy.” The words were wrong, she saw that in Maria’s eyes. “I only meant to be your friend but then I fell for you, Maria. I wanted to tell you the truth for so long. Please, I lov-”

Maria shook her head wildly, her eyes now angry even as several tears fell. “Don’t! Don’t you dare tell me you love me after all you’ve done.” She shook her head again, hands coming up to grip at her locks, her vision blurry as she recalled every moment she spent with Mar- no La Muerte, and all of them tarnishing at this confession. Maria stilled and looked up at La Muerte, fear now the main emotion on her face. “Xibalba, you’re married to Xibalba!”

“Yes but we’re not together anymore. You don’t have to fear him,” La Muerte tried to console Maria. “I will never let him harm you,” she vowed.

Maria saw some of the fire return to La Muerte’s eyes and could not help but sense the truth in those words. It was a small comfort, but nowhere big enough.

La Muerte saw the walls start to come up around Maria’s heart. In a last ditch effort, she flashed forward in a cloud of marigold petals. Too fast for Maria to stop her if she wished, La Muerte pressed their lips together. She poured everything into the kiss, all her love for the woman in front of her, all the happiness that Maria made her feel, and all the hope for their future.

SMACK!

Maria gaped at her own hand after it had smacked against La Muerte’s face, ending the kiss instantly. She turned her eyes up to the goddess, her face pale and her body slightly trembling. When La Muerte reached out for her, surely to punish her for attacking, Maria gave a trembling gasp of fear and held up her hands instinctively.

The illustration.

“No,” La Muerte whispered in despair. Her arms went limp at her sides as she looked at the horror on Maria’s face at what she had just done. At the fear of La Muerte retaliating. “I won’t hurt you. Please, mi amor, don’t be afraid of me.”

Maria flinched at the words ‘mi amor’ and La Muerte felt her heart break. “I never want to see you again.” With that, she turned and ran away.

La Muerte only watched her go, a hand pressed against her throbbing cheek.

#la muerte #thewager #book of life #maria posada #joaquin mondragon #Manolo Sanchez #general posada

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superredranga · 8 years

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Cos tap water is the best water. #paedy #carsofinstagram #thewag (at Seapoint Capetown)

#carsofinstagram #thewag #paedy

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 11

Story summary: Another Day of the Dead is finally here. La Muerte goes to the land of the living and is shocked to see Maria, the jewel of the town, unsatisfied with her marriage with Manolo. Another wager is struck and La Muerte finds herself falling hard for a human. 1 year after movie! Main ship: Maria X La Muerte (kind of slow burn) but there is another :)

Chapter Title: Why?

Coffee?

Mary opened her eyes gradually, confused and cold. The first thing she realized was that there was none of the amazing warmth she felt during the night. The next was that she was alone in the bed with Maria’s side disarray as if the younger woman clambered out of bed in a hurry. And finally, the rhythmic thudding and occasionally curse was coming from the same person who should be in bed with her right now.

Mary turned her head to look at Maria. As she had suspected, and dreaded, Maria was looking around the room for what appeared to be a missing boot with wide eyes that flashed to every spot in the room, except for the bed. She was clothed in her dress and one boot. However, the collar of the dress was dangling from her right shoulder, indicating the amount of haste she threw the garment on. Mary could see the random marks that littered across that shoulder, ones that she caused and ones that she hoped Maria would enjoy having.

Mary sat up while the dread in her belly bloomed to her entire being. She spotted the missing boot, dangling on the edge of the bed, which explained why the younger woman did not see it. Maria still did not notice Mary had woken as she paced to the other side of the room, her hair whipping about with each turn of her head.

“It’s over here.” Mary grimaced at how weak her voice sounded, as if it had already given up all hope that of this trip would not become what she feared it would be.

But of course the fates had to make it so. Maria gave a yelp and looked over her shoulder to see her boot. She walked briskly to the bed and snatched the footwear, still refusing to allow her eyes to even glance at Mary.

Even though Mary could not meet the younger woman’s eyes, she could feel the emotion roll off of the younger woman. Regret.

Maria struggled to get the boot on, more curses flying out of her mouth as a hand gripped her head in pain.

Mary found herself blushing; more than one of those colorful words have been murmured out the night prior.

But of course, any remote memory of the night not being a mistake but a night of passionate lovemaking was obliterated with two simple words.

“I’m sorry,” Maria finally said, still looking down and away from the other woman.

“For, for what?” Mary despised the tremor in her voice and how it caused Maria to flinch as if she raised her hand to strike her.

“Last night, it should have never happened. I -We - were drunk and things got out and hand and-” Maria raised her arms in an exasperated gesture that tore apart Mary’s heart. “What I’m trying to say is-“

“It was a mistake.” Mary finished the sentence for her, unable to hear the words coming from Maria’s mouth.

Maria flinched again and Mary tried to ignore the flash of pain in the younger woman’s eyes as her head snapped up to look at her. Slowly, Maria nodded. “H-How much do you remember?” she asked.

“How much do you want me to remember?”

“Mary it isn’t like-“

Mary lifted a hand to silence the younger woman. Deciding she had had enough, she got up from the bed, not bothering to be modest and cover her naked form with the sheets. Maria had already seen everything the night before. She did not respond to Maria’s sharp intake of breath or to the fact that a miniscule amount of hunger she so recently felt entered brown eyes. She simply went about the room to collect her clothing, seizing them into a bundle in her arms. “Can you please go so I may change? Afterwards, we can go to the train station and never speak about this again.”

“W-wait, you need to understand,” Maria started, taking a step forward and grasping Mary’s arm.

That was her mistake. Mary narrowed her eyes at Maria who let go with a hurt expression. “No, what you need to understand is that I need to get changed and we need to get to the train station. Now go.”

Maria looked hurt for a second longer and that expression only stoke the anger burning inside Mary. The younger woman nodded and turned to leave the room. “I’ll go take a shower and make breakfast,” was all she offered as she shut the door gently behind her.

As she heard the soft click, Mary threw her clothes on the messy bed, trying to ignore the image of Maria laying there that popped up in her mind. She marched to her bathroom and glanced at the mirror. She saw another woman, much like herself, except her hair was messy and the blue eyes were red and puffy with the warnings of the need to cry. She grimaced at the mirror and hurried into the shower, turning it on and sighing as the hot water rolled down her back and calmed her. She rested her head on the wall next to her, her face tilted up so she could feel the water fully. After a few minutes, Mary began to wash herself, swallowing down a quiet sob each time she found a mark left from Maria’s lovemaking.

No, Mary thought bitterly, it was only fucking.

Once she was clean, Mary dried herself off and got dressed. She packed everything without a care, grateful that her suitcase was magically enlarged inside so she could simply throw everything into it. If she were forced to fold all of her clothes, she might catch a whiff of Maria’s perfume on them.

Mary with a full suitcase, left the room and saw that Maria had already cleaned up and was currently cooking breakfast. Ignoring the younger woman, Mary placed her suitcase near the door and sat down on the loveseat. She watched the sun rise as the smell of bacon and eggs hit her.

“Breakfast is ready.” The sound of Maria’s voice almost startled Mary. It was so meek and filled with guilt, the exact opposite of the woman who placed the two plates of food on the kitchen table.

Mary left her seat and walked over to the table, sitting down with a murmured ‘thanks.’ She did not speak to Maria as she ate. As time ticked away with the pace of a snail, the tension between the two women went from uncomfortable to unbearable. A soft clang of silverware against china caused Mary to glance up and notice that Maria had only pushed around her food, eventually giving up and placing the fork on the plate none too gently, causing the sound she heard. When Maria turned her head to look at the sun, Mary gasped. On her neck was a bruise, the mark Mary no doubt left on her the previous night. Despite the fact that Maria had made it clear that she regretted the night, Mary could not resist the small swell of joy at seeing the bruise marking Maria as hers. Maria must have noticed her staring because she let her hair down, successfully covering the hickey. Mary looked down at her food, what little appetite dying with the small gesture.

How did this happen? Mary worried in her head. Everything was going wonderfully and suddenly, I am no longer a friend?

The sudden scrape of chair legs on the floor brought Mary back to reality. Maria grabbed her plate and scraped the uneaten food into the trash. It was only when the younger woman had walked to the door did Mary get out of her own seat to do the same with her plate. She joined the other woman and together, they left their suite. Mary stopped by the reception desk and dropped off the key without glancing at the man behind the desk.

“I hope you come again.” The man sneered in return. The glare he earned managed to shut him up.

Mary grinned at the bellboy and once again gave him a hefty tip. It seemed that the young man saw through the smile as he had accepted the money with concern in his eyes. He nodded to the two women and went back to work, glancing behind him occasionally to watch them disappear in the crowds on the street.

Sooner than either woman expected, they arrived at the train station. They boarded their train without comment and sat in an empty cart at the way back of the train. Maria stared out of the window and played with her fingers relentlessly. Mary meanwhile dragged her eyes along the paragraphs of her book without taking a single word in.

The sudden jerking informed them that the train had begun to move and Mary let out a breath of relief. She counted down the amount of time she would have to suffer the suffocating tension before she could leave Maria to her own whims and return to her beloved castle. The older woman was shocked at the eagerness she wished to part ways with Maria. She beat back the feeling by trying to read at least one page of her book with little success.

More than once Maria looked like she wanted to say something but each time it ended with her giving a sad sigh and looking out the window. Mary tried to ignore how her heart lurched each time this occurred. She also ignored how she did not know whether it was in relief or fear.

After what felt like days, the train slowed to a stop. Mary and Maria went to grab their respective bags and followed the stream of people exiting the train. There was one instance that Maria was pushed into Mary’s back by impatient travelers. Mary steadied the other woman and quickly left the train before Maria could express any gratitude.

Mary spotted the group before Maria did. She tried to walk away before the three could notice her but she was not so lucky.

“Oi!” Joaquin called out, effectively gaining everyone in the train station’s attention. “Mary, where are you going?”

The woman in question heaved a sigh and smiled as brightly as she could at the hero. She walked over to the group consisting of Manolo, Joaquin, and Chuy. She saw the pig dart towards Maria and almost crashed into the woman in his hurry.

“Hola Manolo, Joaquin. How are you?”

Manolo raised an eyebrow at the tone Mary was using. His instincts that saved him countless wounds in the bull ring rang in warning at the tired look in Mary’s eyes. Something had gone wrong in Arroba and by the way Maria was ignoring Mary, he could guess at what.

Joaquin, even if a decorated hero, did not see the signs as clearly as Manolo. “How was Arroba?” The name rolled off of his tongue with a suggestiveness that made Manolo shake his head in dismay.

“It was fine,” Maria said quietly, petting Chuy. The pig sniffed at the woman in hopes of treats and after a moment he barked in disbelief. He studied his friend’s face, tilting his head in confusion. He glanced between the two women and like Manolo, sensed that something was off.

“Just fine?” Joaquin asked with a playful scoff in his voice. “You two are practically glowing! Let me guess, you two were only out long enough to get into the hotel and –OW!” Joaquin rubbed at his side where Manolo had elbowed him as he glared at the man.

“Enough Joaquin,” Manolo meaningfully looked at Mary, then at Maria, and finally at Joaquin with his eyebrows raised.

Joaquin followed the pattern and understanding lit his face. “Oh shit,” he whispered.

“If you would excuse me,” Mary said abruptly. “I have to get back to my house. Buenos dias everyone.” Mary felt everyone’s eyes on her back as she walked away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maria gazing sadly at her but the older woman did not look at her. If she did, she might do something stupid like telling her it is all right when it wasn’t.

Mary walked into a dark alley and, without looking at her surroundings to see if there was anyone there, waved a hand with her eyes closed. A cloud of marigold petals swirled around her being and when she opened them they had disappeared.

La Muerte was standing in her throne room but she was not alone as she had hoped. In front of her were the Adelita twins. Both of them bowed in respect, sharing a secret glance to one another.

Something is wrong with our ruler, they both thought.

La Muerte waved away the gesture with a small smile. “Has Carlos let lose one of the bulls again?” Even the goddess winced at the lack of wit in the joke.

“No we were just-“ one of them started, her eye patch catching the natural glow of the castle.

“-about to tell you that-“ the other continued.

“-everything is fine here,” they finished together.

“Good,” La Muerte breathed. “Thank you for keeping an eye on things while I was away. Please tell the other Sanchezes that I will throw a grand fiesta as a way of showing my gratitude.”

The twins grinned at this and turned to leave the castle.

La Muerte watched them go and sighed. She sat down in her throne and felt something glide down her cheek. She reached up and brushed it off with her fingertips. Looking down, she was shocked to see that it was a tear. Her head fell to her hands and her body shuddered once with a sob.

“What have I done?” she asked. But of course, she received no answer.

#thewager #book of life #la muerte #maria posada #Manolo Sanchez #joaquin desantos

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 7

Chapter name: and so I shower you with gifts

Coffee?

Mary walked quickly through the streets, smiling as she hummed a random tune. A bundle wrapped in yellow paper was tucked neatly under her arm. Even the weather reflected her good mood, the sun shined down on her with warm rays without a single cloud to block it. She grinned as she saw the ruined orphanage loom in front of her. Maria was not joking; there was no door that protected the inside of the orphanage from nature's wrath.

The woman walked into the orphanage and weaved through the crowds of children. She walked straight to the Principal's Office, having learned where it was from Maria a few days ago.

She saw the priest sit in a chair not that better than the ones the children have. He was reviewing some paperwork with a deep frown. Mary saw him heave a great sigh and tried to rub away the lines in his forehead.

Mary cleared her throat and the priest smiled tiredly at her. "Come in, come in. How may I help you?" He gestured to the ancient seat in front of his desk.

Instead of sitting in the chair and risk it breaking under her small weight, Mary stood in front of the desk. "I would like to make a donation," she said professionally.

The priest grinned as his eyes shined with gratitude and glanced down at the paperwork he left on the desk. "Thank you so much for your generosity. As you can probably see, we need all the help we can get."

Mary nodded and gave the man the bundle. Confused, but intrigued, the man opened the package and glanced inside. He sat rigid in his seat and stared at the contents of the bundle. He glanced up at Mary and back down. The priest gulped loudly and took out the wad of pesos. He thumbed the money and stopped counting at halfway through. "T-this is your donation?" he asked, still staring at the bills in wonder.

"Is that enough? I can give you more if you like," Mary said worryingly.

The man gulped again and shook his head. "No, this amount," tears sprang to the priest's eyes as ideas ran rampant in his head, "the orphanage could be rebuilt from scratch! And still have enough left over to refurnish the entire school twice over!" He jumped out of his seat and clasped Mary's hand, shaking it as if his life depended on it. "Thank you miss! Thank you!"

Mary grinned and waved the thanks away. "It is nothing sir. I just want to make sure the children are well taken care of."

"Yes, thanks to you, they'll all live like kings and queens!" The priest looked at the paperwork he was viewing over and slapped a hand over it. "We can pay for the new door! And a roof! And desks! And boards! A-and beds! Oh the children will live in comfort and want for nothing!" The man was practically shaking with excitement. He grasped Mary's hand again, "Thank you miss! I-I have to tell the nuns and dear Mrs. Posada that their prayers have been answered!"

Mary grinned widely, but it was not because she had just donated a large sum of money to a good cause. She watched the priest scurry out and followed him out of the room in a more leisure pace. She walked towards the exit, imagining what the orphanage will look like in a few week's time.

She had just turned the corner to walk to the cemetery and go to the Land of the Remembered when she heard someone running towards her. She looked over her shoulder to see Maria stopping behind her, breathing hard. Maria managed to gasp out, "T-the priest. He. You. Donation."

Mary smiled and nodded, waiting patiently for the younger woman to catch her breath. What the young woman did next surprised Mary so much that she did not do anything to stop her. Maria pulled Mary into a tight embrace, her face buried in the older woman's neck. When she pulled back, Maria beamed at Mary. "Is it true?" her voice wavered only a little bit at the end, but it was still filled with awe and gratitude.

Mary simply nodded with a grin and gasped in shock as she was pulled into another hug. She returned it with a moment of hesitation. When the hug ended, Mary noticed that there was a slight flush in Maria's cheeks.

"I have no idea what to say but thank you," Maria said. She looked back to the direction of the orphanage before looking back at Mary. "I don't know what we would have done without you. There must be a way for me to repay you." Her eyes brightened as she gasped. "I know, we can go get lunch, it'll be my treat."

The older woman nodded, wondering if that flash of fear of rejection she saw in Maria's eyes was just her imagination. Maria grinned and grabbed Mary's hand gently, guiding her down the street. "Don't you still have work?" Mary asked, realizing that the younger woman might be playing hookie.

"Nope. After the big announcement of your donation, all of the nuns decided to give the children a treat and let them go off and play." Maria bumped shoulders playfully with Maria, "So now I have nothing to do for the rest of the day."

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to indulge me," Mary replied slyly. Once again, she thought she saw Maria's cheeks flush slightly as the younger woman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, we're here." Maria let go of Mary's hand and hurried over to the hostess, whispering low enough so Mary could not hear. The hostess gave Maria an odd look but signaled for the two to follow her. The hostess led Mary and Maria to a secluded part of the restaurant that had a clear view of the chapel. Both women sat down and the hostess walked away without another glance.

Maria played with her wedding ring for a bit before the waitress came and got their drink orders. They ordered wine with a secret grin. Maria glanced up at Mary who nodded encouragingly. "I know you have something on your mind, what is it?" Mary asked.

"How did you know I wanted to ask something?" Maria questioned, the fingers stilling on her ring.

The older woman gestured towards the ring. "You keep playing with your wedding ring when you're nervous or have something on your mind." She tilted her head with a slight frown. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

Maria quickly shook her head no but after a moment she glanced down and nodded once. She looked up, "Where did you get that money?"

Mary was not expecting that question. She had hoped that Maria would just accept that she had made a sizable donation and leave it at that. Thinking about it now, Mary realized she should have seen this coming. Deciding to play it cool and to buy herself some time, she said, "I am the banditos new leader." She shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

Maria stared at her in such horror that Mary held up both hands. "That was a joke!" She saw the relief in Maria's face. "I come from a wealthy family."

"Then what are you doing in San Angel for? Surely your husband would have left you more than enough of money." Mary could not tell if she had imagined the bitterness in Maria's voice or not.

"I find that I like the view and the people," Mary replied, taking great care not to give anything away. She felt guilt stir in her belly but she had forgotten why it was there. "And I would like to see that man try to take any of my riches."

"How are you and your husband anyway?" Maria asked, glancing away from Mary's eyes.

Luckily, the older woman was saved from saying an unreasonable lie when the waitress came with their drinks. As they ordered their food, Mary searched for a logical answer, once again feeling the guilt rear up deep in her belly. She took a sip from her glass of wine to gain courage as she said, "We are still on bad terms, I doubt that we will see eye-to-eye ever again."

It disturbed Mary to think that a year prior, that statement was extremely accurate. A part of her wondered if it was still correct.

An emotion not unlike relief fluttered in Maria's eyes but for a moment before she looked downcast at her drink. "I'm sorry to hear that." A hint of shame was laced through the words although Mary had no idea why Maria would be ashamed of anything.

The two continued to talk about Mary's past, Mary feeling guiltier with every lie she said about her nonexistent family. The food could not have come fast enough and when it finally arrived, Mary was so grateful that she did not hesitate to start eating, taking a generous drink from her wine to sooth her burning tongue a moment later. She glared halfheartedly at Maria who had giggled.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," Maria said as she made a show of blowing the steam off of her food before putting it in her mouth.

Mary was just glad that the subject of her 'family' was dropped. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, this time Mary savoring the food. Mary glanced back up at Maria, "How is Manolo doing?"

Maria shrugged. "He's doing okay and his wound is healing nicely. It's like he said, it could have been a lot worse," she said with a shudder.

Mary nodded in agreement and took a sip of her wine. They became quiet once more as they finished their food. They left the restaurant in companionable silence, only breaking it to point something out like a drunkard stumbling out of a bar.

"How is Joaquin?" Mary asked as the two strolled past the statue of Joaquin's father. She glanced at Maria and saw that the smile that graced the younger woman's lips slipped into a small frown. Mary slowed down her pace as her eyes showed her concern. "Did something happen?" A sudden wave of protectiveness pierced Mary's insides and she was shocked at the intensity of it.

The feeling only dimmed the tiniest bit when Maria shook her head without saying anything. Mary watched Maria's face closely as she asked, "Did he do something to that bull?"

Maria's eyes widened in surprise, "What!? N-no, Joaquin would never hurt one of the bulls! Manolo would punch him for even thinking about it!" Maria said with a weak laugh. She looked down as she sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping under pressure that Mary did not know. "Joaquin wanted to put the bull down but Manolo managed to show him that it really was an accident. The poor thing wouldn't stop crying when he saw Joaquin's blades." Maria shook her head as if to rid herself of the image she had created.

"So the bull is going to be okay?" Mary asked gently, placing a hand on Maria's lower back.

Maria smiled gratefully for the physical contact and nodded. "Yes. He won't be able to perform with Manolo for a while but he's going to be fine." She brushed back a strand of hair and coughed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry for suddenly getting so emotional. This entire week has just been really"

"interesting?" May suggested when Maria led off.

"Yeah," Maria agreed. She looked up and saw the sun had moved quite a bit as they had their lunch and walk. She stopped and clasped her hands in front of her, grinning. "Manolo and Joaquin will probably want to thank you too once I tell them what you did. How about you come over for dinner tomorrow night? We'll cook for you."

Mary tilted her head to the side with a sly grin. "I thought lunch was my thank you."

Maria waved the statement away. "That was my thank you, this will be theirs."

"So wait, I help your orphanage and you take me out to lunch, without lifting a single finger to prepare the food I might add, and Manolo and Joaquin are going to slave away for hours making me dinner," Mary teased, delighted in the way Maria smirked and narrowed her eyes at the jest. "Doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

The younger woman looked up into the sky as she pretended to think with an innocent expression. She grinned mischievously a moment later as she shook her head. "No, but I suppose they just want to impress you more than I do." Her eyes widened in horror at her choice of words for but a moment but that moment was all that Mary needed.

Mary stepped closer to Maria and touched her arm, smiling a little when the other woman visibly relaxed at the simple touch. She tried to think of what Maria could possibly mean by what she said and she chuckled when she reached a conclusion. "Is Joaquin trying to impress me?"

Maria looked even more shocked at that question than when Mary had asked if the man had done something to the bulls. After a few moments she recovered and gave a wary laugh. "Perhaps," she said lamely. The mischievous grin was back, however it did not erase the surprised expression that Mary say before. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night?"

The older woman gave a nod. "I'll see you then."

Maria grinned, this time a genuine one, and began to walk away. Mary watched her go as she replayed Maria's strange behavior over in her head. She was certain that she had done something to cause the weird reactions from her friend but she could not figure out why.

After Maria had left her sight, Mary shrugged and turned to walk towards the cemetery. Oh well, she thought to herself. She will figure it out eventually but probably not right now. Her mind was too occupied with thoughts on what Joaquin and Manolo could possibly be cooking for her and her stomach was too filled with excitement over having dinner with Maria the following evening.

#thewager #book of life #la muerte #maria posada

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 1

It was a clear night that was brightened by thousands of candles. Families gathered around various tombstones as they placed plates overflowing with food for their ancestors. Small children ran and screamed in delight as they chased one another in a game of tag. Adults bowed their heads and prayed, feeling their deceased family come up from the Land of the Remembered to visit them for that one night out of the year. All around were smiles and celebrating. Everything was so colorful and lively in a field filled with death.

La Muerte smiled from her spot on the roof of the church as she watched a dog join in the game of tag with the children. She laughed behind a raised hand as one of the children had tried to tag the dog, succeeding only when he baited the creature with a churro. The poor thing was confused as the children ran away from it, but after a moment it barked in joy as it chased the one who had tagged him. La Muerte suspected that it was more out of the desire to get more churros than the joy of playing the game.

A scoff was heard from behind her. "Really my dear. Why do you find such squealing creatures amusing?"

The smile only grew but she kept her eyes on the game of tag as she answered the presence behind her. "Come now Xibalba, it is the Day of the Dead. The children are only celebrating the only way they know. They're living."

A humph was her only reply and La Muerte turned her head to look at her husband. Xibalba leaned against his two headed snake staff, his eyes watching the children with a look akin to puzzlement. La Muerte giggled at the expression and got up from her sitting position. She more floated than walked to his side and entwined their arms. She felt Xibalba tense for a moment before leaning into her touch with a barely audible sigh of content.

"I simply do not understand the appeal to children. They screech like a banshee if they get a scraped knee, they need to be constantly looked after, and they know nothing of manners." Xibalba shook his head in distaste as his black wings ruffled behind him.

"They also smile at even the most simplest of gestures, they are so filled with potential, and they do not know of the hardships of this world," La Muerte replied. When Xibalba grunted in disagreement, she reached up with her free hand and stroked his face in a way that would make him agree with anything she said. She smirked at the way he followed her hand when she began to pull it away.

"See mi amor, children aren't so bad." She nodded towards the group who were now sharing food with one another. They gave the dog most of the food and the creature's tail would not stop wagging. La Muerte smiled at the scene and with a discreet wave of her hand, a bone appeared in front of the dog. It yipped in shock at the sudden appearance of magic but quickly dove for the treat. The children were thankfully too busy talking to one another to notice the bone manifesting.

"Hmm," Xibalba hummed noncommittally, still dazed by La Muerte's display of affection. He smiled at his wife, completely unaware of his surroundings.

La Muerte laughed as she rolled her eyes. He is simply too easy, she said in her head. Her eyes wandered back over the festivities. After a second, she focused on a statue of a man a little ways away from the main part of the cemetery. She knew that the statue was not there a year prior and wondered for a moment who it could possibly be. The statue was very short and had some sort of round body that indicated the man had a hunchback when he was alive. She tilted her head to the side as she saw a figure dressed in black bow its head and bend over to rest a bouquet in front of the statue's feet. The figure was very much unlike the other people, this one preferring silence and gloom rather than celebration.

"Maria?" La Muerte knew that the young woman's father had passed recently and that the town and had made him a statue as a tribute to his dedication to the safety of San Angel. She glanced at Xibalba who finally realized where he was and was now watching the woman as well.

Together, they materialized into a cloud of magic to get a better spot: La Muerte a breeze of marigold pedals; Xibalba an inky shadow.

They stopped on top of a dome of some mausoleum. They paid their respect to the ancestors by making flowers spring out of the ground around the stone building, or rather La Muerte did. Xibalba only scoffed at the irritated ancestors. With one glare, he forced the dead to back away without any more complaints.

La Muerte frowned at her husband and turned her attention back to Maria.

Maria smiled sadly at the statue. "Hola Papa. It's me, Maria. I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you as often as I probably should but-" she paused as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Oh papa," she cried, "I-I think I made a mistake in marrying Manolo."

La Muerte and Xibalba shared a shocked glance before looking back at the grieving woman. Neither of them were expecting this.

"I j-just don't l-love him and I know he d-doesn't love me," Maria sobbed. She angrily wiped away the tears before she continued. "I just - oh papa I'm so al-alone!"

La Muerte felt sympathy for the young woman; from the sound of her voice, she guessed that Maria was holding this in for a long time. She glanced at her husband. Xibalba looked uncomfortable as he witnessed the woman's break down. Strangely, he was the first to say anything.

"Come mi amor, let her have her peace." He turned away and morphed into a cloud of inky shadow, zooming his way back to the church roof.

La Muerte prepared to follow his lead but someone coughed to get her attention. She looked down to see the ghost of General Posada looking pleadingly up at her. "Please my lady, can I tell mi hija that I am with her?"

La Muerte smiled sadly and shook her head. "We do not belong in this world, Dali Posada. We can allow them to feel our presence for this day but they cannot see us. I'm sorry." And she meant it. She knew that Maria only wanted some company but she could not bend the laws again. Not so soon after last year.

Posada gazed at his weeping daughter and sniffed. "If I ever get my hands on that boy, I'll-" He stopped talking and walked over to Maria, placing a hand on a shuddering shoulder that will not be felt. He looked back at La Muerte. "Surely you can do something? My child does not deserve such pain."

La Muerte thought for a moment and sighed. "Life can be really hard for the living. I swear that I will see if I can do anything to ease her burden." She bowed her head. "Goodbye General Posada."

She did not wait to hear the dead man's words. She left in a cloud of marigold flowers and materialized next to Xibalba. She noticed that the god was looking anywhere but the direction of Maria. She placed a hand on his arm. "Are you okay, Xibalba?" she asked.

"You seem saddened by the girl's predicament," he said carefully. He still did not look at her.

La Muerte furrowed her brow. "And you are not?" She looked down at the celebrating people. "It is our fault that she is feeling the pain she is now."

It was Xibalba's turn to look confused. "How so?"

"That wager we made long ago, about who will take Maria's hand in marriage. Perhaps we shouldn't have." La Muerte sighed, her shoulders sagging under the sudden weight of her actions.

Xibalba raised his eyebrows in shock. "Even if we hadn't, Manolo would have married the girl. It was inevitable," he reasoned.

La Muerte shook her head after considering the god's words. "We can never know for sure though. We interfered with their lives, used them as pawns for some stupid bet! Xibalba, what if Maria was never meant to marry either of those two boys?" She looked at Maria's silhouette in shame and panic. "We could have very well robbed her of her chance at True Love."

Xibalba did not look convinced. "Who could she possibly have married if it wasn't Manolo or Joaquin? Face it dear, you are simply too excitable these days."

La Muerte frowned at the lack of sympathy from the lord of the Land of the Forgotten. She knew that the time he spent ruling such a wasteland had hardened his heart but she could not believe he was acting so callous.

He seemed to notice the change of mood with his wife as Xibalba cleared his throat a moment later. "What I meant to say is, the girl would most likely have wound up with one of the boys. I bet you that if we were to take a look at the Book of Life then it would have clearly shown Manolo and Maria getting married!"

La Muerte looked appalled and Xibalba retreated a step, ashamed of himself as if he brought up a taboo subject. After a moment La Muerte shrugged her shoulders as she looked over at Maria, the burst of anger giving way to sadness. "We will never know now," she said. "Manolo erased his predestined story and wrote his own. Because of us."

Xibalba's eyes darted from one family to another down below as he thought of a way to cheer up his wife. A fleeting thought entered his mind of telling La Muerte that some people do not have stories set in stone for them but threw it out a moment later. This will only serve to make her more upset. He smiled suddenly when an idea came to his mind. "Are you so sure about that?" he said, his voice becoming as smooth as honey.

La Muerte glanced at him, her face warning him to think his words very carefully. She knew that tone of voice and when he spoke like that, he wanted to-

"How about we have another little wager?"

- have a bet of some sort. She scowled at the smiling god, the candles that adorned her dress and sombrero flaring up and her eyes glowing with the force of a small sun. "I just told you that we should have never made that wager and you ask me for another one." Her words were calm but her eyes did not lose their luminescence.

Xibalba smiled, apparently unaffected by his wife's display of displeasure. "Yes. I wager that you cannot make that girl happy again."

La Muerte narrowed her eyes, not believing what she had just heard. She barely noticed that the flames of her candles receded to their natural height and her eyes dimmed to their normal luminescence. "What did you just say?"

Xibalba's smile grew. "I said I bet that you cannot make that Maria girl happy again."

She thought over the words, wary to the fact that she was starting to like this idea of Xibalba's. "And if I do?"

His smile turned triumphant. "If you win then," he trailed off, thinking of something not that important for him to lose but something that would keep his wife interested. He frowned when he found the perfect gamble. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he decided.

This is to make her happy, he thought.

"If you win then I will not interfere with the lives of men. For only one century mind you!" he added hastily.

La Muerte blinked slowly as Xibalba told her of her possible winnings. "You swear? No meddling with the affairs of men for an entire century?"

The god nodded, making sure that his wife knew just how reluctant he was.

"And if I lose?"

Xibalba's smile returned however it turned much darker. "Then I get the Land of the Remembered!" La Muerte's eyes narrowed as the flames rose up warningly. "I'm only kidding mi amor! If I win then you must allow me to at least go to one of your Day of the Dead fiestas."

La Muerte smiled as she held out a hand. "I will do you one even better. If I lose, then you can visit me every Day of the Dead and we can enjoy the endless fiestas together."

Xibalba chuckled and shook hands with his wife. "That my dear, sounds most wonderful. Good luck." He vanished away without another word, leaving La Muerte alone on the church's roof.

She shook her head in amusement before calming down. She stepped off of the roof, a cloud of marigolds making steps for her. She reached the ground and began to walk towards Maria and her father's grave. None of the people even glanced at her, she was invisible to them. When she passed a fountain, she glanced at the wall of water flowing down to meet the pool below.

No longer was she La Muerte. She was now Mary Beth. Her glowing eyes became baby blue and her long, curvy black hair turned into straight red hair that ended at her waist. Her traditional dress and hat also changed. Instead of a red dress, she wore a white shirt hidden under a blue jacket that highlighted her eyes and a white skirt that showed off her legs and black heels.

Mary made her way over to Maria and hesitated at the mausoleum. She took a deep breath before resuming her march.

Maria sniffed and did not look at the figure that was approaching her. "Manolo please, I just want to be left alone," she said with another sniff.

"I'm sorry but who is Manolo?"

Maria stiffened and looked at the woman who was watching her curiously. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and stood up. "I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband." Her breath caught on the word 'husband' and she turned her head so the stranger did not see her watery eyes.

Mary looked at the statue Maria was staring at. "He looks like a hero," she commented.

Maria smiled weakly at the other woman. "He was," she whispered. Tears pricked at her eyes but she would not allow them to fall in front of someone she did not know.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Mary said softly. She took a step closer and glanced to the left of Maria where her father stood watching them. The man looked like he did not like this turn of events but did not voice his opinion. "Can you feel him?"

Maria hesitated before shaking her head. "No. I think he might not have shown up today. He's probably disappointed in me." She blushed as she realized that she had told a complete stranger something extremely personal.

"How are you so sure?"

Maria glanced at the strange woman who had turned her head to stare at the statue. "That's none of your business." She was shocked at how cold her voice sounded.

Mary was surprised as well. She turned her head to stare at the younger woman, as if she could not believe that Maria would have the audacity to talk to her like that. Maria saw a glimmer of something that looked like admiration but she could not tell for sure. Mary nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for prying. It's just that I just arrived here and I have no idea where anything is or who anyone is. If you like, I can leave you to grieve in peace. Although, if I may, I believe that your father would prefer if you celebrate who he was in life."

Mary turned to walk away from Maria but felt a soft hand touch her shoulder.

"No wait. I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Maria looked ashamed as she looked at the ground. "Today is the first Day of the Dead without my papa."

Mary turned around and offered a sad smile. "It gets better." She nodded towards the statue. "He doesn't seem like the kind of man who would be ashamed of his daughter."

Maria smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "I hope so. I really do." She ran her hands across her dress to buy herself some time to think of something to say. "You mentioned that you were new right?" Mary nodded with a smile. "Well, how about I show you around tomorrow as an apology?"

Mary looked confused for a moment. "You already apologized and besides, it was my fault. I shouldn't have intruded on your private moment."

Maria shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It would be my pleasure to show you around San Angel." The little light in her eyes dimmed as she added. "It would get my mind off of some things too."

Mary nodded and felt a little concerned at Maria's attitude. "Okay, where do you want to meet?"

Maria asked, "Do you know where the town's fountain is?" Mary nodded. "Great! We'll meet up there at noon."

Mary smiled a small smile. "Until then," she said. She turned around and began to walk away. After leaving Maria's eyesight, she turned back into La Muerte. She dashed to the church's roof top before anyone could see that she was there. She looked at the direction of Maria and felt relieved when the young woman did not seem to start crying again. She felt excitement bubble up inside her and she found that she could not wait until tomorrow.

The bet was on.

#thewager #book of life #maria posada #la muerte

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

Text

The Wager Chapter 9

Chapter Title: Please don’t turn away from me

Coffee?

“Finally,” Mary breathed as she stood in front of Maria’s mansion, a small suitcase next to her. She knocked on the wooden door, shaking off the last bit of exhaustion. Mary wanted to pack her bags as a human, an urge she could not understand but was helpless to overpower. But after packing her bag once, she had to redo it two more times to make sure she had everything she could possibly need during her trip.

It was time for her and Maria to go to Arroba to make new memories. Mary had spent most of last week with Maria, the two women discussing what they should do once they’ve arrived in Arroba. Several times the part of Mary that was concerned with how much time she spent with Maria rather than ruling the Land of the Remembered would make itself known. The small voice was always pushed away once she reminded herself that she had the loyal Sanchezes watching over things and if something were to happen, one of them would alert her immediately.

Her inner rambling ended as the door opened to reveal Joaquin. The hero grinned and gestured for Mary to enter. “Hola Mary,” Joaquin said happily. “Maria is just getting a few last minute things for the trip. She’ll be down in a moment.”

“Okay, I’ll just wait for her here then.”

Joaquin nodded and strolled off, presumably to wherever Manolo was.

That was another improvement. After the dinner, Joaquin and Manolo seemed much more at ease around Mary. Maria even confounded in Mary that the two were more open about their relationship now. The younger woman made a face right after and lamented playfully that soon she would have to find a place of her own or else she would not have enough sleep. Mary had regretted asking why when Maria informed her of the fact that the two of them were rather vocal when they were making love.

Mary did not have to wait long before she spotted Maria coming down the stairs, a cylindered pack on her back. Mary thought that the pack looked like something Joaquin would bring with him as he traveled to other towns. Chuy trudged behind the younger woman, a sad expression on his face. Mary frowned as she remembered his reaction to Maria explaining to the pig that the trip would only be for herself and Mary. The poor thing was absolutely devastated but after Mary told him that she would protect Maria for him, he cheered right back up.

Maria stopped in front of Mary and pulled her into a loose hug. “Hola Mary.” She pulled back and eyed the small suitcase. “Are you excited?” she asked, brown eyes flitting back to blue.

The older woman nodded. “Are you?”

“Most definitely.” The younger woman patted Chuy’s head with her free hand, “Don’t pout Chuy, I’ll be back before you know it.”

The pig did not look convinced but he raised his head to receive more petting.

Maria grinned at Mary, “Shall we go?” she asked.

Mary gave an affirmative and she opened the door for Maria. Maria grinned and whispered thanks before walking out of the mansion with Chuy in tow. Mary was just about to close the door behind her when she saw Joaquin and Manolo coming into the foyer.

“You didn’t actually think that we wouldn’t see you off?” Manolo teased as the two men join the trio outside.

Mary heard Maria mutter something under her breath but could not tell what she said and saw how the younger woman tensed up slightly at Manolo’s question. “You already said goodbye,” Maria said with a small frown. Obviously, the younger woman was not pleased that Manolo and Joaquin were going to see them off but Mary did not understand why. She simply glanced between the two, practically feeling the tension rising even though humor danced in Manolo’s eyes.

“We did, to you, “Joaquin laughed, unaffected by the charged atmosphere. Or maybe he knew what was causing it, Mary wondered. “We still haven’t said goodbye to Mary.”

Maria muttered something else that Mary did not catch but she allowed the two men to follow them.

Mary walked close to Maria, whispering so only she could hear, “Did something happen?”

Maria heaved a sigh and shook her head. “They’re overprotected, that’s all.” She offered an apologetic smile as she saw Mary’s confusion. “Don’t worry about it, let’s just enjoy our trip.”

The older woman grinned at that. The group walked to the train station, stopping at one of the carts to get snacks for the ride. When they saw the train, Chuy whined and leaned against Maria, almost causing the woman to trip. Maria smiled sadly at Chuy and gave him a hug. The pig returned it with one of his front paws, whining low in his throat. “Don’t worry Chuy, I’ll be fine. I’ll even bring back a treat for you.”

It occurred to Mary that this might very well be the first time Maria has ever been away from Chuy for more than a day. She thought about Maria’s honeymoon and decided that it was not that big of a stretch to believe that Maria took Chuy with her.

A tap on her shoulder broke Mary’s train of thought. She looked behind her to see Manolo grinning down at her. “Have fun Mary,” he said, pulling the woman into an easy hug. “Thank you,” he whispered as she gave the woman a small squeeze. “I know that Arroba hasn’t been the same ever since the honeymoon and I beg you, make it her home again.” Manolo pulled away, coughing in embarrassment as his eyes watered.

“I will,” Mary promised.

It was Joaquin’s turn to say goodbye to Mary. Unlike Manolo, he opted for a simple pat on the shoulder. “Maria has been looking forward to this for the entire week, so don’t be surprised when you can’t get a good night’s sleep,” he said with a wink and a smirk.

Manolo frowned and smacked Joaquin’s arm. “Be nice,” he said with narrowed eyes but on further inspection, Mary could see the mirth hidden in them.

“I’m just telling the truth!” Joaquin protested. He sobered and grinned at Mary. “Seriously though, I hope you have a wonderful time.”

“Are you two done saying goodbye?” Maria asked. Mary noticed that the younger woman still had a hand resting on Chuy’s head, not willing to break physical contact with the pig yet.

“Just about,” Manolo replied. He gave Maria a hug and whispered something in her ear as well. Mary could not hear what the man was saying but when the embrace ended, Maria nodded with a serious expression that did not fit the happy atmosphere.

Maria held out a hand for Mary to take. “Come on, the train is about to leave.”

Mary gave one last glance to the two men and Chuy. The pig gave a long whine as the two women boarded the train. They sat in their seats in first class, placing their bags in the overhead compartment. They were the only ones in their cabin and Maria took quick advantage of resting her feet on the open seat next to her while Mary sat in front of the younger woman. They chatted about what to expect in Arroba and Maria told her the sights she wanted to show Mary.

The train gave a sudden lurch that caused both women to jump. They watched outside the window as the train slowly left the station. Maria spotted Manolo and Joaquin waving at them, chuckling as she returned the wave.

As the train began to pick up speed, Mary noticed something was running along their side of the train. “Maria, look!” She pointed at the thing that was running with all its might as it barked over the trains gears.

“Chuy!” Maria gasped, moving closer to the window to get a better look.

Indeed, the pig was running with the train, barking all along the way. Maria opened the window and stuck her head out. “Goodbye Chuy!” she yelled with a sad wave.

Chuy gave one last bark and slowed down, watching as the train sped up.

When the pig could no longer be seen, Maria pulled her head back inside and closed the window. She sat back in her seat with a sullen expression.

Mary reached over and rested a hand on Maria’s lap. “You really do love Chuy.” It wasn’t a question.

Still, Maria nodded. “He’s more like a child to me than a pet,” she confessed. She looked out of the window, chewing on her bottom lip. “I hope he doesn’t cause too much trouble with me gone.”

“He’s a good boy,” Mary offered. She was glad that her wording earned her a small grin.

“I know that I’m not supposed to ask but where are we staying?” Maria looked so hopeful that Mary had a sudden urge to tell her. That was another part of the trip, Mary had not told Maria where they would be staying for the next two days, only saying that it was a gift to show the younger woman how grateful she is for everything Maria had done since she ‘moved’ to San Angel. More than once, Maria almost got her to say the name but Mary kept her silence.

Mary grinned impishly. “Oh no, no spoiling the surprise.”

Maria pouted and crossed her arms like a child would when denied a sweet. Mary only laughed at the gesture which caused Maria to frown even more. “But I will tell you this, I hear the view you get is exquisite,” Mary receded.

This seemed to placate Maria and the two began to talk about what they absolutely must see. After two hours however, Maria was now sleeping as Mary read from a book she brought with her. Mary glanced up from the page she was reading and giggled at the sight before her. Maria’s head rested against the window, her mouth slightly open. She would never peg Maria as a snorer but the soft noises coming from her were undoubtedly snores. Maria muttered something in her sleep and shuddered, her face twisting in discomfort but not waking.

Mary looked around her to see if anyone was watching. When she saw the coast was clear, she waved a hand and a silk blanket appeared out of thin air. An abrupt snort made Mary freeze, fearing that Maria had woken to see her use magic. But the young woman only murmured something in her sleep, nuzzling the window as if it were a pillow. Mary breathed a sigh of relief and covered Maria’s body with the blanket.

Once she made sure the blanket would not fall off Maria’s body, Mary settled back in her seat. She picked up the book and with one final glance to affirm that Maria was comfortable, she began to read again.

Mary felt the train slow down an hour later. She looked outside and saw that they were approaching the train station in Arroba. She marked the page she was on and placed the book back in her suitcase, with everyone starting to move around it was too dangerous for her to simply magic the book away.

She looked up and shook her head as she chuckled. Maria was still fast asleep, her head now resting on the seat headrest. Mary gently poked Maria’s cheek, giggling when a hand lazily rose to swat away her finger.

“Maria, we’re here,” Mary whispered as she now shook Maria’s shoulder.

Maria’s eyes fluttered open and she grinned sleepily at Mary. She seemed confused for a moment, turning her head this way and that to look at her surroundings. “Wharwe?” she mumbled through a hand that was covering a yawn. Maria looked down at the blanket covering her body and shrugged as if her tired mind could not be bothered with figuring out where it had come from.

“Arroba.” Mary would be lying if she said that sleepy Maria was not adorable. She saw the sleep leave Maria’s eyes as they filled with excitement.

“We’re here!” Maria jumped up from her seat, almost tripping over the blanket. She glanced down at the blanket with a confused frown. She bent down and grabbed it, looking around her to try to find one of the attendants.

Mary chuckled and reached out to grab it. “That’s mine actually, I thought you looked cold.”

Maria raised an eyebrow and eyed Mary’s suitcase. “How did you manage to fit this in there with the rest of your clothes?”

Blue eyes widened as Mary realized she just made a mistake. “If you roll up your outfits instead of folding them, you end up with a lot of room left over,” she lied. She thought that she would be used to the guilt of lying by now but it still made her stomach twist into ugly knots.

Luckily with her brain still drowsy from the nap, Maria accepted the lie without incident. As Maria reached up to grab her backpack, Mary waved her fingers at her suitcase, using magic to make enlarge the space inside without making the suitcase physically bigger. She placed the blanket inside and zipped the suitcase shut just as Maria shrugged on the pack.

They left the train and Mary began leading the way to the hotel. Maria pointed at different buildings and gave a personal story each time. Mary hummed when appropriate to show that she was paying attention and chuckle when Maria gave a particularly interesting anecdote.

“I had no idea you were such a trouble maker Maria,” Mary giggled when the younger woman explained that she was the reason why a sign that said DO NOT CLIMB in bold letters was placed on the side of a building with vines growing on the walls of an old pub.

“I just wanted a better view,” Maria pouted playfully.

“For what might I ask?”

Maria smiled devilishly at Mary. “So I had a better vantage point for water balloon attacks.” Maria shrugged at Mary’s raised eyebrows, “The boys were making fun of me! They deserved it.”

“And why were they making fun of you?”

Maria’s playful attitude dimmed to one of shyness. She played with a lock of her hair and glanced away. “I was reading about the history of the art in Arroba.”

Mary smiled gently and bumped shoulders with Maria. “That is nothing to be made fun of. In fact, I would say that learning about the history makes you a bright woman.” She looked around her surroundings and spotted a street sign. Walking over to it, she read, Luna Road.

Grinning widely, Mary pointed down the street. “We’re close to our hotel. How about we check in and you can show me your old school?”

“That sounds good,” Maria agreed. She allowed Mary to lead the way, frowning a bit as she looked at the restaurants lining the road. Each looked more expensive than the last, holding fewer and fewer customers. “Mary,” she asked, “where exactly are we staying?”

The older woman only chuckled and hurried her pace. She glanced behind her and could practically see the wheels turning in Maria’s head. Mary turned the corner and stopped abruptly, Maria almost walking into her.

In front of the two women was the Lunar Hotel. The first thought that came to Mary’s mind was that it looked more like a palace than a place where people stayed for weeks at a time, if they could afford to that is. The marble that made up the hotel was painted gold and the entrance was big enough to allow two bulls to charge in at once with enough room for them to swing their heads. Each of the five stories had a balcony in the middle, the railings carved to look like the teeth of a skull. The sign of the hotel was lit by at least a hundred candles and Mary shuddered to think of the poor person who would have to light them all at night and clean out the wax the following morning.

One glance at Maria and Mary knew the younger woman was trying to figure out how to say that the hotel was too much without sounding rude. Before Maria could open her mouth to protest at the fact that they were staying at a very expensive hotel, Mary grabbed her hand and walked quickly into the hotel. She nodded hello to the bellboy dressed in a pristine red suit who opened the door for them. He looked genuinely surprised that Mary acknowledged his existence and smiled at the two of them.

The inside of the Lunar Hotel was even ritzier than outside. Plush couches and chairs were strewn about in a close circle with a large rounded mahogany table in the middle of each circle. In the center of the room was a fountain that held a statue of a man looking down at the guests, presumably the person who established the hotel. The silver metal was obviously polished daily and the stern eyes seemed to follow the two women as they walked deeper into the lobby. Mary had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the statue, some humans could be so vain. Mary could count on both hands how many people were staying at the hotel. All of them turned their heads to look at the two newcomers and quickly gave a dismissive sneer at the fact that they were carrying luggage. They must have assumed that they were the staff who showed up late. One middle aged man even muttered something to his twenty-something wife, who giggled obnoxiously at the joke.

Mary kept a tight hold on Maria’s hand as the younger woman began to move towards the rude man. Maria glared halfheartedly at Mary who only mouthed the words ‘ignore them’ as she moved further away from the rude man. She pulled the younger woman with her to the front desk situated in the back of the lobby. The man behind the polished wood looked down at the two and put the papers he was viewing off to the side with a heavy sigh. Once again Mary squeezed Maria’s hand gently as the younger woman looked as if she was about to have a few choice words to the receptionist.

“Name?” the man said with a bored tone, not even bothering to look at the two women as he checked his tie.

“Mary Beth,” Mary answered, her voice laced with irritation.

The effect was immediate. The receptionist’s mouth and eyes popped open comically and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. He sat up straight, too straight to be remotely comfortable, and looked at Mary with a smile as if she had just become La Muerte, which Mary did consider. “Miss Beth, we weren’t expecting you until later.” He took out a key and handed it to her, his hand shaking somewhat. “The suite is still not ready for you just now but if you like, you and your friend can enjoy the pool in the back. It’s most refreshing!”

Mary glanced at Maria who was hiding her laughter behind her hand. Shaking her head slightly, Maria informed the receptionist, “Actually, I was hoping that we could drop off our bags in the room and explore Arroba for a bit. Would that be all right?”

A muscle twitched in the man’s lips but he hid it with a gracious smile, however Mary could still easily read the distaste in the receptionist’s eyes. “Of course it is. You can leave your bags here and I will take them up to your room for you.”

“Thank you.”

The two women left their bags with the receptionist who barked out an order. The bellboy that had opened the door to them scurried to take the bags and with one glare at the man and a smile to the two, trudged away to the suite. Mary felt a little bad for the boy; she had hoped that the receptionist would be the one to carry their bags. She made a mental note to leave a very generous tip for the bellboy and nothing for the receptionist.

As soon as they left the hotel, Maria burst in laughter. Her shoulders shook with her laughs and soon Mary joined in. “H- he looked so su-surprised!” Maria managed to wheeze out, leaning heavily on Mary for support.

“I know,” Mary chuckled. “I thought his eyes would pop out of his head, they were open so wide!”

Maria hummed in agreement, still leaning on Mary slightly. She stood up and Mary found herself missing the body heat. Maria thread her fingers through Mary’s and nodded towards the direction they had come in. “The school’s that way. If you still want to go see it,” she added.

In response, Mary began walking down the road, not missing the small smile gracing Maria’s face. The two walked in companionable silence, simply enjoying the sun on their skin. Mary took in the beauty of Arroba, pointing out some of the murals that were painted on the sides of various shops and restaurants. Most of them depicted herself as La Muerte in the Land of the Remembered, frowning down at Xibalba who scowled back in his palace in the Land of the Forgotten. Mary felt a tinge of guilt at the murals, she and Xibalba had their differences yes, but she did not realize that the mortals viewed them as such opposites, forever pitted against one another. A fleeting thought whispered how in some aspect, the painters were still correct, she and Xibalba rarely spoke to one another, and in most of their meetings, they were wary and guarded their true motives from one another.

Mary’s train of thought abruptly halted when she noticed that Maria had stopped walking and was currently looking at her in concern. A quick glance told Mary that they had finally arrived at Maria’s old school. “Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts,” Mary explained.

Maria nodded but still looked worried for the older woman. “You do that a lot,” she commented.

Mary started, it was true that the past week she found herself deep in her thoughts, but she hoped she had eluded Maria’s eye. Apparently not. Before the younger woman could ask what her thoughts were about, Mary walked over to the school’s entrance. There were two columns made of old looking brick surrounded with vines that seemed to grow out of the stone itself. In between the two columns was a rusty iron gate, the sign with the words, “Convent of the Women of Perpetual Purity” welded at the top. Right under the name was a lion roaring at an invisible enemy. In front of each column was a little garden of various sweet smelling flowers. The flower beds were circled by stones, each the same size as the one next to it. She fingered the rusty iron gate with a soft frown, eyeing the lock that kept the gate closed. Looking over her shoulder she asked, “Are we allowed inside?”

Maria nodded and began prodding the various rocks that surrounded the gate with her boot. She rolled some of them over and back for a minute or two before she broke out in a triumph grin. Bending low, she scooped up a rock that was situated in front of a white lily. She tossed the rock into the air once and caught it easily as if it weighed nothing.

It took Mary a bit longer than she would like to admit before she realized the rock must be a fake. Her suspicions were confirmed when Maria scratched at the surface until a key was popped out of its holder. She grinned over at Mary as she unlocked the iron gate. “The nuns had a strict rule that students weren’t allowed to go outside after dark.”

“So naturedly all of you did?”

Maria chuckled mischievously as she pulled the tugged the lock open. “Of course. The nuns knew but most of them grew up here so they understood that it was a rite of passage for the newcomers. They ‘dropped’ this key so we could sneak back in.” She placed the key back into its hiding spot and put the rock snugly back in its place. Instantly, Mary could not tell which rock held the fake key.

“Are you sure that it’s okay if we go inside?” Mary asked.

Maria only flashed her a grin and opened the gate, wincing as the metal creaked loudly. When she saw that Mary was still on the other side of the gate, she sighed. “Yes, we’re allowed,” she said with a great amount of exasperation, chuckling at the half-hearted glare she was rewarded.

Mary walked over to Maria, glancing behind her in longing. Maria laughed and weaved an arm through Mary’s, tugging her along the stone path. “Don’t worry. If the nuns catch us I’m sure they’ll recognize me.”

Mary muttered something under her breath but the building in front of her caught her attention. At first she thought it was a castle of some sort but after a moment she realized it was the church. Mary had to tilt her head back to see the tip of the roof. She grimaced at the gargoyle sitting there, his maw opened in a silent screech as he glared at the sun. She spied two more gargoyles, as ugly as the first, glaring at opposite directions. She guessed that each gargle represented each direction, the one on top of the church’s roof for east and the two she saw for the directions north and south. She knew that if she and Maria were to go to the other side of the church, they would find the gargoyle that represented west.

Her eyes lowered to look at the stained glass. Like the ones from San Angel, Mary could just barely see herself as La Muerte sitting in her golden throne. For some reason Mary could not fathom, she felt a sense of resentment at the glass and turned her head to look at other details of the church. She noticed that there was some sort of expansion and unlike the church, the sides did not have any of the exquisite carvings or stained glass.

“That’s where we have our classrooms,” Maria said, sensing what Mary was about to ask.

“Why doesn’t it look like the rest of the church?”

“Because this place wasn’t always a private boarding school,” Maria answered with a shrug. The two started walking towards the church as she explained. “The church was first built as a convent for women who did not believe they needed a priest to worship, or at least that’s what the nuns told us.” Maria leaned towards Mary and whispered, “I personally believe that they just got sick of their priest telling them what to do.” Mary giggled at this. Maria continued, “After a while, they needed to find a way to get money so they decided to open up the school. The first students became very interested in the religion the nuns were studying and so they added the classrooms to the church itself. The old building eventually became the current dormitory for the students.”

The two women took a left at the church, Mary doing her best not to meet the eyes of La Muerte. They walked for about ten minutes before they stopped in front of the dormitory. It was newer than the church but still had a worn feel to it. It was made entirely of brick with a mahogany door etched with soft swirls. Several of the numerous windows were lit, signaling that there were occupants inside.

Mary glanced at Maria and saw that the younger woman was smiling, lost in memories. Maria took a step closer and whispered, “For most of my life, this was my home.” She looked down and played with her fingers, “I was so angry when I first got here. My father,” she wiped at her eyes in embarrassment and Mary placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort, “he sent me here because he thought I wasn’t a proper lady.” She gave a chuckle but it was weak. “I guess he was right though.”

The older woman frowned as she squeezed Maria’s arm to get her attention. “He was wrong. A woman who would stand up and fight for her town is a woman others should look up to.”

Maria sniffed and offered a small smile. “Thank you.” She wiped at her eyes once more and nodded towards the dormitory. “Do you want to go inside?”

Mary shook her head. “No, let’s go walk around a bit more.”

Maria showed her relief on her face. “Okay.” The two began to walk to the right of the dormitory. The grass was so green and dotted with occasional daisies. There was a lone oak tree in the middle of the garden which donned a sign that said ‘DO NOT CLIMB.’

“Before you asked, yes I was the reason for the sign. I used to hide in the branches so I could escape the boring classes and just read. After a while though the nuns found out and they were so mad.” Maria grimaced and Mary chuckled at the expression. “They thought that making me take kung fu and fencing would be a suitable punishment. After a year I was the best student in both studies.”

Mary chuckled as a sudden image of her fighting the leader of the banditos, Chakal. “For some reason you being good at fighting and swords doesn’t surprise me.”

“It shouldn’t!” Maria looked up and saw that the sun had moved a lot since their exploration of the school. “Come on, it’s getting a little late. Let’s go before the nuns find us and run us off their property.” Maria began to walk away and she looked over her shoulder at the older woman. “It’s illegal for nonstudents to be on their grounds.”

Mary’s eyes widened and she stared slacked mouth at Maria, causing the younger woman to laugh. She hurried over to Maria, hissing in her ear. “You said we wouldn’t get in trouble!”

“If we get caught,” Maria said slyly back. The two women retraced their steps in a hurried pace, Mary looking over their shoulder in case a nun suddenly came running around the corner. She spared the church one last glance, frowning at the glass of herself.

The two slipped out of the iron gate, Maria locking the two sides with practiced hands. The two walked back to the hotel in silence. Maria only broke the silence when they walked down one street and saw an old building with two stone lions in front. “That’s my favorite library; maybe tomorrow I’ll take you there.”

“I would love that.”

Their arms were entwined as they entered the hotel lobby. It was as packed as it was before and everyone looked down their noses at them like before. Mary once again had to fight the urge to reveal herself and stop the rude people from looking at them as if they were inferior just because they thought the two women had less money.

The same receptionist smiled at the two but neither women was fooled. He glanced down at his paper with something that looked like agitation. “Hola, Miss Beth. Your room is finally ready for you and your guest. He will lead you to your room,” the receptionist said as he jerked his head towards the same boy who took their bags.

Unlike the receptionist, the bell boy gave a genuine smile. “If you two would follow me.”

Mary nodded in respect and followed the bellboy. He led them up the stairs to the topmost floor. She glanced to Maria and almost smirked when the younger woman looked at the one door in confusion.

“Thank you,” both women said. When the bellboy turned to leave, Mary made a gesture for him to stay. “Here, for your help.” She gave him a large tip and grinned when he took the money with ill hidden shock. It was obvious that he had not received many tips or simple thank yous. “What’s your name?”

“Mike.” He pocketed the money, his hand placed over the stuffed pocket as if he were to let go it would disappear. “If you two don’t mind me saying, you are one of the kindest guests I have ever met.” He glanced down and asked, “Are you going to tip the receptionist?”

“No, he doesn’t deserve one.” The bellboy grinned at this and left the two women. Mary looked back at Maria, “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” Maria asked but she did as she was told.

“Because I said so.” Mary gently grabbed her hand and opened the door. She guided Maria to the middle of the room and turned around so she could see her reaction. “Now, open them.”

Maria did as she was told, her mouth opening in awe as she took in the room. She was in the kitchen with a glass table to the right of her. On it was a bowl filled to the brim with exotic fruit. Right in front of her was the living room. When Mary had first walked into the room, she thought for a moment that she was back in her castle. The walls were painted a soft gold with beautiful swirls of pink and purple, creating a skull with flowers for eyes. There was a lovely brown loveseat situated behind a table carved from stone. There were two doors, one at the left of the room and one to the right of the room, hiding the two bedrooms.

Maria paid them no mind, or anything in the suite. She walked to the glass doors that led to the balcony. She slipped outside with Mary following closely behind. The view even took Mary’s breath away. The sun was setting, coating everything in a relaxing red hue. From where they were, the two women could see most of Arroba, the streetlamps shining the various houses and shops. They could even see Maria’s school twinkling in the distance.

“Beautiful,” Maria whispered. She rested her hands on the rail, leaning forward slightly to drink in the scenery. She looked at Mary in awe. “Thank you Mary, for everything.” She rested her head on Mary’s shoulder, smiling in content.

“You deserve this.” And so much more, Mary added silently in her head. She felt Maria tense next to her and she looked down at the younger woman in confusion. “You do,” she insisted, “you have done so much for your town and friends.”

Maria began to play with her fingers again as she chewed her bottom lip nervously. Mary took a peak downwards and was shocked to find that Maria’s wedding ring was missing. “Maria, your ring.”

The younger woman looked down, her train of thought apparently halted. She held up her hand so Mary could see the little tan line of where the ring used to be. “Oh, did I forget to tell you? I gave the ring to Joaquin; he should at least have it even if he can’t wear it.”

Mary found herself smiling as she pictured Joaquin and Manolo wearing matching rings. “That is amazing. Every time I think I know the depth of your kindness, you surprise me.”

Once again Maria’s bottom lip was caught in between her teeth as a vibrant blush spread across her cheeks. “No one has ever told me something like that before.” Brown eyes stared into blue as both women smiled at one another, Mary silently giving Maria the confidence to tell the older woman what she was thinking. After a moment however, Maria’s eyes streaked to the now set sun and then back to Mary. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She brushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear and coughed. “W-We should go inside. It’s getting a little chilly.”

Mary did not miss the flash of disappointment in Maria’s eyes before the younger woman walked back inside. She glanced back over her shoulder, wondering what Maria was so nervous about. When she looked back in front of her, she noticed that Maria was standing in the middle of the living room, presumably waiting for her. “I suppose we should go to sleep then,” Mary said with a kind smile.

“Yes we should, we do have a big day after tomorrow,” Maria said, not meeting Mary’s eyes.

Once again Mary saw the glint of disappointment in Maria’s eyes, but they were also tinged with guilt. She nodded towards the door to her left. “That is your room. Buenos noches Maria.”

She heard Maria repeat the parting back to her as she slipped inside her own room. She was not stupid, she knew that something was bothering Maria but she could not find any fault with their day, besides the encounters with the receptionist. She continued to ponder the sudden change in Maria’s behavior as she took off her shoes, leaving them by the door. She stripped off her white skirt, bra, and blue coat, leaving her bare except for her underwear and white shirt. Mary slipped under her covers, sighing as she felt silk glide over her skin. Snuggling deeper into the bed, the woman fell into a deep slumber filled with old private schools and nervous Marias.

#thewager #book of life #la muerte #maria posada #Manolo Sanchez #joaquin desantos

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 8

Chapter Title: Come away with me

Coffee?

La Muerte looked at herself through a mirror. The frame was completely made of gold with rubies and emeralds adorning the sides of the looking glass. Each rock was connected with extravagant swirls that were etched into the material. But the frame did not hold La Muerte's attention in the least bit, if anything thing it only made her more irritated with its everlasting beauty. She continued to frown at herself, her eyes roaming over her red dress and sombrero.

"This won't do at all." She waved a hand and Mary was now the one frowning in the mirror. She eyed her white skirt and blue shirt with a grimace, she could not wear this to the dinner! She wore the outfit all the time and Maria may think her cheap for wearing it at a formal dinner. Mary snapped her fingers and saw that she was now wearing a sleeveless red dress that ended at her knees. She wondered if she should fix the dress so the plummeting neck line did not show so much cleavage but after a moment she left the dress as it was. The color complimented her hair and she brushed her hand against the left side of the silky strands. When her fingers pulled away, a marigold was now woven into her hair.

She felt excitement curl in her belly as she snapped her fingers once again. A cloud of marigold petals danced around her being and she had to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape. When they disappeared, she was back at San Angel's cemetery. She looked around herself and saw that Chuy was not there to lead her to Maria's mansion. She did not pay this any attention, Chuy was probably taking a nap somewhere.

Mary strolled out of the cemetery and into the main markets. She ignored the stares that some men were giving her, knowing by the way they were leaning out of the bars to get a better look at her that they were simply a little intoxicated. However, one of them whistled at her and called out slurred catcalls at her. The man promptly lost balance and fell into the mud below by a gust of wind.

Sooner than she had expected, she was standing in front of Maria's home. The butterflies in her stomach did not go away, rather they only grew in number as she raised a fist to knock. Just as her knuckles were about to brush the wood, the door opened. She smiled, expecting it to be Maria, but was confused when there was no one on the other side.

A soft baying sound brought her eyes down to the floor. Chuy looked expectantly at Mary with something that looked suspiciously like a smug grin. Mary did not question how the pig had managed to open the door, she simply accepted it and walked into the foyer.

"Where is Maria?" Mary asked, feeling a slight disappointment at the fact that Maria was not there to greet her.

Chuy just gave a small grunt and padded away, going off to do whatever the pig did in his free time. Mary watched him go, wondering if she should have followed him.

"Who's there? Maria, is that you?"

Mary turned her head to where the voice came from. She was shocked to see Joaquin stumble through the right door, fixing his belt with a flushed and slightly dazed look on his face. He looked at her for a moment before his eye widened in horror. He gave a shriek that sounded almost like a girl's, giving Mary a slight start.

Manolo charged into the foyer from the door Joaquin just entered, searching the room for whatever danger caused Joaquin to scream. His appearance surprised Mary but his attire made her continue to stare at him. Or rather, the lack of attire. The man was only wearing boxers that had little bulls and hearts on them. They would have made Mary giggle if it weren't for the fact that tears were in the man's eyes as he finally noticed who had entered his home. With a glance at Joaquin, she saw the same tears in his eyes, along with fear.

"We weren't doing anything wrong!" Manolo yelled out, holding up his hands as if he expected to be attacked.

Mary had no idea what to say, or even what to think about the situation she found herself in. She was spared from any more oddities when the door behind her opened. She looked to see Maria letting herself in, the younger woman halting when she saw the two men and Mary in her foyer.

Maria glanced at the two men and then Mary, the same shock and fear on her face. "Mary, you weren't supposed to be here until another hour," she said lamely.

The older woman only shrugged and replied. "I thought I would come here earlier to surprise you. And perhaps help them with cooking," she added with a glance to the men.

Maria walked further into the foyer and stood between Mary and the two men. She looked back at them and noticed the tears in their eyes. She grimaced and her face turned stoic as she looked back at Mary. "You cannot tell anyone about them," she said, her voice faltering in the end.

"I – tell anyone what?" Slowly the mechanics in her head started to turn. She glanced at Manolo in his boxers back to Joaquin, who had not managed to fix his belt successfully. She finally looked back at Maria who met her gaze steadily. "Wait, Manolo, are you and Joaquin-" The tears that finally slipped from the matadors eyes confirmed her theory.

"Please," Manolo pleaded, Joaquin taking a step towards him, a hand raised above his arm like he wanted to comfort Manolo before realizing that he could not do so without making the situation worse. The hand fell back to his side as Manolo finished, "please don't tell anyone."

Mary saw the desperation in all three faces and quickly shook her head. "Don't be scared! I won't tell anyone." Everything finally clicked into place from Manolo's strange behavior to Maria's reluctance to talk about her marriage. Deep in the darkest parts of her mind, she celebrated but did not know why. She shook her head to get rid of the weird feeling, deciding to ponder on it later when she was back in the Land of the Forgotten.

Manolo's and Maria's faces showed their immense relief, Maria might have been a little more relieved, but Joaquin still looked doubtful. "How can we know that we can trust you with our secret?" he asked, his hand now firmly resting on Manolo's arm.

"Do you love Manolo?" Mary asked back.

Joaquin's chest swelled with pride as he answered. "Of course I do. Who wouldn't?" he added with a glance at Manolo.

Mary nodded in approval and turned her attention to Manolo. "Do you love Joaquin?"

Manolo could only nod.

"Then I don't see why you two shouldn't be together."

Joaquin took a step forward, pointing at Mary with an angry look on his face. Mary could still see the fear that resided in his eye and knew not to take whatever the hero was about to say to heart. "If you tell anyone about us," Joaquin jerked his head towards Manolo to indicate who 'us' was, "I will find you and arrest you for telling blatant lies about a decorated hero. And believe me, no one will come looking for you once I'm through with you."

"Joaquin!" Maria yelled, stepping in between Mary and the man. She pointed a finger in Joaquin's face and Mary was impressed by the immediate effect. Joaquin took a step back and did not meet Maria's eyes as the woman said evenly, "I told you that we can trust Mary and we can. So don't you dare threaten my friend like that."

"I just want to make sure that she won't out us," Joaquin said in defense.

"She said she won't and she won't." Maria crossed her arms and even though Joaquin was quite a bit taller and stronger than her, Maria still scolded him as if he were one of her students.

"I swear I won't say anything," Mary interjected. She knew that she had to defuse the tension and fast, before Maria and Joaquin started to fight. She honestly did not want to explain to the authorities why the town's hero was beaten to a pulp. "If it makes you feel any more comfortable, I know what it feels like to be with someone and have people judge you for it."

Her words seem to have done the trick. Joaquin's shoulders relaxed and he no longer looked at Mary with fear in his eye. "Okay," he said slowly, "I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you."

Mary saw that Joaquin genuinely felt guilty for his accusations. She rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry about it. I understand why you are so protective of Manolo and Maria. They're good people."

She looked at Maria and saw that the other woman was watching the conversation with a small smile and the tiniest glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Is this the tight position that you were talking about?" Mary asked.

Maria nodded, the smile growing. "Yes." She looked at the two men. "I told you that we could trust Mary."

Manolo looked grateful, wiping his tears away as he grinned. Joaquin nodded and rubbed small circles in Manolo's back to comfort the man. "Now that, um, that is out of the way, we'll uh," a small blush covered the hero's cheeks, "go find Manolo's clothes." The two left the room.

Maria sighed in relief when the two men left their sight. "Even though I told them you wouldn't judge them, I was still a little scared that you would think that their love was disgusting. No offense," she added quickly.

Mary nodded in understanding. "A lot of people disapprove of homosexuals but there's nothing wrong with their love. They just happen to like the people of the same sex, that's all."

The younger woman smiled at Mary's choice of words. "That's exactly what I think."

"I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to be in love with someone who I can't be with openly." Mary looked at the door where the two men had left and felt pity for them but pushed the emotion away. They did not deserve pity, they deserve support.

Mary could have sworn that Maria had glanced away in shame but before she could say anything, Maria looked at Mary's dress with a small smile. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Mary said. "How long do you think it would take for Manolo to – um find his clothes."

Maria shrugged with a blush. "Maybe we should go to the dinner room table as we wait for them."

"That sounds good." Mary followed Maria as she walked through the door on the left.

Maria glanced back at Mary and smiled and gave a little shrug. "Sorry that you got dressed up for nothing."

"I wouldn't say that," Mary said. She looked down at herself and brushed away imaginary wrinkles. "I like looking beautiful."

The younger woman gazed at Mary's dress with an approving hum. She opened a door to the right and slipped inside. Mary saw a long table dressed in a pristine white sheet, the edges frilled. There were four seats situated around the table, one placed at the front of table. Plates with silverware were in front of each seat and on each of the dinner plate was a small bowl with a napkin shaped like a crane.

Already there were steaming plates filled of food placed randomly on the cloth. Mary could tell that there were enchiladas, a big bowl of cioppino, and a plate of tamales. There was a bottle of wine right next to a pair of old fashioned candleholders whose red candles set a relaxing mood in the room. All in all, the dinner spoke of untold hours of effort and Mary felt a little overwhelmed at the amount of the awe and appreciation that bloomed in her belly.

"Say what you will about Joaquin, but he can cook," Maria said as she eyed the cioppino with a look that spoke volumes of how good the dish must taste. "He wouldn't let anyone near the kitchen for half the day."

"Joaquin made all of this?" Mary giggled at the sudden image of Joaquin wearing a pink frilly apron shaking his whisk at Manolo as the matador tried to sneak inside the kitchen.

Maria nodded, still looking hungrily at the bowl of soup. "Yep, he said that towns that could not pay him money gave him food and shelter instead. After a while Joaquin started to cook some of the recipes the townspeople had given him and found he was really good in the kitchen." Maria patted her slim stomach, "I swear that I never had better churros than his."

"And you never will," Joaquin said as he walked in to the dining room. Manolo followed him, his face still slightly flushed, but he was wearing all of his clothes. "I spent days trying to perfect the recipe!" Maria looked like she was about to ask something but the hero interrupted her. "And don't bother asking what I put in it, Senora Garzel trusted me with her family secret and I am not about to dishonor myself so you could eat a dessert."

"I was just going to ask if we could eat now," Maria muttered as she took a seat next to Mary.

The older woman saw that the two were smiling and guessed that their banter was how they simply interacted with one another. It did not go amiss from Mary that Manolo sighed at the display as he sat in an empty seat.

Joaquin poured each of them a glass of wine and Mary hummed as she recognized the taste, it was the first wine she had shared with Maria. She glanced at Maria who grinned sheepishly and shrugged before taking a sip from her own glass.

A soft clinking sound brought her attention to Manolo who had his glass in one hand and a fork in his other. He set down the fork and stood, raising his glass to give a salute to Mary. "Before I begin, I should say that even though we have not talked much, I do know a lot about you from Maria." Mary glanced at the younger woman and giggled when she saw the vibrant blush that covered Maria's cheeks. "And," Manolo said with a chuckle, "from what I have gathered, your donation should not have come as much of a shock. Maria says that you are one of the most generous people she has ever met and after the actions of today" he said with an embarrassed cough and a glance at Joaquin, "I would also dare to say that you are one of the most kind and understanding person we have ever met. We hope that you stay in our quaint little town for a very long time and get to know you more." It was Mary's turn to blush. Manolo raised his glass higher and Maria and Joaquin followed his example with grins on their faces. "To Mary Beth!"

"To Mary Beth!" Maria and Joaquin repeated.

Mary smiled with a blush, she had not expected a speech but she could not deny the little curl of honor in her stomach. She took one of the enchiladas and her mouth began to water at the smell that came off of the food. She took a bite and her mouth exploded with different flavors that went together so exquisitely. She did not miss the smug look on Joaquin's face as she reached out for another enchilada and some of the cioppino. Mary knew it was wrong, but she knew that once Joaquin passed on to the Land of the Remembered, she would try to get him to teach her how to cook these dishes.

The entire dinner went very smoothly. Joaquin and Manolo asked Mary about the town she used to live in and she answered as truthfully as she could. Mary felt the guilt at lying so easily but she knew it would not be a good idea to let her guard down with Manolo here. One little slip up and Manolo would recognize her for who she really was. Mary started to question her decision in weaving the marigold flower in her hair but when she caught Maria looking at it, she shoved the concern to the back of her head.

Soon, the food was gone and Joaquin left to get the dessert. Manolo watched as the hero leave the room with undisguised love in his eyes. Maria rolled her eyes good naturally at the love struck expression and whispered low enough so Mary could only hear. "Do you mind if I spend the night over your apartment. I think that Manolo wants more alone time with Joaquin."

Mary nearly choked on her wine as she laughed. Manolo looked at her in concern as she coughed. She waved away Maria's hand as she rubbed the older woman's back with an apologetic smile. "I'm fine," she said, frowning at the hoarseness of her voice. "And sorry, but I don't have a spare bed or couch for you to sleep on."

"Why would Maria need to sleep over your apartment?" Manolo asked as he regarded the two women with a confused expression.

Maria only laughed and schooled her expression to be one of innocence. "I was just trying to be considerate." When Manolo looked only more confused, Maria explained with an impish grin, "I just thought that you would want peace and quiet before you romance Joaquin."

Manolo only responded with flushed cheeks. He glanced at Mary, "Joaquin and I aren't always like that, I swear. You just caught us in a – uh"

"a good time?" Mary offered with a grin. "You two were just making love, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Maria smiled triumphantly at Manolo. "Told you we could trust her," she said, not bothering to hide the smugness in her voice.

"You never know though Maria," Manolo said in warning. Mary got the strange sense that the man was not just talking about his relationship with Joaquin. Confused, Mary looked at Maria and saw that the younger woman glanced away from Manolo's gazed with something that looked like doubt in her eyes.

Mary was about to ask Maria what was wrong but Joaquin stumbled into the room, struggling to keep the plate of churros out of reach of the jumping Chuy. "Maria, call him off!"

"Chuy, come here." Chuy looked between the dessert and Maria and decided that eating the entire plate of desserts was no longer his priority. He padded over to Maria and sat on his haunches, however he continued to eye the churros.

Joaquin placed the plate in the middle of the table, keeping an eye on the pig in case he suddenly charged the dessert. Everyone took a churro, Mary seeing in the corner of her eye that Maria had given one to Chuy. Mary took a bite and she quickly took another, it was so good! Once again she saw Joaquin's chest swell with pride. It was settled, she would ask Joaquin to be her personal guard and cook once he passed on.

Manolo chuckled and elbowed his boyfriend lightly in the side. "So Mary, I don't recall you telling us where you are from. What town did you live in before coming here?"

Mary stopped eating her dessert as she started, schooling her features into indifference. "I didn't say?" All three shook their heads. "Well, I was born in a small town near the capital. I doubt you would have heard of it."

Manolo rubbed at his chin with a thoughtful expression. "I could have sworn I heard your voice from somewhere."

"Are you sure?" Mary felt dread in deep in her belly. She glanced worriedly at Maria and saw the woman look skeptical, her eyes trained on Manolo waiting for him to finish his thought.

"Yes. I don't think we've ever met before but your voice," Manolo scratched his head, "I can't really explain it but I swear I've heard it before. You sound a lot like … like – CHUY!"

Mary was confused until she saw that Chuy had come to her rescue. The pig had noticed where the conversation was turning and ran up to Manolo and grabbed the man's dessert when he wasn't looking. Chuy ran to the other side of the table and sat next to Mary, chewing his churro happily. Mary patted his head, whispering, "Thank you," before looking back at Manolo.

Luckily, Manolo seemed more worried about his lost dessert than where he knew Mary's voice from. He plucked another churro from the plate and began to eat it, eyeing Chuy in case the pig decided one churro was not enough.

The conversation became more lively and away from Mary's birthplace. They talked about the food and how good it was, Joaquin beaming with pride all the while. They finished the dessert and Mary chuckled when Manolo leaned against Joaquin and yawned into his hand. Joaquin got the hint and bowed to Mary, "If you will all excuse me, my boyfriend wishes to continue our lovemaking."

Manolo sat straight up, blushing hard and glaring at Joaquin who only chuckled. Nonetheless, Manolo bid the two women goodbye and followed Joaquin out of the dining room.

"Are they always like that?" Mary asked.

Maria finished her glass of wine and gave a so-so motion. "Joaquin's being a little more open with the uh – intimate aspect of their relationship than usual, but I think he just likes having the opportunity to embarrass Manolo in front of a new person." Maria stood up and offered Mary a hand. "Come on, let's go to the library."

Mary finished her own glass and took the hand, allowing Maria to lead her to the library. A new thought occurred to Mary; the library was practically their place. The realization made her grin as they slipped inside the room. Maria took her seat on the loveseat and Mary the chair facing it. Chuy jumped up next to Maria and rested his head on her lap, licking his snout free of any sugar from the churros.

"Can I ask a question?" Maria asked, feeling that what she about to ask could lead to a very dangerous path.

"Anything," Mary said immediately. She knew that she should have chose her words more carefully but right now she found that she would answer Maria's question honestly, even if it meant revealing she was La Muerte. Perhaps she had too much wine to drink.

"Are you really okay with Joaquin and Manolo being together?" Maria was playing with her wedding ring again and Mary now noticed that the band was unpolished.

Mary thought about the words she could say very carefully. "Yes, I don't believe that it should matter that they are both men, as long as they are in love. If Joaquin and Manolo want to give their hearts to one another, then I wish them luck. It is hard enough to find true love without worrying about something as trivial as a person's gender."

Maria nodded as she considered Mary's words. She bowed her head as she scratched Chuy's chin, laughing softly as the pig's hind leg scratched the air. She looked up from behind her bangs as she asked, "And if Joaquin and Manolo were women?"

The amount of hesitation in Maria's voice confused Mary and she berated herself for drinking so much wine that she couldn't figure out what Maria meant. "I wouldn't care if they were women either. Like I said, if they love each other then they love each other. No ifs, ands, or buts."

Maria smiled at the answer. Her hand stilled and Chuy grunted in disapproval.

"Can I ask my own question?"

It took Maria a few seconds to nod. Mary could see the uncertainty and a little fear in Maria's eyes.

"When did you find out that Joaquin and Manolo were together?"

Maria let out a giggle, relief flooding her face. She shook her head with a smile, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Our honeymoon. Manolo accidentally called me Joaquin."

Mary stared at Maria slack mouthed, which only served to make the younger woman laugh harder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But you look so funny right now!" Maria clutched at her sides as she struggled to breathe.

"How can you make fun of that? I-I understand that you've accept that Manolo and Joaquin are in love but on your honeymoon-"

Maria lifted a hand to silence Mary's speech. "You asked me when I found out, not how long I was wondering how far their relationship went. I had some hints long before the honeymoon."

"Like what?"

The younger woman hummed at the memory. "The first indication that Joaquin and Manolo felt more than platonic love is when I first came back to San Angel. Manolo threw a bullfight in my honor but there was one moment that made me doubt whether the bullfight was really dedicated to me. The audience tossed roses at Manolo and he picked one up while the bull was distracted. He held it out as if presenting it to me, but his eyes were not on me."

"They were on Joaquin," Mary concluded.

Maria nodded with a grin. "Looking back on it now, I should have known that those two were destined for one another." She looked down at her ring with a small frown. "Joaquin should be wearing this, not me."

Mary made a noise of agreement but she said gently, "But you wearing that ring makes it easier for them to stay hidden."

Maria's eyes snapped up from the ring to rest on Mary's face. "They shouldn't have to hide though! If they're in love, they should be able to be in love openly, not hide it like it's something to be ashamed of!"

Mary did not know what she was doing until she already did it. She got up from her seat and hurried to Maria's side that Chuy was not occupying. A hand rested on Maria's as she looked her in the eye. "Life can be very hard for the living but you must remember that there is a brighter future. Even in death," she added softly.

She knew that she said the wrong thing when Maria looked at her with an unreadable expression. "La Muerte," she murmured.

All Mary knew was that she had stopped breathing, her entire body tensing up. She stared at Maria, waiting for the younger woman to yell at her for lying about her identity. Even Chuy lifted his head to glance between the two women in concern.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Mary asked. She knew that she was in huge trouble but Maria did not seem angry at all. The younger woman was just looking at her with a confused face, obviously she had sensed a change in the older woman's demeanor.

"La Muerte said that."

"Oh, well the museum that I worked at had a section dedicated to La Muerte in the legends exhibit." Mary almost breathed a sigh of relief when understanding spread on Maria's face. She did not like lying to the younger woman but Maria could not find out the truth. Ever.

The realization almost took the breath out of Mary's lungs. Maria trusted her, even vouched for her to keep Manolo and Joaquin's secret, and throughout it all Mary had been lying to Maria's face. Maria believed that Mary was the most generous person she ever met.

But in reality, I'm nothing but a liar, Mary thought.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mary must have shown some of her self-loathing because now Maria was looking at her in concern. Brown eyes stared intently into blue and Mary had to break the eye contact lest Maria saw the treachery in them.

"Nothing," Mary lied once more. "I was just wondering where you went for your honeymoon."

Maria did not look convinced but she answered nevertheless. "Manolo took me to Arroba." She looked down at her lap. "It was fun but after, well, you know, Arroba lost some of its magical atmosphere." Maria glanced at Mary before darting her eyes back to her lap. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Mary shook her head with a comforting grin. "No it doesn't." A sudden thought bloomed in her head and she smiled as excitement rushed through her veins. "Come with me," she said breathlessly.

"Where?"

Mary grasped both of Maria's hands. "Arroba," she answered. "You can show me that school you went to as a child and the museums!"

Maria still looked apprehensive. "Why?" she asked almost shyly.

"To make new memories that will replace the old. If Arroba means to you as much as I think it does, you shouldn't remember it as you do now." Mary made a gesture to all of the books that surrounded them. "Every novel in here has characters that all have that one place where they feel at home and I truly believe that in this story, Arroba is yours, Maria. Please, let me show you that it is still your home."

Let me make up for my lies, Mary added silently in her head.

Maria's eyes welled up in tears of gratitude but she still shook her head. "I have to think of the orphanage, I just can't leave the children so suddenly."

Maria's excuse only made Mary smile widen. "Then we won't leave so suddenly. Give them a week's notice a-and we'll only be gone for two days. I'll even pay for everything, you know that I can afford to." Mary was glad that the joke earned a tiny but unmistakable chuckle from the younger woman. "Come on Maria," Mary pleaded, beaming when she saw the weak resistance crumble in Maria's eyes. "Come away with me."

"Okay." Maria finally smiled as she gave Mary's hands a light squeeze. "I'll go with you."

#book of life #la muerte #maria posada #Manolo Sanchez #joaquin desantos #thewager

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