44. Chapter 44

Pepa was fuming…. A whole day. A whole day wasted looking for a stupid hammer!

How hard could it be to find a hammer so Felix could hang up a new spice rack in the kitchen. Seriously! Pepa had been through the entire tool shed, emptying out every box and put it back, looked on all the shelves across the house. And it looked like they didn't have a hammer… How.

At the dinner table, Pepa was just fuming, the dark cloud over her head threatening with thunder and her family was glancing at her concerned.

Alma's eyes though were harsh. "Pepa. Your cloud," she said.

"Sorry!" Pepa exclaimed as she threw up her arms. "Sorry that apparently, this house doesn't have a hammer!"

Alma frowned deeply. "We do have a hammer. Someone must have forgotten to put it back." then she glared across the table. "Whoever it is. Put it back."

The family all looked a little confused, it didn't look like anyone was the culprit, or at least no one remembered being the culprit.

Then Dolores shrugged as she put another piece of food into her mouth. "Maybe Bruno took it."

There was silence, absolute silence as everyone looked at Dolores.

Then Isabela frowned. "That wasn't even funny Dolores."

Dolores blinked as she looked at Isabela.

"Dolores!" Pepa exclaimed. "That was a joke in poor taste! And I do not appreciate it."

"But." Dolores began.

"Ad da da! What are the rules Dolores?" Pepa asked.

Dolores looked down on her plate. "Don't talk about Bruno," she muttered.

Alma was sitting straight and took a sip of her wine looking refined. "And not one word more about that." she simply stated. "Now. Julieta. How are the preparations coming along for Dia de San Jose?" she asked referring to an upcoming holiday. Expertly and smoothly dismissing the former conversation entirely as if it had never even happened.

And as the conversation was carrying on Dolores was looking at her plate, but then glanced up and looked in the direction of Alma… Not at Alma though. At the wall right behind Alma. Where their big family tree was painted.

She wasn't looking at the family tree either though, just at the wall.

Then finally Dolores shrugged as she returned to her plate and quietly continued eating.

After dinner though Pepa's mood had not improved in the slightest. She was a whirling storm as she marched outside and raged. "Who needs him. Who needs him!" she shouted as she picked up a rock and then just threw it.

"Mi Amor." Felix came running outside as he tried to calm him down.

"Don't Mi Amor me!" Pepa seethed annoyed. "You would think that when someone leaves. He would have the decency to actually leave! And take all of his crap with him!"

Felix quieted.

"What do we even need him for anyway?" Pepa asked. "He was nothing but trouble! I mean no wonder people were so angry with him when all he could do was give bad prophecies! He couldn't even keep his mouth shut at his own sister's wedding. My wedding." she seethed while desperate to look for bad stories. "And now Camilo is asking for the rest of a story. What story?! I don't know what story Bruno told him. And Dolores acts like he's still around. What did he do to my children? Our children?"

Felix was shaking as well as he looked down. "It's unforgivable." he agreed. "Leaving a family like this. With no explanation…. It has been seven months! What sort of man leaves for seven months and allows the kids to cry like that huh."

"Exactly!" Pepa exclaimed. "How dare he! He was a nightmare when he was here and now he's gone! And he's still a nightmare! I WISH HE WOULD JUST GO AWAY!" she screamed.

And then there was silence and Pepa gasped.

Felix hopelessly looked at his wife. "I hate seeing you in so much pain," he said. "What can I do?" he asked. "Pepa… Please. How do I help you?"

Pepa groaned as she held her forehead. "I want to forget," she said. "I don't suppose you can help me forget?" she asked as suddenly a heavy rain began.

"Well…" Felix commented. "I don't have any magical gifts but…" he stepped forward and then took Pepa's hands. "I do have an amazing reason to try," he said as he took a step and then took Pepa with him in a slow dance.

Pepa swallowed as Felix lead her around in the rain, then twirled her and took her again. Then held Pepa's back as he dipped her.

"Pepa Madrigal…. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." Felix whispered. "You and the children." and he took her back up and stepped around. "I don't exactly have much to give. You know that… But I will promise that I will never leave. I will never hurt you like that. And we will get through this." he said grabbing her hands again and then slowly lowering them. "Like you said… Who needs him?"

Pepa's head lowered and then it lifted again, rage was still in her eyes, but also hurt, the rain had soaked them both through long ago. Then she grabbed her husband's face and kissed him deeply. Urging for her husband's comfort and complete acceptance of her weirdness.

Everyone else only tolerated Pepa's mood outbursts. Even her own mother would tell her to calm down.

In the back of her mind, she remembered instances of Bruno laughing and telling her to just let it out, enjoying a random weather change inside.

Pepa shoveled those memories to the back of her mind and locked them down. A nagging image tried to wiggle its way forward.

Of how she and Bruno would dance in the living room, much like this, but she quickly replaced the face of her brother with that of her husband….. Even if that was impossible because most of those memories were from long before she had met Felix.

But she was determined to wash Bruno's face away so she wouldn't have to feel this way. Just tie it down, paint it over, lock it away.

Bruno was gone. And good riddance!

The next morning Pepa was stunned quiet. She had woken up, as usual, gone to the dining room. And there… There was the bloody hammer. Laying on the middle of the table, at the most visible place possible.

Pepa fumed as she looked up. So someone had taken it. But didn't have the guts to actually step forward when she asked yesterday.

And then she just yelled loudly making everyone jump. "WHO DID THIS!?"