Vivo: Special: Nueva Casa...Nueva Aventura

Loving Memories

Vivo took a deep breath and started to fully express himself towards the others.

"I spent my whole life in Cuba. Ever since I was just a baby. It was the only home I had ever known."

He took another deep breath.

"When I first came to Key West, it wasn't exactly hard for me to notice some...differences. And most of the time...I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Maybe I liked the differences, maybe I didn't, or I just wasn't sure."

Stella asked, "What do you miss most?"

Vivo immediately knew the answer.

"Andrés."

Roxie asked, "Uh, who's Andrés?"

Vivo had a hard time answering that question, "You see...Andrés was...was..."

However, Stella surprisingly finished the answer.

"Your last owner."

Vivo stopped with surprise.

"That's...right...How did you...?"

That was when Stella pulled out something from behind her back.

It was the newspaper article she found.

An article...from Havana Times.

And it read...

'Andrés Hernández: Fallece En La Habana El Mut Querido Músico'.

It also had a photo of he and Vivo performing together.

Vivo frowned with deep sorrow.

Roxie said, "Uh, not all of us can speak Spanish, you know."

Stella translated, "'Andrés Hernández. A Beloved Musician Dies in La Havana'."

The others silently gasped.

Vivo asked her, "Where did you get this?"

Stella answered, "I found it...that same night we first met. I knew your sadness had something to do with this, but...I couldn't force it out of you. I had to let you open up."

Vivo slightly smiled at Stella's kindness.

But then frowned.

"Andrés was my very first owner. But...he was more than that."

Everyone listened carefully.

"I first found myself Cuba when I was just a baby. I somehow ended up in a shipping crate full of fruit. Not long after, I was chased by a couple of monsters up a tree. But then...Andrés came. He shooed them away and just sat under the tree."

Everyone was deeply intrigued.

"He then started playing some music. I had never heard anything like it, so I came down for a closer look. Next thing I knew...I had a home...with someone who loved me."

Everyone was close to crying.

"From there, he taught me everything there was to know about music. And as time went on, we became so in sync that we...understood each other. And even though we were loved by practically all of Havana...it was always just...me and him."

There was a moment of silence.

Vivo slowly started to frown.

Stella asked, "What happened?"

Vivo started to develop a few tears.

That was when he told them his story.

From when Andrés received Marta's letter all the way up to deciding to stay in Florida with Gabi and Rosa as his new family.

By the end, everyone was driven to tears.

Charlotte said, "That's the most...heartwarming story...I've ever heard!"

Novella wiped her tears with a hankie, "So...beautiful!"

Tiago said, "That's a lot of love goin' around, bro!"

And Vincent said, "Truly...enchanting."

And even Roxie was crying, "You know...I don't even care that I'm crying. That was just...so...sad!"

And even though they already knew the story, the spoonbills were also driven to tears.

Dancarino said, "It gets more heart-wrenching every time I hear it."

Valentina said, "I know, baby...I know."

They both hugged each other tight and sobbed.

Stella then said to Vivo, "Oh, Vivo, I'm so sorry about all you went through. No sweet, loving creature should ever have to go through something like that."

Vivo replied, "Thank you, Stella. But I did. When I left Cuba, I basically left everything I once knew...and at the time I lost someone I loved more than anyone."

Stella surprisingly knew what to say next.

"Vivo...I actually know how you feel."

"Huh?"

Stella raised an eyebrow with a smile, "I said I've been here over five years, right?"

"Yeah?"

"But do you know where I lived before?"

Vivo waited for her answer...and it surprised him.

"Argentina."

"What?"

"That's right. I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

"That...would actually explain your dancing skills."

Stella chuckled, "Yeah. And my owner is actually a teacher for Latin dance classes."

Vivo nodded, "Well, that sounds about right."

Stella continued, "But I lived my whole life in Argentina with my owner, Anabelle. It was my culture. Even my name said so."

"Huh?"

"Yep. 'Stella' is actually short for 'Estrella'."

"Wow."

"Mmm-hmm. Anyways...I know how it feels to leave behind everything you once knew."

Vivo started to smile.

Stella then said, "And it's not just me."

She gestured to the other pets.

Vivo was surprised again, "Wait...all of you?"

Charlotte said, "That's right! I grew up with Miss Minty...in Paris, France! We moved here when she got a promotion in the sweet business."

Novella then said, "Me and Sabrina are from Moscow, Russia."

Tiago said, "Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!"

Vincent said, "Berlin, Germany."

And finally, Roxie said, "And I'm from Cairo, Egypt."

Vivo was amazed.

They were all immigrants, just like him.

Stella said, "Vivo, I'll admit we can't imagine how it must feel to lose a beloved owner...but we know how it feels to leave so much behind. And believe me...it only gets better from here."

She then took his paws, "Because you have friends who will help you through it all."

Vivo smiled with the most touching smile, along with a few tears.

He had nothing more to say than, "Thank you...all of you."

Everyone then came together for a long, warm group hug.

When the hug ended, something shined in their eyes.

It was the sun!

It was starting to rise!

Vincent said, "Hey, we'd better get going! Gabi's actually not too far from here."

Everyone cheered and went on their way.