“Vivo is in Cuba!” her mom responded.
Just then, Vivo landed on the windshield. Gabi’s mom screamed, and then pulled the car over to the side of the road.
“Vivo!” Gabi yelled.
Gabi rolled down her window, letting Vivo climb into the car.
Then the two friends hugged.
“Did you get the song to Marta?” Gabi asked.
Vivo nodded.
“Yes! You did it!” Gabi said.
Vivo chirped at her.
“You’re right. WE did it,” Gabi said, correcting herself.
Rosa stared at the two of them, shocked.
“Wait, you were telling the truth?” Rosa asked.
Gabi and Vivo nodded.
“Well, that doesn’t mean you can run off to Miami without telling me,” her mom said.
Gabi sighed. “I know. I’m sorry, Mom. But I had to deliver Tío’s song. He didn’t get to tell Marta he loved her. Just like I never got to tell Dad how much I loved him before he died,” Gabi said.
Suddenly, Gabi had started crying. Vivo held her hand, while her mother jumped out of the car and moved into the back seat with the two of them. Then she hugged her daughter close.
“Your dad knew how much you loved him,” her mother told her. “That kind of love lives forever.”
Gabi was still crying, but she was smiling now.
Her mom smiled back at her, and then looked at Vivo.
“Welcome to the family, Vivo,” Rosa said, embracing him in a hug. “All right. You two, buckle up. We’ve got a concert to get to.”
Rosa hopped in the front seat and made a U-turn. They were headed back to the Mambo Cabana.
* * *
Rosa, Gabi, and Vivo made it back just in time. Marta was on stage and the crowd was applauding wildly.
“Gracias, everyone,” Marta said into the microphone. “Thank you. To say farewell, I’d like to finish with one last song. It’s a song written by an old friend, and delivered by new ones.…”
Marta looked over at them and winked. Then she started singing Andrés’s song. It was more beautiful than Vivo could have imagined. Somehow, he and Gabi, and even Andrés, couldn’t do it justice. Now Vivo knew exactly why Andrés had fallen in love with Marta. He was shocked that she had been able to capture the song so perfectly after reading it one time. As Vivo listened, he imagined Andrés onstage with Marta. Andrés looked over at Vivo and smiled, and Vivo nodded at his friend one last time. He was so happy that he was able to fulfill his best friend’s last wish. For Vivo, this was the best gift that he could have given him.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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This Simon Spotlight edition July 2021
Copyright © 2021 Sony Pictures Animation. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. SIMON SPOTLIGHT and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
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ISBN 978-1-5344-6581-7 (pbk)
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Vivo Movie Novelization Page 5
