Capítulo 4
Love Against All Odds
Our relationship steamrolled our common sense as we toured with the band. We'd sneak off whenever possible, with Selena casually telling her father we were going to the store or getting food. Once out of sight, we'd act like a normal couple-holding hands, embracing, stealing kisses. While I remained nervous about Abraham discovering us, Selena boldly showed affection even around band members, teasing me by kissing me unexpectedly in front of Joe or Pete.
She constantly surprised me-fearlessly galloping horses on beach rides when others panicked, enthusiastically fishing from Corpus piers, insisting on doing everything herself. We exchanged love letters constantly, with Selena dating every card she sent me. Eventually, the band grew comfortable with us as a couple, and inevitably, our relationship became intimate for the first time.
I never imagined we'd declare our love in a Pizza Hut, but that's exactly what happened. While waiting for Abraham to return to the tour bus one morning, Selena suggested we grab pizza across the street. Sitting near the window to keep an eye on the bus, she asked where I thought our relationship was headed. I confessed everything-how happy she made me feel, how I wished I could speed up time when apart and slow it down when together, and my guilt about hiding our relationship from her father. Selena, brave as always in relationships, looked me in the eyes and simply said, "I love you." My heart pounded so hard I thought everyone in the pizza place could hear it.
The chapter opens with Chris in a police station, bloodied and beaten, hearing Selena's song "Ven Conmigo" on the radio. Overwhelmed with shame, he wonders if he'll lose the woman he loves before their relationship has truly begun. Despite her busy schedule in early 1991-with "Buenos Amigos" becoming her first number one song and Capitol EMI preparing to launch them in Mexico-Selena and Chris had continued seeing each other secretly.
Chris had learned intimate details about Selena: her dislike of exercise beyond occasional jogging, her close family relationships especially with sister Suzette and cousin Priscilla, her preference for magazines over books, love of shopping, and her family's faith as Jehovah's Witnesses. What struck Chris most was Selena's deep compassion for everyone, even becoming hysterical once when she thought she'd hurt a dove while driving.
Chris recounts a night in San Antonio when poor judgment led to his arrest. After drinking at a bar, he drove his mother's car with his cousin and a friend. Police stopped them, and when officers roughly handled his cousin, Chris intervened, resulting in a brawl. At the station, bruised and disheveled, Chris worried about damaging Selena's reputation. When Chris called Selena, she scolded him for drinking and driving but remained supportive.
Capítulo 5
Confronting the Father
The secret relationship between Chris and Selena continues despite Abraham's opposition. After another heated confrontation on the tour bus where Abraham calls Chris "a cancer in my family" and claims he "has nothing to offer" Selena, Chris decides to leave the band. He walks off the bus, exhausted by the tension. Back in San Antonio, Chris resumes playing music with friends while maintaining his relationship with Selena through phone calls and secret meetings. The pressure shifts entirely to Selena, who must sneak around behind her father's back.
In one incident, Abraham tracks Chris down at his mother's house, where Chris's stepfather answers the door with a gun, creating a tense standoff. Despite Abraham's continued efforts to separate them, including hunting Chris down with a map, their love remains "a formidable opponent" against his interference.
On April 2, 1992, Selena showed up crying at Chris's hotel room in Corpus Christi, declaring they needed to elope immediately. Despite Chris's concerns about depriving Selena of her dream wedding, she insisted this was the only way they could be together without her father's interference. They went to the Nueces County Courthouse where the clerk waived the standard waiting period for the marriage license, likely because Selena was well-known in Corpus. After a brief ceremony before a justice of the peace, they were married.
After their courthouse wedding, news of Chris and Selena's marriage spread rapidly through Corpus Christi. Despite Selena's initial shock when learning her family already knew, A.B.'s welcoming reaction ("Welcome to the family, bro") melted Chris's anger. A.B. apologized and invited Chris back to the band, assuring him Abraham would eventually accept their marriage. When they hung up, Selena was ecstatic-everything was falling into place as she had hoped.
Capítulo 6
Building a Life Together
The day after moving into Selena's apartment in Corpus, Abraham showed up unannounced. Though wary, Chris was surprised when Abraham apologized, saying "I shouldn't have been the way that I was." When Abraham asked if Chris would rejoin Los Dinos, Chris agreed, recognizing how much it cost Abraham to accept him. Inside the apartment, Selena and her father embraced tearfully as Abraham admitted, "I'm sorry I pushed you kids into a corner." With apologies exchanged, they agreed to move forward-perfect timing as Selena y Los Dinos was about to explode on the music scene.
To celebrate their love, Chris commissioned his artist friend Tony Gonzales to paint Selena's portrait on his white Jackson Soloist guitar. When Selena discovered the finished guitar, she was overjoyed-"I can't believe you did that for me!" The guitar became a fan favorite at shows. Tony also gave them a three-foot painting of Selena that perfectly matched their art deco decor, becoming a treasured possession.
In 1992, Selena y Los Dinos created their breakthrough album "Entre a Mi Mundo," which shot to the top of the charts and quickly went gold. "Como La Flor," written by Pete and A.B. during their 1991 tour, became Selena's first solo hit to take off internationally, especially in Mexico. The plaintive melody about lost love became a signature song, with fans singing along to "Ay, ay, ay, como me duele." Chris believed Selena's emotional delivery made the song special-"nobody can touch people's hearts with that song the way Selena did."
Shortly after their marriage, the band performed at the Premio Lo Nuestro awards in Las Vegas, giving Chris his first glimpse of their growing fame. With their tour bus broken down, they drove fourteen hundred miles nonstop to Caesar's Palace in a cramped fifteen-passenger van. For Chris and Selena, checking into a suite together was especially meaningful-they could finally be open about their relationship. While Chris cautiously won sixty dollars playing slot machines, Selena confidently demonstrated her risk-taking nature, turning one hundred dollars into three hundred at the slots and mastering blackjack almost instantly.
Capítulo 7
Conquering New Territories
Capitol EMI pushed Selena y Los Dinos to build their international reputation following the success of "Entre a Mi Mundo." Mexico was the logical starting point with its existing fan base and proximity to Texas, though the band didn't anticipate how nerve-wracking it would be transitioning from small U.S. venues to large Mexican amphitheaters and Spanish-language interviews.
Despite practicing his Spanish introduction-"Mi nombre es Chris Perez y toco la guitarra"-Chris humiliated himself during their first Mexican radio interview by saying "toca" instead of "toco," essentially stating "he plays guitar" instead of "I play guitar." While several band members struggled with Spanish, Selena, who had learned Spanish phonetically with her father's coaching, quickly improved her fluency during their Mexican tours, eventually speaking so well that Chris had to ask her to slow down.
In Mexico, Selena's popularity reached unprecedented levels. Her authenticity, generosity and hard-working image resonated deeply with fans from young girls to grandmothers. During one Monterrey concert, the massive crowd surged dangerously forward, forcing the band to flee to their bus as fans threw beer cans at their equipment. When Selena bravely returned to the stage and asked in Spanish for calm, the audience immediately settled.
The intensity of their Mexican fame meant constant media appearances, with security guards protecting Selena while other band members fended for themselves through crowds of grabbing fans. Unlike in America, where Selena could occasionally step off the tour bus, in Mexico she was virtually imprisoned by her own fame-a fan would inevitably spot her and trigger a mob scene. Band members faced their own challenges, with Chris having rhinestones ripped from his jacket and expensive sunglasses yanked from his face during fan encounters.
Early in their Mexican tours, promoters and Abraham insisted they hide their marriage to protect Selena's image, but Selena eventually refused to continue the deception, proudly announcing Chris as her husband during performances despite some good-natured booing from male fans.
Capítulo 8
The Sweetness of Married Life
One month into their marriage, Chris returned home to find their apartment lit only by candles, with dinner prepared. During this intimate evening, they shared a profound emotional connection, both weeping with joy at finding each other. Selena made Chris promise that nothing would ever change between them, calling him "Christopher" as she always did during serious moments. Chris reflected that Selena was the first person who had ever made him feel so deeply about anyone, and they both recognized the rare magic of their bond.
Beyond music, Selena's true passion was fashion. Her apartment doubled as a studio workspace dominated by a large table for sketches and clothing designs. While her family dismissed her dreams of opening a fashion boutique and salon, Chris encouraged these aspirations, understanding her need for a creative outlet independent from her family and music career. As her fame increased, these personal dreams became even more important as an escape from the mounting pressures of her entertainment career.
Despite her typically upbeat personality, Selena occasionally broke down under the strain of her growing fame. During one incident, a trivial argument about a Kiss CD escalated unexpectedly when Selena insisted Chris remove it from their home, calling the cover "wicked." The disagreement triggered an emotional breakdown that revealed the deeper pressures she was facing, leaving Chris bewildered but supportive as he comforted her.
Chris often found himself caught between Selena and her father. During arguments between them, Chris would intervene to support Selena. Despite Abraham's attempts to keep them apart, he respected Chris as Selena's husband. At the Hard Rock Cafe opening in San Antonio, Abraham wanted to leave while Selena wanted to stay, expecting Chris to side with him. Though Abraham would back down when Chris spoke up in ways he never would for Selena, these family quarrels remained a regular part of their lives.
Despite family tensions, Selena and Chris were happier than ever. Selena embraced her role as wife, cooking Chris's favorite black-tipped shark dish. On weekends, they visited Chris's family in San Antonio, where Selena fit in perfectly, showing her remarkable ability to be both a normal person enjoying barbecues and tire swings, and then transform into a star performer.
Capítulo 9
Creating Their Own Little World
After much debate about living arrangements, Selena and Chris accepted Abraham's offer to buy them a house next door to his own in Corpus Christi. Though Selena initially resisted living so close to her father, the financial benefits of saving for their own future home won out. After renovating with new floors and paint, they began creating their home together.
Selena's impulsive decorating style led to unique purchases like a headboard aquarium that Chris had to engineer with a custom filtration system. Not stopping there, she later brought home a massive octagonal aquarium taller than Chris himself. Their home became filled with these living works of art that Selena adored.
During a mall trip, Selena fell in love with a black Pomeranian puppy she said looked "just like a little bear." Despite Chris's concerns about touring with a dog, he couldn't resist her excitement. They named the puppy Pebbles and bought every possible accessory, treating her like their child. Pebbles became "queen of the house" and the start of their dog collection.
Despite Chris's halfhearted protests, Selena's enthusiasm for animals proved irresistible. After seeing a husky puppy, she immediately wanted to bring him home. They named him Jax after Chris's Jackson guitar. Though neighborhood children feared Jax's unusual blue eyes and markings, he was submissive to tiny Pebbles, who remained "queen" despite being a fraction of his size. Their pet family expanded further when Selena befriended a neighbor with English bull mastiffs, secretly purchasing not one but two puppies-Taylor and Winnie-breaking the news to Chris gradually. During a Houston show, they couldn't resist adding a fifth dog, a feisty miniature Doberman they named Andre, whom even Abraham immediately adored.
After finding their pet python eating a mouse, Chris panicked about Selena's reaction and lied when she returned, claiming the mouse had escaped. Over time, Selena grew comfortable with the snake, even showing it off to friends. However, after returning from tour one day, they discovered the snake had escaped its aquarium. Days later, Selena's hysterical screams led Chris to find the python hiding between their box springs. Despite her brave facade about snakes, Selena jumped on the bed terrified while Chris rescued the reptile, revealing her true feelings about their scaly pet.
Capítulo 10
Living Life at Full Speed
After a heated argument with her father, likely about her fashion boutique aspirations, Selena stormed home declaring they needed to move away from living next door to her family. Though she researched rental properties and they drove around looking at houses, Selena ultimately wasn't ready to create that distance from her family. Chris remained supportive, prioritizing her happiness regardless of where they lived.
When Chris confessed his desire to leave Los Dinos to pursue Latin rock, feeling stifled by Tejano music's limitations for guitarists, Selena delivered an ultimatum: leaving the band would end their relationship. She feared separation would lead to infidelity, having witnessed his behavior with women and drinking before they were together. Recognizing her wisdom from years on the road, Chris accepted this boundary, committing to backing her up both onstage and off.
Unlike most women, Selena enthusiastically supported Chris's motorcycle purchase, accompanying him to buy a Kawasaki Ninja. Her competitive spirit emerged when she challenged him to a highway race in her BMW M3, easily outpacing his motorcycle and laughing triumphantly. Despite being married for a year, they treasured everyday moments together, especially night motorcycle rides along Corpus Christi's shoreline, reminiscent of their secret dating days.
After Selena's BMW was stolen, she replaced it with a black Porsche 968. Chris later bought a red Porsche Targa 911 with a whale tail-the same car now displayed in the Selena museum-largely because Selena loved it. Though Chris owned the red Porsche, Selena frequently borrowed it, returning with windblown hair and exclaiming how much she loved driving it. The couple often raced their Porsches on the highway between Corpus Christi and San Antonio when visiting Chris's family.
For their first wedding anniversary, Selena surprised Chris with the blue Chevy Silverado truck they had test-driven days earlier. Chris had been hesitant to purchase it, wanting time to think about the decision, while Selena had immediately loved it. On their anniversary day, A.B. conspired to get Chris out of the house while Selena arranged for the truck to be delivered. When Chris returned home, he was shocked and delighted to find the blue Silverado in their driveway-Selena had gone back to the dealer, made the down payment, and completed all the paperwork herself as an anniversary gift.
Capítulo 11
Dreams Realized and Shattered
In 1993, Selena's career skyrocketed after the release of Selena Live!, their fourth album for EMI Latin. The album featured live recordings plus three new tracks that quickly rose to the top five on the U.S. Hot Latin Tracks chart and was certified Gold. Selena's status as a major Latin star was confirmed when she and David Lee Garza drew nearly sixty thousand people to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the Astrodome-an unprecedented audience for a Tejano act.
In November, Selena y Los Dinos signed with SBK Records to make an English-language record. Despite her success, Selena worried about her family band's future, confiding in Chris that she feared Los Dinos couldn't play mainstream pop music. She admitted that had she realized this earlier, she might not have signed the English album contract, unable to imagine performing without A.B. and Suzette backing her.
The pinnacle came when Selena Live! was nominated for a Grammy. The band flew to New York for the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, where Selena-stunning in a floor-length beaded white dress-won Best Mexican-American album. As they left the venue, fans screamed Selena's name, confirming her growing stardom. The Grammy win opened new doors for the entire band, particularly validating A.B.'s production talents.
Chris first met Yolanda Saldivar before he and Selena were married. Initially just another face at their San Antonio shows, Yolanda had approached Suzette in 1991 about starting a Selena fan club. She quickly proved effective as fan club president, growing membership and managing merchandise distribution. The Quintanilla family welcomed her into their inner circle, with Abraham trusting her despite his usual caution with outsiders.
Whether at home or on tour, Selena constantly sketched fashion designs and created clothing and accessories by hand. She carried a bag of supplies-metal, glue, pliers, and costume jewelry-to customize her stage outfits. After winning the Grammy, the band's success accelerated dramatically, with opportunities continuously building upon one another. Despite Abraham's strong objections about Selena overextending herself, she remained determined to open her own boutique, telling him firmly, "It's what I want to do, Dad. And it's my life."
Chris supported Selena's boutique dream despite Abraham's concerns. They purchased a 1950s frame house in Corpus Christi, securing financing and hiring contractors while Selena designed the interior. Chris installed glass block walls between manicure stations and a high-end sound system. Selena hired staff personally, partnered with designer Martin Gomez to create affordable versions of her stage outfits, and even designed her own clothing tags.
Capítulo 12
The Final Chapter
The band was conducting a sound check when one of Selena's biggest hits was born. As Selena spontaneously started singing the lyrics to "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" (meant to represent the sound of a beating heart), Chris began playing a guitar riff to accompany her. A.B. quickly joined in with a bass line, followed by Suzette on drums, and the song materialized right there onstage. Later that night during the performance, A.B. suggested they play the new song, and the crowd went wild. Back in the studio, they recorded it for their new album "Amor Prohibido," with Chris creating a radical guitar solo that blended hard rock into Tejano cumbia.
The song became one of Selena's most beloved hits during a time when her career was accelerating rapidly. Between managing her boutiques in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, planning a clothing factory in Monterrey, and performing throughout Latin America, Selena's schedule was increasingly demanding. Their international performances brought encounters with celebrities like former President George Bush and Klaus Meine of the Scorpions.
As Selena's career reached unprecedented heights, her marriage with Chris experienced its only significant rough patch. The couple struggled with the exhaustion of constant touring and the transition from newlywed bliss to managing the pressures of their demanding schedules. After working through their issues, their relationship emerged stronger than before. They decided to take the next step by purchasing ten acres of land to build their dream home.
Meanwhile, Yolanda, Selena's assistant, displayed increasingly concerning behavior. When confronted about financial discrepancies in the boutiques' accounts, Yolanda purchased a gun, claiming she needed protection from threatening calls. During a meeting where Selena tried to recover business paperwork, Yolanda showed her the weapon, which Selena insisted she return.
Days later, Yolanda called Selena to meet at the Days Inn motel, claiming to have the missing business documents. Chris drove Selena there but stayed in the truck while she met with Yolanda, who appeared to have been crying. When Chris checked on them, Yolanda was telling Selena she had been raped in Monterrey. Selena was skeptical but offered to take her to the hospital. Unknown to them, Yolanda had repurchased the same gun she'd previously returned.
The night before the tragedy, Chris and Selena shared an intimate moment discussing their future. Yolanda called, again claiming to have found missing papers, but Chris insisted Selena not go alone. The next morning, Selena went to the motel anyway and took Yolanda to the hospital, where doctors found no evidence of rape. Later that day, Chris received alarming phone messages and then a call from Selena's aunt informing him that Selena had been shot. Racing to Memorial Hospital with his father, Chris arrived to find the entire family gathered. Abraham delivered the devastating news: "Selena passed away, Chris. She's dead. She was shot and she's dead."
Capítulo 13
Finding Light After Darkness
News of Selena's death spread rapidly, with mourners creating a shrine at their home that stretched for blocks. After her funeral, which drew over sixty thousand people, Chris isolated himself in profound grief. He slept with photos of Selena, carried her pictures everywhere, and lost dramatic amounts of weight. While Abraham, A.B., and Suzette returned to Q Productions to preserve Selena's legacy, Chris couldn't imagine a future without her.
The months crawled by as Chris sank deeper into depression. He discovered that Selena had been taking folic acid-not because she was pregnant, but for her hair-though they had been planning to start a family after promoting her mainstream album. His grief evolved from piercing pain to a hollow emptiness punctuated by moments of despair, which he tried to numb with drugs and alcohol.
After more than a year of grief, Chris finally began to heal by pursuing a dream that would have made Selena proud: forming a rock band. Working with friends Rudy Martinez, Joe Ojeda, Jesse Esquivel, and John Garza, he created music that reflected his journey through loss. During this time, he wrote "Best I Can," a deeply personal song about Selena that flowed effortlessly from his guitar one evening as he sat in the spot of sunlight where they used to warm their feet together.
The Chris Perez Band recorded their album "Resurrection" in Los Angeles, bringing in diverse musicians including percussionist Luis Conte and members of Cheap Trick. Released in 1999, the album featured nine Spanish tracks and six English ones, reflecting the bilingual reality of Hispanic-Americans. Through promoting the album, Chris gained new appreciation for Selena's strength and resilience in handling public scrutiny. This work became his personal resurrection-a commitment to live in a way that would make Selena proud.
Months after promoting "Resurrection," Chris received an early morning call from his friend Robert Trevino at Gibson Guitars, congratulating him on a Grammy nomination. At the ceremony in Los Angeles, when his category was announced, he was mentally preparing to applaud for Cafe Tacuba when his bandmates suddenly jumped up-they had won. As Chris walked to the podium, he knew Selena would be smiling, remembering her words: "Nothing is impossible if you work hard."
Selena's impact continued long after her death. "Dreaming of You" became one of 1995's bestselling records, making her one of history's bestselling female artists. The Selena Foundation was established to help children in crisis, the poor, and elderly, while the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi draws thousands of visitors annually. The 1997 film "Selena" starring Jennifer Lopez introduced her to a new generation, and a tribute concert "Selena Vive" in 2003 became one of the most-viewed Spanish-language TV shows in America.
Selena showed me how to embrace life and express love freely to family and friends. She inspired the world by demonstrating that persistence and ambition could coexist with family values-a message that especially resonated with Hispanic-Americans. Her fans felt connected to her because she opened her heart completely. She represented the possibility of achieving dreams that seemed impossible.
