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Ever since Julie told her dad and brother about the boys in her band and how they were not actually holograms, her dad has insisted they sit at the table during family dinners. The boys tried to argue that they couldn't eat, and they didn't want to intrude on family time. Ray countered that the boys were family now. Upon hearing this they agreed to be present henceforth at family dinners.
1
The debates between Carlos and Luke started as slight off-hand comments where one would disagree with something the other had said, but lately, Julie could swear the two boys came to dinner prepared with arguments to present the other. This night was no different. Not long after dinner was passed out to the three living members of the family Carlos spoke up.
"Have I ever told you guys how much I love penguins?" Everyone seated around the table looked at each other. "They are just the cutest black and white animal ever aren't they?" he asked the group looking directly at Luke and begging him to disagree.
"Cutest black and white animal?" Luke scoffed. "As if. Have you ever seen a panda?"
Carlos laughed before delving into a full-blown explanation of his argument that surrounded around how penguins look like they are wearing tuxedos and how there are seventeen different breeds of penguins each cuter than the last.
Julie was impressed with how much research her brother had put into this argument. She could also see how attentively Luke was listening to Carlos trying to find a flaw in his logic he could exploit.
Unable to do so, Luke sighed. "Sure you might be right," Luke started and Carlos smiled believing he had won. "But," Luke continued wiping the smile off Carlos's face. "Pandas are fluffy. And they can sit like people which is adorable especially when they are eating! Oh, and have you seen that video of that panda sneezing? Adorable!" he finished throwing his hands in the air.
"That video was really cute," Reggie added.
"Ok fine, you know what time it is. What do you guys think?" Carlos addressed the rest of the group.
"Sorry little man. I'm with Luke on this one," Reggie responded.
"Yeah, I got to go with pandas too," Alex conceded.
"I love you Carlos, but pandas are just so fluffy," Julie added smiling.
Carlos got more and more upset as everyone agreed with Luke. Once Luke heard Julie's response he cheered and jumped out of his seat and ran to the refrigerator where a whiteboard sat with a t-chart labeled "Luke" on the left and "Carlos" on the right. Luke placed a tally under his name and returned to his seat triumphantly.
"If it makes you feel better mijo, I'm on your side," Ray smiled at his son. Carlos thanked his father and the dinner quickly returned to normal conversation for the rest of the meal.
2
Carlos had no clue whether he was going to win the debate at dinner that night. He looked online for an hour before he was called downstairs and could not find any topics that he thought he could win with. Once he sat down he waited and hoped that Luke had a topic ready and that he did.
"Hey Carlos, aren't you so happy that it's almost summertime again?" Luke asked with a smirk.
"No actually, I love the winter," Carlos smiled confidently.
Luke was surprised. He was almost certain this topic would trip the boy up and he would be able to argue with him. "And why's that?" he asked.
"Becuase since we live in L.A. even in the winter it is warm. We don't get snow, which yes can sometimes be a bad thing, but we always go on the trip to the ski mountain every year so I don't miss it that much. Also, it's not my fault you have an allergy to sleeves," he shrugged.
Everyone laughed at Carlos's joke. Alex spoke next. "I have to agree with Carlos. In the winter I can wear my hoodies without overheating."
"Yeah, and snowball fights are the best outdoor activity there is!" Reggie chimed in.
"Well, I like the summertime. I don't like being cold," Julie commented.
"Well, I already won this one but Dad where do you stand?" Carlos smiled widely.
"I prefer the winter as well," Ray shrugged.
With that Carlos cheered and got up from the table, leaving behind a pouting Luke, and rushed to the fridge to add a tally under his name.
3
The next time the boys debated was on pizza night. The Molina's had a usual order with the local pizza place that consisted of a small sausage pizza for Ray and a large regular cheese for the kids. When the pizzas arrived Luke looked at them in disgust.
"No pepperoni!" he exclaimed.
"Nope," Carlos said popping the p. "Pepperoni sucks. Plain cheese is the best. Simple and delicious."
"Nu-uh! Pepperoni adds wonderful flavor to the pizza and extra texture. It just makes everything better!" Luke argued.
Reggie and Alex both quickly agreed. All three boys seemed very passionate about their beliefs on pizza toppings. Julie laughed and agreed with Carlos. Ray refused to pick a side and opened his own argument that sausage was the superior pizza topping but was quickly shut down by the younger members of the household. With that Luke counted the argument as another win for himself and poofed in front of the refrigerator to mark another tally under his name.
4
Luke and Carlos's next debate was over before it even started. Carlos had wandered into the kitchen and was trying to sneak a quick bowl of ice cream before dinner when his dad walked in.
"Mijo...," his father said sternly.
"Aww, busted," Carlos mumbled as he put away the ice cream and bowl.
Once it was time for dinner, Ray told the others about Carlos trying to sneak ice cream before dinner and they all shared a few laughs at the antics.
"Why would you go for the Icecream dude when theirs a plate of cookies right here?" Luke questioned gesturing to the counter.
"Becuase ice cream is the best dessert," Carlos responded with a "duh" tone.
"Periodt!" Julie yelled high-fiving her brother.
"Oh come on! Cookies are way better than ice cream!" Luke argued
A series of no, nopes, and nahs rang through the air as everyone disagreed with Luke. Carlo laughed as he quickly marked another tally under his name.
5
The "daily discourse"s, as Julie had deemed them, continued on for many months. Once the year was nearing Christmastime new holiday-themed debates started to pop up at the dinner table. Tonight was not one that everyone expected though. Carlos sat down at the dinner table and made a preposterous claim.
"Santa is evil."
Everyone stared at him with wides eyes and Julie choked on her food. "What!" she yelled.
"What makes you say that mijo?" Ray asked.
"Well let's see, this old man breaks into your house and eats your food and then tries to leave presents to make up for it. That sounds like an evil plan if I've ever heard one."
"You're crazy!" Luke countered. "Santa spends all year organizing a way for every kid on the planet to get gifts that they've spent all year wanting. He's a hero."
Everyone nodded their head in agreement, but Reggie sat silently.
"Reg?" Alex asked. "What do you think?"
"I think Carlos makes a fairly good point," he smiled.
The table laughed once again and Luke stood up to mark yet another tally under his name.
+1
There were many times where Carlos and Luke agreed with each other, but none as memorable as the time Carlos came down to dinner with an expression of pure terror on his face.
"Hey, little man what's going on?" Reggie asked, concern lacing his voice. Upon hearing this Alex, Luke, and Julie rushed to his side with concerned expressions on their faces.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just. Clowns are scary," Carlos said shaking his head to try and clear his head of the thought.
"You got that one right bud," Luke chuckled.
"Wait," Julie laughed. "You're scared of clowns?"
"Well yeah. They're creepy!"
From that point on everyone vowed to stay clear of carnivals, circuses, and just all-around anywhere there might be clowns.