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A mouth-watering aroma of onions and spices permeated the air as Robby stepped out of his room and into the hall, still dressed in his navy sweatpants and his favourite Vans t-shirt – a gift from Mrs Larusso.
The harmonious timbre of bongos, trumpet and maracas drifting in from the living room got louder as he ambled towards the source of the delicious smell. Nearing the kitchen, his eyes settled on the chef responsible for the aromatic creation - one Carmen Diaz, who stood behind the counter, dicing tomatoes and softly singing along in Spanish.
"Good morn-er, afternoon," she greeted cheerfully when she spotted Robby, a warm smile on her face.
"Afternoon," Robby replied, returning her smile. "Can’t believe I slept until midday!"
"Oh, don’t worry about it." Carmen reassured with a dismissive wave. "You’ve been working so hard lately; you needed a little rest."
She turned to the pot on the stove behind her, stirring the tomatoes in. "There’s coffee if you want some. I put on a fresh pot when I heard you moving around, so it’s still warm."
"Thanks," Robby breathed gratefully, pouring himself a cup and taking a seat at the much roomier table his dad had installed as part of what Robby and Miguel affectionately dubbed ‘the Baby Lawrence-Diaz décor’. They had promised themselves that they would thank their future half-brother or sister for the long-overdue changes the apartment (and especially dad’s fridge) needed. Robby had only laid eyes on it once or twice, but if you asked him, that giant eagle poster had just been tacky. He didn’t understand why his dad was so obsessed with eagles.
"What’re you making?" Robby inquired, taking a sip of his coffee. He sighed with relief at the strong brew and thanked his stars once again that Carmen had been spending increasingly more time at his dad’s place as her pregnancy advanced. Robby was happy to be, effectively, living with someone who understood how coffee was supposed to taste - unlike his dad, whose appreciation of beverages began and ended with Coors Banquet.
"This is seco de gallina. It’s a chicken stew," Carmen explained. "Mama is the expert in it, of course, but I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it." Her eyes met Robby’s briefly. "It was my dad’s favourite," she added, her voice tinged with sadness though the smile remained in place.
Robby nodded, not really sure what to say. In the last few months that he’d spent around the Diazes, he’d learnt that Miguel’s grandfather had died in Ecuador when Carmen was just a teenager and that she was unable to go back and visit his grave. They didn’t speak about him very often but from what little knowledge Robby had gathered so far, Mr Diaz had been a good father and a loving husband. Both women seemed to miss him terribly.
"Well, I’m sure it tastes as good as it smells. Have I thanked you lately for saving me from my dad’s fried bologna?" he asked, making Carmen laugh.
"Oh good, mission accomplished then," she joked.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Carmen continued to prepare lunch, humming along with the songs playing through the speakers Robby had hooked to the TV.
Robby, meanwhile, sat on the table finishing his coffee and went through his phone. He'd received a text message from Tory that made him blush (which he replied to quickly, adding a heart emoji), two emails from work and...Robby groaned internally. What was it about the modern world that a man slept until noon once in his life and somehow missed 53 notifications in the groupchat. Maybe dad is right, he mused for a moment, before dismissing the very notion that he could agree with Johnny Lawrence, Luddite-extraordinaire. Speaking of…
"Hey, where’s dad?" he asked Carmen. "I thought he was taking the afternoon off to go with you to your appointment?"
"It got moved to a little later, so he’s picking up a few more customers." She consulted the time on her phone. "He should be on his way back now - he said he’d be home for lunch."
Carmen replaced the lid on the pot and turned down the heat, leaving the stew to cook as she made her way towards the living room. "Ooh, I LOVE this song!" she exclaimed gleefully when La Vida Es Un Carnaval came on, swaying her hips with the rhythm.
Robby glanced up. "My mom does too. She used to play Celia Cruz songs a lot when I was growing up", he admitted. The corners of his lips lifted as he reminisced about his five-year-old self, standing on his mom’s feet as she spun him around and around their tiny apartment. Sometimes he missed being that age - carefree and happy with his mom, no studies, no rivalries, no karate war to worry about.
Carmen clapped her hands together and Robby snapped out of his reverie. ‘‘Well, I need a dance partner", she declared. He caught her eye and hesitated, feeling a bit of his former awkwardness around her creeping back. They had started getting along better now and he could openly admit that he had begun to feel at ease in her presence, even when it was just the two of them. Carmen had been nothing but welcoming and supportive ever since Johnny had officially introduced them, and her kindness towards him always left him feeling warm inside.
Every now and then however, moments like these would arise and a strange emotion would take up residence in Robby, as if - on this occasion - by dancing with Carmen, he was somehow betraying Shannon. No, that was childish thinking, he knew that. No one could take his mom’s place in his life, and Carmen had never tried to assume the position.
"Come on, don’t leave me hanging, hombrecito," she called out playfully, beckoning him over.
Robby grinned at the endearment and approached her, gripping one of her hands and placing his other on her back. He led her in the salsa, their feet moving in time to the rhythm.
"Wow, very nice, Robby!" Carmen remarked, impressed. "Where did you learn to dance so well?"
"My mom taught me. She’s a dancer," Robby explained, his eyes crinkling.
"Oh really?" Carmen raised her eyebrows. "I didn’t know that about her! I wanted to be a dancer too when I was young," she confided. "I was even part of a semi-pro dance group during my teens, if you can believe it." She finished the last part with a chuckle, casting her eyes into the distance, lost in thought as she recalled a fond memory.
"Yeah?" Robby asked, eyes widening with intrigue. He knew Carmen liked dancing, but that she'd actually considered pursuing it professionally was news to him. "So, what happened?"
She looked back at him and her face fell slightly, the sadness from earlier colouring her features again. As if sensing the mood, the fading music of Carnaval morphed into the pensive opening notes of Luis Miguel’s Sueña.
"Oh, life," Carmen sighed in response. "My father was the sole earner and he passed away. So Mama started working as a seamstress, but her earnings weren’t enough to make ends meet. I took a job as a waitress but with that and school and dancing, it was all too much. I had to give up one of them," she finished forlornly.
Robby could see that even after all this time, that decision to give up her passion still weighed heavily on her. He thought about how much karate meant to him, to his dad, to Mr LaRusso, and how devastated any of them would be if they could never practice it again. And yet Carmen had sacrificed what she loved for her family. Not once, but again when she gave up her home to start over in a brand new place, all for her son's sake.
Robby wondered again, as he had done many times since he got to know her, whether Miguel truly understood what an amazing mother he had. Not all parents make sacrifices like these for their children, he thought, a mix of pain and envy swirling in his heart.
He spoke again, if only to distract himself from the ugly feelings that had reared their head: "I know it’s not my place to ask," he paused, looking up at Carmen. She nodded, granting him permission. "I just wondered…what about after your marriage to Miguel’s dad? Didn’t you think of continuing with dance then?"
Having uttered the words, Robby wasn’t sure how they would be received and he studied her face closely for clues. He knew that Hector was a dangerous man and that she didn’t like talking about him.
After what seemed like an agonisingly long time to Robby (but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds), Carmen answered. "That’s what the plan had been. Before we got married, Hector was a different man. Or, at least, he appeared to be. He was charming, suave, he seemed so...perfect... so supportive…" she trailed off, shaking her head.
"But it was just appearances," she continued. "Once we got married, he let a different side show– his real side, I realised. It happened so gradually, he was so smooth and persuasive, I didn’t even notice right away. But over time, he gaslit me into giving up pieces of who I was, and he controlled everything about my life. What we ate, who we saw, what we did, how he looked, how I looked – it all mattered to him. I had to fit in with the lifestyle he was trying to create, you see," she said, anger seeping through her tone. Whether it was anger at Hector, or at herself for not seeing through him, Robby wasn’t sure.
"Me becoming a dancer was clearly not part of his image of success, and after a while he was so engrossed in his job that I became an afterthought. He moved us into a guarded compound and rarely let me out, trying to sell it as protectiveness. It was only later that I figured out he was paranoid that I’d somehow collude with the enemies he’d been creating. I went from not dancing professionally to never going dancing at all, something to ignore unless he wanted to…" she stopped herself, looking away. Robby understood her meaning, his jaw tensing. He didn't know exactly what Hector had done to Carmen but judging by her expression, it wasn't pleasant. Good thing Dad didn't come across this guy in Mexico. Probably would've killed him.
Carmen spoke again, distracting Robby from that chilling thought: "Hector was so busy running around chasing his dreams, never listening to mine, that he didn’t even realise when I became pregnant." She laughed mirthlessly. "I tried to talk to him about it casually – asking whether he would want a family someday. Trying to gauge if he could care about someone other than himself; whether he’d give up his rivalries for the safety of his family, his child."
She sighed, shaking her head and fixing her gaze back on Robby. "It took me too long to realise that he never loved me. I had never been anything more than a trophy for him, something to show the world how successful he was. His words made it clear any child we had would be the same."
"A man like him, Robby," she rued, "he could never love anyone more than he loves himself."
Robby felt an overwhelming array of emotions at Carmen’s story. Anger at Hector, for disappointing her, for hurting her in the way he had. Sadness for Carmen, that her marriage had been so hollow, that she had to go through this sour experience. But most of all, Robby felt pity for Miguel, a boy yearning for a father’s love and a father who was incapable of it.
Robby was taken back to that night in Mexico - watching how heartbroken the boy had looked, head hung low, as he dejectedly shuffled towards Robby’s father and crashed into him; desperately clinging to him as if scared that if he let go, Johnny would disappear. His anguished sobs had filled the air around them as Robby's father had enveloped the boy in his arms.
Robby had felt pity then too.
That night, he’d understood that Miguel needed his dad in the same way Robby needed him. That letting go of his hate meant swallowing the bitter pill and sharing his father with his rival. And hoping, praying even, that Johnny had enough room in his heart to love them both.
At least, for all his past failures and ill-thought out escape rooms, Johnny Lawrence was trying to do better by them.
"I’m sorry you had to go through that. That Hector was such a…" Robby paused, searching for a fitting word that wasn’t too vulgar.
"A piece of shit?" Carmen supplied.
"A total and complete piece of shit," Robby agreed with a grin.
She shook her head. "Don’t be sorry. As I once told your dad, I moved on from all this a long time ago. Besides," she said softly, a smile playing at her lips, "everything that happened brought me to the real love of my life."
"Wait, seriously... Dad?! That guy?" Robby exclaimed in faux incredulity. "I don’t know how you put up with him," he concluded, chuckling when Carmen playfully smacked him on his arm. She laughed along with him.
"Trust me, a man with a heart like his is hard to come by," she explained, sobering. "Most men aren’t what they seem. I should know," she added bitterly, and Robby’s heart ached at the implication that she’d been bitten enough times to say this with authority.
"With your dad, there isn't any pretence. He is who he is all the time. This time, I know the man I’ve fallen in love with, and he cares deeply for me and my children. That’s all that matters."
Robby found himself oddly touched at her words.
He loved his dad very much - kept on loving him through all the years he hadn't been around; all the times he’d failed him, over and over. Even when he'd convinced his mind that he loathed the guy, deep down in his heart he couldn't bring himself to deny that all those chances he kept giving Johnny (still keeps giving him) were because, despite everything, he really wanted Johnny in his life.
He was Miguel in Mexico, clinging desperately to the man for fear that he would vanish forever. Longing for him to envelope his son in his arms and, for once in his life, just...be there. Can’t give up on you even when I try to, he thought wryly.
Miguel, on the other hand, didn’t even seem to notice Johnny’s flaws.
To hear, though, that a person unrelated by blood - someone Robby considered to be a smart, rational, and mature adult (i.e. his dad’s polar opposite)– not only acknowledged that Johnny Lawrence was a mess but chose to love him regardless...it somehow mattered to Robby, more than he’d ever thought it would. Robby loved his father because even though he wasn't the best around, he was Robby's only one. Perhaps he was the only one for Carmen too.
Robby beamed up at Carmen, glad she was in his dad’s life and that he valued her enough to change, even when she hadn’t asked him to. Lord knows Johnny Lawrence didn’t deserve either of them, but they’d stick by him anyway.
"Plus, your dad’s so...handsome, you know?" Carmen finished, the look on her face suggesting she'd had something more risqué in mind. Robby pulled a suitably grossed-out face in response, and when she threw her head back and laughed, he joined in.
*****************************************************************************
Johnny climbed out of the van and closed the door, locking it with one hand while in his other, he held his smartphone. He scrolled through the Rideshare app as he made his way down the courtyard, checking his stats for the day. He still wasn’t close to the five-star mark but at least he wasn’t getting consistent one-star ratings now. The customer he’d picked up from the dental clinic in Tarzana had even left him three stars.
Although now that Johnny thought about it, she might just have been confused from the drugs they’d given her.
As he got closer to his apartment, the sound of music and laughter emanating from inside caught his attention. What the hell are they up to, he wondered, his lips curling into an affectionate smile.
He approached the door and, finding it unlocked, gently nudged it open. Robby and Carmen were at the far end of the living room, moving to the music with steps that Johnny couldn’t even hope to copy - both so engrossed in their merriment that they hadn’t noticed his arrival.
Johnny stealthily swiped to the camera app and held up his phone, silently thanking Miguel for teaching him how to film on it.
As he watched his son lift his arm high and twirl his fiancée underneath it, her infectious chortle tugging at Johnny’s heartstrings, a warm ache welled within his chest, threatening to overflow.
When had he become so lucky?
What had he, Johnny Lawrence, ace degenerate, done to be granted this moment – standing here, watching two people that he loved so much dancing together, oblivious to the world around them?
He would do anything to make sure no one ever took their joy away. Whatever it took, whatever they needed from him, he would do. Anything for my family, he vowed solemnly.
The song ended, Carmen collapsing into giggles when Robby did an exaggerated bow to an imaginary crowd. He spotted Johnny first.
"Hey dad, when did you get here?" he asked, a flush creeping up his face at having been caught larking about. Then he zeroed in on the phone. "Wait, were you filming us?" he accused, his eyes narrowing.
Johnny quickly stopped the recording and shoved the phone in his pocket, stepping inside. "Er…yeah, maybe," he shrugged, nonchalant.
"It’s ok, we’re good dancers," Carmen reassured Robby as she sauntered over to Johnny, cupping his face in her palms. She pulled him down slightly and pressed her lips to his.
"Hi," she breathed.
"Hey," he responded in a low voice, leaning in for another kiss.
"Ok, hey, hey, ew, stop!" Robby protested, holding up his palms and hastily looking away.
Johnny and Carmen broke apart, the latter looking at Robby sheepishly while his dad just shrugged. "Whatever man, you have a girl, you know how it is."
Robby rolled his eyes at that and turned to walk back towards his room. "Please, just show some control and wait until I’m out of here," he called over his shoulder.
"What? You’re not staying for lunch?" Carmen called back, disappointed.
"No, sorry." Robby’s apology trailed from his room. "I have to see Tory before her double shift starts, so I’ll just eat with her. Save me some for later?"
"No chance." Johnny said while Carmen answered "of course" at the same time. She frowned at him and lightly backhanded his chest. "What?" Johnny mouthed, lips contorting into a lopsided grin, before he gruffly called out: "Don’t be home late, or I’ll come looking for you."
When Robby retorted with a sarcastic "Yes, Sensei", Johnny looked pointedly at Carmen and held his palm out as if to say ‘you see what I’m dealing with?’
Carmen smiled and rolled her eyes, dismissing his imagined slights with a headshake, knowing full well these two just loved winding each other up.
Edging closer to her man, she said: "Well…I guess it’s just you and me then and the gallina is still cooking so…" She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Care for a dance?" she proposed softly, chocolate eyes gleaming as they locked with his.
When had he ever been able to resist her?
"Lead the way, Ms Diaz."