Season 1, Episode 4
Acceptance
Miguel walked into his apartment, silently wishing his mom wasn't home.
Ever since the beating he'd taken by Kyler and his friends, his mom had blamed his Sensei and kept him from taking anymore lessons. In addition, she'd been hovering over him every second they were together, taking work off or swapping shifts any chance she got.
It's not that Miguel didn't like spending time with his mom, but under the circumstances it didn't feel right. Besides, he was still partially mad at her. She couldn't take away karate from him, not when he had come to love it as much as he had, and expect him to be totally fine with it.
So when he heard his mom call his name in response to the door being opened and closed, he internally sighed. He slid the backpack off one of his shoulders and let the other strap slide completely down his left harm as he threw it to the floor.
"Miggy? Is that you?"
Who else could it be? He wondered.
"Yeah, mom."
Her footsteps grew louder with every thud, and finally she came into his view with a smile on her face.
"How was school?"
Miguel rubbed on of his eyes, "great."
He felt a slight pang of guilt when his mom's smile lowered a bit, but she still held it.
"I made us food. Your Yaya is out right now, so I thought the two of us could just eat together." She paused, before adding, "I made your favorite!"
Miguel hadn't eaten since lunch, and he still didn't seem to be hungry. Not even for his favorite food.
"Actually, I'm not really hungry right now."
"Miggy, please," His mom nearly pleaded, and he gave in.
"All right," Miguel answered with a shrug.
Her smile came back.
"I have some news that I think you'll be really happy to hear," She said as she led him to the table.
Miguel doubted it. Her news was probably that she had tomorrow off so they could spend even more time together.
"Can't wait," he said, sarcasm clear in his voice.
They both sat down and ate quietly. Miguel realized he probably hurt his mom a bit with his response, so he made a mental note to apologize later.
He couldn't really be mad at her when he thought about it. From her perspective these beatings never happened until he got into karate. She probably thought he was just getting cocky and starting fights he couldn't finish.
That's what upset him. It was the other way around. He wasn't starting anything, just protecting himself. His sensei had helped him get a couple hits in, too. A couple more weeks and he might be able to actually take them.
But he couldn't stay mad at his mom forever. She was way more important to him than karate ever could be, so a part of him started to accept being done with it.
His thoughts were interrupted when his mom spoke again.
"So, I was thinking of your karate, and how much you care about it. Your sensei—"
"It's okay, mom," Miguel said, cutting her off. "I get it if you don't want me to do karate anymore, really. Just, please, don't talk bad about Sensei Lawrence. He's been nothing but good to me."
His mom paused for a bit, but continued, "Actually, Miggy, I was going to do the opposite. I see how important it is to you. And, you were right to tell me not to blame your sensei. I have decided to let him teach you again, as long as you still want to."
Did he hear that right? His mom said she was wrong AND was letting him train again?
A smile slowly started to grow on his face.
"Are you serious?" He asked, a quick second away from pinching himself.
"Promise," She said, matching his smile.
He quickly got out of his chair and took a step towards his mom, hugging her tight.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
She laughed, but hugged him back just as tight. He got his strength from her, no doubt.
"The only thing that would've made this perfect was if you were hungry," His mom said, with a small laugh. "Don't think I didn't notice you didn't eat a bite."
And suddenly, his appetite had never been bigger.
"You know, I think I am hungry," Miguel said, picking up his fork as he focused on devouring his food.
"Seriously mom," he said with his mouth full, "thank you."
He never realized how happy it made him to see her genuinely smile.
"You're welcome," she answered with a kiss on his head.
