The world was melting at the Casagrande Bodega, in more ways than one. Maria was an emotional wreck, Frida and Carlos were vainly trying to calm her down, the kids were nowhere to be found… not to mention the upstairs air conditioner had broken earlier that week… 103 DEGREES and no cold air in sight! It bothered most everyone…
Except Roberto. He sat on the purple blanket that was draped over whoevers bed, eating one of those DELICIOUS orange popsicles from the mini fridge. DAMN, those things were good… he was gonna have to buy some for himself. It was almost enough to get that stinging out of his cheek, too; Maria had slapped hard, but his toughness was more than she could handle.
He took the opportunity to look around the room, admiring the pictures. Bobby was in most all of them… the Casagrandes were there, as well. There was another girl, though… must be one of Rosas nieces. She always did like the color purple… that explained all the hoodies on the wall, at least.
"Roberto?"
"AH!" He shouted, jumping up. He hit his head hard on a shelf above him, knocking down a… a skateboard? Since when did anyone in this house skate?
"Yeah? What do you want?"
"Uhh… Maria wants to talk to you. Alone."
"Alone?" he asked, confused. "I'm not sure about that, Carlos…"
"Don't worry. We'll be outside the door for backup. For BOTH of you. Now come on!"
Before he could protest, Roberto was grabbed and practically thrown into the lions den that was the living room. And, conveniently enough, the head of the pride was sitting on the couch, not at all pleased.
"Roberto."
"Maria."
There was an uneasy silence as Roberto stood up, dusting himself off and rubbing his shoulder nervously.
"So… uhh, how are things?"
"Good."
"That's good, that's good…"
He sat down on the chair opposite of his ex wife.
"So lets cut to the chase. I know you're probably wondering why I'm here-"
"You think?" she said, standing up. "You come barging in for no reason and expect me to know exactly why?"
"No, no!" he said, waving his hands in protest. "I'm sure you have questions, but I-"
"Oh, yeah, I have questions! What are you doing here?! What happened to you?"
"Uhh… I got fired from my job, and, uhh…"
"-pfft- Typical. You could barely hold down a lawn mowing gig if you tried…"
"Now listen! My boss was a total jerk! You expect me to-"
"I EXPECT you to be able to take responsibility, Roberto!" she said, standing up. "In the 30 years I've known you, you have never EVER taken an-"
"Now that's just a lie, Maria!" he said, slightly louder. "I try to do everything I can to keep a job! It just-"
"That! Right there! You tried to blame someone else! Just admit it, Bobby! YOU'RE A TERRIBLE WORKER!"
"I haven't done anything wrong! So STOP YELLING!"
They sat back down, both less happy then they were when they started the conversation. At last, Maria took a breath.
"Look, Roberto. I just want to know why you're here."
He stared at the ground, conflicted on whether to be a man or himself.
"I got fired…"
"And?"
"And… I wanted to see Bobby again, and…"
"Roberto...
"AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LEFT! There! Are you happy now?!"
A smile crawled across Marias face as Roberto put his head in his hands.
"Very."
"-sniff- Well, there. You got your answer. I have about two hundred dollars to my name. I have no job, I can barely afford a motel room, and I still have child support to pay… I can't do it anymore, Maria. I'm lost…"
Tears flowed from his eyes. Without knowing what she was doing, Maria put her hand on his shoulder.
"Roberto, you know I have nothing to give you…"
"But who else do I go to? My dad is dead, mí madre lives in Chihuahua… You're the only person left. You and Bobby…"
"And Ronalda. Don't forget her."
"...Who?"
He looked up, bewildered. Maria looked at him also, first confused, then shocked.
"Oh, wow… I never told you, did I?"
"No…" he said, standing up. "Do you mean I have… a daughter?"
"-sigh- Yes, Roberto, you do…"
Everything else Maria said began to fade into the back of his head. He… he had ANOTHER kid. A daughter. THAT probably explained all the child support money he was paying to his ex…
"When?" he asked with a joyful smile. "What was her name again? Are you sure she's-"
"She's yours, Roberto. I learned after you left… I just never told you, I guess."
He sat down, shocked. He had a girl… he was a father to wonderful boy and a (hopefully) beautiful girl. The thought of everything he could have had with them… it brought both tears of happiness and sadness to his eyes.
"I want to meet her. Where is she?"
"Now, hold on a minute, Roberto…"
He stood up, feeling more confident than ever. The news had revitalized him; he got down on his knee, not to propose marriage, but forgiveness.
"Maria, listen to me. I know I've made mistakes. I know what I did. I left you, and Bobby, a-and Ronalda… and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I can't live without any of you in my life anymore, and my own STUPID self stopped me from asking sooner. So, Maria, I'm not asking you to marry me again. I won't ask for a free place to stay. All I want is for you to forgive me."
She looked at him, conflicted.
"Please?"
He smiled… and she smiled back.
"Oh, Bobby… this is why I fell in love with you once…"
They hugged. Roberto Santiago Sr was officially forgived.
"So you never DID tell me if you plan on staying here or not…"
"Oh, in the city. I can get jobs for a little bit, and I rented a motel room across the neighborhood. I don't want to interrupt this, Maria. You deserve better than that from me…"
"You know, Roberto, I feel that you owe your son an apology. AND an explanation."
He stopped. She DID have a point… he had left when Bobby was 6 or 7, at least.
"I… guess I never DID say goodbye, did I?"
"Or tell him why, don't forget that."
"Yeah… yeah, I should tell him. AND Ronalda. I need both of them here! To listen to me!"
All of a sudden, Bobby burst into the room, wielding a… spoon?
"Alright, I heard my mom scream! I had to get a spoon because we safety proofed the kitchen for Carlitos, but LEAVE HER ALONE, ROBERTO!"
It took a solid 5 minutes for Maria to calm the angry Bobby down, and another 10 to restore order to the house. She gathered the family in the living room, standing next to Roberto as her brother looked at her uncomfortably. She took a deep breath, and began.
"Alright, everyone… you know by now this is Roberto. He's… Bobby and Ronnie Annes dad. And he's NOT staying with us, he HAS an apartment downtown, so DON'T try and make him feel at home, Dad..."
"What?! I just put in the pollo to roast!"
"Well, take it out. He isn't staying here. BUT, while he's here, he DOES want to ask you something…"
She nudged him, and Roberto nervously walked forward, robbing his upper arm.
"So… Hector. You know I worked in the Bodega when I was a kid, right?"
"That's right. Now I see why Bobby locks himself in the freezer all the time…"
"Uhh, ahem… °anyways, I kind of might need a job somewhere- OW! Maria! Ok, ok, I need a job and was wondering if you would… rehire me?"
Hector stood up after a few tense seconds, putting his arm on Roberto shoulder.
"Roberto, you have a job. You start next Monday."
"YES!" he whispered under his breath, pumping his fist. Back on track!
"So…" Carl Jr said from the couch. "Since Aunt Maria and Roberto were married, does that make him our… UNCLE?"
"Well… I, I suppose so…"
"YAAY! UNCLE ROBBY!" CJ said, running over for an emergency hug. Roberto, at first startled, wrapped his arms around the boy, then let go as he walked back to his seat.
"Well, then… that's that. Now, everyone back to their lives! Roberto is leaving right-"
WHAM!
The door to the apartment swung open, revealing a sweaty, exhausted Ronnie Anne. She ran into the living room, only to see everyone relaxed.
"huff, huff… What's wrong? Bobby, why do you need me?"
The family nodded to themselves, and the Casagrandes quickly exited the room. Only Maria, Bobby, Roberto, and Ronnie Anne were left.
"Uhh, hey Niní. We want you to meet somebody."
She turned around to see a tall man standing in the corner, trying not to make direct eye contact.
"Who's that?"
At last, Roberto looked at his daughter, smiling. She was beautiful… everything he had ever wanted his daughter to be.
"Hola, Ronalda…"
"Mom...Bobby…" she said, stepping back until she reached her mother's arms.
"Don't worry, honey… Roberto, this is Ronnie Anne. Honey, that's Roberto. He... has to tell you something."
He walked over, kneeling down to match his daughters height. He smiled, not fakely, but genuine.
"Ronnie Anne, you've never met me before, but… I'm… I'm your dad."
She stepped back, shocked. She peered into his face, trying her best to tell if he was lying… he wasn't. Her mouth dropped in shock as she whispered to herself.
"Santo Mierta…"
"RONALDA!" Maria yelled, but to her great surprise… Roberto LAUGHED.
"HA! That's my girl! Ha ha!"
He held out his arms, and Ronnie Anne ran into them. They hugged for what seemed like days, weeks, even years… it felt like it could never end.
"I'm back, Niní… Papí's home."
"You're… actually my dad," she said. "I'm alive because of you."
"Yep," he said, smiling. "You're here cause me and your mother-"
"LOVED each other very much," Maria said, darting her eyes towards her ex, who shrugged.
"Maria… we have to explain ourselves now, don't we?"
"Oh, right! Sit down, you two. Me and Roberto want to tell you something… something we've never told you before."