"Mi hijo, you look wonderful," Rosa smiled.
"Gracias, Mom," Carlos smiled.
Ronnie Anne came out of her abuela's apartment, and she saw her aunt and uncle. "Tio Carlos? Tia Frida?" she asked. "What are you two doing?"
"Carlos and I have a doble cita with the Louds," Frida said to Ronnie Anne, "So mi amor and I need to be as well-dressed as possible."
"A double date?" asked Ronnie Anne, and she immediately went back inside her apartment. "Ugh, lame."
"And by the way, Lincoln is coming to visit," Carlos added.
Immediately, Ronnie Anne ran back outside the apartment in excitement. "Lincoln's coming?" she gasped. "Awesome!"
"Hold on," Maria said to her brother, "your tie is a little loose. Let me fix that for you." But she only tightened it further, causing Carlos to start choking! Even though they were grown adults with children of their own, they often acted childish with each other.
Carlos frantically loosened his tie, and he gasped breathlessly.
At that moment, Carlota came out of the apartment with a glass of water. "Here, Dad," she said to Carlos, "have a drink."
Carlos took a sip of the water, and he felt much better. "Thank you, mija," he smiled. He gave the glass back to Carlota, and she went back inside the apartment.
Once he could breathe again, Carlos glared at his sister. "That wasn't funny!" he scowled.
"Sorry," Maria said sarcastically as she turned away, "but I just find it a little funny."
"Oh, really?" Carlos asked deviously. "Well, how about this?" He grabbed the back of Maria's sweater and stretched it over her head!
Now, Maria was angry. "That wasn't funny!" she argued.
"Look who's talking," added Carlos. "You almost choked me!" And the two began slapping at each other, but Rosa held her chancla threateningly in their faces, making them both cower. Even Ronnie Anne was taken by surprise.
"Do we have to do this the hard way?" Rosa warned her children, and they both stopped fighting.
At that moment, there was a horn honking from outside the building, and Ronnie Anne got even more excited. "They're here!" she gasped, and she ran down the stairs as fast as she could.
Ronnie Anne reached the front door of the apartment complex and opened it in excitement. However, instead of Vanzilla, all she saw was a green truck that she hadn't seen before. However, Lincoln climbed out of the back seat.
When Lincoln saw Ronnie Anne, he smiled. "Hey, Ronnie Anne," he called to her.
"Lincoln!" Ronnie Anne smiled, then she ran over and hugged him. "How great to see you!"
"Yeah, you too, buddy," agreed Lincoln.
As Carlos and Frida came out of the apartment complex, they saw the truck as well, and they were surprised. But as the front two doors opened, Lynn Sr. and Rita came out, also dressed nicely.
"Lynn? Rita?" asked Carlos. "Is that you?"
"Yes, Carlos," explained Rita, "it is us."
"Did you buy a new truck or something?" Frida asked. "We've never seen you drive this before."
"Not exactly," answered Lynn Sr. "My brother and his family were watching the kids today, but Vanzilla broke down. So he let us borrow his truck while Lana fixes it up."
"Ah, I see," said Carlos. "Quite frankly, this actually does save you more fuel, as a family van does consume more fuel overall than a small pickup truck." But just as he finished, Frida interrupted him.
"Wonderful, mi amor," she replied, "but we should really get going before our reservations get reassigned."
Rita and Lynn Sr. agreed, as they didn't want to be stuck with another one of Carlos's lectures. The four of them immediately went into the truck and drove away.
As the truck drove away, Ronnie Anne and Lincoln made their way up to Ronnie Anne's apartment. "So, Lincoln," Ronnie Anne asked him, "that truck is your uncle's?"
"Yeah," Lincoln explained. "My Uncle Lance owns a gym, so he and his family have more physique than mine."
"Really?" asked Ronnie Anne, doubtfully. "Nah, I don't believe you."
Lincoln showed Ronnie Anne a picture of Uncle Lance and his family on his phone, then he showed her a video of them engaged in a powerlift competition. And surprisingly, the winner was Lance's youngest child, Shiloh.
"Whoa, I stand corrected," Ronnie Anne replied. "How come you've never introduced me to them?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story," Lincoln answered. "They don't live in Royal Woods, and for the past five years, my dad and his brother didn't want to see each other anymore. But we managed to get them to spend last Christmas together, and now they're trying to get along better."
Ronnie Anne was intrigued by the story, and then she had an idea. She glanced toward her mom, who was preparing to go to work at the hospital. But as she did, she glared at a picture of Rosa and Carlos on the table and muttering under her breath.
"Hey, Mom?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Are you okay?"
Maria was surprised, but she quickly brushed it off. "I'm fine, mija," she assured her daughter. "But I should probably get going." As she prepared to leave the apartment, she hugged Ronnie Anne. "You two have fun, but be careful after dark," she told them.
"We will, Mrs. Santiago," Lincoln assured her.
Maria knelt beside Lincoln. "Lincoln, please," she told him, "call me 'Maria'."
"Sorry," Lincoln said shyly, "force of habit."
Maria chuckled and gave Lincoln a hug too, then she left the apartment. But as she did, she began muttering under her breath about Carlos again.
"You know something, Lincoln?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"What?"
"You just gave me an idea." She took Lincoln by the hand and hurried out of the apartment.
Later, Ronnie Anne had gathered her brother and cousins in the secret room, plus Lincoln as well. As they did, Ronnie Anne and Lincoln stood by a whiteboard.
"Okay, guys," Ronnie Anne explained, "so as we know, my mom and Tio Carlos are always having childish arguments and getting into fights. Who else here is tired of it?"
Everyone else spoke out in agreement.
"That's why I have a plan," said Ronnie Anne, and she showed her family the whiteboard. She had drawn a whole plan all over it. "Lincoln's dad and uncle have been through their fair share of squabbles over the past few years, but they eventually worked things out. So, what we need to do is get Mom and Tio Carlos on a double-double date with Lincoln's dad and uncle."
"But Mom would never go out with Tio Carlos," Bobby explained. "And besides, isn't Lincoln's dad married to his mom?"
"No, Bobby," Carlota sighed, "we get Mom and Dad to go out with Lincoln's parents and his aunt and uncle."
"But who would be Tia Maria's date?" asked CJ.
"I'll convince my dad to take my mom out as a friend," Ronnie Anne explained, "and we just don't tell them about the other pair. Then we get them all together in the same place, and then they'll be forced to work things out."
"Uh, Ronnie Anne," Lincoln pointed out, "I like that idea, but how are we going to make sure they all go to the same places?"
Carl just smiled confidently. "Relax, man," he smiled, "I got a way with this." He grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number on it. "Hey there," he said confidently, "lemme get a reservation for eight for tomorrow afternoon." But he was startled at the response, so he reached into his pocket and took out a wallet. He reached into it and grabbed a five-dollar bill. "How about I sweeten the deal and add in a fiver?" The responder said something else, and then Carl grabbed a twenty. How about I add in a twenty?" But with the following response, Carl got a one hundred dollar bill. "Okay, add in a hundred: Take it or leave it." The responder said one more thing, and then Carl smiled. "Okay, good," he smiled. "The name's Casagrande. See you tomorrow, mi amigo."
Carl hung up the phone and smiled. "Alright, tell the guys to meet at Goddess Greens at noon tomorrow."
"Isn't that Dad's wallet?" asked CJ.
Carl looked surprised, but he just shushed his brother.
Later that evening, Lincoln's parents came back with Frida and Carlos. As Frida and Carlos came out of the truck, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne glanced at each other and nodded.
"Hope this plan works," Lincoln whispered.
"Thank you for paying, Lynn," said Carlos. "I could've sworn I had my wallet with me."
"Oh, it's no problem," Lynn Sr. smiled.
Carlota came right up to her parents and began speaking energetically to them. "Mom, Dad," she spoke, "how about you guys go out to lunch with Lincoln's parents again tomorrow? Say, noon at Goddess Greens?"
"Carlota, that place is very hard to get a reservation for," said Frida. "I don't think we could get one overnight."
"Oh, we totally got you one," smiled CJ, "and they'd love to have you."
"I'm not sure, son," Carlos hesitated. "I can't seem to find my wallet."
Carl held up his father's wallet to him. "You left it at home," Carl said, "and I found it. By the way, if you agree to take Lincoln's parents to lunch again, I won't ask for any allowance for a whole month," added Carl, and he gave his parents the puppy dog eyes. Carlota, CJ, and Carlitos joined in as well.
"Oh, okay," sighed Carlos, and he took his wallet back gratefully. Then he looked at Lynn and Rita. "How about we take you guys out to lunch again tomorrow? This time, it's on me."
"That sounds wonderful, Carlos," Rita agreed. "I guess we'll see you again tomorrow, then."
"Come on, Lincoln," said Lynn Sr., "we'd better get home if we're gonna be back here tomorrow."
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne hugged, and then Lincoln climbed back into his uncle's truck. As they drove back toward Royal Woods, Ronnie Anne watched them hopefully. She was anxious to make sure her plan would work, and she was prepared to do whatever she could...
The next morning, Ronnie Anne was sitting outside the apartment as she waited for her aunt and uncle to finish getting ready for their second lunch date. She was also waiting for Lincoln to return with his parents so they could put the plan in motion.
Suddenly, she saw the green truck arrive from down the block. It parked just outside the mercado, and Ronnie Anne got excited.
The doors of the truck opened, but the occupants who stepped out weren't Lincoln and his parents. It was the same five people from the picture she had been shown yesterday: Lincoln's Uncle Lance, Aunt Sharon, and their three kids.
"Lincoln's Uncle Lance!" she smiled. "You're here!"
Lance was confused. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"
"Not right now," said Ronnie Anne, "but you will soon. I'm Ronnie Anne: Ronnie Anne Santiago."
The next one to speak was Sharon. "Uh, hello, Ronnie Anne," she said in confusion. "Has someone been expecting us?"
"No," Ronnie Anne denied. "But what brings you to Great Lakes City?"
"Well, my nephew suggested that my wife and I bring the kids here today," explained Lance, "and the kids were so anxious to see it."
"Great," Ronnie Anne said in excitement, then she took Lance and Sharon's hands and brought them up toward the complex door. "Come on inside and make yourselves at home in Apartment 2A." She began to lead them and their kids up the foyer to the second floor.
"But shouldn't we park our car somewhere else?" asked Sharon.
"No, no," Ronnie Anne insisted, "it'll be just fine."
When they reached Apartment 2A, Ronnie Anne knocked on the door, and Rosa opened it. When she saw Lance and Sharon, she was confused.
"Hello?" she asked. "I wasn't expecting anyone to come by today."
"Abuela, these are Lincoln's Uncle Lance and Aunt Sharon," Ronnie Anne smiled.
Rosa was surprised. "You are also Louds?" she asked.
"Yes," answered Sharon.
"Why, come in," Rosa said welcomingly, "make yourselves at home."
"Uh, that's okay," Lance began, "we don't really need to be given so much courtesy."
As Rosa and the Louds began talking, Ronnie Anne heard the doorknob on Apartment 2B rattling, and she knew she had to act fast. So, she shoved Lance and Sharon inside the room.
"Actually, you two would love to meet my familia," Ronnie Anne replied, and she immediately closed the door. Just as she did, the door to Apartment 2B opened, and out came Carlos and Frida.