"She's not answering huh?" Johnny asks, cracking open another beer.
Robby groans, hanging up once he hears her voicemail, yet again, "No, she's not." Robby sighs, running his hand through his hair in defeat.
"Let her cool off. Babes need time to realize things."
"Okay one, don't call my girlfriend a babe. It's weird. Two, I tried that one time, the space, and then I called her drunk and high and ruined it. I... I gotta go see her." Robby determines.
"Woah, no." Johnny stands abruptly, "LaRusso will kill us both if you go over to their house right now."
"I can get in without him knowing. I've... I've done it before."
"You've... oh... OH!" Johnny's eyes widen before he's wincing, "Look, I... I don't know how to do this... but you know to be... safe right?"
"What?" Robby questions cluelessly before it dawns on him and he, too, winces at the implication, "Nope, we are not doing that. You are not going to prance back into my life and think you can pick up the "dad" talks!"
"Hey, I do not prance! I'm not a sissy!" Johnny says pointedly.
"It's a figure of speech!" Robby groans, grabbing his jacket from the couch.
"Kid, you can't go see her." Johnny reiterates.
"I'm going. I need to apologize, and make it right."
"Just wait. Wait, okay?" Johnny gets in front of him, holding his hands up in surrender.
"What?"
"Look, she's a once in a lifetime gal, but you need to wait. You go now and you go when tensions are high. Everyone will be on high alert, the likelihood of you getting there and not getting found out is about as likely as me and your mom getting back together. Wait till tonight after dinner. People will have cooled off, less likely to be found out, more likely for her to hear you out. It's all about timing." Johnny explains.
"That how you got with mom? Timing?"
"No, that... that was pure dumb luck." Johnny chuckles.
"Luck? Didn't think you'd consider yourself lucky considering you dipped." Robby scoffs, going back and sitting down on the couch.
"I... Look, your mom and I... we weren't compatible. We were just... fun. And-and fun catches up to you so don't have too much of it!"
"You never wanted me... did you?"
Johnny sighs, sitting down beside him, "We never planned for you. But that doesn't mean either of us didn't want you or... or care about you... You really want to do this now?" Johnny questions.
"Have to wait to see her and knowing her... she's smarter about these things than me so she could help me figure out what you mean if I can't do it myself."
"Plus she'll comfort you." Johnny teases, nudging his arm, earning a small smile that quickly disappears.
"Stop it. I want to know... did you ever want me?"
Johnny sighs, wiping his hand down his face, "Your mother and I were off and on. When we were on we had fun but we fought. When we were off... we just kept coming back to each other because it was easier than being alone. We both drank a lot, which led to some not so safe things, and one of those things led to you. I... God, when I found out she was pregnant... I nearly shit myself. I was terrified. I never told her, but she knew. She knew." Johnny nods to himself, "Your mom stopped drinking while she was pregnant, and I basically took up her drinking with my own. I was drinking for two. You gotta understand Robby, I never really knew my real dad. I don't remember anything about him. I have a name and I had a picture, that's it. Your grandma, my mom... if he was anything like the other men she was with... well then I'm glad I never knew him. So... how could I do you justice if I didn't even know how?"
"You should have tried."
Johnny nods, "You're right, I-I should have. But I didn't. I screwed up. Your mom and I both did... is she... do you know if-"
"She's in rehab. So you can't just hand me over to her."
"Damn it, Robby. I'm trying okay? I fucked up! I know that. I know I screwed things up. I know you deserve better! But I'm really fucking trying okay? I'm doing a hell of a lot better than my fucking stepdad did!"
Robby stops, he knew about his father's stepdad from his mother, how he was cruel and vindictive and abusive. But he had never heard Johnny ever utter a single sentence about him, at least not outright.
"You know... Cal... she uh... her mom... her mom was like you, my mom, and your stepdad all in one. She got emancipation because of it, and she's who she is because of what she went through and I like to think she's pretty amazing... so why didn't you do what she did? Why didn't you try?"
"Your girl... she's..." Johnny smiles, "You got really lucky kid. Takes a big person to go through that and come out kind. A bigger person than me."
"You know... before your students destroyed our dojo, she would talk about trying to understand you. Think she knew more about you than I do."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, through her dad." Robby chuckles.
"Jackson. He was... damn, he had every right to hate me. Put the poor guy in the hospital and he still tried to reason with me! With Kreese!"
"He tried to reason with Kreese?!"
"Yeah! Big stones on that guy. I've never seen someone stand up to John Kreese, but this little lanky kid - he just stood right up to him and told him he was pathetic. He got beat up, put back in the hospital, but I don't think he ever regretted it."
"He didn't. He... Cal told me he had a few regrets in his life. Not leaving her mom the first time, not taking her away from the abuse, not staying in California, not staying in touch with the LaRussos or Mr. Miyagi... and not getting through to you. He didn't blame you, for the record. He blamed Kreese and... and your stepdad. Said they made you hurt, angry... that you did whatever you had to do to have their approval, he didn't blame you." Johnny nods, feeling his eyes tear up. He quickly wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, downing the Coors Banquet.
"I see a lot of Jackson in your girl. Which is a good thing, he was a good dude." Robby nods.
"Do you... nevermind." Robby shakes his head.
"No, cmon. What?" Johnny presses.
"Do you think he would have liked me? Her hospital family in Taos likes me, but... would her real family?" Robby questions timidly.
"I won't pretend like I truly knew Jackson, but if you're good to her, if you make her happy - that's all I think he would care about."
-
"Calanthe... please." Daniel begs through the door, hearing soft sniffles on the other side.
"Leave me alone."
"Calanthe-"
"Leave me alone!"
"Calanthe, please just eat at least." Calanthe rolls her eyes, grabbing a bag of chips from her bedside table.
"Leave me alone. I won't ask again Mr. LaRusso." Cal spits, the name tasting like vinegar in her mouth. But it sears Daniel's heart just like it was meant to.
He sighs shakily before nodding against the door, "Okay. Okay."
Calanthe waits till she hears his footsteps lessen before she grabs a pillow and starts crying into it. She didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of hearing her break, though that appeared to be happening whether she wanted it or not judging by the tapping at her window. She has half a mind not to open it, let him feel as lost and alone as she did, but her heart gets the better of her, opening her window and letting him climb inside like he had done so many days before.
"Oh flower." Robby whispers softly, seeing the tear tracks down her face.
"Don't. You told me to leave."
"I was wrong. I was so wrong. Are you hurt?" Robby asks worriedly, stepping closer. His heart breaks when she steps back away from him.
"He yelled. You know I hate yelling."
"I know. I'm sorry. I thought you should be with family, I thought it would be safer for you. I know I was wrong. I'm so sorry."
"Don't ever do that again." Cal chastises.
"I promise." Robby assures her.
Robby winces, remembering the other thing he needed to apologize for.
"Cal, there's one more thing. You can hate me all you want, but I swear I didn't reciprocate!"
"Okay..."
"And she was drunk-"
"What the fuck did Sam do?" Cal asks angrily.
"She... she may have... she could have kissed me? But I pushed her off and she passed out right after."
"She did what?!" Cal yells.
"She was drunk, remember."
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me? Huh?"
"I'm telling you now. I was going to tell you but then Daniel came and he and my dad fought and-"
"Is that why you sent me away?!"
"No! No! I swear, I thought you should be with family!"
"Family that kissed my boyfriend?! I'm gonna kill her!" Cal rushes towards the door but Robby stops her, gripping her hand softly.
"She probably doesn't even remember, she was so drunk Cal. You have to remember that!"
"This is why she was asking you about my being gone! Why she was so deadset on me being in the wrong! Why she called me a bloody whore! She loves you!"
"She doesn't love me. She's just lonely and I was around the house, easy to misplace feelings when you feel lonely. You know Sam, she would never do anything to hurt you. She was just drunk. She tried to apologize to me when I came back in the room after our parents started fighting but I told her to save it. I don't have any feelings for her. I never kissed her. But you deserve to know. If you hate me, I understand."
"I..." Cal sighs, falling back into her bed, "I don't hate you. Im trying really hard not to go beat her into a pulp, but... but you did tell me the day after and you did tell me even though it may put you in a worse light..."
"And I brought danishes..." Robby whispers, pulling the bag from his backpack. He watches Cal sit up straight in her bed with a smile.
"Trying to ply me with sweets is not winning you points on this being totally not your fault but it is winning you points on me not being hangry." Cal makes grabby hands, making Robby laugh and hand the bag over.
"I'm sorry. For everything. For pushing you away and for not telling you the second it happened. I messed up and I take full responsibility for my fuck ups. I love you Calanthe. Just you." Robby tries, watching her rip little pieces of Danish off and put it into her mouth. She stops for a moment, thinking, before she rips a piece off and hands it to Robby, who smiles broadly, sitting beside her on the bed.