MOMENT OF TRUTH¹ eli moskowitz

extreme measure

Johnny had arranged the twins to meet him at Olive Garden. He had a plan to where he could talk to Robby and Miguel at the same time with the help of Amara, who was friends with the two boys.

"Where is Dad?" Robby asked, as he twiddled his thumbs.

"You tell me." Amara said as she began to look up from the menu to see Miguel, "Uh, oh." She spoke quietly.

"What?" Robby glanced over at the blonde girl beside him as he then followed her glance, leading him to Miguel.

"Uh..." Miguel began, walking over placing his hands on the back of a chair, "Let me guess. Your dad invited you guys to lunch too?"

"Yep." Robby answered.

"He didn't tell you I was coming?"

"Nope."

Amara tried to avoid eye contact with Miguel, "And you knew this whole time?"

"Yeah..." Amara answered, looking down. She noticed as Robby stood up from the chair. "Robby, sit down." She told her brother as he began to walk out the opposite direction.

"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Johnny said, as he walked around the corner or the restaurant. "Where are you going? Sit down. Hear me out for a minute."

The two boys began to sit back down at the table as Johnny pulled a chair to the end of the table. "All right, yeah, I lied to get you here. After what I saw at the water park, I knew you wouldn't come willingly. I know you're both in bitchy moods 'cause you broke up with your girlfriends."

"Wait, what?" Amara asked Robby, "Are you serious? I mean I knew you and Sam broke up but you and Tory?"

Robby nodded, "Yep. It all boils down to Cobra Kai." He told her.

"Yeah, that's not the point." Johnny said, getting the two twins back on track. "Since the Mexico thing felt like a small step in the right direction, I figured it might help out if we went on another little trip."

"A trip?" Robby questioned. "To a mall in Chatsworth?"

"Your body might be at a mall, my friend," one of the waiters said, walking over as he put his hands on Miguel and Johnny's shoulders, "but your taste buds are about to go on a tour of the old country. This guy knows what I'm talking about."

"Yes, I do." Johnny said.

"It doesn't matter where we go. The birthplace of culinary delight awaits." The waiter began to speak in riddles, "You want an Alfredo? Boom, we're in Rome. Ravioli? Tuscany it is. We gotta come back here for the chocolate lasagna, 'cause like baseball and Big Gulps, that's only in America."

Robby and Miguel continued to look at the waiter. They all looked at each other. It was obvious they were still mad at Johnny for lying.

"Tell you what, I'm gonna get you guys a basket of breadsticks fresh out of the oven." The waiter said as he began to sense a bad vibe. "I'll come right back. Done and done."

The waiter patted Johnny on the back and proceeded to head back towards the kitchen. "Come on, guys." Johnny said, trying to lighten up the mood, "Guy gives that kind of effort, and you just sit there looking pissed?"

"It's not his effort I'm pissed at." Miguel spoke to Johnny,

"Breadsticks aren't gonna fix this." Robby said,

"Spoken like a man who's never had the Garden's breadsticks."

"Yeah, come on, Robby, they're so good." Amara said, as she clearly exaggerated how good they were.