More times than not, life's a whole lot

 

Cam looked at the gooey casserole when Carmen took off the foil. He couldn't help but stare. Oh, how this old body of his wanted it. She might as well be offering sex instead of King Ranch Chicken. Hell, he could eat that cold for breakfast. He sighed.

"I could make you casseroles every night," she said.

"Oh, that-that's not necessary." He shook his head no. He hated to tell her he couldn't eat like this anymore. He had to watch his blood pressure, his blood sugar and God knows what else.

"But..but I just want to help."

Carmen nursed her bottom lip as a strand of hair got caught in her eye. He was a little worried about her. He knew she wanted to send Trish to be with Liv in Seoul. And she thought she could cook and clean for him if he did this deed for her.

"Look, I want you to just focus on you and studying," he grasped her hand then at the kitchen table to take a seat. "I know you will get into the nursing program. I just know you will, and you shouldn't be worried about Trish so much."

Carmen sat down and sighed. "I just know it would mean the world to her."

"Oh, you mean the world to Trish," he told her. "It was you who got her out of feeling so sorry for herself when Liv left," Cam told her he'd think of a way to get Trish there to be with Liv when her baby was born.

"Your information helped a lot, it looks like such a good deal, and you know, she could spend most of May with Liv and her family."

Cam finally understood why Rico had liked Carmen so much. Cam wished he hadn't thought it so fleeting then, but he guessed Rico had moved on with Mona.

"Are you and Justin doing OK?" 

"I guess so," she nodded.

He went to get her some lemonade from the fridge.

"You guess so?"

"He's been busy lately." 

Carmen nodded.

"Busy?"

"He works from home," Carmen told him she still spent afternoons at the group home and she took Randy home from work.

"Randy?" Cam winced. He still didn't understand why they took in a twenty-year-old to raise.

"He's a good kid," she assured him. "He needs us as much as we need him."

She was proud that he'd found a job at Good Will.

"But..but will he still be with you guys when you want to start a family?" He looked at her blankly.

"But..but we're enough of a family," Carmen's smile was open.

Cam could see why Trish was worried about Carmen. Yet, Carmen was such a giving person and maybe, just like she said, that was enough.

He felt he and Kang weren't exactly partners, but he did like having him around even if they didn't get along all the time. It was the best he could do. And ever so often Cam had a date. Usually, it was with Pan's Mom, but it wasn't something he could mark on the calendar. 

"Look, between Kang and me, we'll get Trish there. Who knows, Kang might want to go with her, but if he is such a big friend of Liv's father, he'd send him there with his wife. So, don't you worry."

He cut a piece of the warm cheesy casserole for her to eat, and he took a little slice for himself.