They Did It Once
"How are you, my baby?!" His mother almost threw herself at him.
Carlos was stunned by his mother, no, his parents return - his father was lingering by the corner. He had not expected them today, nor did she inform him beforehand (he could have prepared him mentally) Well, here he is.
"I'm fine," Carlos said, thankful to be out of her suffocating embrace. His gaze rested on his father who only waved at him awkwardly, "Hi father,"
He acknowledged his presence with a mere nod. He was neither close nor unfriendly with his father, he was simply standing on neutral ground so he doesn't get hurt again.
Carlos' family was weird in the sense that his father divorced his mother thrice and remarried her each time. It wasn't a sick game but he was done getting hurt or hoping he fulfills his father role efficiently. As far as he knows, he grew up without a father.