CHAPTER 72: 72-WE ARE THE WORST TEAM

Iris:

We had been standing apart, opposite each other, for about five minutes, deciding roles.

Kash had given Lara the instructions, and she held them tightly in her hand, wearing blue shorts and a white top tied in front to reveal her stomach and waist.

And then there was me. I had changed into blue jeans and a black top.

I tied my hair back so it wouldn’t get in the way, especially with the wind being so strong.

"Why do I need to hold the instructions? I can do this," I argued with Luca, who still shoved the papers into my hands.

"Do the job nicely and silently. Let the men handle the tents," Luca commented, making me clench my jaw.

I looked over and saw Lara staring at the instructions.

I bet she was just saying a bunch of nonsense, acting like she knew what she was doing.

Kash, meanwhile, crouched down, fixing the base with precision.

These weren’t flimsy little tents, they were full-sized luxury tents with sturdy poles and thick canvas walls.

"They’re going to win," I muttered, noticing how even Luca was starting to struggle with ours.

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing," he hissed, clearly annoyed that I had dared to suggest otherwise. "Hold the instructions right and guide me. This is why we’re falling behind because you’re not doing your job correctly."

Luca complained while I tried my best.

All I could do was read the directions, which I was already doing.

But of course, this man with a thick skull couldn’t seem to comprehend simple instructions.

Kash, on the other hand, looked calm and composed, while Lara fluttered around him like a butterfly, pretending to help but mostly getting in the way.

"I guess she’ll be the reason we win," I remarked.

"And you’ll be the reason we lose," Luca shot back, making me roll my eyes.

Kash remained quiet. I never once saw him lose his patience with her.

He wouldn’t do that, even when he was focused on work, even if the person next to him caused a ruckus, he usually just ignored it.

After a while, his tent began taking a beautiful shape, proof that he was doing an excellent job. Luca and I were nowhere near as graceful.

By now, he had stopped even looking at the manual. He said he knew what he was doing, so I let him. I already knew how this would end.

My kids were having too much fun watching us panic over a tent.

They sat on their little foldable stools, holding juice boxes and snacks in their hands, cheering as if it were a game.

Luca kept fumbling with the poles, connecting the wrong ends and making the tent collapse twice before it even began to stand.

Each time it fell, he blamed me. I grew more and more frustrated, holding one corner that refused to stay in place.

It was supposed to be easy, but between our poor coordination and his stubborn pride, our so-called luxury tent looked more like a pile of fabric on vacation.

"Yayy! We won!" Lara exclaimed, jumping up and down happily, once again wrapping her arms around Kash to hug him.

She just needed an excuse to be close to him. But I guess, who was I to complain if he was fine with it?

"Mommy, you lost," Colin said from his spot, pouting at me sadly.

"Why are you not happy your father won?" Kash walked over to him, picking him up and tossing him in the air before catching him again, making Colin laugh.

However, Kash was so absorbed in playing with him that he didn’t realize Colin still had a half-open juice box in his hand.

When Kash caught him, the juice spilled all over his shirt.

"Oh no! This was such an expensive one. I gifted you this!" Lara complained, throwing a little tantrum and stomping her foot on the ground.

Luca got up tiredly and walked away toward the car to grab a bottle of beer.

Yeah, like a beer was going to fix the tent. But I ignored him for a while. My eyes stayed on Lara.

Kash put Colin down, who now looked guilty.

"It’s okay. It’s fine," Kash said quickly, crouching in front of Colin and kissing his cheek. "Lara, get them another box of juice," he called out, his voice firm but calm.

I noticed the way he looked at her, warning her not to make a big deal out of it.

But I could tell she wasn’t their mother.

She didn’t understand, and she definitely didn’t seem like someone affectionate toward children.

To her, it seemed like a huge inconvenience.

With another eye roll and a stomp, Lara turned and walked back to the car.

"Daddy, I ruined your shirt," Colin whispered, his voice small.

"Hey, I told you it’s fine, okay? Don’t worry. Besides, your father won, aren’t we going to celebrate?"

Kash was so good with the children. I remembered when he used to have such a short temper.

But ever since I had seen him with his kids, I realized how much gentler he had become. A perfect father.

Maybe that’s why I never stopped them from being with him.

Then there was Luca, returning to fix the tent again, even after losing, as if there had never been a competition in the first place.

Even though it had been his idea.

Kash walked back toward his tent, then to his car, carrying bags toward the setup.

The small wooden cabin nearby still stood unexplored, probably only meant for showers and bathrooms.

As he passed by, I turned back to Luca, who had gone quiet.

We still had to fix our tent, and the wind had picked up again, making the half-collapsed canvas flap around like a bird trapped in a cage.

Luca struggled once more with one of the corner poles that refused to lock in place. I was holding the fabric steady, or trying to.

I didn’t have the same strength as Kash or even Luca. Every few seconds, the fabric slipped from my hands and hit me in the face.