Chapter 185: First Family Day Out
On the way to the amusement park...
Lola was still a little disgruntled at how things had turned out for her. It wasn’t their fault that she felt slightly inferior and insecure whenever they were all together, especially when they were going out. However, she was never like this.
Of course, she had her silent insecurities, considering she had grown up being criticized by almost everyone—be it her style, her fashion sense, her decisions in life, and everything else. It was why she had found more comfort in her disguises.
With those, she could accept the criticism with an open heart. After all, her makeup was truly a work of art—horror-themed. Having those disguises helped her rebuild her confidence, but lately, she had found herself thinking more about her real appearance because of these four.
I guess... I do want to look good for them, she thought, pouting a little as she looked out the window. Damn it. I should’ve at least asked Silo, Cedrick, or Amala what the best clothes to wear for theme parks are.
Peeking down at her clothes, she mentally winced. Her outfit looked like something a lowlife punk would wear while looking for trouble. Amid her insecurity attack, Second suddenly squeezed her hand.
"Mommy, thank you," Second said, making Lola look at him. He smiled, his eyes twinkling with gratitude and excitement. "Second and Chacha always want to go to the amusement park with our mommy."
Chacha nodded. "Thank you for making our dream come true! Second and Chacha can now write our paper for our project about family memories!"
Lola darted her eyes between the twins; her expression softened as every negative thought filling her mind disappeared without a trace.
Insecurity be damned, she whispered to herself. This is not about me; it’s about them.
Reaching out to cup their faces, her mouth stretched from ear to ear. "Are you excited?"
"Yes~!" they answered in unison. "I want to try the horror booth!"
"I want the roller coaster!"
"And their cotton candies, too!"
Chacha and Second unhesitatingly announced what they were looking forward to, while everyone else just listened. Lola couldn’t help but chuckle as she heard them. Their innocent and excited voices filled her with warmth.
When Lola glanced at the backseat, Slater was just watching them with a smile. He wasn’t even bothering Lola; rather, he was focused on the children. As for Atlas, he stared at his kids.
It made Lola wonder: did their father rob them of the joy of theme parks?
Her question was quickly answered when, suddenly, Chacha spoke.
"We’ve been to different amusement parks with Father Sir before! He even built one for us, but it’s not fun!" Chacha mused, while Second nodded solemnly. "An amusement date with Father Sir is like..."
The twins’ faces twitched a bit as they both looked up. Their expressions soured even more, as if they were thinking of the same thing.
Seeing their expressions, Lola bit her inner bottom lip. She sneaked a look at Atlas, only to see him staring at his children. He didn’t look angry, nor indifferent. If anything, he was watching them without a clear smile on his face, but the corners of his eyes squinted very slightly.
He was smiling.
"Second and Chacha are going to delete those memories," Second uttered, and then Chacha added, "Delete! Delete! Delete!"
"Haha... come on now..." Lola laughed nervously. "Let’s just... let’s just talk about our itinerary, okay?" I’m getting nervous for the two of you.
"Wait!" This time, Slater chimed in on the conversation.
Everyone looked back at him, their faces scrunching up a bit as he suddenly laid out a huge map like a piece of cloth.
"About that... do not worry about it!" he exclaimed, clearing his throat as his eyes suddenly sharpened. "I’ve prepared the itinerary for all of us."
Lola muttered, "Please don’t."
But Slater ignored her as he continued. "Rapid fire—first, we’re going to the softest ride: the roller coasters, the bungee jump, the..."
He rattled off every ride in rapid fire, then added their snack times, the rides after those, lunch, and so on. Lola was almost amazed by him; he even knew the schedules of each ride.
"And lastly, the quiet boat ride," Slater added. "Then we will go watch the fireworks."
"Yey~!" the twins cheered. "Uncle Best is the best!"
Slater snickered, rubbing his nose. "I won’t be called Uncle Best if I am not the best!"
The twins happily clapped for him, in awe of Slater’s "impeccable" planning. But for Lola and Atlas, that didn’t sound like a family day out at all. It sounded like a mission they had to complete.
"Don’t be chickens~!" Slater teased both Lola and Atlas. "First Brother, Sis, if you can’t take the extreme rides, don’t worry about it! I’ll look after the kids for you while you ride the soft rides~!"
This time, Lola’s and Atlas’s expressions deadpanned.
"What did you say?" they asked in unison, their faces blank... and dead.
"Chi—chicken?" Lola laughed, running her hands through her hair. Atlas, on the other hand, let out a dry, quiet laugh.
Then the two of them snapped their eyes back at the unforgivable Slater. And as if they shared the same brain, they uttered in unison, "We’ll see."
The twins blinked and darted their eyes between their mother and father. Meanwhile, Slater pursed his lips as the other two adults looked away, their bodies radiating this invisible fire. When the twins looked back at him, Slater winked mischievously.
"Hehe," the twins giggled, covering their lips with their little hands.
Slater whistled and leaned back a little. "I’m just saying," he mused with a nonchalant shrug.
But his remarks only made the invisible flames covering Lola and Atlas blaze even more. If these were real flames, Slater would’ve been turned to ash!
****
Soon, their van pulled up at the entrance of the amusement park. Standing before it, the four of them looked up at the big rides past the large gates.
"Woah..." the twins were in awe, their eyes twinkling. They could already hear the cheers, the screams, and the lively noises inside.
Second held Lola’s hand and held Chacha with the other, while Chacha also held her father’s hand in the other; their faces lit up. Lola gazed at the magical place and smiled.
It’s my first time here... she thought, feeling a bit giddy as well. "It looks amazing already."
"Guys!! Let’s go now!" Suddenly, Slater’s voice rang out. When they turned, he was already at the smaller gates with their stubs in hand. He waved at them.
"Come on~!"
The twins grinned and looked up at their parents. "Mommy, Daddy, let’s go~!" they cheered, dragging their parents along. As they did, subtle smiles appeared on Lola and Atlas’s faces as they let the kids lead the way.
But the second Lola and Atlas stepped inside, competitive flames erupted from them as their fiery gaze landed on Slater.