“I told you this was a bad idea,” Iris said again.
Cisco took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Can you please stop being so negative? I’ve got this.”
Cisco picked up the manual again and looked between it and the mess that lay before him. He built things for a living, he could make a tent. He hoped.
“Just admit that you don’t know what you’re doing and we can go home.” Iris said. “It’s still light out, we could make it back in time to make a reservation someplace nice. Y’know inside, with technology and real food.”
“We have real food,” Cisco muttered distractedly.
“Beef jerky and marshmallows aren’t real food,” Iris argued. “And you haven’t even started the fire yet, how are we supposed to make the s’mores without a fire, Cisco?” Iris asked with her hands on her hips.
“Look,” Cisco said lowering the manual. “If you’re that hungry, why don’t you make the fire?”
“It’s not even about the food! It’s about your crazy plan to get us eaten by bears out in the middle of this stupid forest,” Iris exclaimed.
“Okay first of all, we’re in the woods, not a forest. Second of all, bears? Really? The biggest animal you’re gonna see out here is a raccoon,” Cisco said. “And it’s not like I want to be out here either, Iris. We’re doing this for Cindy, remember?”
“Okay, I know I agreed surprising her with a camping trip would be nice, but we,” Iris said motioning between Cisco and herself, “are not camping people. At all.” Cisco fiddled with the rod as it bent and twisted in his hands. He tried again to push it through the first loop with no success. “Why don’t I call Linda and tell her not to bring Cynthia here?” Iris proposed. “We can call this off and do something else for her birthday.”
“You’re not calling Linda, the plan is still on,” Cisco said firmly. “Besides, they’re probably already on their way to the ‘casino’ anyway.” Cisco said in finger quotes.
“Exactly, and you still haven’t made the tent.”
“You know you could help, Iris,” Cisco told her.
Iris made a face but knelt down next to Cisco. Cisco handed her a rod and she stared at it.
“Yeah, I have no idea what to do with this. Hand me a gun, or a pen and I’m set, but this?” Iris made a sweeping motion over the pieces in front of them, “This is some nonsense.”
“Okay, new plan,” Cisco announced standing up. “We make the fire first and then reconvene on the tent.”
Half an hour later they still had no fire, and no tent. They looked up when they heard the sound of an engine in the distance. A minute later Linda and Cynthia made it to the clearing. Cynthia’s brow furrowed in confusion at the sight of Cisco and Iris huddled up on a log wrapped together in a blanket. Linda looked like she was trying not to laugh.
“What happened to you two?” Cynthia asked.
“Yeah, I thought the whole point of me keeping her distracted was so you two could set everything up,” Linda commented.
“We were gonna surprise you,” Iris explained.
“Surprise,” Cisco said weakly.
“Well, I did my part, I’ve gotta go if I’m gonna make it back in time for date night with Wally,” Linda said. “Good luck with this.” She waved to them before making her way back to her car.
“Okay, you guys look terrible, how long have you been out here?”
“Bout an hour,” Cisco told her.
“And you didn’t think to build a fire?” Cynthia asked gesturing to the blanket draped over their shoulders.
“Believe me, we tried,” Iris grumbled.
“We can do something else for your birthday,” Cisco finally conceded. “This kind of turned into a disaster.”
“No way,” Cynthia said. “This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me, even if you two tragically failed at actually accomplishing anything.”
“You’re welcome?” Cisco said.
“Get up, we’re gonna fix this tent,” Cynthia ordered. “Iris, you hold the tent while I slip the rods in, Cisco, you’re gonna pull them through on the other side. Got it?”
Iris and Cisco nodded and got in position. Cynthia expertly worked the pole through and then helped Iris hold the tent in place while Cisco pulled it through on his side. They repeated with the second one and Cynthia stomped the stakes into the ground with the heel of her boot.
“There,” she exhaled. Cynthia dropped down in a squat while she started working on the fire. “Did you guys bring sleeping bags?”
“No, but there are more blankets in the duffel,” Iris told her, looking at the sparks impressed. “How are you so good at this stuff?”
Cynthia blew on the flames until they grew and pulled back up smirking. “I’m built for survival.”
