Chapter 284 The Contest

Chapter 284 The Contest　　"What?" Both Tom and Lucy's dad exclaimed in unison when Lucy and Sonia joined the others who were already seated at the poolside thirty minutes later with Samantha and Jamal. While Lucy was carrying two sack bags, Samantha and Sonia each carried a bowl that contained whipped cream, and Jamal held two deflated balloons.

"What are the bags for?" Tom's dad asked with a chuckle as he relaxed on his seat, ready to enjoy the show.

"The first game you both will be playing against each other is the sack race," Sonia announced with a grin, and both Andrew and Tom looked at Lucy incredulously while the others laughed out in amusement.

"Can I play?" Jamal asked eagerly.

"No, darling. There is not enough sack for all three of you and they both have to compete against each other," Evelyn said as she lifted Jamal on her lap. 

"Come on, Lu, how do you expect the chief executive officer of I-Global to participate in such a silly game?" Bryan asked amidst his laughter, causing the others to laugh even more.

"I'm too old for such a game," Lucy's father complained in disbelief. 

"Oh, now he admits that he is old," Bryan said with a chuckle.

"I'm not old," Jamal pointed out. 

"Yeah. You are just too young to play," Lucy's mother told the child with a grin as she patted his hair.

"We need a hand. Come with me," Sonia said to Bryan as she took the balloons from Jamal and handed them to Bryan who followed her and Samantha to the other end of the poolside where a table had been set.

"Can I go with them?" Jamal asked hopefully as he attempted to get off Evelyn's thighs. He did not want to be away from the balloons, as that was where he believed the fun was.

"Sure. Go on," Evelyn said as she set the kid down and he hurried after Bryan.

"It is actually a very simple and short contest. You will both wear the sack bags, and then run to the other side where Sonia, Bryan, and Samantha will be waiting. When you get to the other side, we will proceed to the next phase," Lucy announced.

"There is a next phase?" Tom asked incredulously.

"Yes. There are four phases. The first is the sack race. You take off the sack once you get to the other side, and the second phase starts immediately. The second involves finding the bubble gum in the whipped cream bowl, and while you're finding the bubble gum a balloon will be attached to both your ankles, which brings us to the third phase; stomping the balloon. The first person to stomp on his opponent's balloon and burst it races back to the pool and dives in while the other follows. The first to get back to the end of the pool and meet me here is the winner," Lucy explained with a wide smile as she adjusted her glass on the bridge of her nose. 

Tom looked at her incredulously, "You are kidding me, right?" There was no way his Lucy was capable of coming up with such a wicked game. It had to be Sonia. This had Sonia written all over it, Tom thought as he turned to look at Sonia who was now standing at the other end away from them and was setting the bowls on the table, while Bryan pumped two balloons, "This was her idea, wasn't it?" He asked Lucy.

"Does it matter whose idea it is? You both should hurry up and get into the sacks. We don't have all day," Tom's father urged them both.

"This is ridiculous!" Lucy's father muttered, and Tom nodded in agreement.

"At least you both agree on something now. It's an improvement," Evelyn pointed out with a grin.

"If you think about it, the game is not as ridiculous as you competing with your daughter's man for her love. Since you both agreed to compete against each other for Lucy's love, you should do so quietly unless you are ready to pay double the money we bet on you," Janet warned her husband, while Tom stood there staring at Lucy who was smiling at him like she had done something praiseworthy.

He exchanged a look with Lucy's father who shrugged, "So what are the rules?"

"Just put on the sack and run once the whistle is blown. When you get to the bowl, you can only try to find the bubble gum with your mouth, not your hands. That means you dip your head in the bowl and try to find the bubble gum with your teeth or tongue, just not your hands," Lucy explained. 

"So how do you know who finds it? What if he claims to find it without actually finding it?" Her father asked, eyeing Tom dubiously.

"Yeah, about that. The first person to find it, chews on it and blows a bubble before stomping on his opponent's balloon, and then he can jump into the water," Lucy concluded.

"So what if despite doing that he still comes last in the swimming contest?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

"That's why it's a game. The first can become the last. You need luck to win," Lucy said with a shrug. 

"Are we to swim with our clothes on?" Tom asked, looking down at the trouser and vintage shirt he was wearing.

"That is your call to make," Lucy said with a shrug.

"Okay, let's do this," Lucy's dad suggested, and without waiting for Tom to consent, he picked up one of the sack bags.

Seeing Andrew's enthusiasm, Tom picked up a sack bag and Lucy gestured to both men to move away from each other. One to the left walkway beside the pool, and the other to the right walkway, that way the pool was between them so that they would race without colliding.

"At the first whistle, you step into your sack. And at the second, you start racing," Lucy said as she raised the whistle to her lips, while every other person watched them with excited anticipation. Even though they all knew that it wasn't a big deal, they were filled with suspense as they watched the show.

Lucy whistled, and immediately both men quickly stepped into their sack bags, and before they could finish adjusting them, she whistled again, making her father who was yet to finish adjusting his bag turn to glare at her while Tom immediately started hopping while holding on to the edge of the bag.

Seeing how everyone was laughing, Lucy's dad turned around to see what was funny and he swore under his breath when he realized that Tom was already ahead of him. He quickly grabbed the edge of his sack and started to hop. Because he was too quick, he tripped and cursed as he stood up again and resumed hopping.

Tom's father hooted with laughter as he took out his phone to record the scene before him, while the women laughed each time either of the men almost tripped.

"Come on, Tom, you can do it!" Bryan cheered every time Tom stopped to catch his breath, and each time he looked to the side and saw that Lucy's father was almost catching up with him, he resumed hopping again. 

"Come on, Mr. Perry! Don't stop!" Sonia cheered, and Bryan turned to scowl at her.

"Seriously?" He asked, and she giggled.

"He is not just Lucy's father, he is also like a father to me, so I see no reason why I shouldn't cheer him. And if you know anything about me, then by now you should know that the more you keep up with this attitude the more I'm going to rub it in your face. I admire and respect the man, but you are the one I'm in love with you, and I respect you too. He makes me blush, but you give me butterflies in my belly. What I feel for him is the kind of innocent love a child has for an elder who isn't their parents. It's nothing compared to what I feel for you," Sonia assured him and leaned forward to kiss his cheek, but Bryan was quick to turn so she ended up kissing his lip instead. Samantha was too busy cheering Tom on to hear or see what was going on, but Jamal on the other hand wasn't. He closed his eyes when Bryan deepened the kiss. 

"Yes!" Samantha clapped happily when Tom made it to the table before Lucy's father, and Bryan and Sonia pulled away from each other as Jamal handed them the inflated balloons. 

Immediately they got to the table, both men stepped out of the sack bags and chose a bowl each in which they stuck their faces trying to find the bubble gum. While they were busy trying to find the gum, Sonia went to attach a balloon to Tom's ankle by tying the string of wool that was attached to the balloon around Tom's ankle too, while Bryan did the same to Lucy's father. 

Thankfully the bowls weren't filled to the brim with whipped cream so each time the men raised their face to catch their breath it was just their forehead, nose, and lips that were covered in cream, making Jamal laugh out loud as they looked like clowns.

Bryan took out his phone and made a recording of this aspect of the game since his father wasn't close enough to do so, while Sonia captured several pictures of them with their faces stained with whipped cream. 

Soon Lucy's father found the bubble gum and immediately he lifted his head and chewed on it very quickly so that he could make a bubble and stomp on Tom's balloon before he lifts his face from the bowl, but while he was still chewing, Tom found his and also started chewing really quickly making the observers laugh out loud at how funny they looked while chewing fast.

Lucy's father soon succeeded in blowing the bubble, and immediately he tried to stomp on Tom's balloon, but Tom was quick to evade him while also trying to blow his bubble. 

They both ran around the place as Lucy's father kept trying to stomp on the balloon, but Tom kept avoiding him. Once Tom succeeded in blowing his bubble, he ran after Lucy's father trying to stomp his balloon, and it soon became a game of defense and attack.

By this time no one was cheering either of them anymore as everyone was too engrossed in the entertainment to care about the bet anymore.

When Lucy's father attempted to stomp on Tom's balloon again, he almost slipped, but Tom was quick to catch him, and once Tom held on to him to steady him, he quickly stomped on Tom's balloon and dove into the pool to the surprise and amusement of everyone. 

Seeing how he had been tricked, Tom dove into the pool too and moved as fast as he could to catch up with Lucy's father who was doing a butterfly stroke.

Halfway down the pool, Andrew's strokes weakened when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, but in Tom's haste to beat him, he didn't notice as he tried to race past him. 

Sonia who was walking beside the pool as they swam, and was following every of their movement with her sharp gaze frowned, "I don't think he is okay," she complained to Bryan.

"Who? Tom?" Bryan asked as he squinted against the evening sun to see who Sonia was talking about.

"No, not Tom. Look at Mr. Perry. He is favoring his right arm," she pointed out with a worried frown, and Bryan observed closely, and once he noticed that she was right, he quickly dove into the water, causing Tom who had already swam ahead of Lucy's father to turn around.

Once Tom saw Bryan coming behind him, and he noticed that Mr. Perry was still far behind, he sensed that something was wrong, so he turned back, causing Lucy and the others who had been waiting for him to get to them to stand up.

"What is going on?" Lucy asked in confusion as she watched both brothers swim towards her father who she also just noticed was favoring an arm.

"I think your father hurt his shoulder again," her mother said with a sigh.

"Did you hurt your arm?" Tom asked as he got to where Lucy's dad was.

"Shit! I was going to beat you, but my shoulder seems to have a mind of its own," he swore good-naturedly, and Tom took his good arm and placed it over his shoulder, while Bryan came from the other side and took the arm he was favoring gently and also placed it on his shoulder.

"We could just leave you here to drown, you know? Now you have to give up whatever right you have over Lucy and Sonia in exchange for saving your life. You are too weak to protect them," Bryan said, and Lucy's father chuckled as they slowly made their way to where the others had gathered with concerned expressions which relaxed when they saw how he was laughing.

"Not on your life. I can take you on anytime in physical combat..."

"Then why not take me on right now?" Bryan challenged, and both Tom and Lucy's father laughed this time.

"Don't be a coward. Why will you want to fight with an injured man?"

"You mean an old man? Your shoulder hurts only because you're too old to be doing butterfly strokes," Bryan taunted, and all three of them laughed. 

"How about I fight him in your place since I'm going to be a part of your family," Tom offered with a grin, making Bryan lean forward to look at Tom incredulously.

"WOW! I never knew I came from a family of traitors until today. Today has revealed a lot. You are just like your father," Bryan said accusingly, and Lucy's father chuckled as he slapped Tom's back approvingly.

"Welcome to the family, son."