Sheera Carols
The next day, Maki met up with Sheera.
Kung gaano ka-nonchalant at busy si Gwyneth, ganoon naman ka-OA at free-spirited si Sheera.
Photographer si accla, kaya siguro iba-iba rin ang personality niya.
Having been assigned to many places, she picked up random habits and an exaggerated mix of expressions.
Dagdag pa, lumaki siya sa isang mayamang pamilya sa Australia kaya naman may Australian accent siya na lalong nagpapadagdag sa kanyang unique personality.
They met at an interactive museum filled with dazzling lights and graphics.
Para bang pumasok si Maki sa ibang dimension.
“Hey Maki! Come over here!” sigaw ni Sheera, waving frantically. “Let’s play at the sandcastles, mate!”
Maki blinked. “Shee… we’re in a museum.”
“Exactly!” Sheera grinned. “A museum of imagination! No rules! No limits! Look at this—” She dramatically flopped onto the digital sand projection and started sculpting an imaginary castle with exaggerated effort. “Oi, mate, help me out! We need to build a fortress against the giant squid invasion.”
Maki sighed but smirked. “Are you always this chaotic?”
Sheera gasped, clutching her chest. “Maki, love, you wound me! I am simply… an artist! An artiste!”
She grabbed Maki’s hand and pulled her into an exhibit of mirrors. “This is my favorite part. Look, infinite versions of us!”
Maki stared at their reflections. Hundreds of Sheeras making exaggerated faces at her.
Sheera dramatically twirled. “Each one of them is a different me. But which one do you love, Maki?”
Maki raised a brow. “You’re really weird.”
“I know! And you used to love that about me,” Sheera teased, poking Maki’s nose. “C’mon, don’t pretend you’re not charmed.”
Maki chuckled. “You’re insane.”
Sheera smirked. “And yet, here you are, going along with my madness. Isn’t that beautiful?”
As they continued exploring the museum, Sheera kept pulling Maki into the most bizarre situations—dancing under interactive light patterns, pretending to be astronauts in a space simulation, and convincing a group of tourists that Maki was a world-famous detective.
By the end of the visit, Maki was exhausted from laughing.
Sheera stretched her arms. “I missed hanging out with you. You always made my crazy ideas feel less crazy.”
Maki looked at her, unsure of what to say. It felt easy with Sheera, like nothing was too serious, too heavy.
But could she really imagine spending the rest of her life like this?
Before she could answer, Sheera clapped her hands together. “Let’s eat! I know a great place that serves kangaroo meat.”
Maki grimaced. “Shee… no.”
Sheera burst out laughing. “Fine! But you’re paying, rich girl.”
They ate at a steak place, and Sheera, in true chaotic fashion, started mixing all the sauces in front of her.
“Shee, ano yang ginagawa mo?” Maki asked, half amused, half horrified.
“Oi, mate, it’s called culinary innovation! Gusto mo tikman?” Sheera wiggled her brows while swirling steak sauce, mustard, and gravy together.
Maki shook her head. “Pass.”
As Sheera happily devoured her food, Maki leaned back. “How did we meet, anyway?”
Sheera wiped her mouth dramatically. “Oi, you got me as a photographer for your corporate picture. I think it was the funnest day you had, and you always spent time with me ever since.”
“Really?” Maki asked. “So do you know I have many girlfriends aside from you?”
“Well, mate… not really, but I know you’re very busy. It’s amazing how you still get to spend time with each of us without us knowing about each other. I guess money talks.”
“Did we ever talk about marrying?” Maki asked.
Sheera twirled her fork. “Oi, mate, at some point, but you said you couldn’t leave your dad. If I’m gonna marry, I wanna live in Australia so we can spend our time looking for koalas and other animals.”
Maki laughed. Sheera was really something else.
“Have you met my dad?” she asked.
“Oh, tito? Yes. He liked me, and I liked him because he’s like my dad already. Kasi nga diba, I lost my parents at a young age.”
Maki looked at Sheera. Maybe she was this chaotic because she wanted life to be light, having experienced loss at a young age.
The night ended, and Maki dropped Sheera home.
“Thanks for today, Shee,” Maki said as Sheera hopped out of the car.
Sheera grinned. “Oi, anytime, mate! You know you love my crazy energy.”
Maki laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah, today was… chaotic.”
Sheera gave her a salute before disappearing inside her home.
As Maki’s car pulled away, she found herself smiling. Chaotic, indeed—but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.