I was in the living room watching TV when an ad for an aquarium popped up on the screen.
[Do you want to experience the great wildlife under the sea? Do you like fierce creatures, like sharks for example? or you are on the lighter side? Maybe you want to go on a date with someone? Don't worry. We have cute creatures too. Penguins, Dolphins, Puffer fishes. We have them all. If you come within this time frame, you'll get a discount on entry. What about it? Come now, to Holo-Sea Life!!! Conditions apply.]
"Gura, you wanna go?"
We were watching the Cowboy channel in our living room, in the middle of the day, when that ad came on. It looks fun from the different tanks and sea creatures they have. I had a heavy interest in the displaying of them and what they do in each habitat. I know it's going to be fun if we go there together.
"No, I'm good."
See, I know it's going to be...
"What? You don't wanna go?"
"I have already seen every sea creature there is. Nothing there is going to interest me. I am more curious about who is going to get killed in the next episode. Seeing them duking over who gets the girl and the turf is my type of fun."
The ad breaks were now over, it was back to its regular programming.
"Yes. Yes. Who is going to shoot first? Oh my God. This is so tense."
Feeling defeated, I had absolutely nothing up my sleeve to get her to go to the Aquarium with me. Nothing at all. I quietly left the couch and went to the area where the breakers in the house were. Oh, no. The lights were gone. What should we do?
"Ame, what happened? The TV is out. I was so pumped up and now this happens?"
"Well, things like this happen from time to time. You just have to wait it out. It will come back soon."
Things like this happen from time to time - was an obvious lie.
Wait it out? - Going to the Aquarium with me is enough time.
It will come back soon only with the power I have in my hands. Not literally, but you get the idea.
I was sitting on the couch, pretending to be sad about the situation. Gura looked at me with a glance.
"What should we do?"
"I don't know, honestly."
"..."
"..."
"Ame?"
***
And just like that, we were in line to go into the aquarium. Persuading wasn't necessary since she asked me out of her own free will. Working out the exact details of what happened wouldn't do anybody any good.
"Step right up."
The announcer led us with their voice. The price she presented to us at the place and the price in the ad had a lot of discrepancies. Like, half of it. I spoke to them respectfully.
"Um, excuse me. This wasn't the price we saw in your ad. Could you please check again?"
"Um, sorry. Madam but this has always been the price of this place."
She said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice. She must have been a recent addition.
"Um, are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I see."
I'm not paying for this, that's for sure.
I point out someone that may or may not be the manager of this section. I wasn't Karen-ing my way out of this, just doing a bit of research. She, the announcer called him, and he began to explain the situation.
"Oh, sorry miss. The ad is only a discount for family members of more than four people. It was in the fine print at the bottom of the ad."
I hate it when companies do things like that. Why can't they just bold every text, so people stop complaining at entrances?
As angry as I was, it did not let it appear on my face. During that time, Gura was looking back and forth between both of us looking for something. I reluctantly paid the price that stung my purse a little bit. Both of us entered with relief from the glare of people who thought I was a Karen behind me.
A detective like me shouldn't be compared with people that have some sort of problem to put it indirectly.
***
Gura was wearing her usual attire. A blue hoodie with a shark part covering her head. Tail out and everything. People won't suspect she was something or another since she fit perfectly in with our surroundings.
This shark that had happened to see everything in the sea, was in awe of them. She ran to the big glass wall that had a lot of sea creatures. Looking around in it and the place she was in. I mockingly asked,
"First time?"
"Yes but no. It is my first time being in a place like this but the way they are displaying them makes them look majestic. Uhhh, I don't know how to explain it."
I was dressed in some light clothes. Jeans pants with a blue and white t-shirt tucked in. My buckle belt showed dominance, alerting the eyes of others that it was the main attraction. I also wore some not heavy duty looking shoes since it will cause some conflict with my outfit and my appearance. My hair was tied up with my magnifying glass hair clip still in it. I looked like I came from the country on a day trip. I had today's luggage with me in my little and cute backpack on my back.
"I came to places like this a lot before I met you."
"Really?"
"Well, not this exact place but the ones outside this city. When I was a kid, me and my brother Watson used to save up money to go to the aquarium over the summer. The rest of the time, I would play in the park with bubba and the rest of my family."
"That sounds fun."
"It really was."
"Where are they now? Do you still keep in touch with them?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
I asked Gura some questions of my own, curious if her stance is still the same.
"You really don't wanna go back?"
She placed her hands behind her back and looked in the tank of different sea life with a look of certainty.
"No, I don't. I have already given you my answer."
"OK, then."
"You really don't like me being with you, don't yah?"
"No, no, no, the opposite!"
I waved my hands in a gesture that meant I was disagreeing with her. The action for saying goodbye but this time with both hands. It gave the opposite meaning and also calmed the situation before I set off another landmine.
"I was just teasing. This is just my revenge from when you teased me. I was excited, but I saw right through you."
She caught me.
***
[The dolphin's show is about to begin. Put on your clear cover top and enjoy the beauty of the world's most obedient sea friend, aka, my lover!]
We heard from random people going on about this event. A Dolphin Show. The place was a vase and open with a lot of chairs in the stands. The whole area is colosseum looking. In the middle was a water tank that connects to another area where other dolphins live. In the front row, we were preparing for the inevitable. The dolphin looked excited? She, the dolphin, was looking at Gura with joy? I think.
The show begins with us getting wet.
"Woo-hoo!"
And Gura screaming.
[Come, come over here, sweetheart!]
This show was wild. The dolphins did backflips, sideways flips, all kinds of flips. The dolphin was solo-ing the show all the while ignoring the trainer. It gave most of its attention to Gura, the shark. I am happy for her, but I don't know if I should feel happy about getting wet so often. She was having hella fun, so I guess I should too.
"Breath in, breath out."
I let loose and had as much fun as Gura.
"Ame, What are you doing?"
"I'm just having fun."
"Why do you have to take me up if you wanna have fun?"
"I want you to enjoy yourself more."
"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!!!"
"And off you go."
*swish*
Gura's voice faded in the distance when I tossed her into the tank. She landed with a splash, and she quickly adapted to the situation. The loveable dolphin embraced the sharky in its own way by rubbing on her and cuddling up to her. Gura gave me a glare but by the looks of it, she was too busy to get angry right now and petted the dolphin. The trainer was scrambling to get her out of there but both of them avoided her.
The situation ended with Gura making a commotion, a sea friend and me getting my ears lectured off because of my actions. We enjoyed our time at the aquarium and had a lot of fun together, getting into problems.
***
"That was fun. Oh my god, Ame. I'm so wasted."
"Yeah, I never thought I would enjoy it this much."
Gura was the first to enter the house. Stretching and tired from the journey back.
"Ame, the electric-thingy is still not back? Whatever, I'm tired anyways."
Gura headed upstairs to cool off while me, on the other hand, went to turn on back the breaker.
If she doesn't know, she wouldn't know.
When that was finished, I went to lie down in my bed in my room upstairs. My body was drained, so I was just laying face up just looking at the ceiling with my arms spread out.
Ever since that day I found her, life has been the best. Without her, I'm not sure if I would have been this active like back then. Every day was a blissful experience and a heart-warming one. I could comment about every little thing that has happened when we were together. The time when I found her, the time when we went to the arcade, when we celebrated my birthday. The times like today when I saw Gura bonding with a dolphin were so cute. It was honestly fun watching from the sidelines, looking at the trainer confused about what happened. The joy, the excitement, the time we had, those times were breathtaking?
"Why the word 'breathtaking'? This is Gura we're talking about."
Let's go with it for a lack of a better word.
"It was wonderful."
Something along those lines.
***
It was late at night. I was at a certain store making a purchase on an item.
"I would like something like this custom-made."
The person asked,
"Would you like it like this or will this way suit your preference?"
"How about this one?"
"This one is more expensive."
I don't wanna pay so much for something like this.
"Can I see the others?"
"Will this one suffice?"
"Yes. How much is it?"
"[___]"
"I'll take it."
"This will be ready in [___] days. We're thankful for your patronage."
What I have is a present for our friendship. A forever and ever-present some fairy tales would say. Who knows, I just made that up.