Sharmaine's jaw dropped as she gazed upon the giant rollercoaster in front of her. The tracks rolled round and round, people were screaming, the ride looked extremely scary, and the sun was scorching hot.
"Um, Claire, are you sure about this?" Sharmaine whispered to Claire's ear.
She giggled. "Why? Are you scared?"
If Sharmaine nodded, would Claire back-out? Sharmaine even felt the need to say yes but her conscience ran too much as she knew the struggle of losing a job. In the end, she decided to shake her head, moving along the slow and long line of people.
"Great!" After a few minutes, which seemed like centuries for Sharmaine, they finally got in the coaster. Sharmaine's quick and loud heartbeats didn't even help her as the ride took off.
—
Claire went down the stairs for the exit part all energetic and youthful. She was not the same woman who sat and stood quietly with blushing cheeks.
"Awesome! Mr. Shawn, did you like the ride?" she asked with a big smile on her face while Sharmaine came out like a feeble man that had not eaten for over a month.
"Y-Yeah . . ."
"Where shall we go next?"
Sharmaine's eyes widened. "Wait, there's more?!"
"Of course!"
Claire saw another extreme ride—a tall tower which drops down at a specific height and time. "There, let's go there!" she pointed.
Sharmaine couldn't even say another word because she was eventually pulled into another line under the burning heat of the sun. Her seat dripped slowly onto and into her suit, which she now regretted; frankly, she felt like a rich young man with a girlfriend or a slim bodyguard whose employers were cheerful.
After the ride, Sharmaine was completely drained out. It was as if her soul had left her body, even her legs shook more and her heart pounded faster. It was a nightmare to calm herself down, and she couldn't even stand straight. Thankfully, Claire caught her attention.
"Let's rest for a bit, Mr. Shawn." She smiled at her but sensed that something was wrong. Sharmaine nodded as they pass by an ice cream stall, awfully decorated with vibrant colors, who also sold balloons.
"Shall I buy you one?" Sharmaine asked, pointing to the old man.
Claire nodded and sat down on a nearby bench. Sharmaine came back a few minutes later with vanilla ice cream on cones. "Here you go."
"Thanks!" Claire smiled. She licked a bit off the ice scream and suddenly squealed. "It's delicious."
After eating the ice cream, Claire suddenly stood up and, without announcement, dragged Sharmaine outside of the amusement park. She seemed very impatient and filled with emotions.
"W-Wait, Ms. Claire—" Confusion arose in Sharmaine's face. One moment, Claire was energetic, now she's suddenly dragging her to—who knows where?
Claire kept walking even though Sharmaine wanted her to stop. Her grip was so tight that Sharmaine cannot escape without hurting her.
"Ms. Claire?" She stopped, and did not turn her back as she said, "You should go home now, Mr. Shawn."
Sharmaine's eyes widened. Consistent thoughts suddenly surrounded her mind as she stared at Claire's back. She asked Claire what's wrong but did not reply nor bat an eye. On the other hand, Claire felt the need to turn around and smile even though her tears were slowly welling up in her eyes.
"Yeah."