I pulled out my phone and instantly  received more than a dozen message notifications.

Most coming from our group chat which Madonna suggested for us to do.

She named it, "apat na mata squad".  We laughed at her crazy antics.

Apat na Mata Squad

Madonna:
Mga B!!
I think I found the solution to our problems!!

I typed in my response.

Sheila:
Wut wut wut???

Madonna:
How about starting our own business?

Sheila:
Baliw!
Loka!

Madonna:
Baket??

Sheila:
Sige nga!
Saan ka kukuha ng pera?
Nahihibang ka na ba??
🤣🤣🤣

Madonna:
Kaya nga nauso ang salitang 'loan'
Diba?
😝😏😏😏

Sheila:
Oh tapos?
Mababaon tayo sa utang?
Try again, b!
🤪

Clarinet:
Actually, it's a great idea

Madonna:
Haaa!
See?
Agree si Clar saken!
😛😛😛

Sheila:
Clariii!!!
Bebe!!
Why mo ko tinraydor?
😔😔😔

Clarinet:
Let's name our business,
"Fighting Four"?

Madonna:
Hahahahahahaha!

Sheila:
Hahahahahahaha!
Saan ang laban, Clari?
🤣🤣🤣🤣

Clarinet:
Gaga!
You have a better idea?
😳😌

Sheila:
Bago natin bigyan ng pangalan,
Ano muna kasing business yang plano nyo?
🤔🤔🤔

Madonna:
Food business?

Clarinet:
Too cliche
How about a flower shop?

Madonna:
Music shop?

Sheila:
Let's meet this weekend!
Kailangan ng mabusising usapan dyan.

Madonna:
Call.

I smiled at Maddie's suggestion.

Oo nga no!

Why haven't I thought of that?

Suddenly, I am daydreaming again.

Ano kaya magandang business?

Maganda sana if all our hobbies or interests are applied.

Like, Clari into baking, Me into books and Maddie into music.

Hayy!

I still have a few days before our meeting.

I can still do brainstorming along the way.

--

I found Clari staring at her laptop with a small bowl of fruit salad in front of her and a slice of tiramisu cake at its left side.

Madonna and me barged into her house and sent me weird looks.

"Ano mga hanash nyo dyan, mga B?" Clari asked and raised an eyebrow at us as she sliced the tiramisu with a fork and put it in her mouth.

She even closed her eyes as she savored the moistness and softness of the cake.

When she opened her eyes, she found us with our mouths hung open.

"Seriously, bru? Buong araw kang ngunguya dyan? " I asked and crossed my legs to sit in an indian position.

Madonna pulled three pieces of we bff fries which we bought from the store before they came in here.

It was her turn to look at us and gaped.

"Bru! Ang laway, tumutulo!" I  exclaimed and put two pieces of fries on her open mouth.

Clari closed and chewed slowly with a funny grin on her face.

"Utang na loob! Kaya tayo nagmeeting para pag-usapan ang business hindi para magfoodtrip!" Maddie complained.

"Buntis ang nasa harapan mo, Maddie! Sa tingin mo, hindi yan maghahanap ng pagkain?" I commented and ate their fries.
"Take note: kambal pa ang laman nyan. Technically, tatlo silang lumalamon."

Clari nodded in approval and this time, started eating the fruit salad in front of her.

Hee laptop sat at the table waiting to be used.

"Tell me the plan first. And then, let's talk about the products. And the rest will follow." Clari said to us.

We started talking and in a matter of an hour, we finally have a plan.

Our business will be a one-stop shop.
We put all our interests into one reality.

With Madonna's love for music, a part of the shop will be dedicated to selling cds and vintage tapes. On the other corner will be my reading nook for someone who loves to spend time reading and relaxing.

The center part will be devoted to Clari's pastry section wherein all her  recent recipes will be displayed and sold to loyal patriots.

Now, our target will be looking for a perfect corner location. Oh, especially the money needed for the remodeling and renovating the shop.

"Mga bru! Anong magiging name ng one-stop shop naten?" I asked looking at them.

"Oops! Don't give me stupid names, Mads!" I commented and glared at Madonna with a sly smile on her face.

"How about Winning SMASH?" Clari  asked.

"Seriously, Clari? Haha! Nung isang araw ka pa sa palaban mong mga hirit ah." I laughed.

"Hear me out. Winning came from my first name, WINona and then Smash will be coming from both of your names, MAdonna and SHaniah." Clari suggested with a shrug.

Both of us fell quiet and soon, we  both nodded.

"I think it's cool." Madonna said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Yes. Now that I think about it, it really sounds like we all own the shop." I agreed and clapped happily.

"Malamang, atin yun!" Clari  commented and we laughed.

"Now, we will need the money and location." Madonna said and we all fell silent.

A loud fart came out from nowhere and we have to cover our mouth as well to not inhale the dirty air.

"Nak nam pota! Sino nagpasabog nun?" Madonna mumbled while pinching her nose.

"Aahh! Hindi ko na kaya!" I shrieked and held my tummy as I ran fast to my own unit to relieve myself.

God! This is embarrassing!

"Sheeei!" Madonna shouted and threw the rug beneath me.

---

Months flew by fast and just recently, me and the girls officially launched our WINning SMASH at a vacant corner lot which was situated  almost at the entrance of our subdivision.

Both Madonna and me got our loans approved and we're lucky enough to find an accessible location to start out our business.

Now, this is getting exciting!