“Shamikha”
“Yes? Hi.”
“Are you free this Saturday?”
“Gonna check my calendar.” She tapped on her phone. “Oh, I’m not. I have a tutoring service booked this Saturday, the whole day at Queensville.”
“How’s your tutoring service?”
Her eyes lit. “It was better than I expected. I didn’t have enough clients in the first few months, but now I am fully booked.” She sounded merry.
She's got a lot on her plate. Kind of worried it might come off as rude to straight-up ask for some time that's not about tutoring. Don't want to seem pushy or anything, but also want this. Been planning to ask her for days.
“You’re doing great,” I smiled. “Those kids will surely get better grades from now on. You’re studious and smart.”
“I might do well academically, but I’m not a great teacher myself. Certainly not confident that my clients understood and absorbed my lessons. So, I make sure they get good results in their homework and exams as well.”
“I believe you’re a good teacher, too.”
“I’m not fit to be one when…I helped you cheat,” she whispered the last phrase.
My face became warm when she whispered, staring at me.
She laughed softly. “Just kidding. Your expression was too funny.”
“I-I see…” She’s fond of joking, which caught me off guard. “By any chance, when are you free?”
“Hmm, next week Saturday for sure. I’ll put the meeting with you on my calendar. Are you available that day?”
“Yes, I am.” I have nothing else to do anyway. My weekends are chores and rest days.
“What are we going to do next Saturday?”
I forgot to tell her what my business is with her.
“Catching up with each other? We can go to K-Mall and grab some food and drinks. You know, we haven’t talked much for a while after our meeting in the restaurant.”
Did I say it right?
“Oh yeah, that was months ago, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. I can see you’re doing better than before after what happened with Jesse. Maybe it won’t hurt to check out on each other.”
“We always see each other at school. We can talk here anytime.”
“…We do, but-” What am I going to say on this one? My mouth refuses to utter the words ‘I want to go out with you.’
Why did I even bother asking her out when my face must be red right now, and I didn’t rehearse my lines in case she asked some questions that would trap me?
“Never mind. See you next Saturday?”
“I want to talk privately with you… if that’s okay.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
I smiled as well. “I’ll see you next Saturday at K-Mall.”
Honestly, I have no clue what she’s into, like her tastes and all that. So, I think it’s probably smart to kick things off at a place she already knows or is comfortable with. That way, it’s less awkward, and she’ll probably enjoy it more.
***
It’s Monday, but Shamikha is absent today. From what I heard, she never misses a class. I’m in no position to worry, maybe. Hearing all that news, or hopefully, rumors, brings me uneasiness. I intentionally eavesdropped on her two friends talking.
“How’s Shamikha?”
“Her mother messaged me that we can visit her at this hospital.”
“That’s two rides away from here.”
“Yeah, we can bring her some fruits. Let’s buy after class.”
I approached the two when our class adviser arrived after she stepped outside the classroom, answering a phone call.
“Class, this is sad news. As you can see, Shamikha is absent today. A hospital staff member called me and reported that Shamikha is in the hospital because of a hit-and-run accident that happened last Saturday afternoon. She will not be attending school for a while until further notice. Shamikha sends her regards to us and to not worry about her. You can visit her at the hospital. For now, let us pray for her fast healing.”
My eyesight went blurry for a few seconds. I blinked a couple of times, trying to shake it off. I still can’t really process what our adviser announced. There’s no way that’s real. It’s too unbelievable. However, I overheard her two friends talking, and everything clicked. They already knew because they were close to her.
Shamikha and I were talking last week. She sounded so happy. Excited about more tutoring sessions. We were supposed to go out. Hang out. Have fun. I even confirmed I’d see her Saturday. But fate had other plans.
Why did this have to happen?
Everyone in class started talking about when they should visit Shamikha at the hospital. I didn’t join the conversation. I’ll let them handle it. They can visit her this week.
It’s Sunday morning now. I brought some flowers, fruit, and healthy snacks for her. Hoping she’s doing okay. Hoping she’ll appreciate my humble gift for her. I headed to the hospital, which some of my classmates had already been visiting the past few days. I really wish it’s nothing serious. That she’s in good shape.
“Good morning, Ma’am. In which room is Shamikha Junayo admitted?” I asked at the information desk.
“You are her what, Sir?”
“A frie- classmate. I’m one of her classmates.”
“Please wait, Sir.” It took her 20 seconds to check. “Room 325, Sir. Take a turn to your right and take the elevator, or you can take the stairs on the left.”
“Thank you.”
After exiting the elevator, I saw the room I was looking for. A familiar figure caught my eye. The physique of a tall, fit guy, slightly long hair, standing in front of the door with a room number, 325. I leaned to the right to see who it was.
“Watch where you’re going, son!” I bumped into an elderly man, full of gray hair, a wrinkled face, and moles, with a walking stick.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” I apologized and bowed once.
“Do you happen to know where the chapel is?”
“Allow me to check, Sir.”
I walked towards the nearby directory posted on a wall to see where the chapel is.
“It’s on the ground floor, Sir, near the information desk.”
“Will you accompany me?”
I glanced at room 325.
“Sure, Sir,” I nodded. I let the elderly man hold my right arm to assist him in walking slowly.
We walked towards the chapel.
“I’ll be heading out, Sir,” I smiled.
“Thank you, son,” he said and sat in the front row of the hospital chapel’s seats.
The chapel is mostly filled with middle-aged and senior people.
When was the last time I visited church? I couldn’t remember.
I sat down in the back row, the place where I always feel most at ease. No one looks at you in the back row and no one expects anything from you there.
I folded my hands loosely on my lap and closed my eyes. Not the most religious person, honestly. But there are moments when talking to Someone feels less like an obligation and can give me the resilience and solitude I pray. A couple of minutes passed. I went back to room 325. Maybe the man I saw standing in front of this room has already left. I knocked gently.
tok tok tok tok
“Shamikha?... Shamikha, this is Ravael. Can I come in?”
“Yes, come in.” It was her.
I twisted the doorknob and opened the door. I lowered my gaze and was greeted by her sweet, innocent smile.
“You made it. I thought you would not visit me. Our classmates did, but I was worried you won’t.”
How is she worried about me when she’s the one who’s in a bad condition?
“Take a seat.” She said and turned off the TV.
She rolled over her wheelchair, and I sat on the sofa. She’s got bandages on her head, left foot, and left leg, which pains me to see. Hopefully she’s gonna be alright.
“Sorry, it took me a while to visit you. I bet your room was noisy when everyone visited you here.”
“They did!” she beamed. “They even sent me flowers, desserts, and funny letters to help me with a fast recovery so I can return to school and graduate on time with everyone.”
With the state she’s currently in, I hope I was wrong about her graduating on time.
“I will be discharged tomorrow. Glad you made it before I went home. I could have gone home already, but they insisted on taking more time to recover in the hospital. I will also be visited by a nurse at home, so I don’t have to stay here any longer.”
“Home? Is everything okay? How about your schooling?”
She smiled. “That’s what my friends and our classmates were concerned with. They were cheering me on to their heart’s content. But the truth is, I won’t be able to graduate with you, guys.”
My eyebrows met. “How come?”
“I need to stay at home for 4-6 months before I can walk again with a crutch. And probably another 6 months to walk independently. I’m not even sure if I could run freely in the future. Not that I dream to be a runner, but walking normally would be enough,” she chuckled lightly.
There was a pink stuffed bear with a white heart-shaped pillow on its stomach with ‘for someone special’ printed in cursive, lying on her hospital bed. There are other stuffed toys, yet that one stood out.
“You still have that with you.” I pointed at the pink stuffed bear I was referring to.
“I love that one. I always keep it with me to get a good night's sleep.”
She’s holding onto all the stuff people give her. I figured she’d toss most of it since she’s got a lot of guys chasing after her, or she doesn’t care about them since she’s still single, according to what I heard from her friends’ rumors after Jonar confessed. But she actually keeps it. It surprised me, honestly.
“So, how are things going between you and Jonar?”
“Jonar?”
“The guy from the next class section who confessed to you outside our classroom. He’s the one who gave that pink bear to you.”
“Right, I remember him, of course.”
Glad that she recalls him.
“After I turned him down respectfully after school, we never had another conversation or interaction. He avoided meeting my eyes when I saw him in the corridor. But we still follow each other online.”
Not only does she keep the pink bear, but she also checks on him.
“Did he visit you?”
“He didn’t. It’s understandable. We’re not even friends, and I turned him down. That might cause him a heartache.”
“How are things with you and Jesse?”
“I must be the one asking you that.”
“Apparently, no news at all.”
“Likewise. After what happened between us, she still holds the best friend title… I miss her.”
A moment of silence filled the room when I decided to break it.
“I brought you something. I hope it wasn’t bad.”
“Thank you.”
I helped her settle the things I bought on the table.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t make it to our supposed meeting.”
How selfless can this girl be? I even forgot what our promised meeting was, yet she still thinks of me.
I checked my watch.
“It’s Saturday today. We still did meet anyway.”
I didn’t anticipate it would be here in a hospital.
We laughed.
“Sorry to ask this, but have the police apprehended the suspect of this hit-and-run? Or any leads to their investigation?”
This issue is not something we should overlook. That suspect must be put in bars.
“As for that…” She took a few seconds to pause. “They were still investigating when I cut the case off.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“I appreciate their efforts, but I don’t want to waste time. I want to live a normal and peaceful life despite what happened to me. The doctor recommended me to take a rest and not stress myself. Starting now, I will solely focus on my fast recovery so I can do the things that I want.”
I cannot bear what I heard from her. She is indeed the kindest person… but this is a different situation.
“Shamikha, I can help you with the suspect.”