“Wenzo silenced me about the sexual harassment he did to me that day… the day of the hit-and-run accident.”
“What do you mean?” This is unsettling.
"He kept flirting with me during every tutoring session. And one day, I couldn’t take it anymore. I stopped teaching him. I told him clearly, I'm focused on my studies. I even mentioned Jonar to make a point. He threw a tantrum when I turned him down. Said he would've understood if I chose Jonar, but I chose him? I'm Wenzo. His ego couldn't handle it.
So, I agreed to tutor him one last time only because he had already given me an advance payment. We were at his house, on the patio. At first, he insisted we do it in his bedroom, but I'm not naive. After two hours, he offered to drive me home. First time he ever offered. I said yes because he kept pushing. He said it was our last session and I should accept his thank-you gift.
Then he did something that made me so angry. He stopped in some isolated area and started touching me, kissing me inside his car, even when I said no. I slapped him and ran. He chased after me, but I was so hysterical that I ran across the road without looking. That's when a car hit me. The hit-and-run driver. Wenzo carried my unconscious body and called an ambulance.
I couldn't report him for harassment because I needed his money after the accident. His parents insisted on paying all my hospital bills. They hired a nurse and a caregiver until I could walk again. They did it out of guilt because of what their son did to me. Everything was okay until he threatened me. He told me not to tell his parents about the harassment. And I was planning to tell them. They deserved to know. But Wenzo lied to them. He said we were playing and running outside when the accident happened.
That's when defiance came to me. I refused to take any more money from him. I knew he’d use it to control me. But then… he found this house. He has connections. He barged in here. Threatened me again. I denied everything. And that's when he used his strength against me… he touched me badly this time.
His parents found out what he did that day. They were furious. Said they'd cut him off, take away his money, his luxuries. I told him Never said anything to his parents. But he won't believe me. I-I swear it wasn't me!" She trembled, voice breaking. "Why won't he believe me? I don't lie. I never lie."
I embraced her, rubbing her back. Her tears fell on my shoulder.
Zero words came out of my mouth. My chest is heavy, hearing what she had experienced.
“Wenzo… Wenzo will die.”
What Shamikha murmured under her breath, quiet enough that maybe she didn't even mean for me to hear it, reached my ear clearly because I was holding her close. My arms were wrapped around her, trying to offer comfort, and in that silence between her sobs, her words slipped out.
It sent chills down my spine. Her words had awakened in me.
***
Over the past three weeks, I've noticed Shamikha changing. The cheery, sweet girl I knew now speaks in short sentences, and sometimes she stares at nothing. She hasn't been herself lately. She's eating less than she should, way less. And there are times she refuses to take her medicine, too.
I offered to take her to a psychiatrist, but she strongly disagreed. We've argued about it a few times. She apologizes and insists she's fine. She's probably worried about the cost. On top of her regular medication to be able to walk, she doesn't want to add more expenses on my behalf. I even brought up going to the police, but she refused again, saying she doesn't have any proof. She doesn't want to be humiliated. She just wants to live quietly.
Sometimes I hear her talking alone in her room. I can't make out the words, but I'm sure she's by herself. Maybe she's thinking out loud, processing everything. I don't want to intrude, but it really worries me.
It's the weekend now. Shamikha insisted on helping me with laundry even though I told her not to. I want her to rest—give her mind and emotions a break.
“Rafael?!” Someone knocked and was calling me outside the house. “Rafael!”
I stepped out, and there was our neighbor who is living beside us, on the right.
“Yes?”
“It’s my son’s birthday.” Maria, a woman in her mid-40s, handed me two plates of food.
I smiled, claiming the food. “Happiest birthday to him. How young is he?”
“He’s as young as nine.”
“You don’t have to bother. This is a lot. Thank you for this.”
“No problem. You’ve always been kind to us. My son insisted on adding more cake for Shamikha for teaching him before.”
“Your son is thoughtful.”
“By the way, how’s Shamikha?”
“She’s helping me with the chores.”
“I see. She hasn’t been out for three weeks. The kids here are missing their teaching sessions. Is she alright?”
“She will be okay, Maria. Don’t worry, we’re taking care of each other.”
“I’m asking you if she’s alright because it has been bothering me for days…”
“What do you mean?”
Maria glanced to left and right like she ensured first that nobody could hear us.
“I guess you have the right to know this since you’re like boyfriend and girlfriend living together.”
“Um… no, we’re not in a relationship. We’re friends.” I cleared the misunderstanding not to stir a rumor that might affect Shamikha’s condition. She already has a lot on her plate, and I do not intend to add more to her stress.
“Is that so?... Well, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but she tends to utter some words whenever she’s alone.”
“What words?”
“She sits on the patio every afternoon and stares blankly. One time I called her, but she glared at me and murmured, ‘You’re going to die, Wenzo.’ ”
I was stunned.
“I’m not trying to scare you or anything. I’m saying what I saw and heard.”
“What else did she say?”
“She keeps repeating it in different words like ‘Just you wait, Wenzo. Death is coming for you’ , ‘ Your last moments are approaching, Wenzo’, ‘Wenzo won’t make it out alive’. ‘Die, Wenzo, die!’ But the same thought applies. It sounded like she’s holding a grudge against the person named Wenzo.”
I furrowed my eyebrows.
“Are you sure it was her? And that you heard her, right?” I doubted the woman.
"Of course I heard it! I'm not too old to go deaf, you know. And let me be clear, I am not the type to spread rumors or make up lies. I take care of my kid 24/7, so I'm always around. Which means I see Shamikha at your house every single time I pass by. Even my own son has noticed! He actually asked me once, 'Mom, who's Wenzo?' because she keeps mumbling that name under her breath. Multiple times, I'm telling you.
Why don't you install a CCTV camera already? That way, you can see for yourself that I'm telling the truth. And if you don't believe me, go ask the other housewives here! What about that woman living right across from you? Go on, ask her. She'll tell you the same thing."
“I don’t have to do those…” I whispered to myself.
“With how you reacted to what I said, it seems that Shamikha never acted like this whenever you’re together. Am I right?”
“When did you catch her doing that?”
“For three straight weeks, every day.” She pondered for a second. “Ah, it was the same time. It started when she stopped teaching and playing with the kids, including my son.”
I remained silent, staring into the food on my hands.
She leaned forward and whispered. “So, who’s Wenzo?”
I stared at her.
“Oh, you don’t have to. Enjoy the food!” she left.
I entered the house, spaced out, and put the plates on the table. There’s spaghetti, spring rolls, and three slices of triple chocolate cake.
“I’m done,” Shamikha spoke, smiling from the laundry area. “Can you please hang them?”
“S-Sure.”
“Where did these come from?”
She saw the food on the table.
“Maria gave it to us. It’s her son’s 9th birthday. You can eat ahead of me. I’ll finish doing our laundry.”
“I had no idea. It’s his birthday. I should greet him when I saw him around.”
Shamikha seems to be in a good mood. I walked to the laundry area and started hanging the clothes and bedsheets Shamikha had washed and dried using the washing machine. I hung everything out to let the sun finish the work.
“I’ll go out for a bit to buy some tools. Will be back right away.”
“Okay,” she smiled, eating spaghetti like a happy kid.
I walked to a hardware store about fifteen minutes from the house. Grabbed what I needed and headed straight back. I installed the CCTV.
"Our new CCTV is up," I said, pointing to the camera on the ceiling. It covers the gate and the front door so we can see who comes and goes.
Then I turned to Shamikha and explained a bit more. "After what happened a few weeks ago, I think it's best if we also put one in the patio. Not just for safety, but… as proof. In case something unexpected happens again."
“This is an excellent idea.”
Wish we had done this sooner. Maybe if I had installed one before the assault Wenzo made, we could file a complaint with solid proof.
“You knew how to install it.”
I scratched my head. “It’s easier than it looks. I used to install Maria’s CCTV as well.”
***
For seven days, I reviewed the recording every afternoon. I'd leave work a few minutes early to check the CCTV footage from the house. Every time Shamikha sat on the patio, I watched her lips moving, mouthing something I couldn't quite catch at first. Doing this is unsettling. However, this will unveil something Shamikha might have been thinking. The camera has a built-in microphone and speaker, plus two-way audio. I watched her lips moving, mouthing something I couldn't quite catch at first. I leaned in closer to my cellphone and turned up the volume to hear her voice through the video.
“You’ll die soon, Wenzo Stanislao.”
“Wenzo’s end is here.”
“You are on your last legs, Wenzo.”
“Wenzo Stanislao is to die.”
“Wenzo will stop breathing.”
Shamikha bites her nails to the point it bleeds. I did not notice her fingernails were this bad! She smiles and seems to be talking to herself. There was nobody else outside the gate or inside the patio where she sits but herself.
My fingers tremble. My mind cannot immediately process what I heard and saw. It was her usual soft voice, but her tone on the footage was different.
I continued listening by rewinding the vital clips.
“Rafael!”
“W-What?” I stammered and kept my phone in my pocket.
“The boss said you can leave early today because you had multiple shifts last week. I’ll handle everything from here if you wish to come home now.”
I checked the time on my wrist. It’s 3:26 PM, still earlier than my usual dismissal.
“Are you sure?” I clarified.
“Yeah”
“Okay, I’ll leave now. Thanks.”
I finished my minimal tasks in about twenty minutes. Headed to the locker room, changed my clothes, and grabbed my backpack. I still had my next job to get to, so I left right away.
After a full day of work, I finally got home around 9 PM.
Shamikha greeted me with that sweet, innocent smile of hers. But my smile faded when I saw she'd cooked the same meal for the fourth time in a row. Been wondering if she was still managing okay with the chores around here. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to risk upsetting her. To be fair, the food still tastes good. I was hoping for something different.
We were eating dinner together when my phone buzzed. I opened a group chat that had been inactive for six months.
1: Guys, is this true?
There was a link attached to her message. I didn’t mind, but my right thumb tapped on it accidentally as I put my phone back on the dinner table.
Wenzo Stanislao, 22, the only son of Rowena and Lorenzo Stanislao, the couple who own the famous Wrap it Waffle, was found dead with a mutilated body.