Shamikha’s POV
Ravael stood and turned on the TV in the living area. He typed something on his phone or remote. I wasn't really sure.
I kept eating the food I'd served while it was still steaming hot. Ravael came home late again tonight. He looked more tired than usual. I really hope he's getting enough rest… and that I'm not adding more problems to his plate.
“Ah, the Stanislaos? The one who resides in Queensville?” There was a man, probably in his 40s-50s, who was being interviewed. He and the reporter stood in an open area full of tall trees and tall grass.
It was a recorded news.
“Yes, Sir.”
"I found it around 7 PM, I think. I'd stepped out of my taxi to pee behind this big tree. It was dark, but I could make out a white sack a few meters from where I was standing. It moved a little, sort of rolled slightly. I thought maybe it was a stray dog that got left there. But it didn't whimper or anything. Still, dumping a dead dog's gotta be illegal, right?
Curiosity got the better of me. I nudged it gently with my left foot. And that's when I felt it. My foot touched something round and hard. Like a human head. I don't know how else to describe it. I pulled the sack open fast and… there he was. A dead man, lying there!"
“Have you seen any other people near the crime scene?”
"None at all. I was alone. I even hesitated to report it at first because I'd end up being the number one suspect. But I didn't let fear take over. I drove off to call for help at the nearest barangay. The locals there helped me report it to the police station.
Soon enough, people started gathering. The authorities showed up and confirmed the victim's identity, the son of some business owners of a well-known local food chain. Don't know them personally. Never even heard their names before. The kid was only twenty-two years old. His parents must be absolutely devastated."
The next news scene was turned to a couple who were neatly clothed and spoke with sophistication. Their names are Rowena Stanislao and Lorenzo Stanislao.
Sir Lorenzo spoke. "We will not turn our backs on whoever did this to our son. We will exhaust every effort to seek justice, and we will claim it. We ask for everyone's cooperation, whether you have a direct lead on this case or simply know something or anything about the incident. Every legitimate piece of information is crucial. Our lawyer will be handling this case personally, and we look forward to facing whoever the suspect may be in court."
Ma’am Rowena had this stern look on her face. “This is not a simple murder by accident. Someone held a grudge against our son. He may have had his shortcomings. He wasn't perfect, but he certainly did not deserve this. If there were issues, we could have resolved them through proper negotiation. Not this. Not plain, cold-blooded murder. And what makes it even worse… his body was mutilated like an animal. Whoever did this, you are less than human." Rowena added with a threatening voice, staring at the camera like she was talking directly to me.
Ravael turned off the TV suddenly.
“Oh? You’re not watching it anymore?”
“The news was too distressing to watch. Let’s finish eating.”
“You’re right. Most of the news nowadays is negative. It is refreshing to hear some good news, which is sparse.”
He’s reading his phone.
“Are you done eating?” he asked me.
I nodded. He took my empty plates and the dirty dishes.
“I’ll wash these tonight.” He initiated washing the dishes, so I kept our leftovers in the fridge when I read the conversation on his phone.
2: Watch the news I sent
3: Wenzooo!
4: RIP Wenzo 😭😭We had a great time visiting your house. Who would have known that was my first and last time hanging out with you?
5: When do we visit him?
6: We must wait for his parents’ funeral announcement.
7: Awww, he was my crush back then.😭🥺
8: Rest in peace
9: Condolences to his bereaved family.
10: I wish I had hung out with him ☹
Wenzo? The news mentioned the Stanislao couple…
“W-Wenzo died?!” I uttered the words loudly that were supposed to be in my brain only.
I looked at Ravael. “Is that the news we watched? Was that Wenzo, the boy who died that was reported in the news?”
Ravael nodded his head slowly.
I clasped my mouth with both hands.
“Ah!” I stumbled when my left crutch fell on the floor.
“Be careful.” He caught me before I fell on the ground.
I stood again with my crutches on. He let me sit in my wheelchair.
“Unbelievable…” I mumbled. What a sudden turn of events. Wenzo died… He’s dead… He was murdered!
“It is,” he continued, washing the dishes with his back turned against me. “You can go to your room and rest.”
“I-I can’t rest right away. Hearing that news… Who could’ve done that?”
“I was surprised, too. He did something unpleasant to you. Not that I wish him to die or that he got served what he deserved. That was too much to take… Our classmates were shocked.”
My eyes twitched over and over. My chest felt tight, and my heart started pounding so fast. I-I couldn't breathe. My neck was sweating. Everything felt dizzy, and the house around me seemed to grow darker.
“R-Ravael-”
“Shamikha!”
I pointed out the medicine inside the kitchen cabinet.
“Take this”
I took my calming pill immediately. It helped me calm my nerves.
“Thank you”
“That was close. You only have three of these. I’ll get you a new batch after work.”
“Sorry for the trouble.”
He smiled and caressed my head. “You’re not in trouble.”
“I should rest. Good night.”
“Good night.”
I rolled my wheelchair toward my bedroom and closed the door behind me.
Three hours passed, and I still couldn't sleep tonight. My mind wouldn’t let go of the fact that Wenzo was gone. And it wasn't an accident. It was murder. The suspect is still out there somewhere. I took long, deep breaths, trying to fight off the panic rising in my chest. Ravael needs to get me more of my medication, so for now, I have to save what's left. Warm tears started falling from my eyes. I cried for an entire hour.
With a heavy, yearning heart, I prayed.
"Lord, upon hearing what happened to Wenzo, we pray for his soul to rest in peace. Thank you for the moments we shared with him, all of us, as a class. He became friends with some and a classmate to many. He lived such a short life, but I know You have plans for him, and Your will be done. May his spirit dwell in You. Please give us the strength to carry this grief, especially Wenzo's family. And to whoever committed this crime… please forgive them and let them surrender in Your presence. Give me the vision to see what your will is. May justice prevails. In Your mighty name I pray, Amen."
I hope this prayer reaches the grieving hearts of everyone who is hurting.
Wenzo and I had misunderstandings and disputes. I can't even bring myself to name what happened between us. It leaves such a bitter weight in my chest. The memories linger like bruises beneath the skin, aching every time they surface. Each recollection tightens my throat and twists my stomach, filling me with a quiet anguish that won’t fade instantly. It felt like a violation of peace, something that carved an ugly mark into my thoughts. Even now, the memory clings stubbornly, as if it all happened yesterday.
My late evening prayer finally led me into slumber.
This time, I tried cooking a new dish for a change, and it made me so happy to see the big grin on Ravael's face. I'm really glad I can still be of help to him, even if I can't do as much around the house because of my physical limitations.
Ravael comes home late every night, and even though he doesn't say it, I can tell he's exhausted. To be honest, I was really surprised when he offered to let me stay here. I don't have anyone else to depend on anymore. My grandma, the only person who ever took care of me, passed away. My friends from school still live with their parents, and I didn't want to be a burden to them.
Ravael has been such a blessing to me. I hope I can be a blessing to him, too.
“Hm, I love this! Where’d you learn how to cook this?”
“I searched online for some random recipes to try. Feel free to ask what viand you’d like me to cook next.”
It makes me so happy to have a friend like Ravael. Not everyone is as kind and trustworthy as he is.
Searching for online jobs these past few weeks has been really challenging. I can only work from home because of my legs, so my options are limited. Depending on Ravael for everything isn't ideal. I want to help him with the finances, too, even if he already has two jobs.
But guess what? I got one! All that consistent applying finally paid off. I found an online part-time job that accepted me even though I haven't graduated yet. I can work four to six hours a day, depending on whether the team leader requests extensions or there are urgent tasks. I'm so relieved and grateful.
"Did you fold the laundry?" Ravael asked me.
I glanced at him and continued typing on my laptop.
"Oh, I forgot to do it. Just put everything on the sofa. i'll get back to it."
"How's work? You seem busy recently."
"I am. My client is setting up a new branch, so I am in charge of her receipts, data entry, and meeting scheduling. It wasn't as busy as this, but this can happen from time to time."
“Are you having fun doing your job?”
“Could you tell?” I smiled at him.
“Hmmm… You sounded happy to me. Are you?”
“I am. This is better than sulking the whole day. I’ll be sending half of my salary to your bank account tomorrow.”
“That was fast.”
“They pay me twice a month, and I get to work remotely. This is a change of pace compared to tutoring services I did at school and at my house. But this is better than I thought it would.”
“That’s nice.”
Months passed. Three months, to be specific. Ravael and I had our first argument. It wasn't anything too serious, but it still surprised me that even we could end up quarreling. I admit, I've had little to no time to take care of him or cook for him as I used to, because I've been working. Didn't realize how much that might have mattered to him until now.
“How about we go out for a while?” he initiated.
“Where are we going?”
“There is a park and eateries here. You haven’t gotten outside this compound yet, now that you’re busy with your job.”
Come to think of it, I hardly go out anymore. Given my condition, being so absorbed in work, I don't really step outside. I don't want to bother Ravael by asking him to pull my wheelchair so I can go out, feel the sun on my skin, and breathe some fresh air. He already does so much for me. I've learned to stay quiet and stay inside.
“That sounds good.”
“Here we go.”
We went outside the compound.
“Where are you guys going?” A teenage boy neighbor asked.
“We’re going to the park for a ray of sunshine.”
“Have fun! Take care”
“Shamikha!” A girl ran towards me and hugged me.
“Hi there!”
“No teaching?”
She is one of the kids I taught before. Some kids flocked around us when they saw me.
“Forgive me, kids. I’ve been very busy lately. Don’t you worry, I’ll make time next week and will play with you all. Does that sound great?”
They all nodded and smiled.
“See you, Shamikha!”
“Bye-bye!”
The kids sent us off.
We witnessed the sunset in this park. We bought a lot of food.
“I’ll buy us some food.”
“I’ll do it,” he insisted.
“It’s okay. My treat this time.”
“I won’t say no to that.”
I rolled my wheelchair and bought us some pancakes.
“Rafael, is your girlfriend insane?”
“Um, what are you talking about?”
“The girl you’re living with.”
“You mean Shamikha?”
“Who else is your girlfriend? Yes, that girl. Shamikha was her name. I always forget that pretty girl’s name.”
“She’s not insane. Where’d you get that idea?”
“You work all day, that’s why you don’t know anything about it. But whenever I pass through your house, I always hear her mumbling. It’s like she’s talking to someone. But it’s just the two of you living in that house, correct?”
“Yes”
“I thought so. That's why it felt strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought she was talking with someone, but I heard no responses. She is fond of talking to herself, doesn’t she? Oh, there she is-”
Ravael turned to me. “H-Hey…”
“You were talking with one of the residents in the same compound.”
“You know him?”
“I am familiar with his face, but I haven’t spoken with him. What did you two talk about?”
He went silent for a few seconds. “Nothing… He was just checking out on me and a bit of a chit-chat.”
“I see… Is that all? Did he mention anything about me?”
“He said you’re pretty.”
Ravael didn’t tell me. But he didn’t know I heard it.
“Ravael, should we go to church every week?”
“Do you want to?”
I nodded. “I always attend with my grandma every week. Sometimes twice a week because I accompany her whenever I have time after doing my homework.”
“Is she religious?”
"Yes. She never missed a single session, not once. She taught me how to pray, how to be a kind person, and how to be patient. She's the reason my faith is so strong. Being an orphan, it was really hard growing up without ever meeting my parents. But whatever I lacked, my grandma filled all those empty spaces. She played the role of both a mother and a father to me. She was my everything.
Losing her shattered me. There are still nights when I cry thinking about her. But her teachings didn't leave me. They stayed. They're what motivate me to keep moving forward, even on the hardest days. She taught me to always look ahead, not stare at what I've lost. Even now that she's gone, I try my best to be resilient. I want her to watch me from heaven and see how I'm applying everything she taught me. I want to make her proud. That's all I've ever wanted."
“I’m sure she’s so proud of you.”
“I hope so.”
“I wish I could meet her.”
“How about visiting her grave? She’s buried near the church we go to.”
“We’ll go to that church this weekend and visit your grandmother.”
I giggled happily. “Thank you.”
We started eating our pancakes.