Saturday, 1:00 A.M.
Mrs. Maria Ocampo's P.O.V.
It was already early dawn when we returned to our apartment from the birthday party of one of my favorite students—Ara Santos.
I was with my daughter, Janice, who is also Ara's classmate and best friend. This is likely why I have a soft spot for that child. But I don't let it show. Despite the closeness of the two, I still want to remain strict when we are inside the school—not just with my daughter Janice and Ara, but with all my students.
Janice and I simultaneously climbed the narrow stairs toward our apartment on the third floor of the building. Unlike Ara's elegant and large house, the apartment we lived in was small. We weren't exactly poor; it just so happened that my husband wasn't a private lawyer like the husband of Clarisse Santos, Ara's mother.
I immediately felt Janice's deep breathing after she lay down on our bedroom's bed. She was probably truly exhausted and sleep-deprived. It was past one in the morning by the time we got home.
I slowly leaned down near where she was lying. I watched her face, and as I looked at her, I felt a slight wave of sadness. Why can't I give her a life like Ara's? Is it because I'm just a teacher at a university?
I gave my sleeping daughter a kiss on the cheek.
She was lying on her stomach as usual. That was her favorite sleeping position. But I'm sure later, her position will change. She's a restless sleeper, which is why I had our bed custom-made to be wide for the two of us. I placed a pillow on her lower back, near her buttocks. If she wakes up, she'll probably be mad at me. She hates having a pillow placed on her back when she sleeps. No matter—with how much she moves in her sleep, this pillow will likely fall off her back soon without her noticing. I took a deep breath and slowly closed my eyes.
I am Maria Ocampo. I am not unaware that I am often called 'the thick-lipped teacher' by some of my students, and I hate those students who call me that. They lack respect! But it is true, because it cannot be denied that my lips really are thick.
But to my fellow male teachers, it looks sexy. It is indeed thick, but for me, it's just pouty.
My husband died in an accident. I was widowed early, and Janice was still an infant when that happened. Because of this, I raised and supported my only child alone. My parents are gone too, having passed away even before I married Eric, my husband. Fortunately, I have a good job that allows me to support my daughter's needs.
I stood up and left the room, pulling the door slightly shut. I didn't switch off the light because Janice hates that too—she's afraid of the dark. Since sleep hadn't visited me yet, I decided to clean the kitchen first since there were no classes the next day.
As I started cleaning, the sudden disappearance of Ara at her birthday party popped into my mind. Where could she have gone? It was far too late in the night to say she had just left her house. She just vanished. And when Janice knocked on her room to say goodbye, she wasn't there.
Meanwhile, Nana seemed unbothered by Ara's absence. She was too busy attending to the guests.
Anyway, I snapped back to reality when I swept something up.
Wait! What is this? Why... Why is there so much hair on the floor?
The strands of hair were long. I thought about it. It was impossible for this to come from me because my hair is short, not even reaching past my nape. Janice's hair is also short, only reaching her shoulders, so it was unlikely to have come from her either.
No matter, I'll ask Janice tomorrow if she let a classmate in here yesterday. I remembered that I let them go home early yesterday so she and her classmates could prepare for Ara's party.
After a while, I started to sweep the strands of hair, but I'm still wondering where these came from. I was almost finished with my task when I felt Janice get up from the bed. I left the door ajar so she would know I was just outside the room cleaning.
Then I felt her behind me, staring at me. "Why are there so many strands of hair scattered here?" I asked her without looking behind me.
But I heard no answer from her. But still, I could feel her! She was standing behind me. "Did Ara come over?" I asked again while I continued sweeping. "Ara is the only one among your female classmates with hair this long..." But still, there was no answer from her. No matter the type of noise as a response, I heard nothing from her.
I slightly lifted my body from my bent position and stretched my back. I could see her silhouette from behind. She was just standing there. I just sighed.
"Okay fine. Go back to sleep. You look like you're still very sleepy," I ordered her while my back was turned, still not looking at her.
A few moments later, I felt her return to the room, then I heard her close the door. After an hour of cleaning, I felt tired, so I decided to enter the room. I slowly opened the door and I was surprised!
Why was the light off?!
Janice has never turned the light off, especially when sleeping! Then I switched on the light. I didn't know what my reaction should be to what I saw. Her position. The way she was lying down on the bed was the same as when I left her an hour ago! The pillow was still on her back while she was still on her stomach. Just like when I left her, her breathing was still deep!
I shook my head. That can't be!
It's impossible that she didn't get up because I felt her earlier standing behind me. I sat near where she was lying. This was still her posture from when I left her. But...
I shook my head. Maybe she stood up earlier to look for me, but because she was so sleepy, she couldn't manage to speak or even answer my questions.
Then after I told her to go back to bed, she closed the door and... turned off the light? Shit!
I looked down.
Perhaps I was just scaring myself. We are the only people here, and we've lived in this apartment for over ten years, but I've never felt anything strange, so there's no reason to be afraid. Maybe I was just hallucinating due to sleepiness and fatigue. I'll just ask her tomorrow, and I think that's the best thing to do.
The next day, the sunlight from the window woke me up. It was past nine o'clock when I checked the clock. I immediately got up but saw that Janice was still sound asleep. As I expected, the pillow was no longer on her back and she was now lying on her back.
I quickly headed to the bathroom and took a shower.
It's Saturday, which means it's grocery day. I'm sure Janice is excited for this day, and of course, me too. These are the only times I get to spend solo time with my daughter. When we are at school, I don't treat her totally as a daughter, but as a student.
When I came out of the bathroom, she was the first one to greet me. "Mommy, I have somewhere to go today," she said while sitting in front of the table.
"Where? I thought today was grocery day?" I immediately headed to the closet room to get dressed.
"I know. But we have a group project in Science," Janice replied calmly.
I stepped out of the closet and went to the kitchen. "Who are your groupmates?"
"Don't worry, Mom. It's just Ara and me meeting up to do that project."
I took some cereal and milk from the refrigerator. "Is she even home yet? Last night she just suddenly disappeared from her birthday party, right?"
"I'm sure she's home now. We have an agreement for today."
I served the cereal with milk to Janice at the table. "Okay, fine. I trust Ara anyway. Just don't stay out late. In case it gets late, just sleep over at their place."
She just nodded while eating what I served. I approached her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. I have trust in her, and in Ara as well. Ara is the same age as Janice, and if you look closely, their appearances aren't far apart. They are both beautiful, fair-skinned, and smart.
But these past few months, I've noticed Ara is always late for class. I couldn't say she was messing around with some boy because her Uncle Roli is always watching her, always following her.
"Anyway... I'll head out ahead of you, okay? Just lock up the house before you leave. I'll drop by Ara's later to pick you up." I gave her another kiss on the forehead before I left.
"Mommy? Who's going with you to the grocery today?" Her face looked sad when I turned to look at her.
"Your Auntie Madge. I'll just take her for now," I replied.
✞✞✞
I met Madge near a grocery store not far from our area. She was a schoolmate of Clarisse and me back in college. Her husband, Marvin, works abroad. Janice is accustomed to calling her 'Auntie' although she isn't my sister.
"Damn it, Madge!" was my greeting to her.
"Oh, why are you cursing at me so early in the morning?" she grinned at me. "No. I just forgot to ask my daughter something before I left." "Huh?" she replied, puzzled. "Oh, it's a long story. Come on, let's go grocery shopping." After saying this, we immediately went inside the store.
Madge is fun to be with. She used to be a teacher too, but she stopped and focused her time on married life after she and her husband wed. They don't have children yet because her husband is abroad working. Her husband moved there right after they got married.
Madge is also the only one who has the patience to accompany me grocery shopping besides Janice. It takes me four hours to shop. After grocery shopping, we went to the restaurant next to the grocery store. We ate lunch first, although it was already one in the afternoon.
"Let's stop by Clarisse's first, okay? Before going home," I told her while arranging our purchases in the compartment of her Toyota Vios. This is another reason why Madge is fun to be with—she has her own car.
"Okay, but Clarisse texted me. She said she's out today," she replied to me while getting into the driver's seat.
"Huh? But Janice is there right now..." I also sat in the passenger seat and put on my seat belt.
"Group projects again? Nana said Ara hasn't come home yet," she said while putting the key into the ignition.
"Shit! It looks like Janice pulled one over on me!"
"Relax, Maria. Janice isn't a slacker like other students." She manipulated the steering wheel and started the car. "I know. But Ara..." "What about Ara?" "These past few months, she's always late. I also noticed she often seems out of focus. Then last night at her party, she just vanished. It looked like she escaped and left their house."
"Tsk tsk. Her father is busy, that's why she isn't being disciplined." Madge continued driving.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about. She might influence my Janice."
"Never mind, let's just pass by Ara's house now. Let's see if Janice is really there." I just nodded and kept quiet.
When we arrived at the Santos house, we saw it was completely locked up. It was obvious no one was there. I pressed the doorbell several times, but no one came out from inside. I stomped back to the passenger seat of Madge's car in annoyance.
"No one's there?" Madge greeted me.
I was catching my breath. "Let's go straight to the house." I was being soft-spoken, but I knew Madge could feel I was angry.
My vision was darkening with rage. This was the first time Janice had lied to me.
Without a word, Madge sped her car toward our home. Due to traffic, it was four in the afternoon when we reached the apartment. I got out of the car and quickly headed to the third floor of the building. I threw the door open.
"Janice!" I shouted. I was trembling with anger.
Just as I was about to open the bedroom door, it opened. Janice opened it. I grabbed her by the arm. "Come here!" Shock was evident on her face. "You told me you had a group project today!?" I guided her to sit on the stool in front of the table.
She looked up at me. "We did." I saw the fear in her face. "Who were you with?!" I glared at her. "W-with Ara, ma'am."
That's when I pinched her arm. "Liar! Nana said Ara hasn't come home since last night!"
Her voice was trembling. "I-Impossible Mommy, I was with her just a while ago at their house."
"I went to Ara's house earlier, no one was there!"
"Mommy, I swear! You can even ask—" She didn't get to finish what she was going to say after I slapped her. That's when she started crying. "I hate liars most of all!" I poked her in the forehead. "I'll talk to Nana about this." After that, I turned my back on her and went down the building again to go to Madge.
I found her again outside, standing beside her car. "I-Is she there?" she asked me. "Yes, and she's making excuses." I wasn't looking at her. "W-what did she say?" she said, seemingly trembling.
I looked at her. "Are you okay? You look pale." "What did Janice say?" She didn't answer my question. I looked away from her. "She said she was with Ara at the Santos house even though when we went there, no one was there, right?"
She didn't speak. When I looked at her, I noticed she was looking up at the floor where our apartment was located.
"Come on, come inside for a bit," I told her.
But she remained staring at the third floor. "N-No thanks. I'm going home." I looked at what she was looking at. "What are you looking at up there?" She looked at me, and I noticed she was trembling. "You're on the third floor, right?"
"Yes," was my short reply.
Without a word, she got into her car. Before finally leaving, she looked out at me. "The groceries we bought, I already took them out of the compartment. They're at the gate of your building." She pointed to them behind me with her chin to indicate where they were.
When I looked back, our groceries were indeed there. "Forgive me, Maria. I can't help you carry those groceries up."
I turned back to her. "It's okay. Go get some rest, you look pale."
She couldn't look me in the eye. But I saw her glance one more time at the third floor of the building where my apartment was. Then she started the car's engine. Before she finally left, she looked at me again. "By the way, Atty. Santos texted me."
"Oh, what did he say?"
"He's asking me where Nana and Ara are. He said he's home now."
I stomped my foot where I stood. "Damn it! I knew Janice was lying to me."
After that, she drove her car away as if she were in a hurry and seemed terrified. But why? What was the reason?
I just asked for help from Mang Isko, another tenant who lives on the second floor of the building, to carry my purchases up to the third floor. He carried almost everything, and I only carried a few things.
"Thank you, Mang Isko. Come and have some snacks first!" I invited him after he finished carrying all my purchases up.
"Ah, no thanks, Mrs. Ocampo. It's almost dinner time anyway. I'll eat at home," he replied, but instead of looking at me, his gaze was fixed behind me.
I looked behind me, but there was nothing unusual there for him to stare at. But what was he looking at there? I faced him again. "Oh, alright then, thank you anyway. Until next time."
"O-Okay, sure—" It seemed like he wanted to say something else.
As Mang Isko walked away, I watched him. I noticed him glancing at me, but he wasn't looking at me directly. When he finally made it down to the second floor, I went inside the apartment and arranged my groceries.
Why are people so weird today?
It was already seven in the evening when I finished, but it was just in time because I combined it with cooking our dinner.
After that, I went to the room where the sulking Janice was. I knew I had acted abruptly with what I did to her, but it was still wrong for her to lie to me.
I found her sitting on the bed while hugging her knees. "Come on... let's eat," I invited her without emotion. She slowly stood up and followed me.
We ate without speaking to each other. After she finished eating, she just put her dishes in the sink and went straight to the room. When I finished eating, I cleaned up our dining area and went into the room as well.
When I entered, I was greeted by Janice lying on the bed, asleep, and looking very tired. I could hear her deep breathing. Her posture was the same again—on her stomach.
I lay down beside her and tried to sleep. I closed my eyes in hopes that sleep would visit me. But the terrified face of Janice when I slapped her earlier kept flashing through my mind.
I opened my eyes again and turned to Janice. I saw she was sound asleep. I gently stroked her face; I wanted to say sorry. But even if I say it to her right now, I know that she will not hear it. I suddenly felt pity, but that was immediately followed by anger. I'm still annoyed at her when I think about her lying to me.
A while later, I woke up from a light doze.
I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep. I slowly got up to turn toward Janice. She was still asleep, her sleep was deep. As before, she was still on her stomach. I moved slowly and placed the pillow on her back near her buttocks, just like what I did yesterday. I believed in an old superstition of my parents that placing a pillow on this part of the body while sleeping was a way to avoid nightmares. And I know Janice will hate me for doing this to her, but she won't even realize it.
Soon enough, she'll be restless in her sleep again.
I left the room. As usual, I left the door ajar. Again, I avoided switching off the light.
When I reached the living room, I went straight to the kitchen where our refrigerator was located. I drank a glass of water, then headed back to the room. But before I could enter, I noticed the scattered hair on the floor again.
I grabbed a broom and a dustpan and swept it up. Right, I still haven't asked Janice about these hairs.
Moments later, I felt Janice rise from the bed again. After a while, I could already feel her presence near me. I didn't pay her any mind or even look back; I just continued sweeping. She wasn't moving. I think she was just staring at me.
"Whose hair is this, anyway?!" I asked her without turning to face her.
Just like the first time, she remained silent. I couldn't bring myself to look at her either. I knew she was still mad at me.
I stood up straight and sighed. "All right, Janice, I'm sorry. Forgive me—"
Jesus Christ!
The bedroom door suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang. I nearly jumped out of my skin in shock and immediately turned toward her. But it was too late; I couldn't see her. Maybe she was already inside the room.
I slammed down the broom and dustpan I was holding. This was the first time Janice had ever acted out like that toward me. My blood boiled even more.m
Did she not hear me apologizing? I walked quickly into the room.
But to my great surprise, when I opened the door, I saw that the light was off. I immediately switched on the light and froze at what I saw.