Diary of A Programmer (Completed)

Chapter 12: Childhood Bestie

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

WARNING: this part of the chapter contains self-harm, if you are someone who can't handle reading things like this, I highly suggest to skip this chapter for now.

July 25,2022

I'm sure everyone has that childhood bestie who lives across from your house and used to play with you all day, and the only rest you'll have is once your parents tell you to eat or do something or when it's already dark. Sometimes, because your parents get used to both of you being together, they trust you when you're with that childhood friend.

To be honest, I experienced that kind of friendship, something that is like your siblings, but then as we moved out to another place, she was left.

Of course, every time I missed her, I tried catching up with her social media, but I never tried talking to her or even reaching out to her, saying, "Hi, Tiffany, this is me, Vera, that girl who always wears pigtails, the one who used to be your playmate."

Yes, her name is Tiffany Faith Sasendoncillo, but I used to call her Tiff or Tipanya.

Of course, she would hate that, and her eyebrows would start to furrow. I also heard she is now in Canada with her parents, who are already citizens there.

I'm happy with what she has become, and I'm just happy watching her from afar.

Because she's been living the life she always talked about, she's been living the life of a Disney princess. I've seen her pictures visiting Disney.

I also saw her YouTube account; she's doing good when it comes to her makeup vlogs.

I remember before her mom used to laugh at her every time she put green shade on as her eyeshadow, because she looked like someone who had bruises around her eyes.

But now she's perfected it; every part of her makeup is always chef's kiss. She is having her happy and contented life there; she seems to be having fun.

I missed her so much. But she doesn't seem to remember me anymore; maybe she has found so many friends around there.

Or so I thought...

I should have messaged her before it was too late. I should have really told her how much I missed our talks and our bond watching Disney films together.

I remember that day. I was fixing my things because I'm preparing to move out from the apartment near my university.

It was a gloomy day, with a bit of wind blowing outside, enough for the leaves to fall.

I received a call from an international number. At the first ring, I didn't answer it because, given my field, it might be a scammer or some social engineering way of getting your information.

But after it calls me non-stop, I decide to answer it and wait for someone to talk first in another line.

I remember how that voice sounds like it's like the voice of a woman in her mid-30s; her voice was shaky when she asked "uh-—i-is this Vera? Vera Sthan Aebram?" At that moment I thought the reason why her voice was shaky was because she was nervous because she was planning to do something bad.

That is why I decided to drop the call, but in just a few seconds I received another text message; it looked like it was from another country again. The content was this. "I'm sorry, Vera, this is your Auntie Tatiana, Tiffany's mom. I was just asking if Tiffany happened to go to your place. She hasn't gone home for, like, a week now. She said last time she planned to find you and visit you, but it seems odd that she hasn't taken any of her belongings with her, so we assumed she planned to rush to your place with her wallet and passport only."

After I received that text message, I knew something was wrong. That is why I asked my mom for our telephone because it can call internationally. I called that number, and after a few rings...

A woman in her 30s was crying on another line; the conversation that I heard made me drop the telephone.

It's hard to write this down without crying, of course, but I need to let this out because it's killing me inside.

I remember behind Auntie Tatiana's cry is a conversation with another man in his 40s, which I think is Uncle Miko, Tiffany's dad.

Their conversation goes like this.

Auntie Tatiana: *sounds like weeping and crying*

Uncle Miko: No, that can't be. How can you even prove that's my daughter? F*ck it!

Police officer: This is her ID and other belongings, together with her suicide notes, sir.

Uncle Miko: No, no, she was in the Philippines. That can't be. My daughter is a happy kid. She can't be. That's not true--

Before I can hear more, which I think is enough for me to understand the situation, I remember dropping the telephone unciously to the floor.

From how it sounds, it's painful and heart-wrenching.

Even for me, I was in shock. Even my mom shouted at me for accidentally dropping the telephone.

I thought these kinds of scenarios were the things I only watched in movies.

Those actors/actresses were down on the floor as if their whole body became weak after hearing something shocking and painful.

Now that I experienced this for the first time, I now realize how painful it is and how it weakens me.

Based on my mom's story, I couldn't speak; I was in shock. She said, I almost feel on the floor, like as if I temporarily lose my physical strength.

I should have listened to my feelings; I should have reached out to Tiffany...

I shouldn't have trusted her all smiley faces on her social media like she's having a good life.

When, in fact, according to Auntie Tatiana, the moment they moved out to Canada is the moment all her problems started;

she always keeps asking them to go back to the Philippines, but they don't listen.

It's too late for them to realize also that she was a victim of school violence, which pushed her to jump from their school rooftop.

It took a week for the police to discover that it was her because they couldn't just prove it through her credentials, so they had to study her DNA to see if it matched Tiffany's DNA.

The truth was exposed, and it's really painful to accept that it matches Tiffany's DNA.

I couldn't even manage to go to her funeral because her parents decided to just put her directly in the cemetery because they couldn't watch their daughter in that unfortunate situation.
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Author's Note: Sorry for the shocking update everyone, again this my revised diary has a slice of reality only, I can't tell which ain't true and not but yeah. Sorry I don't know what to explain anymore.