Of Kings and Aces

27| Squandering

I woke up at five in the morning from another nightmare. But this time, it wasn't the usual flashbacks of getting beaten to death by Carlo and the rest of the baseball team when they were fresh out of the shower. It was about guns and cards, and Jacob. That footage really messed up my head. There was no way I could get back to sleep, so I headed out to the beach.

Jaxx joined me at the beach Sunday morning to get his much-needed color. However, he needed to be back in Manila by Monday afternoon to meet with Leon Camacho, the gracious CFG heir who looked the other way.

By the time I decided to finally stop surfing, the sun was beginning to set. Jaxx was a sucker for sunsets, so I decided to let him know if he was interested. He was packing the minimal things he had when I entered the villa.

"What time are you leaving?" I asked, breathless from jogging. I had acquired a golden toasted color from all the time under the sun, and my shoulders were starting to hurt.

"Maybe nine or ten. You coming?" he looked up and stared at my shoulders disapprovingly. "You're going home. Otherwise, you're going to char yourself with the way you're surfing."

"Alright, mother, I'm going with you," I chuckled. "Hey, the sun is setting. You might want to come out for a while."

The sun was already behind the mountains, but it left us a beautiful painting to admire. Bright red oranges and pinks reflected against the Cirrus clouds that blazed across the blue sky that was turning dark with each minute the sun sank deeper.

I stared into the horizon where a lone outrigger boat was returning home, cutting through the choppy waters. A certain peace settled inside me, the kind that I had been chasing for the past months. All I could do was hope it would last the moment I stepped foot in crazy Manila.

We stayed on the beach until the pesky mosquitoes started feasting on us, and the sun was probably already on the other side of the earth. After a late dinner, I checked out and while he headed to the concierge.

I was surprised to see his X5 at the entrance. I had to check the car plates twice to make sure I wasn't reading it wrong. The passenger window rolled down, and Jaxx called me.

"I thought you didn't drive," I smiled and went around to the driver's side, assuming he was going to make me do the driving home. It was just fair. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see the same driver we had on his birthday.

"I didn't. Romy did. You remember him, don't you?"

"Good evening, sir," Romy said politely.

"Hi, good evening, Kuya Romy," I greeted him and settled in the backseat. "Wow, you brought him all the way here?"

"As I said, I wouldn't drive fourteen hours for you," he rolled his eyes, but one corner of his mouth rose.

"Where did you stay?" I asked Romy. He looked at Jaxx before answering. The closest resort to ours was five kilometers away, and even that was a bit pricy. The less expensive, backpacker-budget-friendly resorts were eight kilometers from us. Knowing Jaxx, he wouldn't have sent Romy there.

"Just around," he chuckled, not giving anything away.

"Wow, don't squander your riches on my behalf, man," I laughed lightly.

"It's not squandering if you spend it on people you care about," he said without looking at me. I was flattered but, at the same time, reduced to less than half the person I thought I was. It was supposed to be just a joke, but he took it seriously. Then, I felt even worse for not leaving a message.