The Biker Brothers and the Golden Sunset

Chapter 1: The Biker Brothers

It was a warm October afternoon and Jamie was too eager to go home already. Who would not be excited to go home after a long day in school? His heart drummed impatiently as a smile formed on his lips. After his teacher bade goodbye, he immediately stood up, got his bag, and ran out of the classroom. A classmate or two were pushed as he made his way. But he did not mind as they cursed at him, he just needed to get out of the room. Hurriedly, he took his bike parked under a tree and pedaled his way through the crowd. The school ground was filled with eager students but Jamie made it through successfully. He was ecstatic, as if it was a tremendous achievement to go out of the campus.

Jamie was eleven and an extremely bright and happy kid. He thought he was at the prime of his life so he made the most out of his kid's life. And like any boy of his age, he liked to spend time with his friends, shoot the baskets, bat the balls, or simply talked incessantly all day if not at school. He felt he was wiser than his age as he shared countless stories to his friends.

Upon leaving the school's gate, familiar voices boomed through the cacophony. The smile on his face stretched further as he heard his friends' voices.

"Jamie!" Bogart called him out. "We are here! We are just near but you could not see us? Unbelievable!"

Bogart's fluffy body swayed with each word he said. He was already panting with what he did, as if every little action drained his energy. Nonetheless, he continued to take a bite of his massive sandwich.

"What took you so long?" Tonton demanded, looking piqued and annoyed. "We have been waiting for like hours already. You could not let your friends wait for that long."

Anthony was the group's genius. His eyes frowned beneath his thick reading glasses. For him, things must be done in their proper way and order.

"I'm sorry, guys." Jamie answered sheepishly. "Ms. Boltron will not let us out until somebody gets the correct answer to her questions."

"It should not be that way!" Kiko hollered strongly. "Once the bell rings, she should let the students out. She cannot detain you all just because nobody can answer her questions. It is against the constitution. Every student has a right to liberty when the bell rings."

Kiko was full of pride with his words. He acted like he knew all the laws, and he spoke with pride and dignity each time he conveyed certain knowledge.

"Leave it, guys," Jamie reasoned." What's important is that we can all go home now. And maybe play some games along the way."

The four laughed to the suggestion. Bogart then gobbled the last piece of his sandwich and let out a large burp. He gulped orange juice from his metal tumbler and effortfully mounted on his bike. Kiko smirked seeing him while Tonton gently hung his bag on his back. At Jamie's cue, the four boys began riding their bikes.

For the boys, life in Subangdaku (which means "large river") was easy and fun. Located between a large pristine river and virgin mountains, Subangdaku was a peaceful community of simple farmers and fishermen. People relied mostly on agriculture and fishery for their everyday needs. Food was just right there on the trees and in the waters. There were no surrounding large industries and so the small village enjoyed clean air and water. It was as if the place stood still with time, as the claws of modernity had not touched it yet. Life was simple, and time was in people's hands. They had dreams but the laid-back life allowed them to take things slowly. They were moving at their own pace. This simplicity brought quiet fun to the villagers.

Jamie breathed long and hard. They had been pedaling a good distance, and he felt his legs already tiring up. They began to feel numb already. He glanced at Bogart. His friend was more fatigued, his tongue almost hanging out from his mouth. In fact, they were all exhausted, but nobody was relenting. Everyone acted strong and brave because they must continue biking.

Jamie smiled. He wanted to cheer but they must keep going. He felt pride in his heart. He could not be prouder of his friends, or better, brothers. He saw them as brothers from different mothers. They were very close that he would do anything just to keep their friendship and closeness intact. He would protect any one of them at any cost.

Tonton was Jamie's best buddy among the three. They had been friends for as long as they could remember. Because Tonton's house was right beside Jamie's, they had been playmates since they were babies. Their parents were friends, so they also became pals. When they became older enough to count numbers and spell words, they became allies and conspirators. They sneaked into each other's house for cookies or juice. When Tonton accidentally broke his mother's favorite rose plant, they trampled the entire garden and blamed the dogs for it. When Jamie got into a scuffle with a boy from another block, his friend was quick to lend a hand and helped him beat the boy. Just enough for the victim to go home and report to his parents that he had been chased by a bunch of vicious dogs.

It was in a similar situation that they encountered Bogart. They were in second grade by then and the duo got used to roaming the grassland near their school to look for fighting spiders after classes. It was the season of spider derbies, and the seemingly endless meadow was a perfect site for hunting the best spiders. It was quiet in the sea of grasses, except for the occasional songs of crickets and the eerie waves of leaves, when Jamie and Tonton heard voices shouting while a meek one seemed to be crying. They looked where the voices came from and soon found themselves right in the middle of the grass.

Four (according to Tonton) or five (like Jamie was so fond of repeating) boys encircled a scared, chubby boy. It was Bogart and he was crying. There was a small cut on his left lips, possibly due to a punch he received earlier. A small stain of fresh blood was around the cut.

"Stay away from this, kiddos," the tallest of them barked. He also looked muscular, and his face was mean and menacing. "We just want something from Piggy here."

The other boys laughed. Similarly, they were sneering at their prey.

"I told you," Bogart pleaded, "I have already given you all my money."

"But it is not enough! We want more and more for us to buy the cards!" the assailant yelled.

Tonton clinched both his fists and anger was painted on his face. Jamie surreptitiously looked at him. 'Sure, you look nerdy,' his mind said, 'but you are not a coward. You fight when you know you must. You are strong like me, brother.'

Tonton suddenly shouted at the top of his voice. Nobody could remember the words uttered but he just yelled loudly. Instinctively, the tandem rushed and attacked the gang. Encouraged, Bogart stopped his crying and joined the fight. They were throwing punches randomly, attacking the enemies blindly with all their might. That afternoon, four or five thugs were seen crying in the grasses while a big chubby kid from another section became friends with the brave buddies. Since then, the bullied kid did not go home all along by himself.

Kiko only came into the picture years later. They were in fourth grade and Kiko was a writer in the school publication. He was from a different section, so they did not know him at that time. They wanted their poems to be placed in the school paper, but the student editor only laughed upon reading their works.

"These are trash!" Kiko unsympathetically told them.

They were shocked upon hearing those words. They were too blunt and heartless. Annoyed, Tonton pinched him in the nose. Kiko fought without hesitation and an instant brawl ensued. After they were called to the guidance counselor, they miraculously became friends. They admired Kiko for fighting back at them.

Fast forward and they were now in fifth grade. They were not classmates as they belonged to different sections. Yet, their friendship did not die down. Instead, they became more attached to one another. To keep their closeness, they agreed to meet after class in the afternoon and ride home together on their rickety bikes. In fact, most of the kids in school were riding their bikes on the way home.

Jamie had a sweeping recollection of such things and a smile formed on his lips. He smelled the cold afternoon breeze. They smelled like fresh flowers after a rain. It was like that every day, easy, peaceful, and happy. The sun was already sinking on the horizon, its hue spreading like wildfire on the clear blue water of the river.