Borrowed Time (completed)

10. beats

Sam cautiously approached the man seated alone at the country club's coffee shop. Ever since Rj came to live with him, he's been frequenting the club. He doesn't really play golf. Gordon usually goes to the driving range but at a range closer to the hotel than this sprawling golf course. It's a little past 9 o'clock in the morning.

After the waitress leaft with the man's order, Sam approached the table. "...kuya..." he said softly. The man didn't hear him the first time so he repeated, "Kuya...Kuya Rico..." Sam said a little louder this time.

Rico turned toward the voice and instantly recognized Sam, his wife's younger brother. They had not seen or talked to each other for years since Sam left the family home in the hacienda because his sister disagreed with his gender preference; this lead to her trying to lessen his share of his inheritance. However, she could not contest the will left by their parents and what was written in the family corporation. Sam got his share and left to avoid further disagreements.

Ricky was around seven years old when Sam left. He witnessed how the boy was overly protected by his mother after learning about the boy's heart condition. Even though she was told that the boy could do all the other things boys his age could do for as long as he took his medications, she wouldn't hear any of it. Ricky would always run to Sam when his Mama would overly react to anything that he did. It was Sam who taught the boy how to care for himself, properly use underwear, stand when peeing, and even accompanied the boy when Ricky said he wanted to be circumcised at age six. Prior to these, Ricky would defiantly run around the house in just a shirt or even totally naked because he hated wearing the hot diaper his mom would put on him even when he was already completely toilet trained. Prior to his 'naked baby' streaking episodes, he purposely wet the bed when he awoke in the morning so that his mom would stop letting him wear a diaper. The diaper would still be dry by morning when his yaya would enter the room to bathe him and prepare him for the day. Yaya Beth often wondered how the bed could be totally soaked when the cloth diaper her ward was wearing was dry and there were no other wet or soiled clothes in the bedroom or bathroom. Sam caught him peeing on the mattress and talked to the boy. From then on, Ricky would follow Sam more than he did his mom.

"O Sam...kamusta ka na? Have a seat. Nag-breakfast ka na?" Rico said.

"Hindi pa...salamat..." Sam replied and sat across Rico.

"It's been years. I heard you work at hotel?"

"Opo. I work at Residences Hotel as a sommelier. Gordon works as an Operations Manager."

"Ah. Kamusta na nga pala si Gordon?"

"Okay naman po siya. Kami. Kamusta na kayo? Si Ate?"

"Ganun pa rin ang Ate mo. Madrama pa rin. Ewan ko ba dun. Sabi ko nga I was willing to send her to drama and acting school e, ayaw naman."

"Eh kayo?"

"I'm doing okay. Business at the hacienda is good. We're able to maintain production..."

"That's good to hear. Kuya..."

"Hmm?"