FEED MY HEART TO THE HAWKS IN SIERRA MADRE (Abridged)

Chapter 1

"There must be more to life than just commuting daily to the office." ------by J.V. Alcantara

Makati, Metro Manila. Some 30 kilometers from the nearest point of the Sierra Madre.

Ben Alsons was early for his lunch appointment. He had ordered an expensive glass of Kiwi juice, and was eager to wait. It was not that he usually arrived ahead and had to be patient. At his age and in his line of business, Ben made it a rule not to appear too eager for any particular transaction. His business counterparts, literally, implored his patronage. Their outfits were a lot bigger than Ben's, but their huge profits partly depended on his endorsements. That business relationship with his clients was one of the reasons why Ben decided to end his early retirement at mid-forty. He accepted the offer to be the vice-president of an investment bank.

His waiting and sitting alone at the Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt 5 was caused by his desire to relish the ensuing suspenseful moments. If his doctor did not arrive for whatever reasons, Ben's ego would not only be deflated but the preparations for the weekend may all come to naught. Should things turn problematic shortly, Ben planned to leave and cancel everything at quarter past noon.

The weekend trip was not about making money. He would be spending a bundle for it. Ben glanced furtively at his two-tone Rolex Yacht Master, after seeing Dr. Amelita Castañeda being escorted by the maître d'. She was on the dot.

He sat motionless and waited for the young woman to find him. When Amelita waived at him, Ben managed only a smile. He was more attentive to the men in the hall who turned their gazes at him after getting an eyeful of the approaching woman. Ben ended the mutual affront by concentrating on Amelita. The young lady doctor had a warm and reassuring smile projected by someone accustomed to the subtleties of calming down apprehensive patients. Nobody could help but notice her evenly-spaced, ivory white teeth.

Amelia had more alluring qualities. She had the skin of a China doll seen in the pages of hotel magazines all over Asia. Her skin was stretched on a lithe body. Amelita had the slenderness of a romping lingerie super-model. The young woman's attire was a mark of her stature. She was breathtaking in her Balmain summer dress. Amelita did not flinch from being stared at. She enjoyed it.

Amelita's ankles were perfectly contoured toward her legs because there were no overdeveloped calf muscles. Her legs were rounded and quite long for her body. Her natural hip movement caused her hemline to sway exquisitely.