1 The Biker Brothers

It wa a warm October afternoon and Jamie was excited to go home already. After his teacher bade goodbye, he immediately stood up, got his bag, and ran out of the classroom. Hurriedly, he took his bike and pedaled his way through the crowd.

Jamie was eleven and like any boy of his age, he liked to spend time with his friends, shoot the baskets, or simply chat all day. Upon leaving the school's gate, he heard his friends' voice.

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"Jamie!" Bogart called him out. "We are here!"

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

"What took you so long?" Tonton demanded. "We have been waiting for like hours already."

Anthony was the group's genius. His eyes frowned beneath his thick reading glasses.

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

"It should not be that way!" Kiko hollered. "Once the bell rings, she should let the students out. She can't detain you all just because nobody can answer her questions. It is against the constitution."

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. "

Bogart gobbled the last piece of his sandwich. He gulped orange juice from his metal tumbler and effortfully mounted on his bike. Kiko smirked seeing him while Tonton gently hang 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 wa a peaceful community of simple farmers and fishermen. People relied mostly on agriculture and fishery for their everyday needs. There were no surrounding large industries and so the small village enjoyed clean air and water. Life was simple, and this simplicity brought a quiet fun to the villagers.

Jamie breathed long and hard. They had been pedalling a good distance already and he felt his legs already tiring up. He looked at Bogart. His friend was more fatigued, his tongue almost hanging out from his mouth. In fact, they were all tired but nobody was relenting. They must continue biking.

Jamie smiled. 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.

Tonton was Jamie's best buddy among the three. They had been friends since they could remember. Because Tonton''s house was right beside Jamie' s, they had been playmates since babies. When they became mature enough to count numbers and spell words, they became allies and conspirants. 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 about 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 a bunch of vicious dogs.

It was in a similar situation that they encountered Bogart. They were in second grade by then and the tandem was used to roam the grassland near their school to look for fighting spiders after classes. 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 and a meek one which seemed to be crying. They looked where the voices came from and soon find themselves right in the middle of the grasses.

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 small cut in his left lips, possibly due to a punch he received earlier.

"Stay away from this, kiddos," the tallest of them barked. "We just want something from Piggy here." The other boys laughed.

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

"But it is not enough!" the assailant yelled.

Tonton clinched both his fists and anger was painted in his face. Jamie looked at him. 'Sure, you look nerdy' , his mind said, 'but you are not a coward. You fight when you know you have to.'

Tonton suddenly shouted at the top of his voice. Instinctively, the duo rushed and attacked the gang. Encouraged, Bogart stopped his crying and joined the fight. 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.

Kiko only came into the picture years later. They were in fourth grade and Kiko's a writer in the school publication. They wanted their poems to be placed in the paper but the student editor only laughed upon reading their works.

"These are trash!" Kiko unsympathetically told them.

Annoyed, Tonton pinched him in the nose. Kiko fought and an instant brawl ensued. After they were called into the guidance counselor, they miraculously became friends.

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 in their rickety bikes.

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

Jamie had an instant panic. They could not afford to be outside their village after dark. In a rural district like Subangdaku, the darkness can be very dangerous, especially for small boys like the Biker Brothers.....