42 Worsening Jamie

When school was done, Tonton, Bogart and Kiko grouped together. Despite having classes all day, they knew about the mayor's speech delivered that afternoon because their teachers kept talking about it. They were also excited to see Jamie so they rode their bikes at the speed of light. Upon entering the market area, Tonton had an idea he shared to his friends.

\"Can we stop by the market and buy Jamie some fruits?\" Tonton asked them. \"Fruits are good against many sicknesses.\"

\"I can't agree more,\" Kiko said. \"Fruits are full of vitamins and minerals.\"

\"We can bring him some oranges,\" Bogart added.

\"Hey, is that Mang Tomas?\" Kiko said after seeing the old man.

Tonton and Bogart nodded. They slowed down their biking and stopped near a fruit stand, just few feet away from Mang Tomas. By then, Mang Tomas was already face to face with Loduvico.

\"Who is he talking to?\" Tonton asked

\"Have you forgotten?\" Kiko replied. \"That's the guy who healed us.\"

\"Yes, it's him,\" Bogart added. \"Why are they talking with each other? Do they know one another?\"

The two just shrugged their shoulders. They parked their bikes and went to the fruit stand, just near enough to eavesdrop on the two men. However, their voices were too low that they could not hear everything. At times, they whispered to each other.

\"....the future.... devastation....\"

\"Make them.... faith needed....\"

\".... won't.... talk.... believe....\"

\".... dangers....\"

Whispers.

\".... sky.... dream at night....\"

\"An angel.... out.... good....\"

\"Help them....\"

The boys could not make sense of the things they heard. They gave up and started picking up oranges. They chose the big and bright ones.

\"What could they have been talking about?\" Bogart asked.

\"Like you, I have absolutely no idea,\" Kiko answered. \"Mang Tomas is living near your place and according to my mom, Loduvico lives near here.\"

\"So there's no way they are friends,\" Tonton concluded, \"assuming they not like us - always hanging out with each other.\"

\"And even if they know each other,\" Kiko added, \"they can't be that close. They were talking like old friends.\"

Bogart: \"Are they conspiring something?\"

Tonton: \"Oh no, not again. They can't be the mean guys here.\"

Kiko: \"We don't know that yet.\"

\"Hello, kids!\" a voice boomed from behind them.

The three froze, unsure of what to do. It was a low but sweet baritone voice. Under normal circumstances, that voice would have been soothing and warm to the ears, but at that moment, it only surprised them and seized them by the feet. They dared not move, scared of who they will see behind them.

\"Don't be afraid.\"

Slowly, the trio turned around and indeed, Loduvico was standing right in front of them. He was smiling and the lonely gentleness shown in his face was infectious.

\"How are you, boys?\"

\"We... are fine now,\" Kiko managed to say after stammering. \"Thanks to you.\"

\"Yeah,\" Bogart chimed in. \"Thank you so much, Mister.\"

Loduvico flashed another warm smile and the three Biker Brothers felt a little relaxed. They calmed down, as if the tension inside them vanished because of Loduvico's presence.

\"Go, my children, your friend is waiting for you.\"

\"Can you heal anyone?\" Tonton asked.

\"My child, I can free anyone from all kinds of miseries.\"

\"How do you do that?\" It was Bogart's turn.

\"Because I am the chosen one. An angel sent by the heavens on that fateful night told me so.\"

\"So you are not a prophet like Mang Tomas?\" Kiko also inquired.

\"I am more than a prophet. I am who I am.\"

His answer confused the kids. But with all the things that recently took place in Subangdaku, and with everything they had discovered, nothing could be impossible.

\"Just believe. Follow your heart and do what you must.\"

The boys nodded to Loduvico's final advice. They boarded their bikes again and went to Jamie's house. Fortunately, he was awake when they arrived. However, their friend was hesitant to receive them; his conditions got worse and his chickenpox had almost covered his entire body from head to foot. They persisted and after minutes of haggling, Jamie' s mother finally convinced him to see his friends.

\"See? I looked like a rotten strawberry!\" Jamie complained upon seeing his friends.

Indeed, the three were shocked to see Jamie's conditions but they were able to hide their surprise. His once flawless skin was not inundated with tiny red blisters.

\"Don't be so upset,\" Tonton consoled him. \"It all happened to us.\"

\"Yeah, you will get by it,\" Bogart added.

\"Thanks, guys,\" Jamie said. \"But I really feel bad. These red dots hurt a lot.\"

\"Have you taken your meds?\" Kiko asked.

\"Yeah, and it's still terrible.\"

The boys laughed and then took their separate comfortable spots in Jamie's room - Bogart by the bedside table, Kiko by the window, and Tonton at Jamie's feet on the bed.

Tonton: \"Have you seen the news?\"

Jamie: \"Yeah, all of it. It's just scary that our school will be turned into an isolation camp.\"

Bogart: \"Exactly. I don't think I will look at our school the same way again.\"

Kiko: \"Wow, that's going too far. But seriously, the school will only become a quarantine or isolation camp if Dr. Alvarado's medical clinic will not be put up soon.\"

Jamie: \"That's actually the funny thing. Dr. Alvarado has a say again in this thing. First the meteor crash which is actually not true, and now this - an outbreak!\"

Bogart: \"Could the outbreak be another lie?\"

They suddenly became silent as they analyzed the situations.

Tonton: \"But people are already getting sick. That could not be a lie.\"

Bogart: \"What if this outbreak is just to cover up something?\"

Jamie: \"If that is the case, Dr. Alvarado would be a very evil person.\"

Kiko: \"I think he is really evil. He can go that low.\"

Jamie:\t\"Are we judging him too far?\"

Kiko: \"We can't blame ourselves for being biased against him. He had lied about the meteor crash and he did that right in our faces.\"

Bogart: \"And now if his medical facility will be pushed through, he will be the hero again.\"

Tonton: \"So what do we do now? With the restrictions brought about by the outbreak, how can we continue finding out about the missing spaceship and the alien?\"

A moment of silence again.

Bogart: \"Shall we abort the mission?\"

Kiko: \"No, I don't want to.\"

Tonton: \"Me, either. We have come so far to turn back now.\"

Jamie: \"Yeah, there's no giving up now. We just have to be extra careful because of the outbreak.\"

Bogart: \"Alright, if the school closes again, we can sneak inside and locate the possible crash site of the first spaceship.\"

The three instantly turned to look at Bogart. Oftentimes, their friend had such wild ideas that were so good to resist.

\"I like that idea,\" Jamie said which made the Biker Brothers laughed.

\"But you need to get well first,\" Tonton said.

\"The man who healed us might be able to heal you, too,\" Bogart announced.

\"You mean Loduvico?\" Kiko asked in wonder.

\"Yes, Loduvico or whatever his name is.\"

The three smiled, once again amazed at their friend's tempting idea.