Buzzer Beater

Chapter 14: The Sixth Man

"Winston, let's talk," Aurora suddenly piped up as they were getting ready for bed. She was dressed in flannel, lavender nightgown while Winston was wearing a pair of silk, navy blue pajamas.

"About what, Aurora?" He said as he continued to pore over a newspaper while sitting in the middle of the bed.

"You know well, what we need to talk about," Aurora said as she sat on the dresser, looking at Winston through the mirror as she took out a wad of cotton and put some facial cleanser in them.

"If this is about Arwin then you are wasting your time," Winston said sternly without lifting his head away from the newspaper. He was reading an article about the Maroon's first win in the UAAP season-opener.

"I think you are pushing this too far. What did Win do to deserve this treatment from you?" Aurora said with emphasis as she rubbed her face with the wet cotton.

"Well, first of all, he disrespected me. He should learn to know his place," Winston said as he continued reading the article. Win's name figured prominently in the said report, being hailed as a talent who came out of nowhere and towered above the competition. His effective partnership with the team's resident center, Bryden Crisostomo quickly earned them the"Twin Towers" label from the sports pundits.

"Respect is earned, Winston, It is not imposed," Aurora said tersely as she threw the used cotton on a trash can under the dresser.

"So are you saying that I don't deserve his respect?" Winston finally looked up from the paper he was reading.

"But who would be happy with what you did? No matter how I look at it, it seems that you are putting your son down when you should be lifting him up," Aurora said in an even tone as she put some toner in a clean cotton ball.

"You saw how tired he was, right? That was because he pushed himself to his limits. He didn't pace himself well enough," Winston said as he slowly folded the newspaper he was reading earlier.

"It was his first game! Of course, he would be excited! You should know that!" Aurora said as she rubbed the cotton with toner around her cleansed face.

"Oh yes, I know that and more! That is why I want to protect him from an early injury which could have happened in those six minutes if any of the players from the opposing team decided to play him dirty," Winston said as he slid off the bed and went o the bathroom, keeping the door open so he can still hear his wife's voice.

"But you should have chosen a better approach than nagging him right after he came home," Aurora said as she finished applying toner to her clean face. She took another small bottle from her drawer and uncorked it.

"I couldn't help myself, he was disrespecting you. He was thinking too highly of himself just because people chanted his surname inside the Big Dome," Winston said as he washed his hands on the bathroom sink after peeing.

"It was your surname too," Aurora reminded him as she applied a face serum to her face using her slender fingers.

"That is not the point, he was gloating in that little accomplishment of his. His coach had an earful from me because we agreed not to make him play in his first game," Winston said in an annoyed tone as he dried his hands with a hand towel that hung beside the door.

"Are you manipulating his career from afar?" Aurora momentarily stopped what she was doing so she can glare at Winston through the mirror. Winston just shrugged his shoulders impassively before sliding back into bed.

"No, I just wanted him to be perfectly ready before he plays the big games. I could have enrolled him in a basketball clinic before he even went for that tryout. But did he tell me about his plans? No! So how was I supposed to help him?" Winston said with a self-righteous tone as he burrowed under the covers.