III

The first week of class was over and the sun was high in the sky, even in winter it gave a warm hug of light, I didn't heard of the lovely birds for the rest of the week, in the end it wasn't my story, I was only a bystander, closing that chapter of my life I started to wonder to my favourite bar, a moldy and silent place, designed to scare young people, a place where you can drown your sorrows, my kind of place.

Walking down the street I could see my reflection on the glass of the closing shops, I was wearing the fine clothes gifted to me, It gave me some intellectual aura around me, at my back was a colonial house that worked as some type of library, checking my watch I could see it was six in the morning, the batteries had died, well whatever, inside of the library, a massive stocks of piled books standing as tall as me was on the ground, it smelled like dust and old books. I navigated myself between the towerings piles of books and found myself in front of the classic book "Crime and Punishment" By Fyodor Dostoevsky, grabbing the book, I went to buy it, but on my way through the labyrinth a recognizable scent found its way to my nose, the same perfume that was using Mery the last time I saw her, but it wasn't her, but the energetic cashier that emanated that sweet fragrant, Elisa.

She was standing in front of a massive bookshelf, a frustrated picture painted on her face. Trying to not make any noise I walked behind her, I wasn't in the mood to talk with my students, but before I could pass completely inadvertently, a loud crashing noise took me by surprise, Elisa, now buried in hundreds of books.

I took a sip of a bronze flask that I saved in my chest pocket, and went to unearth Elisa from her book grave.

Grabbing Elisa for the neck of her jacket, I pulled her up.

"Looking for the books that I recommended I hope" I told her while holding her up to my eyes, she was surprisingly light.

"Who's gonna waste their day off by looking for those books" She said, still hanging from her jacket.

"And yet here you are" I replied in my monotone raspy voice.

"And yet you haven't put me down"

"Sorry..." I muttered while releasing her.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Elisa said as if I was her friend, no respect whatsoever.

"That is none of your business" I replied, tired of talking with her.

"If there is nothing more I can help you with, I will take my lead" Planning my escape route I started walking out to pay for my book.

"Actually...there is something that I need help with" She hurried to tell me before I could escape.

"And that should be?" I asked her, designated to my fate.

"I'm looking for a book"

"Well, I don't work here so I don't know"

"A gift...a gift for Mery" She said in a whisper.

"Go buy her chocolates or something" Why is she asking me about this?

After a long breath, Elisa replied with a confident voice "Mery told me she likes books, like, old boring books, so I'm looking for something like that. You look like an old boring book so maybe you will know something about" All the time with a smile on her face.

I opened my flask to drink another sip of vodka, Bloody hell I thought "Here, have this, an old boring book" I said while giving her my little treasure that I had found.

"Is an amazing critique of social ethics and morals, is a little too long in my opinion, nonetheless, is worth reading" Having given her the book, I didn't even wait for her answer, leaving her analyzing the book.

After leaving the library, I went to the bar, "Sunking Thinking'', a catchy name. With some smoking and light walking I found myself in front of the door.

Opening it, I could see it was empty except for some customers drinking in silence in their respective tables, there was lim yellow light, in other words, a shit hole for people who didn't want to go home, a perfect fit.

"Jessica!!" I shouted to the bartender, I only knew her name, even though I had visited every Friday for the past few years.

"Look at you, finally some proper clothes!!" Jessica said checking me out with her reddish brown eyes, short puffy brunette hair, and slightly dark skin.

"Thanks, could you give me a coke and rum, I had a tough week" After talking with Elisa I wasn in the mood to chit chat.

"You said that every week" Jessica said while preparing my drink.

Once I received my drink, I nodded and went to an empty table, as in consensus, Jessica went along with her business, after all, this bar wasn't famous for the talking quality.

I took a notebook and pencil to start writing, thoughts without any meaning, mostly to entertain myself. I think that two hours had passed when a loud cheer from a table somewhere took me out of my trance, lifting my gaze. I could see that the bar was now full, there is always a first time. I tried to call for Jessica but she was occupied by her work, I stood up and went to the counter to fill me a beer, I sat on one of the stools that were fixated with the counter, looking at the bubbles of my beer floating I heard an overly energetic voice.

"Meriieeeeyyy...." A very drunk Elisa spluttered.

"Yesh, my dear?" An equal drunk Mery replied.

"WHY you are SO FUCKING CUTE!?!?!" Shouted between hiccups and swinging from side to side, told Elisa. She was using very intricate makeup, a light grey with shades of pink lipstick, I would guess that some type of mask and underlined eyes with black, wearing some type of pink cute dress, with bunnies imprint, something that I would buy for my daughter If I had one.

"Don't talk so loud....you are the cute one here .." Mery looked down at her shoes, ashamed of her own words, I couldn't see her directly, so I wasn't sure.

Good for them, actually enjoying your friday is hard, no matter if you're surrounded by "friends" If you feel in solitude, it won't matter.

Paying no attention to the drunk talk of the girls, I kept drinking my beer, a cold tasty one, I didn't like how the atmosphere had changed, but if no one is bothering, I can not complain.

"Jessica!!!!!! Two more rounds, please!!!!" Elisa shouted once again.

"Okay girls, give me a moment" Jessica told her while maneuvering between customers with a tray full of drinks.

"Don't you think you had enough to drink??" a concerned Mery told Elisa while putting her hand on top of hers, her nails were bright shiny red.

"Oh, come on, let the girl drink, what are you? her mother?" A mocking drunk guy said approaching with a group of five or six young people.

Slamming the palm of his hand onto the girls table, the young man and his friends surrounded Mery and Elisa's table.

"Say, girls, we were watching for some time, are you alone in this part of town?" The young boy told them with a stupid smile on his face, he stank of alcohol. His friends didn't say anything.

"Actually we are ...." Mery tried to talk before the stinky boy interrupted her.

"You smell nice" He grabbed Elisa's hair with his greasy hands and sniffed it.

Mery stood up and slapped his hands away from Elisa's hair, she was obviously uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" Mery asked the boy, about the same age as her.

"I was just joking, don't be so irrational, are you maybe in your days or something?" The boy mocked Mery.

"We don't know you, we are not your friends, so stop." Mery said with a loud and strong voice.

"Hey, I'm just playing...." The boy tried to speak but Mery continued.

"You are a stranger, go away, we are in the middle of a date, we want a peaceful night" She stood in front of him, she was taller.

"Mmm...Lesbians, I like the challenge...." Before the boy could finish his sentence a fist came crushing his nose, making it bleed.

Mery without a second thought had punched the stranger in the face, making him fall backwards, his friends laughing at him while he tried to compose himself.

"You slut...."the boy whispered, tears falling through his cheeks, didnt blame him, a punch on the nose would make that to you. His friend helped him stand up and urge him to go back to their table. Mery standing now sideways, I could see her face, dark red lipstick with some yellowish, blackish eyeliner, her eyes full of frustration and angriness.

I stood up, nothing about this was my problem, but before I could do something, the boy tried to jump against Mery. It took just one step to get away from his way, and the boy came straight to me, his head punching me in the gut then falling down to my feet.

My stomach didn't like that, not one bit, with an angry snarl from my stomach, I throwed up all over the lying boy. Once again, the laugh of his friends started, the boy defeated.

"I'm so sorry mister, wait..." Mery stopped apologizing halfway through and looked to my face.

"Are you a fucking stalker? Why are you always around us?" Mery interrogated me.

"Excuse Me!? I was here first, enjoying the tranquility of the night, and you!!!, you came here and now all my alcohol is on the ground, again!!!" I snapped back at her.

"Professor!!!!" Elisa called to me like there was nothing wrong in the world.

"....yes?" Her calm tone calmed me down.

"How are you?" She stumber with her words

"What? How am I?" I didn't expect that.

"I'm sorry, she had a little too much to drink" Mery excused her. Jessica came with a silver tray and two shots glass with an ambar looking liquid and little umbrellas sticking out, leaving the glasses on the table she went out of her way to kick the boy lying down.

"You!, take this one out!" Jessica said to the friends of the slumbering one, her voice reminded me of an angry mother.

"YES MA'AM" said in unison the pack of drunken teens. Picking up their friend, they dragged him out of the bar, but they didn't come back again.

Jessica winked at Mery and whispered into her ear before going back to work.

"That was a nice punch, these ones are on the house" .

"Thanks" she moved her lips to no one.

Mery sat down once again. "I'm sorry, that kinda ruined the night" Mery said to Elisa in a disappointed sad voice.

"Ruined? That was awesome!!!" Elisa reassured her, with her signature smile.

Mery couldn't see her directly, her cheeks blushing red as the first time I saw her.

I took two straws that were inside a cup on the counter, and put them in on the drinks.

"Don't let an asshole ruin your date" I told them while taking one of the drinks, the one without the straws, and downing it as fast as I could. Leaving the glass on the counter and with a motion of my hand, I went outside, the group of drunks, nowhere to be seen.

The night was still young, so I decided to wait outside until the bar was empty. While smoking I could see people leaving, slowly, but leaving. After a while Jessica came outside.

"You are still here?" She asked me.

"Didn't like it inside too much" I replied, opening my cigarette box. Before I could take one Jessica snach it from my hands, taking one for herself before giving me back my box.

"You never change" she sighted while lighting her and my cigarette with her lighter, a golden one with some engravings.

"I guess so" The only words that came into my mind.

We smoked in silence for some minutes until Jessica spoke.

"So...do you know the couple?" She asked me with a curious face.

We had never talked more than just my order, so it felt weird, and I was pretty sure she also felt weird talking to me.

"Not really" I replied.

"Those girls looked fond of you" she directed her gaze into my eyes.

"Elisa is a....the blonde one, is a student of mine" It was true, I didn't have any more conexion to her than that.

"I see" she smirked before entering into her bar.

I stood in the cold night watching the moon , it wasn't full, yet, it was beautiful, like a rip in the night sky. In my contemplation Elisa and Mery went outside, not noticing my presence.

"Thanks for inviting me here, I had lots of fun" Elisa told Mery with her usual energy.

"You don't have to thank me, I'm sorry for what happened" Mery told her, looking sad.

"About what?, that asshole that you punched, that was awesome!!" Flanging her arms into the air Elisa spoke.

"You will catch a cold if you don't hurry home" Taking her jacket and gently putting it around Elisa, Mery told her with a loving voice. She was just wearing a sleeveless t-shirt beneath her jacket, a tattoo of a unicorn on her upper arm.

Shrinking herself with joy , Elisa gladly accepted the jacket.

"Well, goodbye, hope to see you soon" Mery told her with a wave of her hand.

"Wait...um.." Elisa grabbed Mery's hand.

"I have something for you" She tapped her shoes together and was looking down, Elisa took the book from her purse.

"You told me you liked classics...so I thought that um..." Without finding the right words, she just dived into her blue purse and took out the book from before, stretched her arms with the book in both hands to Mery.

Mery just took the book and hid it into her back pocket, it looks like she didn't use a purse, and without saying a word she grabbed Elisa by her hand and dragged her into an alley, she walked with determination. Them disappearing into the dark I lit another cigarette. Some time passed and both girls appeared again, they were holding hands, their hair were messed up the same with their makeup, lipstick stains in both of their necks, Elisa with trembling legs and Mery with a proud face of satisfaction. They must have slipped and fallen with the light rain of winter I thought to myself.

"Mery, why don't you stay in my house tonigh?t" Elisa said in a weak voice, still wearing Mery's jacket.

"I would love that, lead the way" Mery said, Elisa took the lead and both girls walked away, holding hands, down the road.

Looking at them I felt jealous, I tried to remember the last time I held hands with someone, I couldn't. Finishing my smoke, I checked if the bar was empty, it wasn't, but it wasn't noisy either.

"At least I got you" I murmured before entering again.