Part 1 - "It could be worse, I could be alone" "What can I do for ya?" "Well I guess you don't have much to offer...", Reyes said sighing while sitting down, emotionless looking at the bartender. "Excuse me?" "Surprise me..." "Whatever you want." He filled his glass and let it slide across the bar.
Reyes started to wonder while holding the drink into the light: "What....is that?!", he asked the barman while looking at the questionable liquid. "Have you never seen Liberty Ale?"
He took a sip "Pooh-Ugh..." trying to swallow it somehow: "That is never Liberty Ale! That's disgusting!"
The bartender began to laugh and turned away... "Hey Al'. Everything's alright?" Sanders and Lennox joined him. "As far as it can be...what's with Marisa?" "She's coming later, there seems to be a problem with the airlock or something..." Lennox said. "I thought YOU are the chief engineer there?" Sanders was wondering. "Well, I am but she said I can go already.""Generous as always..."
"However, why did you want us to come here?" "What day do we have?" "Saturday, why asking?" "I mean which date..." "Uhmm... 25th of Jan-ohh..." "What're you talking about?" "It's Zara's birthday." Mason whispered to Gregor. "You don't have to whisper it..." "Sorry Al'." "And stop apoligizing." "I'm sorry."
"Here we had our first date..." "On California Minor...?" "Ye it's weird, isn't it? But I thought the snow has something romantic, you know?...And it had how it seems..."
A moment of silence crossed the almost empty bar. "Did you ever have a date in the mean time?" "Of course not... I had no reason for that anyway." "You should start dating then, Alex. It has been more than what? 20 years now? And you for sure won't become any younger as well." "Greg, just don't..." "No, no he's right...but I don't feel like there could be someone like her again..", taking a sip from his drink "Bweh—ahh s***! Barman, give me something drinkable!" "3 Whisky please.." "He meant 3 bottles.", the bartender and the other two looked at him with big eyes. "...what? Why are you starin' at me like that?""Wellllll... you are paying. Here you are." "Let's go to the table over there."
They walked to the other table and sat down.
"Sooo..theeen... “ *slight coughs* “...don't look out for someone like her. Start looking for something new." "Or what's with Marisa? She's still hella attractive for her age." "I don't think that would work, especially because we tried already.." "But that's like, what? 25 years ago? I think you both changed a lot. And by the way, she used every minute she had to help you with your children, those whole 25 years, if not even more... I don't think she would have done that if she didn't have some few feelings for you." "Or she's just a very good friend like you are..." "I can actually just agree to Mason. Say, I mean you two probably did but, did you two ever talk about that comprehensively?" "No, we didn't..." "What?! The whole time, like about 2 f****** DECADES, you didn't even speak to her for once?!" "I guess if she wanted to talk she would have told me." "No she wouldn't. I think she's just still embarrassed 'bout the whole thing. You sho--""Hey guys.” Marisa enters the room. “Sorry I'm late. The airlock didn't close anymore." "Hey Marisa." "Hey there." "There you are. We've been waiting for you the whole time.""Ye - haha - very funny..., d***head"
Sanders whispering to Reyes while pouring in the Whisky: "We are not done yet, Alex!"
Marisa sat down as well: "So, what were you talking about?" "About how good Sanders knows the women..." "Oh no, what have you done again...?" "Ohhh, shut up Lenny!" "Don't call me Lenny, Sandy!" "I suggest it's enough of that." "Agreed." "Anyway, who's missing?" "Melissa and Laureen...now that you mention it, we may not have enough Whisky..."
Marisa was looking down on the 3 bottles and then staring at Gregor. "Why's everyone staring at me?!"
She looks over to Reyes and Lennox. "Do I really have to ask?..." "It's better we just change the topic..."
Sanders stands up and walks over to the bar again. "4 more please."
The bartender leans to the side and looks over to the other 3 who seem obviously ashamed of Sanders. "I think you have a drinking problem..." Lennox said as Sanders sat down. "Oh come on, I'm drinking once a da....week." *coughs* "Of course you do..."
Ryker joins the table. "Ryker! What are you doing here! I thought you were on vacation in Kusari." "Ho, I couldn't leave my brother "alone" this day!"
Alex stood up to hug his brother. "...and to be honest, my flight was canceled." "Why so?" "From what I heard, increased pirate activity... but what do I know." "Isn't that usual for, well, any time?" "Ye, can't understand as well but can't change it anyway. So, what are we up to?"
Both sit down again. "Well I suggest drinking!"
Ryker looks at the 7 bottles in sum as well. "...well then we gotta start finally!"
Mason, Marisa and Alex began to laugh.
Later the 2 ladies arrived and stood until 3 AM in the morning, when they left with Lennox and the highly drunk Greg.
Part 2 - "I ran away from you"
At 4 AM, Marisa and Alex where the only ones left.
"...ched him in the face?" *laughs* "Ye, he left me no other choice! Haha..." "You could have just walked away." *laughs harder* "Well for sure he won't do it again." "If he ever dares to leave his house again!" "Wondering what he told the doc in the hospital?" “You just smashed his mouth, I doubt he’s ever gonna say anything haha...” “Probably hah….”
Both silently stare at their glasses for a minute.
“How’re you feeling?” “I’m...alright...why?” “I didn’t forget about it, Alex…so?” “Well… I don’t know, it’s been so long now. But it still feels a lot like it just happened 3 days ago. There was barely a day I didn’t think of her and of how much I miss her.
Even though we got him, I never really finished and maybe won’t ever.” “I feel it…but why this year though.”“What you mean?” “I mean it ain’t the first year she’s away and it’s her birthday. Why did you want us all to come together this time?” “...You just said it. We’re barely all hanging out together nowadays and sometimes I really miss it. I kind of wanted to use it for a real cause to us all to gather again. Just like in old times.” “Oh Al’…” *takes Alex’s hand* “I...I know you miss these days. I do as well. Really. But it won’t be the same anymore. At least until we all gather again after our retirement.” “Well, I guess I just need time to pass and things to happen to get to this point with my feelings as well. The logical side of me is aware of that. But not the emotional side.”
Alex looks at Marisa and starts to smile after a moment. Their eyes slowly turn glassy as they both look at each other thinking of Zara.
He takes his glass and lifts it up slightly. “A cheer for Zara…” Both clink glasses.
When both calmed again, Alex started to talk about a long overdue topic. “May I ask you something weird?”“Sure.” “I mean it’s like 30 years ago but…why did you quit back when we were together.” “Alex…that’s so damn long ago. How come you wanna talk about it now?” “Well…I’ve been talking with the guys an-““- So you were talking to Greg, this fool -” “- yea erm...anyway not only him but also Mason. And actually, it was about starting to date again and the possibility that it might help getting over… stuff. And I thought maybe if we get to talk about what went wrong back then it would help me somehow. Apart from that, we haven’t talked about it a single time ever since.” “Well…to be honest, you haven’t done anything wrong. Really. And it wasn’t about my feelings as well. I swear. There was just something coming up in my life with that time and I couldn’t handle both.” “So it wasn’t about your feelings for me back then? You still felt the same? Is that why you disappeared for so long as well?” “Yes. And when I felt like I could handle your presence again, with the feelings I had for you later on, I started to come back.” “I always thought you were just done with me.”“No, it was really about these…things.” “And how has it been for you then, when you knew that Zara and me would…date?” “Sh**. In the beginning I felt really bad. But it also helped to get over stuff faster. So in the end it was probably not as bad, at least in a wider sense.” “Oh man…I’m so sorry really, I didn’t know…” “Alex it’s fine. It’s like 30 years ago and you’ve been such a great friend. I wouldn’t want anything to be different.” “If you say so…”“I mean it, really.” Marisa takes Alex’s hand again and gives him an approving nod and a short smile. “Anyway back to the topic. Since you know what it was all about back then, it probably won’t help you much with your…intention still. It might sound weird but, why don’t you try out a relation with people from your past? Like old relationships from your youth.” “Well there aren’t too many actually. There was you…Zara… and a girlfriend I had for some months when I was 15 or so.” “Why did you quit back then?”“Actually because she moved and we barely had opportunities to see each other during that time…” “Was it that far away?” “Rheinland.” Marisa choked on her Whisky and spat it right into Alex’s face. “Thanks…”
“Sorry I...somewhat forgot we made peace for a second.”“Yeah I...saw that.”, Alex says while wiping the Whisky off his face. “But it should not be as easy to find her I guess. I don’t even know her orientation nor am I able to guess. I can’t recall she ever mentioned something about that. All I know basically is...that she’s originally from Rheinland and her name. But that’s it.” “Well, what was her name?”“Lena Wolff.”“That’s a rather cliched name, I gotta say.” “Yeah, thought the same back then.” “Why did you never tell me about her?” “Well it was in my youth firstly. Apart from that she’s rheinlandic and it ain’t so long ago I could have been killed for telling anyone...or at least become some kind of target.” “Well the borders are open now, more or less. I’d say that’s your chance. You could also go on vacation there or so, if you can’t find her in the end.” “Yeah vacation would actually be nice. But it’s sh** to go alone.” “I would go with you, but someone needs to care of the ship, while you’re abroad. And Mason is currently quite busy with your project.” “That’s what I’m saying…hm…I wouldn’t like to take Gregor with me. I don’t wanna carry him home each time we enter a damn bar.” “What about Ryker, he wanted to go on vacation anyway, if I got that right.” “With Tessa, not alone. And I definitely won’t consider taking my kids with me.” “You know, I’m slowly running out of options...whatever I’m just gonna organize something so Mason will accompany you.” “Nah, let him be. He’s the only one who can handle...that.” “By the way, when are we finally allowed to speak about IT openly?”“Whenever...the main construction is done.” “Well it ain’t too far away then. However, I’m talking to him tomorrow” “No really, don’t do it. I need him to do his task.” “You know as much as I do that you’re just distracting. Al, you’ve been unhappy and...incomplete for so long and you won’t make it any better if you keep avoiding your very own personal problems over and over again. Unless you aren’t planning to fall into a hole once more, it’s absolutely inevitable for you to finally take your head up and LOOK FORWARD! You finally deserve to be happy. And don’t f****** even dare to come up with the replacement topic. I’ll figure out a solution and if not, it can wait until you guys are back.”
Alex stares at Marisa for a moment. “Alright then, ask him. But it’s quite probable she’s already taken. It could also be she’s not living in Rheinland anymo -““- ALEX!” Marisa shouts.
The Bartender and the few remaining customers looked over to their table while Marisa kept her semi-aggressive face, straight looking at Reyes.