Battle of the Rhine

Before leaving, Michael had a total of three talks with Quincy, all of which ended in failure.

The first time was in the evening.After continuous cloudy days, the long-lost sunlight passed through the kitchen window and shone on the wooden dining table, forming a bright circle.Quincy was cutting a white sausage when Michael returned.This thing is usually eaten in the morning, but no king has stipulated that it should be hanged or exiled for dinner.He took a table knife and cut out even and delicate isosceles triangles.The football game was on the radio, and the Munich team didn't sound like they were in great shape.

"Carl," Michael sat on the opposite chair and rubbed his hands together, "I think—have you been drinking?"

A glass was placed next to the white porcelain plate. It was a light golden transparent liquid with tiny bubbles. "Non-alcoholic beer," said Quincy dryly, "less than half a percent alcohol."

"Well, that's not too good."

Quincy shrugged and piled the sausage triangles on a white china plate.He toasted two slices of bread with sliced ​​cheese.Michael's mouth was parched, and Quincy's profile glowed white under the setting sun, looking more like an adult version of an angel in a church mural.

"I..." Michael held hands, praying quickly in his heart.It didn't work, his mind and body were always at odds with Quincy. "I... I'm 30 years old..."

Quincy hummed and poked a small triangle with a fork.The Munich team looked to be losing, and the announcer yelled in grief. "Then?" He turned the button on the radio and changed the channel.Standard German icily broadcast the headlines of the day, "The government has decided—"

"30 years old is very important," Michael said, "I'm not doing very well, divorced, no family..."

Quincy continued to eat the pile of sausage triangles with an expressionless face.Michael didn't know whether he listened to it or not, but at least 0.5% alcohol concentration would not make normal people go crazy, "You are different from me, you are a college student, smart...you should have a decent family."

"A decent home." Quincy could almost be called amiable. "What is a 'decent home'?"

That's a good question, and Michael was prepared for it: "It's that you're going to have a beautiful wife, you're going to live in a big house, you're raising kids...you teach your kids to play the piano, they're going to be as smart as you, and they're going to go to college. You go to work, and when you come back, there will be a table of steaming meals waiting for you...Go to church on weekends, and travel on holidays. There are many countries in Europe, Switzerland, Austria, England, France...Christmas..."

"That's what you think of as a happy life, isn't it?" Quincy poked at the sausage chunks with a fork. "Nice, Mike. Would you like to live like this?"

"Yes." Michael's tongue was trembling, "I...Of course, I'm not European. Traveling to Europe is still very troublesome. I can only take my family to see the Rocky Mountains and New York...New York is a big place. city ​​of."

"What kind of wife are you going to marry?" Quincy took a sip of beer, a dangerous liquid, "Do you have a goal?"

"'Big Girl' said he wanted to introduce me to some girls." A complete lie. "Big girl"'s wife has just given birth to a little girl, and he is so busy that he has no time at all, "There are many, many, many girls in the world, and you will definitely find a satisfactory one..."

"Thank you." Quincy put down the fork. "Are you done?"

Michael nodded.Quincy adjusted the channel and continued listening to the boring football game.With a bad score, the Munich team has no room to turn around.

The second time was a weekend.Quincy leaned against the fireplace and read.Michael rubbed his hands and tried to squeeze out a smile: "Can I sit here?"

"casual."

Michael sat down.He sat here last Christmas, huddled with Quincy.Quincy kicked his calf, itching; he grabbed Quincy's thin ankle and took off his sock with a gesture.When Quincy begged for mercy, he put on a straight face, "I don't accept your apology." After speaking, he rushed to kiss his mouth and face... illusory, happiness made of foam.

"What are you reading?" Michael asked.Quincy was wrapped in the duffel coat and had very red lips.He had lost some weight, but was still clean, and his blond hair was soft and fluffy, slightly curled.Quincy turned a page, then another. "Salome."

"myth?"

"almost."

Michael sat there listening to the flames licking and crackling the wood.Quincy held the book in his hands, looking calm and focused.Half an hour later, Quincy got up and left with a book in his arms.He went up to the third floor and was never seen again that day.

The last time, it was already December.Michael tidied up the things in the office and stuffed them into a cardboard box.It was three o'clock in the afternoon on a Friday, and Quincy, of course, was not home.Michael put the cardboard boxes on the second floor. It was very cold. He went to the living room to light the fireplace and lay on the sofa in a daze.The fire brought warmth, the sofa was extremely comfortable, and the exhaustion of insomnia for days soon made Michael fall into a coma.

Spring has come, and after a light rain, he should loosen the garden and plant seeds.It's also good to plant some vines, let the branches cover the fence, and in summer, there will be a wall of white flowers.Quincy loved flowers, and flowers were delightful.There are still many places they haven't been to, until the summer...

There was some movement in the kitchen, and Michael wanted to open his eyes, but he could only slightly lift his eyelids.A golden shadow with a straight back.Carl, Michael opened his mouth happily and made a vague syllable, "...you are off work."

Shadow hummed.

"Do you work overtime tomorrow?"

"Do not."

"I won't work overtime tomorrow... let's go out and play. Go to Switzerland... ask Xia Li if they can go..."

After a while, maybe a few minutes, Michael was fully awake.He just said something stupid, I don't know if Quincy heard it clearly.God bless, if he only heard some stupid ravings.Quincy held a coffee mug and was dressed formally, not at work.Michael rubbed his temples, "Going out?"

"Go on a date," Quincy said.

This "good news" made Michael fall into a brief daze.On the date, he glanced at Quincy, the college student was tying a scarf, and the beautiful gray scarf stayed neatly around his neck.Then Quincy fixed her hair again.Then he was about to go out, Michael hurriedly changed his shoes, "Where are you going? I'll see you off!"

"No, thank you."

"I'll see you off, this time..."

Quincy did not continue to refuse.It was almost six o'clock, and as a German, he certainly didn't want to be late.Michael was driving, probably because he just woke up, so he couldn't use his hands.Quincy pointed the direction, simple "right", "go straight", "forward"... At an intersection, Michael suddenly found that Quincy might have forgotten to wear gloves in a hurry, and his two white hands were placed on his knees , Knuckles red with cold.

If it was before, Michael would grab those two hands without saying a word, wrap them in his hands and rub them.But he doesn't dare to do that now, everyone's eyes on the street seem to be watching his every move.The patrolling policeman seemed to have noticed the darkness in his heart, and looked at him... He shook his head, pretending not to see Quincy's hand, and continued walking along the road.

"Thank you for sending me," said Quincy suddenly. "Thank you very much."

"Well, it's okay," Michael laughed dryly, "We're friends...it's normal."

"You Americans all sleep with your friends?"

"..."

"It's here, please stop."

Michael subconsciously stepped on the brakes, Quincy opened the door, and left without looking back.Michael was in a daze for a few seconds, and took out a pair of gloves from his jacket pocket.After thinking twice, he decided to go after him and gave Quinnessy the glove.However, as soon as he had this idea, he saw Quincy smiling and shaking hands with a beautiful blonde woman.