"Here's to all of us who worked so hard in the past five days!"
Gulps of bitter liquid were consumed after the toast was made. The small bar is unusually crowded today, sea of people walking around, ordering drinks, playing darts. An underage looking girl with too much exposed skin bumped into Germania and hurriedly scurries away after muttering a small 'sorry'. It has been a tradition for the gang to come out to this bar 'Moon Shine' and drink until they can't remember their names. The bar owner, a small man with a lot of facial hair knows them, and always knows when to stop them from having too much, or it'll end up like last time.
"Hey chicky chicky chicky! Alone tonight?" Roma whistled to a blonde with breasts too big to be real and winked. Roma was already drunk after his 4th round of beer, his tolerance for alcohol today is surprisingly low today. He made a kissing face at the girl. He pointed at the girl and back at him and humped the air in front of him.
The girl stared at him in disgust and walked away.
"Oh yeah, she digs me. Call me later baby!" Roma smiled stupidly at himself and slams his glass on the bar top. "Fill it up Bob!"
The 'Bob' he called looked at him funnily and took his glass away. Germania was seeing stars, he already had too much liquor in his system thanks to the loud Italian beside him. Everything is shaking like he's in the middle of an earthquake with nobody running and screaming. Plus his head hurts and he really wanted to just go home and bury his head in the pillow until the world breaks in half.
"Roma… I think I should head home now." Germania said to Roma, pulling on his sleeves.
"Aww come ON! It's just getting started! Come on Germy, sit down and have another drink. BOB! Give him the best beer you have!"
"Bu-but…"
"No buts, don't be such a spoilsport. Here, drink up and enjoy the night! The night is still young you know! Come on!"
The night, as Roma called it, is now 2 am in the morning.
Germania had no choice but to pour the liquid down his throat. With a satisfied grin on his face, Roma left him, to where, Germania didn't care. He couldn't lift his head up and his head is pounding in his skull. The music is too loud and the people are too noisy. He ran his fingers through his long hair and groaned at the throbbing in his head.
"Heeeey laaadies and geeentlemen!"
Mein Gott… please, no.
Groaning, Germania turned around and stared wide eye at a half naked Roma with bunny ears on his head, standing on the centre on the table at one corner, screaming away in a microphone.
"So today I and my best best bestest friend in the whole wide world, Germy is here to celebrate God knows what because we're always here, but this night! I want to sing this song to tell him that 'I love you buddy! You've been such a gre-at person and I appreciate that. So let me sing you 'I will always love you' by Whitneey Houston! Music Bob!"
Germania stared at him with his jaw dropped open while the crowd looked at him amused when he sang the first note, then to the chorus, he couldn't reach such a high note so he just turned it into s semi-rap.
"I-I yeah, will will, oh yeah, al-al-always love you! Repeat! I-I yeah…"
The crowd went wild, laughing, cheering at the singing half naked man on the table, which only encouraged him to act more stupidly, swinging his arms over his head and winking at random strangers, be it female or male down there.
After a while of acting like a mad man, Roma was now dancing with some stranger, humping at each other in such ways that should be illegal. Germania couldn't take it anymore and went straight at him to drag him away from the guy.
"Wha-what? Oh hey Germy! I was just…"
"Going home, we're going home Roma."
Eyes of curious people stared at them as they pass through the crowd to get to the door.
"So that's the guy he's singing to?"
"Wow he has long hair."
"How cute."
"Oh please, he looks so gay."
Ignoring their comments and stares, Germania pushed Roma out into the cold air and out of the bar.
He slammed Roma on the side of the car. Roma let out a pained moan and looked at Germania weirdly.
"If this happen, again, I will kick your ass so hard that it come right out of your mouth, got it?"
Germania shuddered at the thought of that incident, he had been known as the 'I will always love you guy' while Roma is the 'Bunny eared half naked Whitney Houston impersonator'. And the two nicknames stayed with them for a long time.
After downing their drinks, the two men and two other women in the gang sat down in silence. The two women, like Roma and Germania, are teachers in the same college, the same old college which has been standing in this land for quite a long time. While Germania and Roma are history teachers, the two women, Antonia and Rebekka are both Spanish and music teachers. They met Rebekka on the opening ceremony of the school and instantly became good friends. It was quiet an awkward meeting, as Roma was trying to flirt with Rebekka and Germania blushed away in embarrassment. Rebekka thought that Roma was some homeless rapist (since he's always in a mess, with hair sticking out all over the place and un-ironed clothes. Shirt always un-tucked and always has that sexy little stubble on his jaw) and punched him on the face. After a few apologizing and explanation, Rebekka finally believes that Roma is a teacher here and apologizes for her rudeness.
How they met Antonia, they don't really remember. Germania said they met her in this bar and Rebekka said they met her in the college. But they can give a conclusion that at the time they met her, they were dead drunk to not remember it.
"So, tell us about what happened last Thursday that got you so mad. You stormed out of the classroom with so much steam coming out from your ears. " Roma asked Rebekka, who now has a small blush on her cheeks.
"Harassment by one of my students, again."
Roma whistled.
"Ooh… that Beilschmidt boy again?"
"Yes."
"Ah, that's too bad. He's a good kid."
"A good kid won't lift my skirt up when I'm teaching with a long stick. Seriously…"
The three others laugh when she crossed her arms across her chest.
"But even if he is a bit perverted, he has great talent in music."
"Bekka, I can tell that he likes you, I mean, like like you." Antonia says in a heavy Spanish accent. Rebekka stared at her like she had just told her to kill herself.
"What a thought Antonia, what a thought."
"I mean, everyone can tell. You're just slow Bekka, I mean, guys don't send girls flowers and chocolates for nothing."
"I thought it was a teacher's day gift."
"It was December; teacher's day was long gone."
Rebekka took a sip of her drink and stay silent, fingering the edge of her glass, she sighed.
"But… I'm a teacher, and I'm way older than him…"
"Bah, who cares? As long as it's love, it's love. There's no age difference when it comes to love." Roma said to Rebekka, now twisting the hem of her shirt.
"Go for it, that guy is seriously in love with you, I can tell." Roma said as he put a hand on Rebekka's knee. "And you're the youngest among us so… why not?"
Rebekka looks down to her boots and bit her lips. "Well… I guess he's kind of cute… a big self centered but still…. in a cute way."
The three smiled at her as she stupidly grinned at the thought of her albino student.
"Now, Antonia, anything interesting?" Germania asked, leaning on the counter, waving his hand to signal over the bartender, 'Bob'.
Antonia smiles and let out a contented sigh. "I think I'm in love."
The three stared at her, wide eyed and let out a loud 'what?'
"Oh you don't understand… she is just…"
"She?"
Antonia nods. "Yes, she. Lovina. I am so attracted to her, her feistiness, her loudness, her obnoxiousness, a bit rude and always swearing like a machine gun but… she's just so… perfect."
Rebekka scoots away slowly from her. "Uh, I don't mean to be rude but… since when do you like girls?"
"Since I was born. I have no interests in men. Men, urgh, what horrible creatures. Girls are better, they're much gentler, much more considerate and…"
"Ok ok, I think I have to stop you now." Germania held up his hand. Antonia's eyes sparkled when she was talking about the said student. Roma stared at her in disbelief. "Tonia, do you know who that is?"
"Lovina? Yeah. She's an Italian, with her identical sister Feliciana, they both transferred here from…"
"I mean do you know that she's my granddaughter?"
Silence.
"Granddaughter?" Germania exclaimed, taking the glass Bob handed him and nodded a thanks, then continue to stare at Roma with wide eyes.
"You have a granddaughter? Since when?" Rebekka asked, curious.
Roma sighs and takes a sip at his drink.
"Oh it was just young mistakes. Stupid stupid teenage mistakes. I was quite a playboy when I was young and I like one night stands, wait, no, I love one night stands. Different women every night, different places. No commitment, no promises, no love, just two of us, strangers sometimes, fucking each other down the mattress and pretend nothing happened the day after that. But one day, one of the women I was with ended up pregnant, apparently the condom I used had been poked with holes by someone as a joke. And since I was using condoms, she thought she didn't need pills and then Bam! She was pregnant, and she was just sixteen. So young and her future were ruined, by me. So then her parents found out and wanted me, insisted me to marry her, since I am the man I have to take responsibility."
Roma takes a deep breath while the others look at him. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair and continued,
"And so we're married, me at the age of 17 and she 16. It was horrible. Her stomach was already showing and it's pretty obvious in her wedding gown. The guests were whispering, talking about her and she couldn't take it. She was slowly turning mad, day by day, little by little. So in the end after giving birth to the baby, she killed herself. Hanged herself on the branch of the oak tree in the backyard. Just like that, leaving me to care for the baby, it was a baby girl. She was pretty, just like her mother. So I took care of her alright, and when she was 18, she ran away from home with a note saying she found true love and will now left with him to conquer the world. Stupid innocence of hers. Left me frantic, and looking for her everywhere. I couldn't find her, not in her friends' house, not in every motel or hotel in the city. I was devastated. So I just let it be after a whole month of searching, telling myself that maybe she really did found her true love and now he is treating her nice in some tropical island far away from here, who know? And after one year or so, she came back alone, crying, in a mess and a pair of twins in her hand."
"Feliciana and Lovina." Antonia whispers, Roma nodded.
"Pathetic, no? A father at the age of 17 and a grandfather at the age of 36. Hah. What a joke. And what a sick joke that is."
Roma shook his head and took another gulp at his drink.
"She told me that she was diagnosed with some weird disease after she left me. Unable to pay for the medical treatment and the fees, her 'lover' left her. She was already 5 months pregnant with the babies. She blamed herself every day, she told me. Blamed herself for being so stupid and believing in all those lies the guy told her. A few times, she almost want to go and join her mother in heaven, but looking down at her bulging stomach, she knew she had to live, 'for the child' she said. She didn't know they were twins, until she gave birth to them in a small, dirty clinic in some alley. She had no money to go to a proper clinic or a hospital. She said it really was a miracle for the two small babies to be born healthily. Both girls wailed so loud that the sky almost broke in two, she named them 'Feliciana' and 'Lovina' without a second thought. After that, she made her way home and begged me to take in back in, after all the horrible things she had done. Why of course I'd take you in, you're my daughter, I said. She broke down crying in my arms with two little souls in her arms. And 2 years after that, she passed away in her sleep, with both of her daughters next to her, clutching to her hand."
Roma's eyes shone with tears and took a tissue to wipe his eyes when Germania offered him.
"So now you're… how old?" Rebekka asks in a small voice, afraid to offend and sadden the tan Italian in front of her.
"Me? 54? I don't know… I lost count a while ago, I mean, it's just age, no one really cares, no? As long as you don't die and is still converting oxygen to carbon dioxide then… so be it."
"I didn't know you're that old…" Germania said.
"Ah, I know right, I couldn't believe it either, but thank the Lord up above for giving me forever young complex."
"So can I like Lovina?" Antonia asked, in a voice so small that Roma almost missed. Then she looked down to her skirt and twisted a curl of her hair in her finger, 'Ah, I'm sorry… I shouldn't…"
Roma smiled and took her hand in his. "Tonia, love, if you're happy then, go for it. As long as you don't break my Lovi's heart then… it's fine. I love my granddaughters, very very much. So if you break her heart, I will break your neck Tonia, I swear."
Antonia laughed and gave Roma a big hug, muttering a small 'Gracias'.
"Well, this is awkward… So what's your story Germania? A student is in love with me, Tonia is in love with a student, a female student which is also shockingly Roma's granddaughter, Roma is a 50 something old fart and what about you?" Rebekka looked at Germania with curiosity in her violet eyes.
"Yeah tell us, you must have something that is really shocking."
Germania looked at their curious and anticipating faces. Three pairs of eyes stared at him and it's making him really uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat and took hold at his empty glass. "Refill please, Bob."
The 'Bob' nodded and took over his glass. Till now, the men behind the bar is known as 'Bob' to the four of them, no one knows his real name and none of them bother to ask, plus the owner seemed fine with being called as 'Bob'. So 'Bob' it is.
"M-me?"
The three nodded as 'Bob' handed Germania is filled glass. He took a gulp and looked around.
The crowd had thinned down to a few people, some dancing on the dance floor to an annoying disco song and some snogging their partners' face off in the furthest corner in the room.
"I-I don't have shocking tales you know."
Antonia lets out a small 'pfft' as Roma frowned. "Na dude, you must have SOMETHING."
Germania sucked in his cheeks and lets out a huge sigh.
"Alright, alright… well I do have something to confess…"
The three gathered closely near Germania as he said that, eyes wide and nodding in excitement.
" I… I hate my job."
"Che…" The three rolled their eyes up to heaven and smacked him on the tight.
"Don't we all Germy, don't we all."
"But it has brought a lot of interesting things don't you think?" Rebekka says, tilting her head to one side and let her long brunette hair swept across her shoulder.
"For example, you guys…" Antonia smiled at the three of them.
"Yeah… I hate my job but, I don't think I can survive without it. Teaching those kids History is like… a part of me now, it's like breathing. Like a routine of getting up in the morning, dragging your ass to the bathroom, clean up and drive to work, then force some 'boring' historical facts down the student's throat… it's fun, watching the kids struggle to remember the dates and places, really guys I don't think remembering those things are hard…" Roma shrugged.
"Of course you don't have a problem remember it, you're practically history yourself, nonno." Rebekka teased.
The gang laughed.
Germania ran his fingers down his long blonde hair and sigh.
"What's up with you and the long hair?" Antonia asked.
Germania has a head of long straight perfect almost shampoo commercial quality blonde hair that every girl would kill to have. But what made him keep it so long, the Spanish woman is curious.
"A fear of hairdressers." Germania muttered quietly.
"Che, I was thinking that maybe you have an awesome tale about why you refuse to cut your hair, something like breaking up with a lover or some sort… so, how long has it been since your last haircut?"
"A few years ago? I don't really remember."
"Heh, I had to drag him to it believe it or not. He was just like a gigantic baby, hugging at the stop sign on the streets, refusing to go into the hair salon." Roma laughed while Germania shot him a dirty look.
"For real?" Rebekka gasped and laughs.
"Yeah, well you all know Francis, the perverted hairdresser guy? He almost chained him to the chair, he keeps moving so much! Screaming, even."
The women laughed, leaving a very embarrassed Germania.
"Um… what day is today?" Antonia suddenly asked the three around her. Roma and Rebekka both shrugged while Germania took out his phone to look at the date and the time in process.
"Umm… Sunday… OH MEIN GOTT IT'S STARTING I HAVE TO GO!" Germania stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair in the process and ran out the now deserted bar.
The three stared as the door closed behind him.
"What's with him?" Rebekka asked and the two shrugged.
"No no no no no! You're supposed to pass the ball to him! Oh Mein Gott you stupid piece of crap!"
Germania was screaming and shouting and waving his arms like a mad man at the television in front of him. Today there's a match of his favorite football team and his most hated football team. He almost forgot that, all caught up listening to the shocking tales of his friends. His team had already scored a goal and he cursed himself for not being able to witness it.
"No you ass! Don't don't don't! Mein Gott!" he collapsed on the couch behind him with his hands covering his face when the opponent scored a goal.
Germania, the football craze watched the match, loudly until the sun rises and the match ended. His team lost and he was devastated, he went to bed, cursing and swearing at the football players.
His head hit the pillow and he was fast asleep.
Then after what feels like only a few minutes, his obnoxious alarm clock blasted out that damned tune, signaling him to get his ass out of bed and go to work.
Germania groaned at the loudness of the alarm and at the pain in his head. He slammed his hand down at the snooze button and turned away from the sunlight pouring from the opened window. He had forgotten to shut it last night, again.
"Mein Gott I hate Mondays."
Hello, again. It was 7 in the morning and I came out with this stupid story. Inspired by the essay titled 'Monday' assigned by my teacher.
Again, I do not own Hetalia, no matter how much I want to.
