The next two workdays passed by. On Saturday, Luigi and Mario were on their way to the local bar that they hung out at every weekend for the past two years, the drinking age being twenty-one.

"A nice cool drink would do you good," Luigi said. "Don't drink too much, though."

"When do I ever drink too much?" Mario asked.

"Last week, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve..."

"Is that Spike?"

Luigi looked at the man that Mario was pointing at in the distance. It was Spike Black. He was a construction worker who usually wore a white shirt, blue jeans, and a yellow construction hat.

"I hate that guy," Mario said. "He's always being annoying and telling dumb jokes when he's drunk."

"I don't think I've ever seen him without that yellow hat," Luigi said.

"I don't want to hang in the bar with him."

"We can just sit far away from him."

"No. He'd just come up to me and ask me to pay for a beer. I'm not spending my money at the bar today. I'm gonna hang out somewhere else for a change. Maybe there."

Mario pointed at the building that was across the street from the bar.

"The gym?" Luigi said. "Since when do you want to go to the gym?"

"I'm getting chubby," Mario said. "You are thin. You would not understand."

"I'm not that thin!"

There was traffic in the street. Mario ran across the street, jumping to avoid the cars that were passing by.

"Watch where you're going, frog!" a driver shouted.

"I'm Italian, asshole!" Mario said.

"You almost killed yourself, Mario!" Luigi yelled.

"I'll be faster within a few months," Mario replied.

Mario saw Luigi shake his head before he went to the bar. Mario entered the gym. He lifted weights and punched a punching bag most of the time. He loved to pretend that the punching bag was Spike.

"You think I care that you're better at Poker than me? You wanna get in a bar fight? Boom!"

He punched the punching bag with extreme force. Hours later, Mario walked out of the gym and saw Luigi waiting outside for him.

"How was it?" Luigi asked.

"It was great!" Mario said with a smile.

Mario went to the gym again the next day. Then the next day. He thought about going to the gym on St. Patrick's Day, but Luigi would not allow it.

"You need a break," Luigi said.

"But I love this place," Mario said.

"Let's go to the bar. It's St. Patrick's Day. You haven't been pinched all day because I let you borrow one of my shirts. You owe me."

"Okay. There's no need to whine. I'll go to the bar."

When they entered the bar, they noticed that Spike was wearing a green suit.

"Check out the suit, fellas," Spike said. "You brothers wouldn't be able to afford this baby. You've only got those shirts that make you look more like identical twins. All that Mario's missing is the hat. And his overalls need to be blue instead of white."

"I only have one hat," Luigi said.

"How did you afford it?" Mario asked.

"I made a bet and won."

"Was the bet that you could be obnoxious for many hours straight?"

"Actually, the bet was that I could operate the crane drunk."

"There's a surprise."

"You got a problem, Mario?"

Spike stood up and faced Mario. Mario wanted to punch him so bad. He controlled himself.

"Beer, please," Mario said to the bartender.

"That's right," Spike said. "Back down."

Mario and Luigi sat down and drank together. Mario did not want to fight Spike just yet. He wanted to wait until he was as strong as he could get. Only then would he be able to give Spike the right amount of pain that he deserved.