One day in December 2016, Robbie tweeted about him scrap booking photographs from himself and William and the latter reacted surprised about Robbie being into scrap booking and even more that he didn't know so far. Of course, I had to do something with that information! Enjoy.

6 | Scrap Scandal

"William!" Robbie almost shouted out. Quite obviously, he was honestly but pleasantly surprised when he opened the door just to see his friend standing on the other side of his home.

"I, um, didn't expect you."

"I hope, I don't disturb you, my friend," William smiled but wasn't entirely certain about him being welcome.

"No, no, really, no. Not at all. Please, come in," Robbie hastened to say and stepped aside a little, so William was able to enter.

There certainly had been one or two Nos too many. But Robbie was his best friend. He would tell him if his presence was somehow inconvenient for him.

Perhaps he wasn't alone?

"You up for a drink?" William heard Robbie asking behind his back, so he turned around while he took off his coat.

"Very much. Anything hot will do. Thank you," William went for a quick answer, not demanding anything specific because all of a sudden he didn't feel too well in surprising Robbie.

There certainly was something wrong. Or different. He did disturb him. And he didn't want to tell him.

And William didn't want to ask. It was a strange feeling of knowing and refusing to know. At least trying of that.

William didn't know what to do. But just standing there in the hallway, waiting for his friend, seemed ridiculous enough.

So, while he heard the noises of a working water boiler, William went right to the living room where he was met by the sight of a packed table. There were books, coloured paper, glue, pens and lots of photographs thrown around in apparently no specific order.

William sat down on the comfortable couch, his favourite place in Robbie's home. At first, he didn't want to look closer but then he saw a quite familiar picture: him and Robbie together in a wrestling ring, all dressed up in their early Golden Boys extravaganza. William grabbed the photograph, let his eyes wander about the pale colours and smiled.

Those were the times.

When Robbie joined him with two cups of tea, William didn't even notice because he was completely absorbed in all those pictures that were loosely arranged in front of him.

Robbie made place for the mugs on the table, then took a seat right next to his friend. It was only then when William entered the present time again, back from his memories and thoughts about long past events.

"We know each other for such a long time but I had no idea that you are into scrap booking, my friend," William said and smiled at Robbie.

"I've got too much time apparently," Robbie replied but too fast and he also noticed his instant blushing.

"No need to be ashamed of it, Robert," William said while Robbie mumbled that he wasn't. It didn't sound very believable, so it was rather obvious that it was indeed the scrap booking, Robbie wanted to hide from his friend. And now that it was spread out broad and naked in front of his very eyes, Robbie kind of felt naked himself.

"It's just a little surprising, my friend, because I never actually imagined you as a scrap booker, you know, with our narrow schedule and you being a little... all over the place, you know," William specified and put an arm around Robbie's shoulders.

"I've calmed down a little in recent years," Robbie mumbled, trying to escape the hug. But William didn't let him.

"Robert, I really don't laugh at you here; actually, it's great because I already lost memory about a lot of those events, matches and places, tents and rides. It's good to have those pictures. Because with the pictures, the memories come back. And that's kind of useful in our age, right?" William asked and smiled at his friend. To that Robbie finally turned his head to look William right in his eyes.

"Why do you have to sound like a ninety-year-old?" Robbie asked back. His cheeks looked still reddish but he added the cheeky grin of a teenage boy to them. It earned him an even closer hug.

"Perhaps with all those memories and experiences, I feel like one sometimes?" William still smiled but turned his attention back to the table. He loosened the hug, so he got both of his hands to shuffle through the photographs that weren't already carefully glued into one of those colourful books.

"Look at all those venues, our highly uncomfortable but at the same time cute looking trunks, dresses and costumes. And then, the pale colours, those haircuts... it does look like one century ago," William talked, very well trapped inside his memories again.

"Well, it all happened in the last millennium. So, that is that," Robbie said but also looked at the photos and seemed to be caught in his own memories now. He felt less uncomfortable and might have been glad after all that William finally got to know about his hobby.

Together they finally started to look at the pictures, arrange them after years, outfits, venues and events and then put them into the books. Of course, they didn't finish their work because what Robbie collected in all those years, just was too much to get into an order in just a few hours.

And still, William noticed something that he wasn't able to hide from his friend. Again, he put an arm around Robbie's shoulder when both of them just had leaned back in the couch to rest after almost one hour of gluing, writing and giggling.

"I just wonder..." William started and waited until he got Robbie's full attention. "Why am I on almost all of those pictures while there are hardly any of you?"

"Well, you are my friend; and you've made it. I'm just proud of you, and I like to have something from you when you're not around me," Robbie explained but he didn't exactly why. Because it sounded right in his mind but rather soppy when spoken.

And, of course, Robbie's face once again turned into an almost ripe tomato.

But that just made William smile and play with Robbie's hair.

"And you are my friend; and you've made it, too. I'm proud of you and I can call myself lucky to have you over here," William then said in his soft voice, and all of a sudden, those words seemed to be a perfect fit and not at all overly sentimental.

Robbie looked into the eyes of his friend and behind them appeared all those memories from thirty years. All those pictures were in those eyes. So, in having the scrap books was something like bathing into those eyes as in an ocean of memories.

"Let's build a pool for you then, with pictures from me for you to bath in from time to time," Robbie finally said and he giggled over William's huge question mark that appeared in his face all of a sudden.

finis.