Battle of the Rhine

This failed prostitution experience hangs over Michael's head like the sword of Damocles.On Sunday, he confessed in pain in church, emptying his wallet to let the shame subside a little.God was reminding him that at night, Michael knelt and murmured a prayer, vowing never to be a deviant again, to be a truly decent man.

On Monday, Michael's heart was still heavy.The city's winter skies never seem to clear up, with blustery winds bringing snowflakes and ice crystals like coarse gravel.Mary called to ask him about his Christmas plans, "I don't know yet," Michael snorted, "yes, I have nowhere to go... eh, eh, no, it's too far away... no, really, thanks... "

Mary complained about his lack of progress.Since I came back from Germany and don't think about going back, I should live a good life.To live a good life, the first thing to do is to find a girlfriend. "35-year-old men are like expired cakes," she sighed. "You have to lower your profile a little—"

"I'm starting to hunch," Michael flipped through the files, "that's low enough!"

"Don't be glib with me," said Mary, who was particularly dissatisfied with his "dead dog" attitude, "I know what you're thinking! But who's to blame? Karna is married and has a husband... Wake up, Michael, looking for a blond-haired European college girl in America? You'd better make a movie first and become famous."

On this day, Michael worked overtime until 10:30.He eats a hamburger and a half and drinks coffee to keep himself awake.It finally came to an end, and he planned to go back and take a shower before falling asleep.Unexpectedly, there was a guy waiting outside, but he was shocked.

"Chicken?" Michael crossed himself, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Laura yawned imitating his accent, "what can I do... wait for you."

"Oh, goodbye." Michael waved his hand and turned away.Laura trotted along, "Hey, Mike! Hey, you're fucking deaf! I'm calling you! Hey, hey—"

"It's rude." Michael opened the car door, and Laura got in immediately, "Fuck, it's so cold...why is there no heating in the corridor?"

"Who told you to come up, go down."

"I've been waiting for you for hours, shouldn't you treat me to dinner?"

"I invite you to eat a gun."

"Fuck, you have a gun?"

"Yes," Michael drove the car into the factory area, "I have used a shotgun since I was a child, participated in the World Wars, and blown the heads of three hundred Nazis - I have a P38 under my pillow, do you know what it is? "

"I don't know," Laura licked the corner of her mouth exaggeratedly, "I only know the gun in your crotch."

"Fuck you," Michael smiled, "You idiot, if you say such things again, I will beat you up."

"You can hit me with 'that' gun of yours, hit me hard—"

"Screw you!"

The street is very lively, but not very lively.Michael drove for a while, found a place to stop, and told Laura to get out.That guy didn't like it, his neck was stuck, and he kept moving his head towards Michael's face, "Take me to dinner."

"No money."

"Nonsense! I heard that your farm employs five hundred workers."

"Who farted? Tell me, and I'll teach him a lesson tomorrow morning."

Laura sighed, "Why the hell do you despise me?"

This question made Michael want to sigh.Laura smelled of perfume, artificial fragrance, sweet but pungent. "You're a man," he said, "what am I doing? Why do you want to see a man?"

"You don't like men?"

"..."

"Let me just say," Laura raised an eyebrow triumphantly, "you're just like me, I can smell it."

"I was just wondering how to beat you up and shut you up," Michael said. "Let me remind you, Chicken Lady, it's against the law for you to say that in the state of Michigan."

"Oh, so what?" Laura blinked, all his movements were exaggerated, like a cartoon character, "The law forbids me to love you, so why should I listen to this thing?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Michael stared at a few swaying drunks, "Get lost."

"What do you dislike about me?" Laura actually went to touch his thigh, Michael pushed away the troublesome hand and scowled, "I don't like men, is that okay?"

"If you don't like men, I'll take my dad's last name tomorrow."

"Don't you fucking take your father's last name?"

"I don't know who my father is! I was born with only my mother!"

Michael had nothing to say, "I'm sorry, it's all right, Mr. Hawke, please get out of the car! I'm exhausted after a busy day, please let this old bone of mine go back to take a shower and sleep, okay?"

"You're not old, Mike," Laura stretched out her hand again, "are you tired? I can help you pass the time..."

That hand touched Michael's crotch and rubbed it violently.Michael grabbed the hand and threw it out, so hard that there was a bang and Laura screamed, "What are you doing! You—"

"Don't touch me," Michael got out of the car, pulled the door, and pulled Laura to the ground, "Get out!"

"What the hell did I do wrong!" Laura got into the car without fear. "Why did you hit me? My hand must be broken!"

"Damn it, you don't have a broken bone at all!"

"You look like a man when you scold others, how many more times?"

Michael really laughed at the kid, "I was wrong," he raised his hand, "I apologize, okay? Get out of the car, I'm exhausted, I have to sleep—"

"Try it with me, and I'll teach you," said Laura, holding one hand. "I'm good at my job."

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

Laura snorted, got out of the car and left.Michael was so tired that he didn't even take a shower, and fell asleep until seven o'clock, and then he got up and rushed to wash himself.When he was brushing his teeth, he looked at himself in the mirror. It was like that, ordinary brown hair, ordinary brown eyes, ordinary nose, slightly upturned corners of the mouth—the face of a good old man, inconspicuous among the crowd.Quincy is his opposite, no matter where he is, he is as dazzling as the sun, even if—

Michael stopped brushing his teeth because he suddenly realized that he couldn't remember what Quincy looked like.

He has blond hair, blue eyes, the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean.He was like a statue, with fair skin and red lips.In this season, he often reads by the fireplace wrapped in a shag coat.He loves apple soda, black forest cake, and cuts white sausage into perfect isosceles triangles.He loves to read, and his bookshelf is full of all sorts of strange books.He can play the piano, playing the "Piano Sonata in C Sharp Minor".He couldn't drink, and when he drank, he lost his temper. After losing his temper, he became depressed and docile... Michael brushed his teeth vigorously, and his mouth was filled with blood.Hastily spit out the foam, then wiped his face with a towel, and then looked in the mirror, his reflection's eyes were red and his nose fluttered.

"Have I forgotten him..."

Maybe people are more ruthless than imagined.Michael was listless for the next few days.He was on a business trip to Atlanta and stopped by Arabian Kent.Little Adam is now a full-grown youth, studying for a Ph.D. at a prestigious institution. "Aren't your glasses thicker?" Michael joked, "It's not bad, you're almost taller than me."

Little Adam hugged Michael enthusiastically, "Hi! You have become more handsome!"

They had a meal together, and little Adam was particularly curious about Michael's experience. "I was surprised when you told me you were going to Germany. I thought Germany was in ruins," he said. "Bricks and stuff everywhere...and gloomy, scary Germans."

"Well, it's a lot of broken bricks." Speaking of Germany, Michael couldn't lift his hand. "The Germans... that's it."

"Have you seen that college student?" Little Adam beamed. "It's the handsome guy you mentioned many times. Which college did he graduate from? Have you figured it out?"

"University of Munich."

"Wow, awesome! I met some Germans in the Institute, they came to the United States after the war... Didn't he continue to study?"

"No, I think . . . he's an engineer, yes, an engineer."

"It's not bad to be an engineer, you need a lot of engineers to build a new Germany."

"you're right."

Little Adam asked Michael to come to Atlanta more to "walk around". "It's warm in the south," the young man said earnestly. "It's too cold to help your mood...I think you need more sunshine, Mike."

so obvious?Michael sniffed.After returning to Detroit, he was a little moved, considering whether to really move to a place further south, and the seaside is also good.Laura, dangling by one arm, rolled her eyes at him.It was too bad, Michael tried to apologize several times, but Laura always ignored him.

It's snowing today.Michael rarely worked overtime in the office and got home on time.On the way he met Laura, who was still hanging by his arms. "Hey," Michael rolled down the window, "shall I see you?"

"Fuck you, Mr. Fiennes," Laura said grimly, but got into the car anyway. "You fucking... I won't say 'thank you' to you!"

"I'm sorry." The snow was slippery, and Michael steered carefully. "I shouldn't have—well, sorry that day."

"No sincerity, Mike."

"Then I treat you to dinner?"

"No, you won't invite me to any high-end restaurants."

"The aggressive method doesn't work for me, I'm a Grandet."

"What is Grandet? It sounds very foreign."

"..."

"what happened?"

"Where do you live?"

"I want to go to your house."

"No." Michael stopped the car, "I don't like you, chick."

Laura flattened her mouth, "Then what do you like?"

"College student." Michael grabbed the steering wheel, "College student, blond hair, blue eyes, tall, thin, slender waist, straight legs, likes to read, can play the piano..."

"Oh, so, you don't like me, you like a college student with blond hair, blue eyes, tall and thin, long legs, who likes to read, and can play the piano?" Laura smiled mockingly, "Such a man would look Fuck you? I bet there's a battalion of men and women behind his ass."

"No." Michael touched his military card, "Of course he doesn't like me, he deserves better."

"Then you might as well think about me. Although I can't meet your requirements, I'm not ugly, and my legs are quite long."

Michael glanced at Laura, yes, he is not ugly, but a very energetic young man. "I'm sorry, but I still like that—"

"Aren't you going to try?"

"Do not."

"Stupid." Laura lowered her head, "You didn't see me, I understand."

"You're a nice guy—"

"When I'm sad, don't say such sarcastic remarks!"

Michael sent Laura home, and he actually lived near the factory.After saying goodbye to Laura, Michael also returned to his "home", the rented room.The heater made the room very warm, but he didn't recover from the freezing feeling. "Carl." Michael knelt in front of the window, clutching the half of the military badge with both hands, and found in despair that Quincy had become a glowing shadow in his memory.

A week before Christmas, a depressed Michael received a phone call.He anesthetized himself by working overtime endlessly. When he heard the voice on the phone, he thought it was a hallucination caused by excessive intake of coffee.

"Mike?" The voice was menacing, "Have you been dead for a few years?"

"Hello?" Michael was confused, "Are you—"

"Fuck, old Mike, you don't even know me!" The voice was very unhappy. "I'm Anthony McWood—"

"Big girl?"