Until The Very End

CHAPTER 10: Bad Morning. Or is it?

             Only a minute before six-thirty in the morning, and none of the two had gotten woke up. One minute had passed, and a phone rang – it was an alarm. It echoed the whole room, yet none of the two moved a single muscle to either sit up or turn off the alarm. Two minutes since the phone alarmed, still alarming, and no one woke up. They were like cold white bodies lying on a cold thin bed topped with a white blanket stored in a mortuary ready for a respectful burial or cremation.

            The phone still rang five minutes long. Then six minutes long, then seven minutes long. Until one of them stretched his hand up, and shook his head. But he did not open his eyes, instead, he aggressively took his pillow and covered his head with it, trying to resist the annoying sound coming from the phone. He can still hear it. After few seconds, he spoke.

            “Matt? Is it your phone?”

            It was Rodolfo. His voice was raspy. It seems like his vocal has dried out overnight. Matt didn’t answer. He wasn’t awake yet to hear Rodolfo. Rodolfo waited a few more seconds for Matt to answer, but still, he did not. Rodolfo tried to shake Matt’s shoulder and body, but Matt still had not gotten wake up by that. Then, Rodolfo got really pissed off, sat up, looked for the alarming phone, that was on the bedside table, and he violently grabbed it to turn it off. It was his phone, not Matt’s.

            He laid back again on the bed, with his right hand on the back of his head, closing his eyes. At last, Matt moved his whole body, facing Rodolfo, still sleeping. When Rodolfo felt him move, he faced back Matt, with his eyes closed. Neither of them knew that they were facing each other in bed. As the moment went on, the air comes in from the open window. It made the white curtains that were as light as a feather, flew. Morning sunlight began to appear on Matt’s face as he wasn’t only facing Rodolfo, he was also facing the open window where the air comes in, which was seven feet away from the right side of the bed. As the air continued to come in and flew away from the curtains, the sunlight stayed on his face.

            Unlike him, Rodolfo looked unbothered by the sunlight as he was facing the opposite direction. The sunlight made Matt distracted and uneasy as it appeared to be too bright though his eyes were closed. And that awoke him. He rubbed his eyes with his left hand while the right one was stretched out, trying to block the ray of sunlight. He opened his eyes and, at that moment, he screamed louder and longer than he had in his entire life.

            “Aaahhhh! Whoah! Whoah, whoah, whoah!”

            Rodolfo jumped in shock. When he saw and realized that he was sleeping beside Matt, he also screamed but shorter than Matt did. Matt stepped out of the bed. And shrieked even more seeing himself on his trunks. Rodolfo took a glimpse of Matt’s trunks, then stared at his eyes for a moment. Breathing nervously and fast, Matt ran to the bed and pulled the blanket. He screamed for the third time when he saw Rodolfo on his boxer brief. Like Rodolfo, he did take a glimpse on Rodolfo’s boxer briefs and looked at him confusedly, avoiding himself to imagine whatever possible could have happened.

            They stared with their mouth open, not because of amazement, but because of confusion. It was an unexpected morning situation that baffled them both. Matt was still breathing fast. He tried to calm himself, but he couldn’t. He peered down, blinking fast. He shook his head and looked again at his friend. Rodolfo appeared to be calm and steady.

            “Are you okay? You are breathing rapidly,” asked Rodolfo.

            “What happened last night?” asked Matt back. His breathing doesn’t come back to normal yet.

            Rodolfo gazed at the ceiling, thinking, “Uhmm, I don’t really remember. I feel nauseous.”

            “We didn’t do it, right? You know, the thing that a husband and wife do after they marri – “

            “Of course, we didn’t,” said Rodolfo before Matt could finish his words, with a teasing chuckle. “Look at you and look at me. We still have our underwear on. Were still dressed, not naked. If we are indeed naked, then I’ll panic and probably ask you the same question.”

            “Right,” Matt replied, taking a big deep breath. “I’ll go to the shower, and you go in your bedroom. When you hear anyone knocks, let – ”

            And again, before he was finished with his sentence, he was interrupted, and this time, not by Rodolfo, but by the knock on the door. He waited again for confirmation. Someone knocked again on the door. Both of them panic. Matt marched out of the bedroom and answered.

            “Who is it?” he yelled so that whoever was knocking could hear him.

            “Room service, sir,” a female voice answered.

            “In a moment, please!”

            He immediately rushed back to the bedroom and the bathroom, poured his hair and face with water, and puts on his bathrobe. When he got out of the room, Rodolfo, who was not still dressed up, was cleaning the table where one bottle of wine and two wine glasses were in the living room. After cleaning, he gave Rodolfo a signal to go back from the room where they slept together, take his clothes from the bedroom floor and ran quickly to the second bedroom. Rodolfo did so, and after he closed the door very carefully, avoiding making any sound from it, Matt opened the door.

            “Good Morning, sir. We’re sorry to bring your breakfast late,“ the female began to talk.

            “Yeah, it’s okay. Uhmm, I woke up late, and I think my friend too. But, may I ask why it was late?” he questioned. He went to the living room, where a bottle of wine and two wine glasses stands up neatly on the couch table, to open the large curtains. “You may put the food on the kitchen table.”

            Once the main door opened, a living room appeared first. It was huge but as huge as he has in his mansion. Couches stood near the wall of glass, where Matt opened the first curtain. The chandelier was hanged above the couch. Another couch was at the corner side of the living room, where a modern television was located, and on both sides, stood indoor plants. One big shelf, which is full of books, divided the living room into two. One where the television was, and the other one where the couch with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses that Rodolfo arranged were. Before reaching the kitchen, there was again a shelf, but larger than the shelf of books, that separates the living room from the kitchen. It has full of collected figures, and some of the things were antique-looking pieces. The wall of glass makes the room alive as the curtains were opened.

            There were three bedrooms in that room. The master’s bedroom, the bedroom where Matt and Rodolfo slept together, located on the left side of the kitchen. At the right side of the kitchen, which was wider than the left side, were the two other bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own bathroom and closet room. Paintings were attached and designed at each great spot. There were other things that were modernly designed, such as the table where a telephone lies. All the hotel rooms on Grande Palazzo wasn’t like the room that Matt has. His’s was actually larger than any other room and was located on the highest floor of the hotel. And since he’s the owner of that hotel, he told the hotel staff that the only room on the topmost floor was strictly prohibited to any other hotel guests as it serves as his house whenever he comes to Italy. The penthouse wasn’t for any hotel guests, it was only for Matt.

            Anna pushed her trolley carefully and slowly to the kitchen. One by one, she transferred all the breakfast plates that have foods on the kitchen table. Moments later, Rodolfo came out from the second bedroom, with his messy hair. He acted aghast when he saw Anna in the kitchen, and quickly combed his hair with his fingers. He just smiled at her ‘cause he was too shy to say ‘hi’ at her. Anna smiled at him back. After that awkward moment, Rodolfo came to the kitchen for a glass of water. No words were heard from him when he passed Anna.

            Matt came to the kitchen to repeat his question to Anna but stopped few feet away from the kitchen table when he saw Rodolfo. Rodolfo bothered him. So, instead of asking, he said;

            “Oh, you finally met each other.”

            Anna, who was too shy to reply verbally, looked at him and nodded. Then went on to what she was doing. Rodolfo turned around to them and just nodded as a response while the glass was still touching his lips. He leaned back on the kitchen counter as he turned around. Matt looked from Anna, who was busy with the breakfast meal, to Rodolfo, who was still drinking his water. The two was too shy to talked to each other. Nothing more to say or do, he placed his hands on the bathrobe pockets and looked at the random things on the kitchen ceilings while he was moving his whole body side by side like a little child, probably waiting for Anna to finish and leave.

            “I’m sorry for not answering your question right away, sir. The breakfast came late because the sous-chef had a problem that made the whole Hotel Food Production focused on it. You see, a mouse had managed to enter the main kitchen, and the sous-chef was the first one to see it. He screamed ‘till he fainted. And the whole kitchen staff went on looking for it. We called the exterminator, but they said that they’ll arrive after two hours. But nothing to worry sir, he’s alright and back to normal, although there was a little change in his behaviour,” Anna explained. She raised his right hand and did the measuring hand gesture on the air when she said the word ‘little’.

            “He has musophobia?” asked Rodolfo, putting down his empty glass.

            “Yes, sir,” Anna answered, turning her face to him in respect.

            “Oh, Rodolfo, please. I’m not the boss here,” he jokingly replied.

            Anna smiled at him.

            “I’ll check on him later, or maybe tomorrow,” responded Matt. He stands steadily when Anna began talking.

            Anna lowered and raised again her head slightly and briefly with a curve on her lips. She began to push the trolley silently, but she suddenly stopped. She looked up at Matt and asked.

            “Uhmm, sir. Is there any other matter that I or we can help you with?”

            Matt gazed at Rodolfo, who was watching them, back to Anna, and asked back, “What do you mean by other matter?”

            “Well, I heard you scream thrice. And, I am just wondering if everything is okay. Is there anything we – “ Anna answered. But Matt heard enough that he barged in, asking for clarifications.

            “Wait, you said thrice. Thrice? You heard me scream thrice?”

            “Yes, sir. Is there anything we can help you with?” she finished her question.

            Both of them were surprised. They did not expect it. They looked at each other for a short time, thinking of something to excuse about Matt’s terrible scream.

            “Huh? You screamed this morning thrice? How come I never heard you? What is wrong with me? I’m probably too tired that I wake up too late. Are you okay? What was the reason?” Rodolfo started to play like he wasn’t on Matt’s bed earlier. He walked closer to them and stood beside Matt.

            “Y-yeah, I did,” Matt started nervously. “Well, the horrible scream of mine was because there was also a mouse in my bedroom. Can’t you believe it? There was a mouse in my bedroom. How about you, Rod? Was there also a mouse in your bedroom?”

            “Well… well – There’s none, I think. I mean, I was sleeping. How can I know that a mouse had entered the room when I was sleeping?” Rodolfo looked at Matt fixedly.

            “Good point,” he looked back to Rodolfo and turned to face Anna. “It’s a mouse that made me scream. Like the sous-chef, I also have a big fear of mice or rats. Oh, and please don’t tell anyone about it.”

            “Certainly, sir,” Anna answered with her soft voice. “Do you me to call again the exterminator to look for that mouse here?”

            “No, no. I’ll call them myself. Thank you,” replied Matt, shaking his both hand in front of Anna.

            “Okay, sir. Let me know if there’s anything you need, sir,” she responded, smiling.

            Matt reluctantly smiled about his lies.

She continued pushing the trolley. Matt moved himself because he blocks Anna’s way. When Anna passed him a few feet away, he remembered something that explains why he and Rodolfo ended up sleeping together.

            “Mrs Anna?”

            “Yes, sir?” Anna turned again to them.

            “The wine you gave us yesterday night, what exactly was it?” asked Matt, rubbing his head at the back.

            “A red wine, sir,” answered Anna.

            “Yeah, but what I am trying to ask is, did the wine bar told you or mentioned something about the alcohol content of the wine?” Matt asked again informally.

            “15%, sir,” answered Anna. She seemed more confident this time. Matt and Rodolfo looked at each other in shock. That moment confused Anna, leaving her no choice but to ask, “Why? Was there something wrong? Do the wine bar made a mistake?”

            Matt turned to look at Anna again. A moment later, he cleared his throat and answered, “No, none. Everything’s great. Thank you, Anna.”

            Anna smiled as she nods. She walked out again of the kitchen, pushing the trolley. Rodolfo and Matt watched her as she marched away. Both of them feels uneasy for standing beside each other. Matt’s hands were again inside of his bathrobe pockets, while Rodolfo’s arms were crossed. Anna had already left the kitchen and was passing the living room when Matt spoke to her for the last time.

            “Oh, right. Please, take the empty bottle of wine and the wine glasses with you.”

            She moved to face her opposite direction, replying, “Okay, sir.”

Then she went to the living room and take the empty bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She placed it on the trolley and went on marching again. Rodolfo and Matt watched her again as she walked through the door.

            Finally, she was out of the penthouse, but the two kept on staring at nothing. They had realized that they drank a 15% red wine and probably got drunk fast last night, for they weren’t alcohol drinkers. They stood quietly, trying to remember their foolishness. Both of them cannot get over that they had seen each other wearing only their underwear. Looking at the two, they were pretty embarrassed to each other but were smiling inside.

            Air comes in from the window kitchen. They felt it run to their skin and hair. The penthouse was hushed, although there were two guys standing in the kitchen, afraid to talk to each other. A minute later, their eyes examined each other if one of them had already or will move. None of them moved. They felt anxious to themselves. Matt waited for Rodolfo to start the conversation, but Rodolfo was also waiting for Matt. More minutes later, finally, Rodolfo speaks something unrelated about the wine and what happened to them last. Matt unexpected it from him. He was more hoping to talk about yesterday night.

            “So, you become a person who has musophobia out of a sudden,” joked Rodolfo as he went to get his glass again and drink water. He even repeated Matt’s phrase earlier. “I also have a big fear of mice or rats. Never knew that before.”

            “Trust me, I had to,” Matt answered, widening his arms. “If I told Anna that I screamed because I saw you in your underwear and that we slept together with only our underwear on, then she would have probably thought that we did it. And I hate anyone for it to know. We’re both guys.”

            “Did what?” questioned Rodolfo after gulping.

            “s*x,” Matt took a few steps forward. “Come on, man. I thought you know what I was talking about.”

            “Okay, okay. I get it. But, did we really have s*x yesterday night?” Rodolfo asked again, eyeing Matt.

            Matt was frightened by that question, then answered him, “Seriously? You said it yourself before! We had our underwear on when we slept together.”

            “Yes, I said it, but that was before,” replied Rodolfo, coming closer to Matt, still holding the empty glass he had just used to drink water. “I mean, didn’t you hear what Anna said? We finished a bottle of 15% alcohol contented wine in about five minutes. Or even lesser than that, as far as I can remember. And, right now, we both don’t know what happened to us last night after we drank. That means we were drunk last night. Take note that, before we opened that bottle of red wine, we confessed to each other that we never went out to drink before. We even said that last night was our first time with red wine.”

            “Okay. You made your point,” said Matt, trying to look away from Rodolfo’s eyes. “But how did we end up together on the same bed? On my bed?”

            “I have already told you. We were drunk,” Rodolfo answered quickly.

            “I know, okay? Stop repeating it. But that was not what I meant to ask,” Matt replied irritatedly and then asked the same question but now more understandable. “What I am trying to ask you is, how the hell did we end up on the same bed yesterday night wearing only underwear?”

            “I don’t know. Don’t ask me. As I told you, I don’t really remember,” Rodolfo answered, widely raising his arms. He avoided Matt’s eyes. “Wait, are you trying to say that we indeed did it?”

            “Of course not!” answered Matt. “I am just asking you. Gosh, how did that happened? That was the most mysterious night I’ve ever had.”

            “Seems like you wanted me to say it,” Rodolfo started another joke on Matt. He was smiling.

            “Say what?” asked Matt confusedly, who could not stand that conversation anymore.

            “Say like, ‘Hey, Matt, we had s*x last night. You would not probably remember it because we were drunk. Cool right? I feel great about us!’” responded Rodolfo, holding his laughter.

            Few seconds had passed, Matt hollered out in laughter. Then Rodolfo also laughed loudly. They almost cried while laughing. It lasted for a minute and Matt talked. He knew that his friend was only joking. “You were hilarious for that moment, man! That was too gay.”

            “You think so?” giggled Rodolfo. His face was turning red.

            “Yeah,” Matt placed both of his palms on top of the kitchen table, stretching his shoulders up. “I mean, no guys have ever joked or said that to me. You really got me with that joke!”

            “I was just trying my best to make us laugh, and forget about anything possible that could have happened last night,” Rodolfo seriously said that made Matt looked at him blankly.

            “Yep. I had to admit that for that moment, I forgot everything. But now that you mentioned it, all the things that I imagined about us last night, which was a really strange thing to do, just flashed back,” replied Matt, showing no emotions.

            “I’m sorry…,” Rodolfo started, but something that bothers him after Matt talked. “Wait, you said imagined. What did you imagine about us?”

            “Did I say imagined?” Matt looked at the feeling, pretending that he had not said it. He was smiling again.

            “You clearly said, ‘all the things that I imagined about us last night,” responded Rodolfo after he chuckled.

            Matt laughed softly, looking at Rodolfo. He sat on one of the chairs then he said, changing the subject, “You know what, let’s just eat our breakfast before it gets completely cold."

            Rodolfo agreed and rushed to sit on the opposite chair where Matt was seated and replied, “Yep, we did not eat last night.”

            Last night. Every time Rodolfo mentioned that word, Matt was staring at him blankly, which makes Rodolfo silent. On the table, there were three pieces of croissants placed on a plate, a jar of honey with honey dipper, two slices of apple cake on separate plates, two cups of cappuccino along with a demitasse spoon on the saucer, and a bowl of sweet strawberries. Two small empty plates and two forks were also on top of the kitchen table.

            They ate their breakfast silently. No one had said a single word until Matt moaned because the dizziness he felt from the moment he woke up has gotten worst. He also felt stomach pain. Rodolfo asked what’s wrong, and he answered that he has a hangover due to being drunk last night. Rodolfo said that he feels nauseous when he woke up. The two have a hangover. Matt called Anna and told her to bring something that can cure their hangover. After five minutes, Anna arrived at the penthouse. She brought them a Penne alla Vodka – a pasta dish made with vodka and penne pasta.

            They continued to eat quietly as soon as Anna left the penthouse. Rodolfo took secret looks at Matt while Matt was busy with his food. When Matt finished his croissants, he asked Rodolfo if he wanted to take the last croissant on the plate. Matt loves Italian croissants. By kept peeking at his friend, Rodolfo thought that croissants were Matt’s favourite. He can tell it the way Matt finished his croissants in about one or two minutes when they started eating the same food out of the food served on the table. It was Matt who asked Rodolfo when they finished their breakfast.

            “How’s the food? “

            “Estremamente delizioso,” Rodolfo answered using Italian language. He tried his best to pronounce the two words like a native Italian, but his American accent ruined it all. “I’m delighted that you picked this breakfast.”

            (“Extremely delicious.”)

            Matt stopped for a moment. Hearing the words made him recall something, but not clearly and not sure where or what. He closed his hands in praying gesture, leaned a bit over the table and asked again, “Where did you learn it?”

            “Uhmm, I don’t know. I’m not exactly sure, but if said it pretty bad, what I am trying to say is, the breakfast we had is extremely delicious,” Rodolfo answered, chuckling.

            “It’s strange, but I get you though,” replied Matt, taking one strawberry from a bowl. He took a bite and taste the sweetness of the strawberry. “Hmm, sweet. Anna brought it right again. I miss this.”

            “Speaking of Anna,” Rodolfo’s eyebrow brought together. “I envy her.”

            “What are you trying to say,” questioned Matt, examining the strawberry he had just bitten.          

            “Well, her American accent is perfect and my Italian accent sucks,” Rodolfo frowned, looking at Matt.

            “What are you trying to say?” Matt was still examining the strawberry.

            “She’s Italian, and English is her non-native language yet she’s so good at it, while me, a dumb American, can’t even pronounce two Italian words correctly,” complained Rodolfo.

            “Who you calling dumb?” asked Matt, whose eyes can’t get out of the bitten strawberry.

            “Me,” Rodolfo was half pissed off.

            “And, uhmm, who told you she was Italian?”

            “She lives here! Come on, Matt, will you look at me?”

            “Alright, all right. I’m looking,” Matt finally looked at him then eat his strawberry. He waited till he finished chewing the strawberry before he spoke. “Your wrong. Like us, she’s pure American. She and her father migrate here after her father met a straight Italian man. It was unexpected, actually.”

            “Wait, her father is gay?” Rodolfo was shocked.

            “No. I met his father and, uhmm, he looks straight. Broad shoulders, deep voice, attractive face,” answered Matt.

            “Well, if he’s indeed a straight man, why would he fell in love with straight men?” asked Rodolfo confusedly.

            “Good question, but I don’t know what exactly to answer. Anna, on the other hand, answered me this when I asked her the same questions. She said that love hits differently and unexpectedly. Women also fall in love with women. Straight men fall in love with their same-s*x. She said that when you felt love for one person, no matter what their s*x or race, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t run away with it nor hide from it. You can’t even control yourself unless you confess your love. She also said that you don’t and will not know your true self unless love hits you differently and unexpectedly. And there’s no doubt. I mean, look at her father. I’m not saying that Anna was because of his mistake before, but he didn’t find his true self until he met that Italian man,” explained Matt to Rodolfo, who was listening closely.

            “She’s very understanding and polite and intelligent,” replied Rodolfo. “What about her mom? I mean, is it okay to her that her husband is with another man?”

            “I don’t know. After giving birth to Anna, her mother ditched them. So, I think she really doesn’t care about that. She turns out to be a woman who has too many casual s****l partners.”

            “Wait. Didn’t the father knew about it before their marriage?”

            “No. Actually, they were just friends who made a huge mistake. The mother only continues her pregnancy because the father begged for it. He was willing to marry the mother to set things right and build a family. The mother played with it until Anna finally came into the world. No marriage, no wife and no mother in their family.”

            “But, if they were just friends, why did they do it?”

            “As I said, it was a mistake, they were drunk that night when they do that thing.”

            None of them talked. Matt’s last words keep them in silence, recalling what possibly happened to them last night. They awkwardly stared at each other for a while. Then Matt asked Rodolfo;

            “Did I say too much? I think I did.”

            “Yep. You definitely said too much,” answered Rodolfo, looking straightly at Matt while making short nods continuously.

            “Okay,” Matt stood up, taking a deep breath. “We need to go somewhere far from here to forget about last night.” 

            “Where?” asked Rodolfo as Matt made his way to his bedroom, smiling.

            “Wherever,” Matt shouted. “No more questions and get dressed in about an hour.”

            “What should I wear?” bellowed Rodolfo.

            “I hope you realized that what you just said is a question!”

            Matt felt happiness inside of his room. And so does Rodolfo.