The next morning, just before eight o'clock, Jo and Patrick were finishing their breakfast and discussing the last details of their upcoming trip, when they heard the door opening. It looked like the boys were earlier than expected.“Good morning, guys!” Jo ran to the corridor. “You are so early!” She didn’t hide her excitement.“Hi, Jo.” Matthew hugged her warmly, then Jack.“Hi!” She heard Mike's voice first before she saw him at the door.“Hi, Doc!”“Are you not happy to see me?” Mike said cheekily.“Why are you asking me such a foolish question?” She hugged him. “You are one of my friends.”“Come in and let's get ready for the trip!” Patrick called them from the kitchen door. He was stunned when he noticed Mike’s presence. He wondered why they brought him back here. After all, the four of them, not five, were supposed to be going for a long weekend. “Good morning, sick asshole!” Mike greeted him with a big smile on his face.“Very funny, man!” Patrick patted him on the shoulder.
“Please stop, Mike. I've had enough. We are all adults.” As she spoke, she raised her head from her companion's shoulder.“Yes, we worked so hard with Patrick, I had to catch up with some urgent matters. Luke can't pull a few jobs himself.” She admitted. ”We only slept for a few hours. As far as I know, Matthew and Jack were extremely busy too. So could you just shut up, please?”“I don't understand your aggression.” Mike announced in a completely calm tone.“We are all tired! What don't you understand here?”“Your aggression.”“What aggression are you talking about? I am tired and so are the rest of us. We want to take a nap for an hour or two, then switch with Jack and Matt. Is that clear enough?”“If you are not tired, you should drive then, man.” Patrick suggested.“Anyone, but not him.” Matthew interrupted.“Why not?” Patrick was irritated, not only by Mike's presence but also his attitude.“The next four hours in the car will become six or seven at best.” Matthew tried to explai
“Wow!!! What an amazing view!” Patrick couldn’t hide his excitement when he saw the Château de Fontaine-Henry.“Watch the road, Pat!” Jo reacted to his distraction and lack of concentration. He had just replaced Jack behind the wheel a few minutes ago.“Stunning!”“As I said.” She told him the previous evening that they were going to the most beautiful places in Normandy, but it seemed like he didn’t take her words seriously. “Wait till you see Mont Saint Michel.”“Yes, man. Jo is right. Wait until the evening.” Matthew agreed as he loved the place they were heading to.As soon as Patrick parked, he jumped out of the car and started nervously looking for something in the trunk.“What are you looking for?” Jack wanted to help him.“Jo’s camera. I would like to take a few shots of these amazing places with those heavy, but photogenic clouds, before it starts raining.”“I have it in the back, here.” Matthew pulled a huge backpack with photographic equipment. “I also brought mine, if you
They chose the coastal road. It was longer, but they had the opportunity to admire the typical, local Normandy landscapes. Just after seven o’clock, they reached their destination.“Here we are!” Jo was happy that she could stretch her legs out of the car.“Where are we? Where is this wonderful Mont Saint Michel?” Mike began to grunt before he even got out of the car.“Have mercy, man!” Patrick couldn’t calmly tolerate his harshness and comments anymore. He was glad that Jack and Matthew slept over the trip from the chateau, so he had to be quiet most of the route.They were standing right in front of a big gate. Along the road, only weeds, tall hedges, and trees were visible. Jo was talking to someone on the phone in French.After a while, the gate opened. As far as their eyes went, all they could see was a grove of huge trees."You can drive in and park the car, Pat. We'll go on our feet to ventilate and breathe in the fresh air.” As she said, she started walking down the road throu
“I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa in the living room. I just need some sheets and a blanket.” Mike didn’t see a problem with that. He realized that he couldn’t count on Matthew this time.His best buddy was furious as he was the cause that they didn’t catch a direct flight to Paris the previous night and spent it at some small airport.That was all his fault as he was the one to choose cheaper tickets; in fact, he chose the first-best flights from the browser without even analyzing them, but he couldn't admit it.The trip was supposed to be a stress-free connecting flight. He didn’t even check the time they needed to catch the other flight and didn’t consider the possibility of any delays.They were stuck for a night in a shit hole airport, with no decent hotels around. There was no chance of staying in any place with minimum comfort. And all this was because of him.Mike wasn’t busy at work, so he willingly offered to help and find flights for them. He knew that Matthew didn’t like
“Good idea! Why not?” Matthew got up from the sofa, went to the coffee table, poured a glass of cognac, put an icecube in, and then made another glass the same way. He walked over and handed one to Mike and took the other for himself."Enjoy your drink, man." Mike didn't know how to react. He took over the glass, even though he felt that he had had enough alcohol for today. He was already drunk.Matthew continued to stare at him, slowly sipping the contents of his glass. After a while, he left it on the table and gracefully walked towards the piano. He theatrically bowed to his audience.Even though he knew his friend was already drunk, he felt somewhat betrayed.Patrick cheered at the sight of him. He made a place for him on a huge stool as he hoped they would play a four-handed piece together."Can I practice alone for a while?" Matthew asked with a mischievous smile. Patrick nodded, as he could understand that he wanted to warm his hands. He already did that when they arrived, for
Mike was awakened by noises outside his bedroom. We could hear loud conversations in the corridor. Someone was banging on his room door. It took him a while before he began to understand what was happening.“We are going running, man. We're waiting for you downstairs.” He recognized Matthew's voice.He couldn't remember how last night had ended or how he had gotten to his room, much less to bed.‘Damn it! What happened the previous night?’ He wondered as he felt so terrible. He didn't remember drinking much, and yet he had a hangover. He had drunk a lot more than once, but his head wasn't that heavy.Mike considered himself a tough guy. Besides, he came here willingly with three tough guys and he had to keep up with them, so despite great difficulty, he managed to get up.‘My head! Fuck! I shouldn’t drink…’ Hu cursed.He dragged himself into Matthew's room to use his shower. He decided to leave the shaving for later. Somehow he managed to find running shoes and clothes in the suitcase
The guys met outside the house and were waiting for Mike, who they hoped would not show up. They began warming up their muscles in silence. They were in pretty good shape despite having a rather short sleep.Eventually Mike showed up, much to their disappointment. He joined them in their warm-up, despite his headache.“So let's go!” Jack suggested. “I only have a small change of plans.” He added when he started a gentle jog towards the garage.“Fine…” Mike muttered under his breath, firmly squeezing the bottle with the liquid in his hand. He had to survive the next hour and he will be fine. With that thought, he followed them slowly.After a few minutes they were among tall coniferous trees, in a mini line park. This place was intended for children, but there was also exercise equipment for adults."The owner of the house asked us to check and test this place. He wants to know if the place is safe. He made it not only for his seven-year-old nephew, but also for the entire male part of