“I said shut up, both of you!” Nick warned them in a firm voice with a menacing face, once looking at one, then at the other. A moment longer, and they would have been ready to leap at each other's throats. If not for their condition, he would place them around the corners, as far as he could from each other.
He truly sympathized with Matthew. It was tough even to imagine taking care of this duo for the next few days. He was indeed fed up after a few hours spent with them and he was beginning to understand why they weren't together.
A few times he had heard stories about Mike, when Jo talked to his sister, during some parties. He felt that Jo was exaggerating and aggrandizing her ex’s imperfections and disadvantages. Sometimes she had tendencies to do that. He was aw
Nick left in an even worse mood than he was in the morning when he realized what kind of shit Jo was in. After what he had witnessed during the day in the clinic, he wondered what psychological shit he was also in. He had to deal with it as quickly as possible in order to be able to help others, as that was a part of his work.After spending the day with Jo and Mike, he was sure that both of them failed to deal with their breakup trauma. He was certain that there were still unresolved issues between them and needed help.They swore they were friends, but at times they acted like they were the worst enemies. Despite the time lapse, they still have some grudges against each other.He had to admit genuinely that he admired both of them. He wouldn't be able to talk to his ex calmly, like they did; he hated her so
“Hi, man! You look like a piece of shit!” Nick greeted Matthew at the front door. He passed to him a few big carton boxes with the familiar French café logo. It looked like Claude remembered about them.“Good to see you too, Nick.” Matthew was happy seeing the boxes. He could smell the freshly baked quiche and pastries. He ran with the heavy boxes to the kitchen.It meant that he would have a break from his daily duties. Not that he minded cooking, but he was tired of constantly tugging on two sharks who had so many wishes all the time as they could eat, almost constantly. He hardly left the kitchen these days.Enjoying the wonderful scent of the fresh pastries, he remembered the set of miniature sized raspberry tarts, chocolate soufflé and crème brûlée, deco
Jo was ready in less than ten minutes. She entered the kitchen, where the guys were eating and chatting, in a fighting mood. She decided that whoever will get in her way today, would be put into the ‘right’ place. That meant the end of her tolerance for dense jokes.She was dressed up in a pair of dark grey sports sweatpants and a blue hooded sweatshirt with a zipper over a black T-shirt. Her hair was casually tied in a loose ponytail, and she didn't even have a speck of makeup.The guys were surprised by her sloppy, careless appearance. She usually looked perfectly elegant at this time of day. They knew she had a problem dressing with an injured hand and didn’t want to ask for help. That was her character; she always wanted to be self-sufficient in everything she did.“Why didn’t you d
Jo slowly walked Mike to the living room. He was so happy when he finally sat on the sofa.“Damn! My head is spinning. I should sleep for 2-3 hours, then I will go with you to the training in the evening.”She examined him from head to toe, and he looked terrible. She supposed that he felt even worse than he looked, and was only pretending to be tough as usual.“You're barely on your feet and you want to go to training with me?” She stared at him incredulously.“Someone has to hold your camera.”“Really?”“You won't be able to take pictures with only your left hand
Elen arrived at Jo’s place just after 5 pm. Straight from the front door, she headed for the kitchen. Matthew had to bring her back to reality and remind her to wash hands because she wouldn't get any food.“I'm sorry, I'm starving. I didn't have time to go out for lunch. First, I wanted to see if you have any meals ready.” She withdrew from the kitchen knowing she had just committed tactlessness.“We have a lot of food here. You won't leave hungry, I promise.” Matthew assured her with a bright smile on his face. He had obviously experienced the same in the past and knew it too well. Often, Mike visiting him, took his first steps towards the kitchen.“I hope so.” She said disappearing into the corridor and the guest toilet.&ldqu
“Hi, Elen. Did you finish your dinner?” Jo appeared at the door from the corridor.It looked like she was ready for the photo session. She was dressed comfortably in black leggings, a loose white T-shirt and a big beige hoodie.“How are you, Jo? I am done, but it’s still too early to go to the sports club.” Elen tried to convince her. She wouldn’t mind having another portion of Matthew’s chocolate cake with ice cream; she just kindly waited for an offer of an extra piece.“I need to be there as soon as possible.”“As far as I know, there is kickboxing training and some defence courses before the kendo one. We won’t be able to go inside.” Elen explained.
They entered the gym before one's time, but some people were already dressed. They chatted happily and waited for the rest to arrive.After quickly greeting everyone and presenting guests, Nick went with Jo to the corner where he set her tripod. Soon another guy joined them with a camera also.Elen was happy that she could watch the show and didn’t have to assist Jo. Being by her side, when she was taking photos was a nightmare. If she could skip it, that meant a real stroke of luck.Mike sat in the corner on the bench and made himself comfortable. That was a good spot because he could observe both duels and Jo.As soon as Matthew saw the distinctive kendogu used in kendo fencing, he got very emotional.
Mike was silent about the insult. He was no compulsive gambler, but he believed in his friend's skills.Elen watched the training but had no clue what was going on. She was bored, and was waiting for the end of it, checking her watch every now and then.All she could see was a bunch of disguised figures hitting each other with bamboo sticks.“Do you know what it is all about, Mike?” She asked just to fill the boredom, not from curiosity.“The goal of the fight is to hit the opponent in one of the places provided for by the regulations.” Mike explained, looking seriously at her.He wondered if she was interested in the martial art or was just looking for any conversation.