"Alessandro," David called from his car at the parking lot in the compound where I reside. I looked over to the parking lot and ambled towards him as he waved from the car.
"You were faster than you've ever been, man." He hopped out of the car and handed out a parcel to me. He, too, is off duty today, and ever since we both were posted in the big hospital, we've been spending our off-duty days together.
Sometimes, we visit the mall, many other times, we spend them in bars and restaurants, or we go down the beach to swim and drink coconut juice.
"Thanks for bringing this, and more thanks to Nancy for knowing what to do for a jolly good colleague," I said as I tore open the pack.
Nancy had carefully selected a post-exposure prophylaxis for me. It's not yet up to seventy-two hours I made out with the Sita lady in the club, so, with those, I'm very much secured, in case.
"So, what happened last night?" David asked. "Nancy said you came home pants down."
I laughed a bit loud and slipped the parcel into my pocket. "Have you had beer today?"
"Not yet gaged, do you have some?" Said David.
"Sure, come on, let's go grab a wheat." I led the way out of the parking lot, and he followed after shutting and locking up his car.
We were told that there is a high theft of Toyotas in Abidjan because thieves can sell stolen car parts quickly.
David's car is a pretty Toyota product, it's not that costly, but he is sure he can't afford to lose it to some unkind fellows who might even sell the parts to him in the future if need be.
We walked into the lift and it took us to the tenth floor. I chose the tent floor when I was given two options; third floor or tenth.
I could see the city of Abidjan very well from the tenth floor, and whenever I have just nothing to do, I prefer sitting on the balcony and watching the city bustle with so much life and beauty.
"Did you check up on patients before stepping out?" I asked as we walked into my apartment.
"I have no business there, today," Dave replied.
"But you met with Nancy." I made one for my room, while he made one for the fridge in the living room.
There was enough beer in the fridge, more than enough for the both of us.
"I slept at the doctors' quarters." Said David.
"I should have slept there but I was tricked into following Nancy to her place." I came out with a bottle of water.
I had taken the post-exposure prophylaxis.
David fished three bottles out of the fridge and passed me one as he walked past me for the sofa.
I followed him but took a different sofa. He popped one of his open and dropped the other one on the table. He would guzzle two as usual, that's his good dosage, as for me, sometimes, I take as much as four if I have nothing to do.
"I guess that lady has an interest in you." David began as always. "Look how she wants you at her side and takes good care of you." I laughed.
Nancy is only but a friend, our business doesn't exceed being jolly good fellows to each other, the same way I'm jolly good fellows with David.
"So, what happened last night, did you poop in your pants?" he asked realizing I wouldn't say anything about me and Nancy.
"I can't do such, you know." I laughed. How on earth do I tell him that I fucked a former patient in the club.
How do I do that without him laughing like one silly creature?
"Come on, why the PEP?" he raised a brow and sipped from his bottle. "You probably had a random birth canal." I laughed.
Most times for us, we enjoy chatting in medical terms even when we are alone. Well, it wasn't a random birth canal because I knew her from the hospital, and we had a good time before it happened, but that doesn't solve the fact that she is still a stranger.
"Don't mind Nancy." I stopped laughing. "I was drunk."
"Come on, you should be honest, Nancy saw you down there, and she knew it did something." Said David. "You didn't even wipe it."
I took a deep breath. "Okay, it was a mistake."
He nodded as though that was what I should have said earlier, and resolved for his bottle of beer. I resolved for mine, and silence descended a pleasant one.
He finished his first and took the second, while I remained half my bottle, because at this quiet moment, I was reminiscing last night, how happened.
My face broke in a soft smile and I chuckled. David looked up and my eyes met his.
"Alessandro." He called.
"What?" I asked.
"I once read something about the Italo-Ethiopian war. Something quite deniable." He dropped the second bottle.
"Something about Italian soldiers who made out with Ethiopian women during the war in which Italy was defeated even with their armament." I recited what I've always known all my adult life.
He laughed. He is American by birth, not of any special place, just another random white man who doesn't know his forefathers. I'm white, too, but I know I'm Italian, as much as I'm American.
"The thing is not about the Italo-Ethiopian war." He took the bottle and took a deep sip, then, lowered it and exhaled.
"You are currently in an Italo-Abidjan war."
We both laughed. Indeed, such would be great, but the thing is, Italy, today, has no business with external war. No more governments are willing to make fatal attempts to grab already civilized peoples in the name of making colonies.
"You might have fallen in love." That was the first useful thing I've heard him say.
It seemed like I was tossed into an endless pit of warm emotions; I kept wishing she would come back and share a smile with me, a moment of silence, just staring and muttering nothing.