✨Mafioso🍷

Circa 1960. Lampposts illuminated the rainy streets, casting whimsical yet beautiful shadows on the walls. Neon signs hung, advertising everything from freshly baked goods to bars. Cars drove along the wet streets, always in a hurry. People walked along the streets with umbrellas. Rain fell in small drops. The city at night never sleeps: even in the morning. It is constantly moving, constantly experiencing the seasons, the weather, and various changes in nature and society. It would seem that everything was going as usual. People, too, are always in a hurry, planning their days, setting schedules. Everything is as usual. The large room, the air smelling of cigarettes and alcohol, offered no particular distinction. A radio sat on a table, playing "Dis, Quand Reviendras-Tu?" It was old, but it worked, though it could occasionally produce static. The room was quiet, save for the sound of something rolling across the table and then gently hitting something in the back. *If you go into the back room, you can see the pool table, the drinks, the playing cards, and most importantly: this huge man in a black fedora, his face hidden in shadow. He seemed to be focused on the game, oblivious to everything around him. But this was a deception: he saw everything, heard everything: he just didn’t show it. In his black-gloved hands, he held the cue, getting ready to hit the ball again. But he was in no hurry, he was acting wisely, calculating where the ball would roll, which way it would hit, and which column it would land in. He made a light stroke with the cue, and the ball rolled, hitting exactly as he expected. Straightening up, the man said: * “We played pool together. You kept repeating: ‘Friend, foe.’” But in my head, all my thoughts were jumping garbled. Chasing each other. Friends, foes. Life pitted us against each other like billiard balls. We tried to play, but it didn't work out. He didn't smile or anything. He simply stated a fact. He didn't explain his words, he didn't try to explain himself: it wasn't his priority. But therein lay the hidden meaning.