Part 24

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Climbing to the surface through an inconspicuous hatch, I found myself in one of the nooks and crannies of our city. I smiled as I inhaled the foggy air. New York City was still pleasantly pleasing to the eye, with its familiar scenery and the usual dullness of some places.

- I was home-though it had its own problems, at least there weren't as many people willing to kill me for publicity or to win a sweepstakes fight as there were in the same arena.

It's a paradise. If only there were fewer scumbags, it would be a fairy tale. But what can I do, our world isn't a perfect place, so I have to put up with it, and I can't run after all the scum of the earth to clean up the city, can I? I'm not a hero, so I don't give a fuck about the city or strangers. Although, if there's an opportunity to help, which costs me nothing, why not?

Walking through the centre, I could smell the wonderful aroma of roasted Robusta beans and freshly brewed coffee.

Guided by the smell, I quickly found the coffee shop I was looking for. It had a curious name, which only made it even more charming. The Fox's Den had a bright style and a mischievous face of a fox mascot at the entrance, which winked at all passing bipeds, as if urging them to come to the curious den for a latte.

Not thinking long, I hurried to enter such a curious place. I am the kind of person who loves everything new and extremely curious. Inside the design of the coffee house was a couple of orders of magnitude more interesting than it might seem at first glance. Nice wood carvings decorated the main hall very skilfully, as well as a good painting in the form of cute foxy sisters here and there. For the first time I see such an author's cafe that looks tasteful and does not lose its individuality. I wonder if their coffee is as good as their decor.

Surprisingly there were no people there yet, so I quietly made an order and chatted with a nice girl. After discussing the current problems of the Republican party and the situation in the country, I finally got my macchiato with a cartoonishly cute face of the current president. Having appreciated the barista's joke, I smiled and silently went to my table, slowly thinking whether I should order a pastry now or have a snack at home.

But then my thoughts were brazenly interrupted by the same girl.

- Are you not Peter Parker by any chance? - she suddenly asked.

- Huh? - I almost choked with surprise, I immediately asked the barista girl in a perplexed manner.

- You probably don't remember me,' she smiled. - Alice. Manfredi, - the girl blushed innocently. - We used to play together before school, and I lived nearby until my mum and I had to move. You still have that same thoughtfully focused Aesculapian look, Parker, so it's hard not to recognise you,' she smiled charmingly again.

- Nice to meet you, Lissa,' she blushed again. - So you work here? Then I'll drop by more often for a cup of macchiato and a few words, - I smiled back and tried to understand if it was another recruitment.

- I hadn't forgotten,' Alice grinned. - You always call me a fox. You know, that's why I named my cafe that,' she said, smiling innocently again, but with a hint of bitchiness and a desire to dominate.

Digging into the recesses of my mind, I immediately remembered the bully. She liked to bully Osborne, but Parker always defended Harry. As a mischievous tomboy, he was nothing like the nerdy nerd I'd gotten, and he must have somehow managed to impress Miss Manfredi. After they had become friends and Harry had gone back to his father, Peter spent more time with his sister Alice, and after the tales they had been read by a grey-faced bully whom the girl affectionately called 'The Gravedigger,' she was nicknamed the foxy sister. After all, Fox was a rebel and mischievous.

- Really? Then I'll definitely have to stop by for another macchiato since the hostesses are so charming,' I smiled, embarrassing Miss Manfredi again.

- You're still insufferable, Parker,' Lisa laughed, and I nodded curtly, taking a sip of my much-needed coffee.

Gods, he really is bloody good.

I'll definitely have to come back for another visit. As Honoré de Balzac had said: after a cup of coffee, everything flares up, thoughts crowding in like soldiers on a battlefield waiting for glory or glorious death. Or was that not what he said? I don't care. After all, I have always loved coffee and more often than not it has replaced everything for me, literally forcing me to work on pure willpower and natural harmfulness. So coffee is my friend, coffee is my enemy, coffee has become an absolute part of me.

- Like coffee that much? - Fox smiled wryly. - I didn't realise Parker was a coffee addict, you're more suited to the classic limey image. But now you don't remind me much of that mischievous little boy. How fast they grow,' she said dreamily.

- The drink of the gods,' I smiled in the same dreamy tone. - And your macchiato was damn divine, so I'll definitely stop by again, maybe more than once,' I said, my smile becoming more playful and slightly predatory at the same time.

- What a flatterer,' Alice laughed softly. - I always thought it was a little out of character for you. But, as I see it, people change, even if not completely,' she continued, answering my smile with a mischievous look. - As our president once said: Coffee is the drink of resurrection. For it resurrects! So you're right, because our coffee is really divine,' the girl said without too much modesty.

- People do change, Lisa, though not immediately and not in everything. And how much water has already passed? And once we used to play as a family, making plans, we were such naive children. Do you remember how I drove away from our 'home' all the other guys that so prevented us from building love? - I smiled warmly as I sank into my memories. - Always wandering around when we got tired of playing, and we were looking for adventure on our heels. We used to make weapons and watch cartoons on the old VCR, you liked Atlantis so much back then, and I made you a pendant with a shimmering stone. It was like a lifetime ago,' I smiled again, sinking into a pleasant nostalgia. - And about coffee I will say this: it is not so much a drink as long and cosy conversations, pleasant meetings and nice dates in the circle of friends and relatives; it is a cheerful morning and soft milky evening, coffee is a mood. A mood to live in! That's my credo sister vixen... - winking at Alice, I continued drinking my macchiato again.

- It was like a lifetime slipping through my fingers. It was a good time. It seems like it's been a while, but it feels like we haven't seen each other in forever. Remember when we ate those dry noodles those Asians love so much? I still can't forget the taste, and it cost almost nothing, but it was so good. I'll only tell you, and that's in confidence, Pete, I still buy it sometimes in an ancient Vietnamese shop when I'm feeling sad. The taste of childhood, it, you know, cheers up and gives strength to move on, - the girl smiled again, but this time in her eyes there was melancholy longing with a touch of sadness and memories of the past.

- Don't be sad, foxy, because you can always call and eat good old ramen together. That's the reason to exchange numbers, you won't send me all sorts of photos, clogging up my mail, will you? - Suspiciously throwing a glance at the embarrassed girl, I smiled again. - I'm just kidding. Why are you so serious? Or do you like to send such photos to guys? - I said thoughtfully.

- You're still so obnoxious, Parker. - Fox smiled, and, calmly taking the phone from my hands, dialled the number and called herself, and a second later the imperial march was playing, and the girl smiled again, but more snidely, as if there was no second embarrassment a minute ago. - What, you didn't expect it? - she said with a sort of triumphant challenge.

- No, that's exactly what I was counting on,' I continued coldly, keeping my mask of calmness so as not to laugh. - The foxy little sister has fallen into my net again,' she blushed once more. I wondered why she was reacting to my teasing.

- Parker,' she said again as if it were an incurable diagnosis. - What are we going to do with you? And do not kill, or then it will be boring. Tell me, have you always been like this? - Fox said thoughtfully, looking me straight in the eyes, as if trying to find in them an answer to the question that tormented her so much.

- I've changed a lot over the years, little fox. Losing loved ones as often as I have, it's impossible to remain the glorious boy I was in the far off days of my glorious childhood. As the years go by, you realise that you will never go back to that fabulous time of our life and you have to move on, because it will never be the same. Childhood is gone, and we have only memories that warm us in the cold season, revitalising our soul and mind. But life is beautiful and you need to look for the next moments that will restart your life, not digging into a faded memory when everything was good and you were happy, - I smiled sadly and continued. - But you can't help it, and sometimes you have to lose something. A part of your family, a part of yourself, or something else. That's the way it is. Fate is a cruel bitch, but when it takes something away, it gives you something in return. It's the law of equilibrium, but it's not always an equal exchange.

- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to broach a subject that's so painful to you,' Alice was silent for a few seconds. - And how is Osbourne?

- Harry's still the same. Well, you probably remember that all he had on his mind were cars and surprising his father. Believe me, he hasn't changed at all in all these years,' I smiled warmly.

- What else would you expect from Osborne? He didn't accidentally bite you, by the way, because you've become so obnoxious. Yes, and I can see Osborn's harmful influence on my face,' she smiled mischievously. - Don't think anything of it, but good boys don't change so drastically. You're already starting to get a little philosophical, even if it sounds like Parker, but somehow I'm having doubts,' Alice continued wryly. - Who are you and what have you done with my friend? - The girl said predatorily and moved dangerously close, threatening to spill my macchiato, jerking in an attempt to remove the coffee, I suddenly felt the taste of her soft lips.

- Hmmm...' Manfredi said thoughtfully. - You still kiss the same way,' she continued calmly. - Don't worry, it's just a joke,' she said, copying my manner, her eyes burning with the triumph of revenge.

- I like jokes...' I said predatorily, pulling a kiss back from her lips. - Now we're even,' I winked at Lisa and finished my coffee, and hurried off to my business, leaving the frozen girl in a pleasant reverie.