L'affaire Bob

28. Underwear Buddy

A few minutes later, both Bob and Victor were leaving the café after a quick, friendly hug, and the promise of a new friendship.

And us? We left too, after a few curses, me trying to imitate Bob by hugging the girls, getting a slap on each cheek, and the disappointment of not having found any answers.

-"So, that's it?" Emma inquired after we had paid the check and stormed outside the café.

Now, I know that us paying meant that we had interfered in the previous events and made a slight change in the past, but I'm sure Guillaume Jr. wouldn't mind earning a few more francs, right? Besides, he'll only think he miscalculated this day's fees.

-"I guess it is," Amanda replied. "And if the first meeting went like this, I don't think the second would be any different, but still, let's go see that Carpentier guy."

-"Oh, so he's the second guy Bob visited?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm quite curious to see what he has become after all these years."

We walked down the street and went to a less crowded area to ensure no one sees us time-traveling. In a matter of seconds, we landed in the same spot, and, once more, marched towards the café.

Just like earlier, people around us were rushing to their offices and running around, afraid of arriving late to whatever meeting they had. I had seen many of them in our latest travel, so I assumed they worked close-by and passed through that street daily.

This time, though, we didn't have to wait for Bob and David Carpentier, because just as we were about to cross the street and step inside the café, we saw them entering right before us.

David hadn't changed much. He had that same Hispanic vibe and dark hair, but now, he had grown a little mustache over his upper lip.

We waited for them to sit down and order, and, just like yesterday, Bob chose the table behind the counter. I remembered how, whenever we hung out together here after work, he would always guide us to this table. Come to think of it, I don't reckon he had ever told me why this table was his favorite, nor why he always chose to hang out here, at Café Guillaume, when Paris had so many more places to visit and hang-out spots to offer.

And now, it was too late to know.

Whenever he was around, I would always think about those little details and would ponder, every time, whether to ask him those questions or not.

Hesitation, I grimly thought.

Doubts and hesitation were the sources of my biggest regret. I had made this mistake six years ago. And yet here I was, doing it all again.

So many promises I made to Bob, so many dreams and adventures we were planning, all broken now, all gone.

Amazing how, in the blink of an eye, everything could fade away, vanish and never come back.

After the incident, I had sworn I wouldn't do it again. I was determined not to let the hesitation get the best of me, and intended on never denying any invitation or appointment because you never knew when the person you were debating spending time with could simply no longer exist.

I had decided back then to speak up my mind, ask the questions I had always been afraid to ask. I had decided to fully live and enjoy every single moment I spent in the presence of my friends and my loved ones.

But I guess I failed.

Bob, too, was no longer, now. It pained me to say it, but no matter how much I tried to change, these hesitating moments would always come back and haunt me.

Right now, however, I was set on not messing this up, and this bloody hesitation could go rot in hell. I was not letting my doubts stop me from finding answers.