I get a message on my phone: „Quick update: Raphael is still at work.“

I'm waiting for my sister to pick me up, so we can visit our parents with her boyfriend.

„No hurry“, I reply.

I sit at my desk, drink a glass of red wine and look out the window. In front of my window there's a small park with a ping pong table. I can see a man with dark skin and white short hair sitting on the ping pong table. His back is turned towards me. A beer is sitting next to him. I take a picture of him with my phone.

I watch some Youtube videos. My sister texts me that Raphael is at home and will only go to the bathroom real quick. They will be here in fifteen minutes.

I go to the bathroom. I put on my shoes and jacket, take my backpack and head outside. I'm not sure if I closed my window, once I'm outside, so I walk around the building to look at my window. It is closed.

The man on the ping pong table is smoking a cigarette. I wait by the side of the street and look at news articles on my phone. I look out for my sister's blue car.

A lot of cars go by. After about twenty minutes I see my sister's car and walk towards it with a smile. Raphael gets out.

I get into the back.
„Are you sure you don't want to sit behind Clara?“ Raphael looks at me.

„Uh, there's stuff behind the driver's seat...“

„I would have to put that away“, says Clara and sighs.

„Ok fine, I'll move the seat“, says Raphael.

„It would have been fine anyway, you can move the seat back to where it was.“, I say. I put my backpack next to me, so it can't fall over.

„It's fine like this“, says Raphael.

Clara starts driving and says: „Well, uhm, Raphael's kind of drunk. He was at a party and not at work, without telling me about it. I thought, poor Raphael still has to work, and then he was drunk when he got home. He drank several gin tonics in like an hour. And then he suggested something when he got home, I couldn't believe it.“
„There was a party at work, what was I supposed to do? Can we stop somewhere and get chicken nuggets?“

„Man, Raphael, you make me so mad. I sit there waiting at home and think you're at work and you come homed wasted. You knew we were going to my parents today. And then you suggested that. I even made you sandwiches.“
Raphael looks at the sandwiches in the box in my sister's bag. „What kind of sandwiches?“
„There's salami with mustard, and ham.“

We're on the highway. I look out the window. I don't want to say I drank red wine by myself.

„Oh, Raphael, now I took the wrong turn because of you. You make me so mad.“

„You're driving“, he says.

Clara sighs.

„How can we get home from here? Oh boy, Raphael. Shut up.“ She has to laugh.

„I'm so hungry, can't we go to McDonald's?“

„Just shut up. Eat your sandwich. I'm so embarrassed in front of my sister, she's thinking, they are gonna get married.“

My sister and Raphael are getting married next month.

„You're laughing, it can't be that bad“, I say.

„Can't be that bad“, my sisters says while taking a look at Raphael, eating one of the sandwiches.

Clara slows down as we approach a street that's been blocked by firemen. Raphael gives one of the firemen the finger.

„Are you nuts? You can't give a fireman the finger.“

„What are they blocking the road for?“

„Can I go left here?“

„I have to go the bathroom“

„Can't you wait?“

„After a couple of beers you just have to go.“
„Beer? I thought you had gin tonics?“

„And five bottles of wine“, I try to joke.

Clara stops and Raphael gets out to pee. She turns around.

„I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed. We want to go home and he's drunk. And then he suggested that...“

„What did he suggest?“

„I don't know if I can say.“

„When you've already mentioned it.“

„When he came home he wanted to smoke pot.“

„Ah, well.“ I shrug.

Raphael gets back into the car. We drive for a while. Clara slows down because we're approaching a road that's been blocked by firemen.

„Did we just go in a circle?“

„No... Did we? Let's see. Well, yes.“, I say.
„How did that happen? Oh man, Raphael.“ My sister puts her hand on her forehead.

I stare out the window. It's getting dark outside.

We arrive at home.

„I couldn't find someone better than you, I guess“, says Clara while we step inside the house.

She goes to the bathroom. Raphael and I go to the living room, where my parents and my other sister are watching TV.

„Hi... We got lost a little, Clara almost drove to work by mistake“, I say and sit down.

Raphael gets himself a beer out of the fridge in the kitchen.