Drink the night away!
Who: An old experienced Journalist, a baseball playing painter, and eventually, a Spaniard.
What: Birthday drinks. At a gay bar.
Where: Chueca.
When: Friday, June 10th.
It was Afonso's birthday today, and while the two hadn't known each other very long, Manny and Afonso had been fast friends. (That's what happens when you put two romantic Latinos together, after all.)
They were sort of eachother's mentors in things by then, even if there were eleven years between them; thirty is still young, as Emmanuel repeatedly reminded Afonso.
Still young, and still with room to live.
And sometimes, living involved drinking.
Being nineteen, Emmanuel couldn't exactly drink in the United States, but he did work at Chueca. Everyone knew him there, after all, and probably wouldn't give him a second thought.
Sure, it was a gay bar- but it was more than that, and there were plenty of straight patrons (who were at least straight when sober, anyway.)
"Fonso, there is nothing wrong with coming to a gay bar with friends," he laughed, rolling his eyes. "You're young but you talk like an old man. Live a little! Next time you can bring tu novia contigo, and I will mix drinks for you." His grin showed he meant it; if it honestly meant that much to his friend, he'd pretend he was a brother or cousin to keep him from feeling uncomfortable at Chueca.
"Pero," he added, shrugging. "I'm paying, y si quiero algo, I have to come here. It won't be so bad. Prometo."