If I could turn back the time...

It's a cold December's evening when you decide to visit an old bar that you used to go to when you were younger. You haven't visited this bar in at least ten years, as you moved away because of a great job offer that you couldn't miss out on. It made you leave your old hometown in the Dolomites and move to London, which was a big step for you. Especially because you and your ex boyfriend decided to break up back then. You never really parted through a fight, but there were some tensions between you and him regarding the job. You wanted him to come with you, but at the same time you understood that he couldn't easily leave the satanic ministry just because his girlfriend moved away. So, instead of suffering from a long distance relationship, you decided you would break up in friendship, move on and let each other have their freedom again. This was ten years ago. You haven't seen or heard anything from him since then. In the beginning, you occasionally texted and face timed each other but after a while, this habit faded more and more. Since then you've been sleeping around from time to time, had two more "relationships" but they weren't it. As much as you loved the Brits, you had a hard time connecting with them. Still, you tried your best to make some friends and do your job as best as you could.
Right now, you're on holiday in your old hometown, making your way towards the bar. It's goddamn cold, it's skiing season and you hate skiing. Although you grew up in the Dolomites, you were always too clumsy to keep yourself on your feet. You enjoy the fairy lights illuminating the narrow streets and the shops around the town, though. Christmas is around the corner, that's for sure. You decided to visit your family over the holidays but kept a few days for yourself beforehand, just to enjoy the town all alone. So when you finally approach the bar, you take a deep breath, enjoying the cold winter's air and the little snow flakes landing on your coat. The bar still looks the same as it did 10 years ago. You can barely believe it. Pressing down the handle, you enter and the warm air from the inside greets your all reddened and cold face. You're greeted by the bartenders, but you don't know them though. The owners seemed to have changed. "Buonasera", they welcome you, finally someone greeting you in Italian again. You smile, hanging your coat and sitting down in front of the counter. "Buonasera", you reply warmly, ordering a red wine for yourself. A good, old red wine that you craved so much. It's surely gonna warm you up. When you receive the wine, you take a sip, savouring the taste for a moment. "So good", you whisper to yourself, closing your eyes for a second. As you open them again, you decide to turn around and let your gaze wander through the bar. It really does still look as cosy as it looked a decade ago. The dark wooden planks, the warm lights. The little sitting booths where you can talk to your friends in piece. The relaxing jazzy music. It's perfect. There aren't many people in here right now. It's dark outside, but early and a weekday. People don't usually sit around in bars at 5:30 pm on a Tuesday. Especially not in bars that are less likely to be visited by tourists. So you let your eyes wander around, until they involuntarily stop at a certain target. You squint your eyes, looking more intensely. Then you open them wide again. "What?", you murmur to yourself, "no, that can't be...". What you see there is a man sitting in one of those little booths on a bench in front of his glass of red wine. He was very focused on his phone, scrolling through various feeds. He does look up now though, as if he felt you staring at him. You quickly look away. The man looks around but doesn't spot you, shrugs and looks at his phone again. He's wearing a red suit. Quite bold though. But not unusual for... for... Cardinals around this area. You gasp. Audibly. He didn't hear you, though, as he's sitting quite secluded from the counter. You can't help but stare and clench your fist. It's him. As soon as you try and stop looking at him, he tilts his head up again. You surely seemed to have awoken his sixth sense. He looks up, looks around and then... then he spots you staring at him. He's confused for a moment but then, his eyes widen in surprise. "Cazzo...", he whispers to himself, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. Yes. Yes it is definitely him. And you're definitely you. He gets up, and you instinctively get up as well, grabbing your glass and walking towards him. He almost stumbles as he gets up from his little bench. "Huh... y.. you...", he stutters as he opens his arms. "Copia!", you say, smiling from ear to ear as you approach him, falling into his arms, balancing your glass of wine behind his back, "is it really you?". "Y.. yes..!", he murmurs, barely even able to believe what he's seeing, "what... what are you doing here??", he asks, flabbergasted, "please... please sit down with me if you like!". Pointing towards the empty space on the bench, Copia invites you to sit down with him. You put the glass on the table and squish yourself into the booth, he quickly follows. "Oh! I'm here to visit my family over the holidays. I haven't seen them in so long! I didn't... I didn't expect to meet YOU here", you explain, as you smile shyly. "Me? Oh? Is that... an issue?", he asks awkwardly, looking at you. "No! No not at all. I'm pleasantly surprised actually", you answer, raising your glass of wine to clink it with him. He does the same. "Well oh, I'm so... I mean, it's nice to see you here again", Copia stutters as he raises his glass, "mind talking about what you've been up to the...?" "... past ten years?", you ask cheerfully, "not at all!". You both smile, and that's when you clink your glasses. Copia didn't seem to have changed a tiny bit. Sure, he's grown older by now. But the salt and peppery hair suits him quite well. The freckles still there, his skin pale as ever and his hands covered in those black gloves that he would always wear. The red suit fitting tightly and his little signature moustache still a prominent feature on his face. You can't say that he's gotten more wrinkles, but the ones he already had ten years ago are a bit more defined by now. You like it, though.
"Do you still work for that company?", Copia asks, now a bit less nervous as he plays with his almost empty glass, quickly ordering two new ones, "it's fine, I'll pay". "Oh thank you Copia!", you answer thankfully, "I'll make up for that. Well, as for your question, yes I do. I've made good money the past ten years. But, I think I wanna move back here. I miss the Dolomites. Italy... you know? England is nice, don't get me wrong, but I miss our fiery lifestyle". You and Copia thank the waiter as he brings more wine and then he says, understandingly:"Oh I get it. At some point you just wanna go back. You know, I've lived in Austria for 3 years now and decided to come back as well. My now ex girlfriend made me move there and I just didn't feel it. It was quite something. I'm glad to be back. So I understand that you wanna come back, maybe settle. Even though after ten years the decision has to be quite a challenge, no?", he asks, cocking his head to the side. "Austria?", you interrogate, "what a beautiful country! Well, that's something I would've never imagined you doing honestly, but hats off to you. You're travelling so much because of the band, I understand you always savoured the times you could stay here in town. Well, as for me, the decision to go back home is easier than it should be. I've never really made friends over there. Well of course, I have friends in England, but I just miss our way of living, the way people treat each other. The food... I've never really felt 'home' in England". The Cardinal nods understandingly, listening to you with great interest.