Champion's bar

Champion's bar - oneshot

After endless hours on a plane, you and your friend finally set foot in Mexico, specifically in Acapulco: white beaches, crystal-clear sea, blue sky and the sun gently caressing your skin...

Everything would be spectacular, except for the fact that the flight had been delayed by a few hours and you ended up landing in South America when it was already dark.

You still decide to leave the airport, trying to catch a bus to reach the hotel; you arrive at the bus stop and wait... Wait... Wait some more... But nothing...

"Is this bus ever coming?" your friend asks.

"How should I know that?! My map app has gone crazy, it's all dark and I'm starving... I can't think straight right now!" you respond, a bit irritated from the exhaustion of the journey.

-

You wait a little longer, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, but, at a certain point, you jump up and start walking in the direction of the hotel, following the online maps that seem to have recovered.

"Oh, hey! Where are you going?" your friend exclaims.

"I'm tired of waiting... If the mountain doesn't come to Mohammed, Mohammed goes to the mountain!" you respond without much explanation.

"Oh, come on... Let's try calling a taxi!" your friend says, pointing to a handwritten phone number on a small note stuck to the bus stop.

After a long phone call, during which you muster up your high school Spanish skills, you manage to book a ride and the car arrives shortly after you hang up; as soon as you get in, you notice a strange smell, which worsens due to the hot weather, but you decide to stay on board.

However, as the driver turns toward you to ask for directions showing you traces of white powder around his nose, you both decide to jump out of the car, running toward the first open place you see.

You enter the bar shaking but, as soon as you look in your friend's eyes, both burst out laughing.

"Will anything go right on this vacation?" you think...

A waiter, seeing you at the entrance, approaches to ask if you'd like to order something. Noticing the indecision on your faces, he directs you to a free table; after seating you, he hands you two menus, explaining that they offer both traditional and classic drinks, and, if you're hungry, they also have snacks. Then he walks away.

-

After browsing the menu, you decide to order two "Agua de vida" drinks (tequila with watermelon and mint) and fried nachos with guacamole; seeing that there aren't waiter around to place the order, you decide to approach the bar counter to catch the bartender's attention.

"Perdone señor, mi amiga y yo queremos ordenar bebidas y comidas pero no enstan camarero en la sala..." you say, with a slightly trembling voice due to the anxiety about messing up your Spanish.

The bartender, recognizing that you're not a local, turns around and invites you and your friend to sit at the counter, saying he'll satisfy your requests "con amor".

you feel puzzled... Of course not because of the bartender's affectionate demeanor! But you feel like you've seen him before...

Nonetheless, you decide to follow his suggestion, given how hungry you are and how the thought of what you're about to order is making your mouth water.

You finally manage to order and end up having an incredibly fun evening: the bartender puts on a show, juggling bottles and shakers, and keeps you company chatting about activities to do during your stay, "descuentos for amistad" in case you want to eat there again, the beauty of Italy (which he seemed to know very well), Formula 1, ...

That last topic struck you like lightning and a thought crossed your mind...

"Wait... No, maybe i misheard... But what if it's really him... No, impossible..." you think...

"Checo?!"

The name escaped your lips before you could even think whether it was appropriate to call him by his nickname rather than his full name.

"Took you long enough to recognize me" says the bartender, pointing to the Red Bull Racing keychain attached to the zipper of your backpack that is hanging from the back of your chair, laughing a bit.

"Perdoname pero... I don't know how to say..." you start, with an half-Spanish and half-English sentence that makes no sense... You feel embarrassed but it amuses him greatly.

"Tranquila chica! You can speak in English, I understand it well..." he says, trying to ease the anxiety clearly visible on your face, "Remember, I've done many Grand Prix races all over the world!"

After accepting that it would be impossible to have a coherent conversation with your terrible Spanish, you start chatting with him about various topics: you learn that he had opened the bar after retiring from his racing career and the conversation eventually shifts to his joys and struggles of past Grand Prix races and your expectations for the future of Formula 1.

-

"I wonder if Red Bull Racing will win the Constructors' Championship again this year... Sure, it's not the 100% winning team it used to be when you, Max, Helmut, Christian and Adrian were all there... But it's still a strong team, able to hold its own against Ferrari... Or, maybe, i hope..."

The fact that you were referring to the old motorsport protagonists by their first names softened Sergio's expression.

"Tranquila chica, Ferrari has very strong drivers but Red Bull has a, unbeatable technical team, it'll be a fun challenge!"

"But have you seen how good Bearman is?! I absolutely love his driving style and annoys me that he always gets pole in qualifying but is then beaten in the race by Antonelli's Mercedes..." you say, almost cutting Checo off mid-sentence.

"Ollie has always been a very good driver; I remember his Formula 1 debut in Saudi Arabia. Have faith in him, he'll become a star!" he replied, drying glasses fresh out of the dishwasher.

But now you were like a river bursting its banks, spilling words one after another and gesticulating a lot.

"And the FIA always messes things up! Oh, have you heard that..."

But you couldn't finish the sentence because you noticed that your friend had fallen asleep with her head resting on the counter.

"Maybe for us it's time to go, though... We're pretty exhausted from the trip. Do you know where we can get a taxi to the hotel?"

"If you wait a few minutes, I can take you myself there"

His offer made you check the time, it was already 1 AM! 

You look around the room, now empty except for the waiters cleaning up, and this leaves you shocked at how quickly the time had flown!

"Sure, take your time"

-

After thanking and saying goodbye to the staff and locking up the place, Checo led you to his car which, oddly enough, was a Mercedes; your friend decides to lay down, occupying the entire back seat, so Checo opened the passenger door for you and, once everyone was in, started the engine, not before asking you for the location of your hotel.

During the ride you wanted to talk with him again but, afraid of seeming pushy, you decide to stay quiet.

He, thinking that you might feel intimidated, decides to turn on the radio, which automatically connected to his Spotify profile, and it blasts the "33 Max Verstappen" song at full volume, prompting you to quickly turn the knob down to avoid waking your drowsy friend.

You both burst out laughing.

"I see that this song has become a classic for everyone!" you joke.

"Many times I'm late for work, so I need the right soundtrack to make up for lost time" he jokes back.

After that, your eyes met and a big and loud laught filled the car again.