Archive of Our Own ^beta

Luca's point of view:
I worked in a burger joint as a waiter, I took the food orders, brought the plates and served the customers. I was barely 19 so it was a good job, they didn't pay me much but I didn't need that much either.
I remember this guy; dark skin, Very curly hair and beautiful green eyes. He would come in every Saturday evening, and always ordered a double cheeseburger.
He did this for a whole year, I would always wait for him with the same double cheeseburger.
I always cared for this boy so I was starting to get fond of him. . That year I never asked him his name, but it was about to be a new year, it was 1947 and I had to work the night shift that same Saturday.
I didn't bother since I didn't have much family to spend these dates with. I preferred to spend the last day of the year serving people.
I thought he wouldn't come, but surprisingly he did; the brown-skinned guy was at the door of the establishment. He walked in and ordered the same as always: a double cheeseburger.
I took his order and carried it into the kitchen, he sat down at the counter across from where I was and asked me, "Aren't you spending the last night of the year with your family?" he asked.
"I don't have much family, just an uncle I live with and his wife. But they spend this date at the bar so I'd rather be here" I told him.
We started talking about banal things, like if he was studying or what he did for a living. I discovered several things about him that I wouldn't have imagined; he didn't like sports (in spite of that he was quite thin), surprisingly he didn't believe in God or in the church (we agreed on that), he didn't have much family either.
He told me that his mother passed away a year and a half ago, and his father named Bruno left him when he was 18, two years ago and now he is 20 years old.
I asked him his name:. "Alberto Scorfano" he answered me. "And your name is?" I asked him: "Luca Paguro" I answered.

We continued chatting until midnight, the radio was playing happy music welcoming the new year, there were not many people in the establishment. Approximately 10 people.
We all applauded and started hugging each other. I hugged Alberto and he held me tight, "Sorry, sometimes I am too rough" he said apologetically.
I just laughed and hugged him with all my strength.
We separated and continued the night talking and talking about us.

On Monday he came to my house, knocked on the door, I went out to open it and he asked me if I wanted to go to the park with him. Every Saturday he would go for his double cheeseburger and on Mondays we would go out to various places; the movies, the park, the river, the zoo and more places.

Being with him was becoming a habit and I was starting to see him as more than a friend, I liked spending time with him more than I liked being with girls.
I had several girlfriends but they never lasted our relationships as they bored me. But with him I have never felt that, I am always happy and entertained when I am with him.

The day came when I talked to him about it....    We were in the park; I told him that I liked being with him, and that I liked his hair and his eyes.
"No" he told me, in a curt way and left. He left and I didn't see him for quite a while.... It was weeks of not seeing him on Saturdays and Mondays. It was weeks of regretting telling him my feelings, it was weeks of crying every night regretting feeling what I felt. It was weeks of waking up with no energy and with all the laziness in the world.

There were rumors that the second war was about to start, the government began to go town by town and city by city recruiting young people and adults who wanted to join the army.

I didn't want to go, I didn't even want to go to kill people, much less think about dying, not even for my country.

I went to the park, there was a small tent where the army was recruiting. I sat on the nearest bench and watched; I saw many young men enlisting, they were asked a few questions, they signed some papers and they were already inside.
And suddenly he was there, Alberto Scorfano preparing his papers to enlist in the army, I couldn't believe it, I really didn't want to believe it.
I immediately got up from the bench and ran to where he was, but before I got there I stopped and I still don't know why, maybe it was my pride or my desire that Alberto would realize his mistake by himself. But when I was about to tell Alberto not to do it, I turned around and went home. The stupidest thing I could have ever done.

Another week passed, Alberto did not come to see me on Monday or Saturday.... This was starting to affect me and on Sunday I went out to the park again, I had to clear my thoughts.
When I got to the park I saw what to this day makes me want to wake up every Saturday and not do it.

I saw him, I saw Alberto getting into the army truck, ready to go to war.
There were more than 5 trucks, all surrounded by family members of the newly recruited.
And I saw Alberto getting into one of them, I will never forget what it looked like. It was military green, with bars on the windows and had a huge "3" on the windshield.
I tried to get to him but all the people there wouldn't let me pass, I was so frustrated that I started yelling his name.
Somehow he heard me, and looked me straight in the eye. His green eyes began to fill with tears, he was pushed from behind by his companions and he just gave me a smile. He got on the transport and the doors closed.
I still couldn't get through, I just resigned myself and started to cry, I got all the tears out of my eyes. I stood there static watching the truck that contained the love of my life leaving little by little.... Moving farther and farther away from me.
It was heading towards a place of death and destruction.
Suddenly everything went black, and I woke up in my bed.
My uncle told me that they found me lying in the park, apparently I had fainted. Only a few hours passed, and remembering all that, remembering that Alberto was gone forever, I started to cry. Tears like waterfalls and screams as if they were killing me. I am someone very sentimental so they were not surprised to hear me cry like that.

And that was the story of how I lost the love of my life. It's been two years since then, and I stupidly stayed in town waiting for Alberto to walk through the door of the establishment. But in two days I'm leaving town, I want to go to the city to continue my studies or to find a job.... Although if I'm honest I want to go to distract myself, to forget and restart a little bit of my life.

I'm in the Burger establishment, it's the last day so soon I can finish this and try a happy future...?

I'm turning my back to the counter, I hear someone walk into the establishment and say to me:
"Can I have a double Cheeseburger"