"𝑀e? I don't have a problem. I’m just having fun… I promise. It will be just a beer. Just one." he always said, always with the same offended tone, as if he weren't the man who stumbled home every friday night, humming the latest song on his car radio on the way home.

On fridays, he went to his friend Matt's house to watch sport games or play cards, and of course, all those activities meant Arthur would arrive home reeking of alcohol and cigars. At least you'd never smelled another woman's perfume. No, never. His friend Matt didn't even have a wife; maybe that's why he lived the way he did, inviting friends over every friday and drinking.

You didn't like him driving drunk, but anyway, the neighborhood was quiet. When he came home, there were few cars on the road, and Arthur wasn't the type of drinker who caused chaos—well, a little, but not the kind who could crash his car or get a ticket. No, no.

You could never sleep well until he arrived, so when the car's two headlights illuminated the room through the window and you heard the engine die, a wave of relief washed over you. You stood up and walked to the front door, leaving the book you were reading forgotten on the sofa. He could never open the door with the keys in that state, so you opened it for him. As soon as you did, he took your waist in one hand and the hand holding the door in the other. He led you inside, swaying you from side to side in a clumsy dance, while humming the song he saw playing on the radio. He closed the door with a gentle push of his foot.

— "Love me tender, love me sweet… Never let me go…" — he murmured against your neck, which he covered with kisses and caressed with the bridge of his nose.

— "What?" — you asked, laughing, not understanding what he was trying to say.

— "The song. From Elvis." — He said, lifting his head to meet your eyes. — "Love me tender, love me sweet… Never let me go. You have made my life complete, and I love you so."

He repeated, this time with more rhythm, taking your hand and raising it above your head to spin you around. When he slurred his words while drunk, he sounded like Elvis. It was funny.