Chapter 446: Old Dogs, Cold Beer
Bruno had exited the venue of the media presentation almost immediately after it was finished. Returning to his estate in Berlin, which was now his home away from home. There he quickly stripped himself out of his overly formal attire, and returned to more comfortable clothes, less lavish, and more cozy in style, like a working father going out to the pub with the boys after a hard shift.
Having concluded this ritualistic act, Bruno took a car to an old establishment which held a special place in his heart. Back in the day, he, Erich, and Heinrich used to sneak out of the academy barracks to come here—drink in hand, dreams in their eyes.
But that future had been dimmed by the blood, mud, and grime of war. Erich was gone now, and Heinrich? Well, he and Bruno were so busy with their respective roles in society they seldom gathered anymore.
Sure Heinrich was still Bruno’s subordinate in the military Hierarchy, but the man was actually busy looking after the Army Group he was in charge of, while Bruno had transcended his position and entered the position on par with Joint Chief of the General Staff like the Americans had in Bruno’s past life.
Even so, this bar, it was a place that Bruno and Heinrich alike still cherished, and had opted to meet together at. As Bruno waited for Heinrich to arrive, as well as the two brothers he had invited, he noticed that time had a way of truly changing the world around him.
The familiar faces of those past patrons Bruno had once conversed with were long gone, and in time so too had the bartenders who poured him his beer in the golden days been replaced with younger and more vibrant minds.
Even so, there was always something about this place that never truly aged. He could visit it a hundred years from now, and the spirit would hopefully still remain the same.
Heinrich was the first to take a seat next to Bruno, and the difference between the two of them was staggering. Though roughly the same age, and both of elite and wealthy status, Burno easily looked ten years younger than his close friend. His genetics had hid his age with grace.
Whereas Heinrich actually looked like many rapidly approaching his 40th year. In addition to that, Bruno looked like he was a young farmhand, or factory worker having just gotten off the clock and appeared at the local tavern for a soothing beer, and a chat with the mates.
Heinrich looked like the kind of man who owned the company Bruno might’ve worked for in another life. Elegantly dressed in a lavish suit, and his hair groomed to perfection. Grey streaks along its locks, whereas Bruno’s own tuft of gold was devoid of any such imperfections.