During his high school years Balázs’ parents guarded him closely to ensure his high grades and academic career. He was never allowed to go to parties, concerts, or the other sorts of outings that are typical in one’s teenage years. His classmates lived the nightlife of teenagers, but Balázs stayed at home to study, read, and generally not to be corrupted. Hence there is nothing surprising in the fact that following the loss of his parents he wanted to reenact those wasted teenage years. (Isn’t this a speculation? I know we want to give him motivation, but still. How do we know this? Let’s ask S.K. too – the Editor.)

He was aided in his quest by János Egér. Egér is a mildly successful businessman, owner of a printing company/publishing house as well as a pub called Rathole. He is also an amateur musician. (N.B.: János Egér’s nickname is Rat – the Editor).

The Rathole is a rather tiny but cozy rock pub (Márton, it came across as cozy to you? I almost died there, let’s be a bit more objective – the Editor); behind the counter it is often János Egér himself bartending. He is not in the pub business for profit alone.

‘I’ve always wanted a pub,’ says the successful businessman, who on the outside looks like a member of a motorcycle gang. He met Balázs Peterfy in this pub, though they had known each other from high school. ‘We weren’t friends in high school. He was a lonely kid. He was always alone, no friends, never came to parties. He wasn’t even worth bullying. But as the years go by, you start to appreciate old acquaintances more and more, as friends leave the city or you fall out with them. Or they die.’

Their acquaintance quickly evolved into a friendship. The men were tied together by a woman: Brigitta Kovács Egér, once the wife of János Egér, who had regrettably succumbed to cancer a few years back.

‘We were both grieving, he and I together, that’s a strong bond.’ (For fuck’s sake, Júlia, this is not an authentic voice. He didn’t speak at all like this! – the Editor. Response: If we write down what he actually said, this book will never get published.)

The two men talked a lot about their high school years, and Balázs confessed that as a teenager he had been madly in love with Brigitta Kovács (no one should write things like ‘madly in love’ – the Editor). The fact that Brigitta was not among the living anymore made him depressed, not only because of the personal loss, but also because he felt like his connection to the past had become even fainter with her absence.