"Hmm. So once the bump is gone, you won't be able to claim to have amnesia any more, right?"

"What? No! It's not as though the bump is full of amnesia. It's just a bump."

My head was about to burst. The pain was bad, and the thirst was worse than when I climbed Petit Dru’s southern wall without water. Had to drink… A lot…

I rose up somehow from the bed and started towards the bathroom, it was closer than the kitchen. Moving was a hell, and not only because of the throbbing head. My entire body felt misplaced, and I had the feeling that some slings are attached to my legs and arms, pulling them and changing my movements. Oh, God. Must warn Salazzo, this grappa is really bad, he shouldn’t stock it anymore. Never had a hangover before, this was the first time I ever got drunk. But it couldn’t be that bad, or nobody would ever get drunk for a second time…

I pulled myself inside the bathroom and lunged for the tap. Opened it and started sucking the water directly from it. How good the cold water felt!…

I don’t know how much time I spent drinking, but finally the throbbing subsided a bit and my head felt clearer. Drinking alcohol was a really, really, really bad mistake. Better jump from the roof than try that, I thought. What a lesson. I didn’t want to even think how I look now… Still, I lifted my head and looked in the mirror.