Chapter 1062: A Friendly Donation
This was Lu Ke's first time at "Joe's Bar." He had heard a lot about it but had never visited in person.
Standing across the street, he saw an ordinary brick house with a dark gray wall and a dark green roof. It was nestled among a row of low-rise buildings in the Italian district. It was quite inconspicuous, with a custom-made suit shop on the left and a used bookstore on the right. It had a faint European style, which created an interesting contrast with the nearby Financial District and the distant Japantown.
If you weren't specifically looking for it, you wouldn't even notice that it was a bar when you passed by. But from another perspective, this meant it was a bar that only locals would frequent, not a tourist spot or an internet celebrity hangout. The strong sense of life allowed it to quietly blend into the community.
Lu Ke walked to the bar's door and pushed open the ajar door. The "creak" sound made him think of a desert bar in a Western movie, where the clatter of cowboy boots and horseshoes in the dusty wind outlined the weathered figures of outlaws. Then he saw the entire bar decorated with red as the main color.
On the spacious wall to the left, the history of the San Francisco 49ers was neatly displayed, including changes in jersey styles, team logos, framed news clippings of important events, and commemorative scarves and hats from championship years. It was like a historical museum, displaying the memories of the fans.
On the brick wall in front, various photo frames were irregularly arranged. He initially thought they were photos of players or celebrities who had visited the bar, but when he got closer, he saw that they were photos of different fans. They authentically captured classic moments of watching different games in different eras, recording the history of this bar.
Turning his head clockwise, his gaze passed the bar counter, and then he saw the wall on the right side. The pitch-black soot covered the original appearance of the wall, and some burnt wood and trash were piled next to it. The damp ground and corners showed the chaos that had happened there. It still looked like a ruin.
"I'm sorry, the bar is not open today," Anthony Tinozzo said loudly as he walked out of the storage room with a pile of trash in his hands and saw the figure standing in the middle of the bar.
But before he could finish his sentence, his steps involuntarily stopped. His face was blank, with no particular change in expression, but a look of shock slowly overflowed. For a moment, Anthony couldn't tell whether it was because of the person's identity or because their appearance was so unexpected.
"I'm sorry, I know the bar is not open today. I came here specifically to find the bar owner, Anthony Tinozzo," Lu Ke said, walking forward and extending his right hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lu Ke."
Anthony's reaction was a beat slower. "Nice to meet you. I am Anthony Tinozzo." After he said that, he thought for a moment and added, "I know who you are. But... why are you here?"
He still couldn't believe it was real.
Although "Joe's Bar" was well-known among fans, not many players came to the bar because of its location in the city center rather than near Candlestick Park. Not to mention getting this close to the team's star quarterback.
Anthony was almost 40 years old and was well past his wild youth. Even though he supported the 49ers, he did it in his own way. The passion and enthusiasm had turned into a sense of calm and experience, and he thought he had gotten used to this way of life. But at this moment, he couldn't help but feel his blood boil!
Lu Ke was always full of respect for such a devoted fan. The loyalty and love for this team had been integrated into the family's bones and had become a part of their blood. "Is this where the accidental fire happened yesterday?" Lu Ke didn't answer the question directly and instead pointed to the corner of the wall in front of him.
"...Yes," Anthony replied, coming back to his senses. "But it wasn't that serious. The situation was quickly under control. The firefighters also eliminated all potential dangers afterward. It wasn't a big deal."
Lu Ke stopped next to Anthony and carefully examined the wall. "What was here originally? I can see some words on the wall." At this moment, large patches of the black wall had lost their original appearance, and he could only vaguely make out some blurry traces. "Is that... the Bengals, '26-21'? Is this the score of our first Super Bowl win?"
Lu Ke's voice was a bit hesitant. He didn't know enough about the 49ers' history, so he just made a relatively reliable guess based on the bar's character.
"Yes. Originally, this wall was the record of our five championships, including the dates, opponents, and scores. It was like a championship wall, recording every one of our peak moments," Anthony said, with a look of pride in his eyes. The 49ers had the second-highest number of championships in the entire league, only behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was their pride.
What Lu Ke had just seen was the team's first Super Bowl win, which happened in 1981. Anthony then pointed to the area below, which was completely covered. "The last time was on January 29, 1994. We defeated the San Diego Chargers, and the score was '49-26.' That was a huge victory!"
Time flies. It had already been 19 years since then.
But now, this wall of honor had been destroyed in the accidental fire. "The wall can be repainted, and everything can be salvaged. Unlike the other walls, those things are irreplaceable treasures, so we are still lucky," Anthony said, still seeing the positive side.
If the Seattle Seahawks fans thought they could use this to shake their firm belief in winning, they were clearly mistaken.
Lu Ke also smiled. "Maybe this is a sign that it's time to update the wall."
Anthony's eyes lit up, but he ultimately didn't say what was on his mind. It was like making a wish on your birthday. If you say your wish out loud, it won't come true. He should keep it deep in his heart and quietly wait for the day it comes true.
Coming back to his senses, Lu Ke looked at Anthony. "I came here specifically today because Ryan and Jonathan told me that some unexpected accidents happened after the game yesterday, which is obviously not what we wanted to see." The information came from the Baldwin brothers. Lu Ke regularly calls Ryan to ask about his rehabilitation and physical condition. With the team moving forward, he also hopes that Ryan's condition will improve.
"Oh, Ryan. We all went to the hospital to visit him last Friday. The doctor said that because of his active rehabilitation recently, his muscle vitality is slowly recovering, and at least it's not getting worse. This is the first good news in half a year," Anthony said. He was a bit older, and after the excitement, his emotions slowly calmed down, and he spoke more comfortably.
Lu Ke said easily, "We made a deal that if the team could make it to the Super Bowl, he would bring his date to the game. So, he must be working very, very hard now."
"Then you guys need to keep working hard, too," Anthony said.
"Aha!" Lu Ke nodded in agreement. "No matter what, after hearing the news, we were all very worried. No one wants an accident like this to happen." Lu Ke got to the point. "We know that the bar must have insurance, and the insurance company will pay for the losses, but we players discussed it and still wanted to do our part to show our support."
"..." Anthony looked at Lu Ke in surprise. "Bambi, no, no, no. We don't need it. We can't..."
Lu Ke took a white envelope from his pocket and placed it in front of Anthony. "Don't worry. There are 53 players on our team, and every player participated in this donation, so it's not a big deal. It's just a way to show that the team and the fans will always stand together. We wouldn't have been able to get to where we are now without the support of the 'Niners.'"
Anthony just stared at Lu Ke, his heart racing. He finally didn't continue to refuse and took the envelope with both hands. "...Bambi, thank you."
"Don't thank me. This was David Akers's idea. I'm just the one who delivered the check. They were joking that I'm the face of the team now and that they wanted me to come and accept everyone's thanks. But I always believe that we are a team, and I'm just one of its members," Lu Ke said sincerely, not taking all the credit for himself.
Because Lu Ke's words were lighthearted and funny, Anthony also chuckled and joked, "Those old guys were just being lazy and purposely pushed it on you. You're a second-year player and a quarterback, so you're the perfect representative to run errands."
Lu Ke immediately smiled widely. "Right? Right? I complained to David about that, but David just stood there and chuckled, not helping at all."
From their words, you could feel that the atmosphere in the 49ers' locker room was very good. After a bumpy undefeated season, they finally found their rhythm at the right time in the playoffs.
"Although I really want to enjoy a beer here, I still have a few other bars to run errands for. You know, being the face of the team is always a lot of work," Lu Ke said, not staying for too long. After a few pleasantries with Anthony, he turned and left.
The bar returned to its quiet state. Anthony stood in the open space in the middle, carefully reliving the short conversation. His mood soared, and he started humming and getting busy again.
He had a feeling that something good was going to happen this year.
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