Brandy and Tequila

A Story by Merry

A barmaid and a sailor meet, only to be lost in the rhymes of song.

There's a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes

A loud roar of laughter came from the left corner table, not for the first time in days. In the little bar, it was common to see the fishermen and sailors swap stories, but this one man was different. He had only been in town town a few days, but he had more command of the floor than any other sailor had ever had, at least, that's what Brandy thought.

The man had control of the whole crowd, a huge group of men �"and a few of the barmaids-- circling him; even a few were leaning in from open windows.

“Hey! Brandy!,” said one of the more drunken sailors at noon that day, slapping a hand on the storyteller's shoulder. “Bring some more whiskey! Me and this man deserve it!”

“And how do you 'deserve it', Andy?” prodded one man leaning in the busy doorway.

“Because I'm a' buyin'!” This statement produced another roar from the patrons.

And there's a girl in this harbor town
They say "Brandy, fetch another round"
She serves them whiskey and wine

Eventually, Brandy made her way to the table, with less shot glasses than what was on the tray, being taken rather rudely from it. That's when she and the man's eyes connected. Brandy shyly smiled at him, and him offering a big grin in return. He stood-up and patted the vacant seat.

“Brandy's you're name, right?”

“Y-yes, it is.” Brandy found herself unconsciously trying to smooth her hair back away from her face.

“We gentlemen -” a few laughs interrupted ”- are sturdier than you, little lady. Why don't you sit in my place and take a break for a while?”

Brandy turned around to look at her boss, who nodded his head, along with a few hand gestures motioning for her to do as the customer wanted. She went around the table to the chair and sat, and the man leaned on the back, and continued his stories.

Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor's story
She could feel the ocean fall and rise
She saw its raging glory

Hours later, he was still telling stories, and Brandy was captivated. The stories became louder and more interesting with each telling. He was nothing like the scum that usually that came to the bar. Once, later that evening, he left, only to return with a guitar. If anything was better than his stories, it was the songs he sang.

Sitting in the sea of men, everything was blocked out of Brandy's vision, except the man she didn't even know. Brandy swore she was in love the stranger. If he ever sung of women or beautiful places from the world over, his eyes were on hers.

Every day passed this way.

Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the north of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of a man that Brandy loved

One afternoon, Brandy was invited to come aboard his ship. It was a fine ship. Brandy didn't know what to think. She couldn't understand how one man steered such a boat by himself, all over the world, no less.

After excusing himself, he went down to the cabin. The sound of objects being tossed and thrown came from below, and along with a good many curse words said, the proud sailor emerged with a small cloth bag. He handed it to Brandy, telling her to open it.

Inside was the most beautiful piece of jewelry Brandy had ever seen. The chain itself was wonderful, but there was a locket as well, with initials engraved on it.

“That came from the north of Spain.”

Brandy looked-up to see the man smiling. She was lost for words.

“How did you get this?” she asked, still gobsmacked.

“Oh, I saved a merchant's daughter from a jet ski accident; there was a slight explosion. Anyway, he thanked me by gifting it to me, along with inscribing my initials on it, to give the girl I treasure the most. He explained his daughter was his treasure, so you see�"Why, you're crying!”

He hugged Brandy tight in his arms.

“Don't cry.”

Brandy smiled. “I can't help it. No one's ever been so kind and loving to me before.”

“You should be treated like this everyday.” The sailor's smiled turn into a grimace. “Brandy, I've got to leave.”

“When are we leaving?”

The man was silent.

“When are we leaving?” Brandy asked again.

She lifted her head of his shoulder. Brandy saw that he was looking off into the blue world. Then she knew.

He sighed and said, holding her hands in his, “Brandy, you're a fine girl. What a good wife you would be. But my love and my lady is the sea.”

But he had always told the truth
Lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand

*~*~*~*

Brandy pulled her jacket close around her, as the winter winds blew. The lonely woman walked to the pier where she had seen her love sail away, all those years ago. With cold hands, she took her locket out from under her sweater. In the streetlight, the initials “J.B.” shined.

“Oh, Jimmy, I wish you were here to sing me a summer song.”