The Brew of the Band Leader.

A true story of two young men getting into trouble with the law and coming out refreshed for the future.

    On a brisk cool night, Brian walked out of Romeo's Bar & Grill with his friend Don and headed towards his car, a 1996 Subaru Legacy. They were two guitarists out looking for a place to perform at. The duo were a ying-to-the-yang partnership, Don the levelheaded one and Brian the aggressive one. Usually Brian assumed the role of the provider, being the one to drive them around. However his ego might've been the main drive behind his excessive hospitality. But Don liked to think that Brian just jumped into things that weren't in his best interest, not thinking about how fair it was for himself. Don just let Brian provide the ride since he knew Brian had a need to be the leading man and was actually a follower at heart.

    Leaving Romeo's they turned left onto the street which was a very wide turn over three lanes. Normally it would be an illegal left turn but it was temporarily allowed due to major construction at one end of the street. It was the dark woodsy end of Kitsap Way, a part of Bremerton where hardly anyone went at night. Nearby was a fifties-style restaurant and a lumber yard, businesses that only operated during the day. And further down was a cemetary where a brother-in-law of Don's was buried. There was not a police car in sight, the law generally saw no need to keep an eye on this tame area.

    However Brian drove all the way down Kitsap Way and turned onto Burwell Street where most traffic flowed, including the Navy base commuters. Don was calm and collected, not thinking anything was wrong. Usually Brian did well at driving. They cruised along a double lane street.

    "Think we can get a gig at Romeo's?" asked Brian. He usually depended on Don for an opinion.

    Don smirked in apprehensiveness. "Probably. It didn't look like a hot spot though."

    "Well we gotta start somewhere I guess" Brian said. His head began to droop.

    As they entered the Bremerton city limits and headed towards the freeway, Brian encountered two cars ahead of him. In front of him was a civilian car and in the other lane, a state trooper cruiser. Brian had to repeatedly step on the brakes to control his momentum with the car ahead. Unfortunately his erratic driving raised a red flag with the cop, and the cop slowed down to get behind them.

    "S**t" Don breathed. Here we go again, fourth time he's been pulled over while I'm with him, Don thought. When was he going to replace that tail light?

    The cop followed them up to the next traffic stop. His flashing lights pelted the backs of their heads. Brian turned into the left turn lane and pulled into a factory entrance. Now here's a big scene, Don thought. They were right there, dead center, flashing lights, for everyone entering Bremerton to see.

    The cop walked over to Don's side of the car. He was young, bookish-looking, African-American, and tall. He looked vaguely familiar to Don as if he had gone to school with him.

    "Hi" the cop began. "Noticed your uh, tail light was out"

    "Yeah gotta replace it" Brian said.

    "Have you had a few drinks this evening?" the cop asked.

    "Yes, a few" Brian replied. Don shot him a look as if this was an unwise move.

    "Obviously" The cop remarked, his arrogance beginning to peek out from behind his professionalism. "How about your friend?"

    "He just had water" Brian said.

    "Why isn't your friend driving?" The cop chided.

    "Because I'm an idiot" Brian replied, rather crossly. Don shook his head in disdain.

    "Kay, you wanna step out of the car for me?" the cop ordered.

    He then performed the sobriety test on Brian as Don watched from inside the Subaru. Brian seemed to do well as far as Don was concerned, except when Brian was told to hop on one foot and he stopped before being told to. Don thought Brian would pass the test but it unexpectedly proved otherwise. When the test was finished, the cop stood there staring at Brian as if in conflict between propriety and instinct.

    "The results of your test?" The cop said solemnly. "They're terrible! I could take you to jail right now."

    Brian stood like a statue, not speaking. Don thought for one crazy moment that Brian wouldnt drive for a while if ever . He had heard that state troopers were discouraged from giving out warnings. It was over for Brian. 

    Instead the cop walked over to Don and asked him:

    "Your driver's license please? And Brian you may get back in your car, let me take your keys"

    Brian gave the cop his keys and flopped back into the driver's seat, showing no emotion. Don was now uncertain of what was going to happen.

    "You don't have any outstanding warrants, do you?" Brian asked as the cop ran Don's license through his computer.

    "Yeah I robbed a liquor store down in Longview, unfortunately someone got my license plate number" Don replied, thinking the question was absurd. Don was clean at the moment.

    The cop returned to Don's window, handing him his license and Brian's keys.

    "Don, you're driving. You got a problem with that?" The cop asked.

    "No sir, thank you officer" Don replied, taking no chances with the state trooper. He and Brian switched sides. The cop disappeared into the night. Don drove the car into the factory's empty parking lot and turned around. However he was not used to automatic transmission like Brian's Subaru had and he operated it rather awkwardly.

    "What're you doing, man?" Brian said laughing.

    "Not used to automatics man, s**t." Don was worried they might get pulled over again. He did drink water at Romeo's but he had a couple beers before that which they were wise enough not to say. Don was fairly sober but still wary.

    "If I had not been with you...you would've gone to jail" Don bluntly told Brian who seemed to be unaffected by the whole scare.

    "Apparently so" Brian answered.

    They went down Highway 16 and came to the exit for Port Orchard. The exit led to a long road along Sinclair Inlet, which gave a waterfront view of Bremerton. As they went down the off-ramp, a deputy car parked on the side suddenly followed.

    "Oh s**t, as if once wasn't enough" Don said, glancing in the outside mirror at the deputy. This second cop followed very closely and studiously.

    "Ah, I wouldn't worry." Brian said.

    They went a long way with the new cop in close pursuit. Don signaled and turned into the driveway for Brian's residence. The deputy continued on down the road and relief washed over Don. He still had his own car to drive home. But he wondered how Brian could get through this so calmly as if he knew it was going to turn out fine? Maybe he had great confidence and a sense of serendipity. It seemed like the right quality. He and Don were looking to put a band together.

    Don and Brian said their goodbyes and Don climbed into his manual transmission car. He felt great about the future of the band.

Reviews

[Cristal Bridges]

Well, I'm glad nothing outrageous happened to you guys. That's a relief. So, I see that this is what kept your captivation away from me tonight. Well put story. Well written.