I've Been a Wild Rover For Many a Year

My goal for 2012 was to play guitar and sing at an open mic night. I accomplished that goal early in the year – in March actually! – and now I’m a regular at a bluegrass open mic night in Alexandria, Virginia.  Heck, I even have people drunkenly request that I play “that Irish song where people clap.” I have arrived, folks.

I show up and am greeted by my fellow regulars – Barry the harmonica player, Steve on bass and Kathy and Alex (the cutest married acoustic guitar duo EVER).  My friend Macie drops by and we both raise our eyebrows as a cute guy walks past our table. Well hello. On my way back from the bathroom I contemplate approaching him but he’s in a socially ambiguous situation. You know the kind where it’s unclear who’s with who and what kind of crowd it is? Like… is that his girlfriend or a coworker? Ambiguous = steer clear.

I sit back down and am enjoying the company of two younger men (Alex’s brother and friend) while we rock out to Kathy and Alex playing Zac Brown Band’s Chicken Fried. I’m belting out “you know I like my chicken fried, cold beer on a Friday night” when cute man is headed out with his ambiguous friends. He smiles at me and I smile back. Bam! Done. He literally back tracks and walks right up to me with his hand extended. “Hi, I’m Tom.” He doesn’t care that I’m in the middle of my own ambiguous situation (for all he knows I’m here with my boyfriend). I dig it. He is extremely social even with the guys at the table. A man with manners! Guess where he’s from: OHIO.  Anyone else surprised?

When it’s my turn to play, Tom is cheering and clapping the loudest. Afterward a group of us head to the Irish pub nearby for a round of Guinness (which he buys for me and my friends – again with the manners!) and Irish whiskey.  THEN. He pulls me out to dance with him and the man can dance!! Wait. A nice-mannered man from Ohio who can dance? Be still my heart.

Alex and Kathy take off and Tom and I close the bar down. We walk outside and neither one of us wants the night to end. He suggests we take a walk down to the water and I whole-heartedly endorse the suggestion. I’m in the middle of venting about a work situation when he kisses me mid-sentence. Well alright! It’s a good kiss. More bonus points for Ohio man. 

 

 

He hops the fence – not NEARLY as gracefully as I do – and we walk down to the docks. I feel like I’m in high school again. Except I wasn’t nearly cool enough to hop a fence and make out with a cute guy on some random person’s boat in high school. We finally head back to my car at 3 am. He asks me to come back to his hotel with him but is gracious when I politely decline his offer. Can’t blame a guy for trying!

He texts me the following morning from the airport to say he can’t get this one Irish song out of his head. I tell him the only cure for Wild Rover is MORE Wild Rover. Unfortunately he’s moving from Ohio to Denver so more Wild Rover in either one of our future’s is unlikely. Sigh.