by R. R. Banks
Anna nodded. “I’ll think on it tonight and get back with you in the morning,” she said as she reached the end of the road with her apartment on the far end, bordering a small beach that looked out at the ocean.
“That would be perfect,” replied Marco. “Do think on it, but don’t take too much time.”
“I will,” she said as she looked out to see a large cruiser docking in the harbor. “I will speak to you soon.” She sighed as she hung up the phone. Large military vessels docked at their port occasionally, and when they did, it made for an interesting evening. It never deterred her from going out and enjoying herself, but it would provide a distraction from her thoughts. She knew she would need a drink to think about what all was going on and what she would have to do with her life, but she also knew she would have to have a moment to think. Being surrounded by drunk sailors never made it easy, though tonight, she didn’t have a choice. She had to relax.
Chapter 3
He sighed as he watched many of the sailors walk off the deck of the ship and down the gangplank. All screaming and yelling, the sailors were excited to leave the ship and put their legs on dry land. While each sailor had the same intention, to drink and stumble back onto the ship, James had a different plan. Every time he made it to port, James always had the same impression of his surroundings. While he wanted to have a drink, he always looked for someone to give him a great conversation. Most women, when they appeared in the bars near the port, were only after a fun night with a sailor that they could brag about to their friends. James wasn’t after these women nor did he yearn for the type of encounter that they could offer. While he didn’t mind taking it to the bedroom, James wanted an encounter that would make him whole. He wanted an encounter with a lady that would stimulate him mentally, emotionally, spiritually, as well as physically. James craved the total package.
He walked toward the edge of the ship after all the sailors had already left, giving them enough time to get to the bar and rush the bartender before he arrived.
I hope they get all the riff raff out of the way before I get there.
He looked down the gangplank and off toward the bars at the edge of the pier. His intentions were simple: get the sailors to find the women that only wanted the quick encounters so that he could, potentially, find the women who offered him a lot more.
James paused for several moments as a breeze came in off the ocean. He closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt the air blow past his neck. He relaxed his body as well as his mind as the warm breeze comforted him. He looked down the pier to see most of the sailors who disembarked enter various bars and clubs near the pier.
Good.
He placed his first foot on the gangplank and started to walk off the ship and down to the wooden pier below. The harbor was very old, but the water was deep enough for the cruiser to dock. It wasn’t ideal for the ship to stay docked there for a long period of time, but it did allow for a good night for the crew. He walked along the pier and looked out to see three bars beside each other.
I guess I have a choice.
James walked into the night club and looked around the room, noticing several of the sailors he traveled with leaning against the walls and drinking themselves into a stupor. “I don’t miss shore leave,” he said with a smile as he walked forward through the hallway and made his way up to a small, wooden bar. The bartender leaned against the counter as he looked up to see James approach, smirking while shaking his head in disbelief. “Don’t worry, I’m not like any of them,” announced James as he walked up and motioned toward the other sailors in the room. “I’ve grown up.”
The bartender smiled as he leaned forward. “I appreciate it when we get the business, but I don’t know if my patience can handle it.” He laughed loudly with James as he reached down and grabbed a glass to set on the counter. “What can I get you?”
“Irish whisky, neat,” he said. “The house is fine.”
The bartender smiled while reaching into the speed rail and pulled out a green bottle, pouring the contents into glass and pushing it toward him. “Irish whisky, neat,” answered the bartender.
“Thank you,” he said as he reached forward and grabbed the glass to pull it up to his lips. He sipped on it slowly and turned around to inspect the rest of the bar, beyond his comrades in the Navy. He saw several sailors lined up against the wall with several of the locals gathered around them, all drinking merrily and trying to convince them to head to the random corners of the village for a good time. He turned his head to see more of the same against the other wall of the bar until, in the corner, he saw a young woman sitting at a table doing her best to read a book. She wore glasses and appeared to be completely uninterested in everything around her. Since arriving, several sailors had walked up and attempted to talk to her, only to be pushed away by her lack of banter and interest; she clearly wasn’t into drunken sailors.
Challenge accepted.
He thought to himself as he held his drink in his right hand and walked across the dirty bar. He walked past several women who looked at him with hungry eyes, paying them no mind while he made it straight for the woman who was sitting in the corner.
“Hello there,” said James as he walked up to the young woman sitting alone in the corner. “I’ve noticed that you have blown off most of my comrades. Fortunately, I like a challenge. Thus, I must ask you a very imperative question,” he said in a very convoluted introduction. “How are you this evening?”
She looked up from her book and analyzed the man in front of her. “I’m doing well,” she said politely with a smirk. “That was a very clever introduction,” she said. “You’re an American?”
“I am,” answered James. “My name is James O’Conner.”
She smiled as she set her book down and looked at James. “Anna,” she replied as she reached her hand out and shook his friendly. “Dr. Annabelle Richardson.”
“Oh, doctor?” asked James as he tried to start a conversation.
“Yes, I am a physician,” she said in a polite, proper tone. “I take care of the children in the neighboring villages.”
James stood tall at the table, looking on with a look of amazement at the lady he had stumbled upon. “Wow,” he said. “That’s impressive.”
“It’s a calling,” she replied as she reached forward and grabbed her drink. “I love working with children though I don’t know for how much longer I can work here in the Philippines.”
“I understand,” said James. “I travel all over the world, and I can safely say that this is not one of my more preferred destinations.”
She nodded slowly. “I take it you’re with this group of raucous sailors then?”
“No…” he replied slowly before realizing that wasn’t completely true. “Actually, sort of. I traveled with them, but I do not serve with them.”
Anna tilted her head sideways listening to him walk back his statement.
Knowing that he confused her, he thought about his next response carefully. “I serve with the United States Navy in a special operations capacity,” he said calmly. “I don’t serve with these wonderful men and women who operate the carrier that is docked in the waters near here.”
“But you’re here with them?” she asked.
“I traveled with them because I’m not allowed to travel by any other means during my contract,” he attempted to clarify, only leading to more confusion.
She looked around as he realized that the words coming from his mouth weren’t helping him. He turned to face her and waited for her to look at him before clarifying further. “I am a Navy SEAL,” he continued as he looked at her in her beautiful eyes, prompting an immediate look of intrigue from her. “Because of my job, I have to be available at a moment’s notice to executive an operation. I am not allowed to travel commercially because the government of the United States would not have absolute control over me, thus, if I want to take a small respite, I have to travel with one of the branches of the arme
d services.”
His statement was very plain and straightforward, clarifying everything and making it easy for her to understand.
“I get it now, so you’re not allowed to go on a vacation?”
“Negative,” he replied. “Until my contract is up, I am fully deployed and can only go where others are. However, I am not responsible for anything or anyone while I am away.”
She nodded. “You’re not a deckhand on the cruiser when you travel with them?”
“Oh absolutely not.” he exclaimed. “I spent my time doing that. Now, if I’m on a ship traveling, I get to enjoy the ride and catch up on some sleep.”
Anna looked at the James. “That must mean you’re not like the rest of these barbarians?”
“I used to be,” he replied honestly. “But the way these men and women act is a result of being cooped up on a ship in the middle of the ocean for weeks at a time. Most of them are smart, compassionate, and loyal to a fault.” He took a drink wetting his lips enjoying their banter. “However, when they finally get the opportunity to get off the boat for a night and let loose, they all tend to act as if they’re an extra in some fraternity movie. It’s unfortunate that it comes to this, but it’s expected.”
“It’s expected?” asked Anna in shock. “These men are emptying entire bottles of alcohol into their bodies and this is expected behavior?”
“Yep,” he answered quickly and without a brief pause. “This is exactly what’s expected when my comrades in the navy get off the boat.”
“Oh,” she said as she examined the room, watching one of the sailors stand upside down on the table and drinking an entire glass of beer while upside-down.
“How often do they make port here?”
James laughed. “Not very often,” he replied as he looked over at the man holding himself up by his arms.
That’s quite impressive.
He turned back to look at Anna who’s face couldn’t seem to hide her emotions. The surprise was undeniable.
“Look, is there somewhere quieter we can go? I’d love to go there with you,” James said unsure if he should even ask but decided to take the dive anyways. “You strike me as the only person in this bar that can actually hold a conversation for longer than six minutes.”
Anna smiled as she held onto her book. “Longer than six minutes?” she asked. “So you need at least seven?”
James nodded. “Yeah, once we get to eight or nine, I start to lose interest.”
She laughed as she reached forward and finished her drink. “You know what, normally I would say no to meeting some random stranger in a bar and going anywhere with him, but I know of a very quiet bar a street over. I think talking to a someone might be good for me since all I get to do is talk to my patients and the villagers all day long.”
“Great,” said James as he turned up his drink poured the contents down the back of his throat. “Lead the way.”
She placed her book in the bag she brought with her sliding the strap over her shoulder as she stood from the chair and walked with James across the bar toward the door. He stopped and laid a few bills on the bar to pay for his drink before walking with her out the door and into the humid night air. With a warm breeze blowing off the ocean to the south, they walked along the rocky street toward another street. “Do sailors tend to search for bars all through the town?” she asked peering up at him.
In the dimly light street her eyes shined. He hoped she was enjoying their time because he was.
“No, typically they find the first one that’s closest to the port and get to work,” answered James with a smile. “As a typical rule, sailors like to stay where they can see the ship because the chance of losing it become slim.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” she said as they walked in stride together. “So this bar over here should be quiet.”
“I hope so.” They made it to the door quickly and opened it up to find it empty, with only the bartender sitting in a chair behind the bar watching the television. “And it is definitely that,” he said with a smile as he held the door open for Anna.
Anna walked in first and looked around with James close behind, making a path straight for the bar. “I hope you don’t mind sitting at the bar,” she said as she pulled out a stool and sat on it. With a smile and a quick nod, James pulled out a stool and sat beside her. “So why don’t you tell me about yourself, sailor.”
James smiled as he looked at the bartender. “Irish whisky please,” he said before turning back to Anna, who already had a drink placed in front of her. “That’s great service. Do you come here a lot?”
“From time to time,” she replied as she sipped on the drink out of the martini glass. “I’m the village doctor, so I guess most of the people in this village know who I am and what I like.”
“Fantastic,” said James. “Anyways, like I mentioned earlier, I am in special forces. I travel all over the world executing missions for the government of the United States of America and her allies.”
“That’s not what I asked,” said Anna. “Don’t tell me about who you are professionally. Tell me who you are personally.”
James thought about it for a few moments before looking to his right to see a small glass placed on the bar in front of him. “Fine,” he said. “I’m from a small town in Georgia, near Savannah. I grew up in a poor family and when I was sixteen years old, I ran away from home. A year later, I served time in juvenile hall for petty theft, which I still to this day say wasn’t my fault. A year later, I was arrested again for getting into a fight with several members of the United States Army. While they were considering pressing charges for assault, because I left a few of the soldiers in pretty bad shape, a navy recruiter offered me a deal. In exchange for them not pressing charges, I agreed to join them on an eight year contract.”
“So the naval recruiter enjoyed you beating up army soldiers?” Anna said and laughed.
“That pretty much sums it up. Following my first deployment on the U.S.S. Eisenhower, I discovered that I had a knack for hand to hand combat and stealth. Under the advice of my captain, I opted to join special operations. After two and a half years in the Navy, I became a Navy SEAL. That was five years ago. I’ve renewed my contract for another eight years and am enjoying what I do.”
“No lady waiting for you in every port?” Anna’s eyes brightened with humor.
James smirked. “Nope,” he replied quickly. “I’m very picky with my ladies. I don’t tend to like multiple women and I especially don’t like women who can’t maintain a basic conversation.”
“Ha!” laughed Anna. “So back to the conversation we had at the other bar.”
“I told you on the front end,” he said. “I don’t like women who can’t maintain a basic conversation. I don’t want a woman who only wants to sleep with me. I want a woman who can captivate me mentally and emotionally.” He paused briefly as he sipped on in whisky, looking into Anna’s eyes and seeing that she was interested in him. “Look, if this ends up with a physical encounter, fine. But, I’ll tell you right now. The thing that I’m after is what we’re doing right now. I only wanted to talk to you and actually spend a night with a wonderful woman who has an amazing personality.”
Anna nodded as she sipped on her drink slowly, looking across the rim at the Navy SEAL. “So you’re really only here for a good conversation?” she asked sarcastically. “Soldier, I find that hard to believe.”
“I prefer sailor, if not James,” he quipped back with a soft sip on his whisky.
“Fine, sailor,” she corrected herself. “I still find it hard to believe.”
James smiled genuinely. “Absolutely,” he replied. “I can have pleasure of the flesh wherever I go, whether dispatched or voluntarily. I can’t get this everywhere.”
“And why not?” she asked, prodding for more information and continuing the conversation. “What makes this so different?”
“We can start with you’re a doctor,
” he began, looking confident while trying to come off as humble. “Clearly, you’re educated because becoming a physician requires a lot of formal education. When I walked up, you were reading a book in the middle of a bar, a very loud bar. That tells me that you’re able to focus and hone in on something no matter what is happening around you. By the way, that is very impressive. I don’t think I could’ve pulled that off. Another factor, I’m a sucker for glasses.”
Anna laughed as she set the martini glass down on the bar and looked over at James. “You’re a sucker for glasses?”
“Yes, I really am,” he continued. “So, tell me about you. My life is simple and pretty much classified. What’s your story? Why are you in the Philippines?”
Anna smiled. “I’m in the Philippines because I really love to help those who can’t help themselves,” she said politely while motioning to the bartender for another drink. “Anywhere else in the developed world, the services that I am providing would cost my patients thousands of dollars. I can’t stand to a part of that system. I love helping people who don’t have the ability to help themselves. I love providing medicine to children who are suffering from ailments that we cured fifty years ago. I love seeing their faces when they’re off playing in the fields and streams around the village because they’re not suffering anymore.”
“I suppose I want to practice medicine for those who ultimately need it the most,” she clarified. “I like to help people more than I like money too,” she said with a smile. “I could have stayed in the states and made a fortune. Instead, I chose to come to the third world and help all of these people.”
“That’s admirable,” said James as he motioned to the bartender for another drink. “That really is something special that you’re doing.”
Anna nodded. “I think it’s more about helping people than getting rich,” she continued. “Being a doctor, people, especially my family, expect me to make money hand over fist because that’s what the stigma is. I’d rather help people. That’s why I’m working with this non-profit group. I make enough money to pay off my student loans and put a hefty amount in savings, but I’m doing what I love. I just have a small problem right now,” she said softly.