“The menu is on the board above the bar,” the barman thumbed over his shoulder. “I’ll have your Guinness straight away.”
“The Irish Stew sounds tempting.” Wyl perused the blackboard menu. “And they have steak on the menu.”
“I’m up for the stew,” Rod said. The glasses of Guinness arrived.
“Two Irish Stews,” Wyl said to the barman, “and bring us water, too.”
“Excellent, sir. I’ll have your order right out.”
The barman left, and the two took in their surroundings, including the empty stage set up and ready.
Wyl inspected the crowd. “I wonder if one of these guys is James Pearson?”
“Hard to tell. We’ll figure it out when he steps onstage to begin his set.”
“Hey, a guitar,” Wyl chuckled. “I bet nobody stole an unexpected kiss at his first lesson.”
Rod laughed as they both remembered the first time they kissed. They never did finish the lesson.
Two steaming bowls of Irish Stew arrived, along with a plate of bread and two glasses of water. After inhaling the delicious stew aroma, they dug in.
As they ate, they observed a man making the rounds chatting with others in the pub. He soon approached their booth.
"Evening, gentlemen. I’m James Pearson. Welcome to Wilde’s.”
“James," Wyl extended his hand. "I’m Wyl Sterling, and this is my husband, Rod,”
James grasped Wyl’s hand with a smile and a firm handshake. “Ah…the Sterlings. I expected we might connect this evening. I’ll be back after my set, and we can visit.”
"Pleased to meet you, James,” Rod shook hands. “We're eager for your performance.”
“You lads enjoy yourselves. I’ll join you in a bit.” James strolled toward the stage.
“He's a friendly guy,” Wyl said.
“Yes, he is.”
James began his first set.
* * *
Midnight arrived before they realized it, and James completed his evening entertainment. After putting away his instruments, he joined them in their booth.
“You must be tired,” Rod said.
“Not so much, Rod. This is my workday. I performed for…what…five hours, including breaks? Compared to the average worker, that’s a short day.”
“I never thought of it, but you’re right.”
“We enjoyed your music,” Wyl said. “Rod is the expert. I learned to enjoy music like never before in his music appreciation course. You are quite an accomplished performer.”
“Thanks, Wyl,” James smiled. “I gather you met at a school?”
Rod nodded “We did. We’ll share the boring details with you sometime. Six months after we met, we married.”
“Sounds interesting.” James threw a glance at Wyl. “And from what little we read; you own a ranch in West Texas?”
Wyl nodded. “Family owned since the 1800s.”
“That’s a long time. Glenn and I will have you guys over for drinks soon, and you can tell us all about it.”
“And you can share stories about Ireland,” Rod said.
“Hand me your mobile, and I’ll tap in my number.” James held out a hand. Wyl pulled his personal phone from his pocket and handed it over. James tapped in the number, and his phone chirped with a text. “Got it.”
“This is our third day in Ireland,” Rod said. “So, we’re still adapting to the time change. We need to head to our flat. I understand you and Glenn live in the same complex.”
James nodded. "We do.” He stood. “Let’s catch up in the next day or two.”
“How about brunch on Sunday at our place?” Wyl said. “We’re in 220. Eleven-ish?”
“Sounds like a plan. Let me check with Glenn, but I’m sure we’re not busy.”
“Perfect,” Rod said. “We'll trade stories Sunday.”
“I enjoyed meeting you guys. I'm eager to discover the part of Wyl and Rod not in our information,” James said. “I need to stow my gear. Cheers!”
“Friendly guy,” Wyl said as they left the pub. “O’Brien mentioned James’s partner Glenn.”
