Danish Pastry
Willy Brennan is an Irishman and my best friend. His parents came from Connemara, where his father had been a fisherman. When Willy was two, his parents decided to join his uncle in America; Louisiana to be exact. When they arrived, they lived in a mobile home for the first three years while his father worked on a shrimp boat with his uncle. By the time Willy was nine, his father owned two shrimp boats of his own and they moved into a nice house which, coincidentally, was three houses down from my own. He and I became fast friends and went through middle school, high school and college together.
I took ROTC and went into the US Army immediately after graduation. Willy went to Connemara to visit relatives. He and his family: father, mother, and three sisters had made regular trips back for years. He ended up spending a year there with his grandmother.
My first duty station after receiving my Commission was BOLC (Basic Officer Leadership Course). The purpose was to teach basic leadership skills. It was a bit rougher than what my ROTC Instructors meted out, but overall, not too bad.
After that, I was sent on a three-year assignment to Casteau, Belgium, and SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe - NATO's Military arm) where I worked as the most junior and inexperienced officer in the headquarters.
All of the NATO countries sent their absolute best there because they represented their countries to the rest of the world. I felt extremely lucky and assumed someone made a mistake by sending me there.
I had been there three months and Willy asked if I could "pop over" to Connemara for the weekend. We hadn't seen each other since graduation so I told him I would. In getting transportation, I discovered that contrary to what I'd believed most of my life that Connemara was not a city. It was a region. To get there. I would fly into Limerick where Willy would pick me up and take me to his grandmother's house in Clifden.
The drive took a little over two hours and took us past Galway Bay and through Galway itself where we stopped to eat... and drink. Drinking with him was something I had done quite a bit.
We had our first samples of alcohol when we were 13. We raided my parent's bar and got royally drunk... and were both royally sick and royally punished. We didn't touch alcohol again for a long time.
So, we were in a Pub in Galway, Ireland, catching up on the last few months. He told me that his grandmother was doing well and happy that he was with her. She was trying to convince him to stay and had introduced him to a couple of local lasses.
He had always been proud of his Irish heritage, but seeing him in that environment, it seemed like he was home.
His grandmother was wonderful and even at her age, I could imagine that she had been an attractive young lass. Some people, as they grow older, seem to show their age and it isn't very complimentary. Others, on the other hand, age very well; Katie Brennan was one of those. She could have passed for Willy's mother.
And she was active socially. Very active. And popular. Very popular. She passed most of her time matchmaking. A couple of hours from Clifden was the town of Lisdoonvarna and the nation's largest matchmaking festival. She had started a much smaller festival in Clifden and her goal was to make it even bigger than Lisdoonvarna's.
Her first words to me were, "So you're the little shit who always tried to lead my Willy astray." I don't know what all he had told her, but I liked her immediately.
That was the start of a fun filled two days. I met the girl she was determined Willy was going to stay in Ireland and marry. Her name was Sophie and both she and Willy were under no illusions about what Katie Brennan wanted, but Willy had no intention of staying in Ireland and Sophie had no intention of leaving, but they liked each other and were "an item".
Sophie was born and grew up in Clifden so knew lots of people. She invited some of them to meet me at her and Willy's favorite pub.
I'd like to say the Irish lasses were free with their affections, but that wasn't the case. Not that I tried very hard. Americans tend to not have very good reputations in some places around the world. So, like in Belgium, I was on my best behavior. That was one of the first things I learned in BOLC. It was impressed on us that whatever country we found ourselves stationed in that we were guests of that country and subject to their laws and anything that would embarrass us as individuals or The United States in general would be frowned on; both by the Army and the country we were in.
So, I tried to be a good guest. At one point that first evening I tried to buy a round of drinks for our little group, but was quickly told that I was their guest.
"I grew up knowing," said Willy, "that the Irish are a generous and kind people... until you cross them... then you're pretty well fucked unless and until they decide to forgive you."
One of Sophie's girl friends and I stayed pretty close together that evening and the next. Her name was Maeve and she was what you might expect an Irish lass to be. Long, thick, red hair with rosy skin and a personality and wit that kept you laughing and guessing all at the same time.
When I left to return to SHAPE, she came to Katie's house to say goodbye. She took my phone and added her address and phone number to my contacts. I did the same to hers. She then kissed me on the cheek and left.
During the course of the two evenings I was there, individuals or couples would disappear from our little group and new ones would appear. Willy told me the first evening that the Irish tended to leave social gatherings by just slipping away and not making a big deal of saying goodbye to everyone at the gathering. It apparently started when someone would get drunk and sneak away so as to not be embarrassed, but it became a popular way of leaving gatherings. It was known as the "Irish Goodbye" or the "French exit".
Maeve and I began texting and talking to each other. Over the next three months, several of my weekends were spent in either Clifden or Limerick with her.
For six months, Maeve and I saw each other whenever one of us could travel to visit the other.
At SHAPE, I enjoyed my work and the exposure to the international environment. My desk was in an office with Officers from Turkey, Italy, Great Britian and Denmark. The Danish Officer was a Captain from Copenhagen and was what you (okay, maybe not you, but I) would think of when I visualize a woman from Denmark: pure, unadulterated, beauty. Her name was Irene (pronounced Irena) and she seemed to get along with everyone in the office and everyone who came into the office, except me. Everything I did seemed to be wrong in her eyes.
After my first couple of weeks there, she and I just stopped communicating. She did her work and I did mine. At first, I tried to figure out what I did to alienate her, but couldn't think of anything. I hadn't been a jerk. I treated her with respect. I didn't slobber all over her like most people who met her did.
Watching her in action and listening to her showed me that she was both funny and intelligent. She was also efficient and did her job well. She was well respected for her abilities and appreciated for her looks. She just didn't care for me, and it showed. The others in the office commented that I was the only person they knew that it was obvious she didn't care for.
Our jobs were to "staff" position papers. That meant to guide them through the approval/disapproval process of the international headquarters. Coordinating with all those different countries was challenging, rewarding, and fun.
Anyway, after that first few weeks, I just said fuck it. She stayed in her little world and I stayed in mine, both mentally and physically. We even stopped greeting each other in the mornings when we first came into the office or saying good night at the end of the work day. Everyone else was cordial, respectful, and appreciative of the assistance and respect we provided each other.
Maeve came over one weekend and we were in my favorite bar right outside the back gate of the SHAPE Headquarters compound. We were taking our time with our Charcuterie and wine when Irene came in with another Danish Officer. We studiously ignored each other. Maeve and I left after another hour or so and went to my quarters where we spent the night.
Willy's grandmother thought Maeve and I would get married, but we didn't. We lasted nine months and enjoyed our time together, but we drifted apart.
