Before I left my agency a few years ago, I took a quick trip to Savannah. I was there for an interview with South Magazine. I didn’t get the job. However, while I was there, they assigned me to a profile piece.
The subject? A local bartender, Jason.
To date, I don’t know if they ever printed the article. I never heard back from them after we interviewed. However, it did provide an opportunity to explore one of the South’s most incredible cities. And one hell of a story to tell.
During that first visit, Jason invited myself, and my friend Brittany to a bar he was working at. After sipping bubbly, fizzy drinks, Britt and I got ready to go. But before I left that night, I scribbled down a note on my receipt.
All it said was:
“I’ll be back someday.”
I did not leave a phone number. It was more so a promise to myself, and someone else out in the world to hold me accountable to that promise.
Time went on. I never moved to Savannah. Instead, I ended up in Wilmington, North Carolina. Another small, creative town with a lot of history.
Life continued.
I moved, traveled a lot, bought a house, and switched jobs. Twice. Finally, I returned to Savannah. This time, I brought my boyfriend of six months, Chase. It was rather hot there during the afternoons. After one sweltering walk downtown, Chase asked if I wanted to go to the Prohibition Museum to cool off.
The museum was great, and at the end of it… There was a bar. We went up the bar to order drinks, and when the bartender came out, I realize it’s the bartender from before. Jason.
We spoke briefly. He remembered me, and asked if I had ever moved to Savannah. I said no, and Chase and I enjoyed French 75’s until the bar got busy.
Then, we left.
Life is funny. You never really know the reason why you’re in certain places at certain times, and why you meet who you meet when you meet them. Sure, it could all just be coincidence… But it’s a little more comforting to think that everything happens for reason.