Why Is The Rum Always Gone?

Arrr, mateys! I’m a pirate at heart. Though I live nearly six hours from the coast, bath frequently, and prefer my rum mixed in a strawberry daiquiri rather than grog, I yearn for adventure on the high seas and a head full of dreads. Though, in truth, I prefer daiquiris, this question always arises: why is the rum always gone?

“Did you see that undead monkey?”



I digress, you say? Well then, where does fascination with pirates begin? Perhaps mine began when I was a young girl and told a friend, “If you don’t do this I won’t be your friend.” Pirate! (As an aside, I have learned how to treat friends kindly. If you do, they will always guard your back.)

Did growing up with a younger brother who loved comic books and thought it was cool to pretend to be superheroes or sword-buckling spies inspire me to herald the black flag when it was the two of us up against the unknown? Oh, the innocence, the unspoiled adventurer born out of youth! Pirate!

Perhaps my love for adventure began with Captain Blood, Blackbeard’s Ghost, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Hook, The Black Swan, or Cutthroat Island? Aiding my inclination to rove, I have a large collection of research books. Who else but a pirate lover would devour books by authors: Fern Michaels, Suzanne Enoch, Michelle Beattie, Gaelen Foley, Joanna Lindsey, Rona Sharon, Lynsay Sands, Bobbi Smith, and Trish Albright, and raise a cutlass in salute to them all? Perhaps the wisest pirate of them all was Walt Disney, a man who brought the character, Captain Jack Sparrow, to life. Witty and resourceful, Jack is the embodiment of true piratedom. He is a man who knows how to pilfer his greedy guts out while saving the day and getting a slap across his face for his trouble. Pirate!

Through the years, my family has tried to discourage my fascination with pirates, though they still haven’t figured out how. A roving nature cannot be suppressed, you see. Maybe that’s why I’ve always taken to the life of a military brat and a military wife. Moving over land and sea to places like Japan, Germany and Italy, forced me to accept the challenging winds and land at ports unknown. Who but a pirate can do that?

I have a confession to make. Everywhere I go, if I see a ship, a pirate statue, pirate display, or a golden man who looks like a statue but is a live pirate, I must get my picture taken for posterity’s sake. And for this reason and this reason alone, I asked friends to join me at the Pirate Show in Orlando. Someone I know and love, whose name shall never bear the black spot, hated the mania. I, of course, drank in each and every minute of piratey fun by raising my grog in song. My blood was invigorated by the pirate horde, the damsel in distress and the hero who with his loyal companion stormed the ship to save the day.

Though there was gnashing of teeth, I made sure every vixen was photographed in a pirate hat. Some had to be threatened with steel. Pirate!


And still others were gifted with a complimentary hat to show they weren't forgotten.



Okay, me hearties. You’ve read this far and you’re thinking… “We get it. You love pirates! Where are you going with this?”

So glad you asked! Tomorrow we at Okay, Listen Here, will welcome our first guest blogger, Katharine Ashe. Her book, SWEPT AWAY BY A KISS, is out on the shelves now. I highly recommend this book and as a pirate, I implore you to make sail, brave the winds and steer a course to your nearest bookstore. This book is full of adventure, laced with mystery, and brimming with sensual tension. I can’t seem to put it down! All together now… pirate!

Before you go out and buy Katharine Ashe’s book, share an experience you’ve had that qualifies you to be a pirate. And if you please, is there an undead monkey hanging around in your life and why is the rum always gone?

Lynn Raye Harris, you're the winner of yesterday's blog. Please e-mail Cheryl at fracriso@aol.com to claim your prize. Thanks!