Song Sung Blue

Brandy was enthused at her first visit to the renaissance fair with her longtime boyfriend Dale.

She embraced the merriment by meticulously making period wench and farmer costumes for them. But Brandy was especially excited for another reason. After 10 years together she wondered if Dale was ready to take their relationship to the next level.

For the past few weeks, she noticed him leaving little hints that he was going to propose. She noticed he bought flowers without occasion and a friend said they saw him coming out from a jewelry store. He also suggested they go to the Renaissance Fair, the most romantic place to propose.

Before they left, he gave her the flowers to make a wreath for her hair. She was appreciative, but slightly confused as she thought this would be part of the proposal.

Then as they were watching a minstrel show she heard the ABBA song Say I do… I do, I do, I do played beautifully on the violin. She held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for her special moment. After a minute, she exhaled and opened her eyes to find another man on his knee’s proposing to another girl.

Glancing to her left she found her boyfriend grimacing at him. “Yikes. He’s screwed.” He said laughing.

Her heart sunk to the ground and the next 10 years flashed like a movie playing in her head. Everything was the same.

The rest of the day all she heard was that I do song on replay, taunting her with each step.

Inside she wrestled with her feelings, debating whether she could wait for him. Or if he loved her. Or even if she could overcome his obvious distaste for commitment.

As they got in the car, he rattled a new keychain in her face. “I forgot to show you. Do you like my new keychain. It has my name. I got it at a jewelry store.”

Exasperated, she fiddled with the radio trying to drown out the sore feelings and the brain worm song that got into her head. Then she heard the soulful song by Bonnie Raitt. I can’t make you love me if you don’t, you cant make your heart feel something it won’t.

Listening to the lyrics, it felt like the soundtrack to her own life. But she wasn’t ready to hear it, so she shook her head side to side and quickly changed the channel.

But the next choice by Toni Braxton wasn’t any better. Unbreak my heart, say you’ll love me again.

“Oh my God. Not again. There’s gotta be something else out there.” She thought and pressed the Sirius radio scrolling for anything else. “Here is an oldies station this should be fine.”

But then she heard Neil Sedaka singing They say that Breaking up is hard to do.

“No!” She looked over at Dale. He was completely unaffected. She wondered if he heard this string of songs almost like the universe was telling her what to do?

“Maybe he even didn’t care enough to know what was going on,” she said to herself.

Scrolling again, she selected a love songs station to try and get her out of the funk and into the right mood.

She listened for a moment in anticipation and heard Lewis Capaldi. I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.

Frustrated, she scrolled some more and found a pop station. “Here this will be good upbeat song will make me feel better.” She thought, but heard the announcer say… “Tune in for the Taylor swift marathon.”

“Oh no!” she thought. “That’s the last straw. All she sings about is love loss and breaking up. This has to be a sign there’s no other way to think of it. OK, if the next song is about love lost or break ups, I’m definitely breaking up with him. If not, I’ll stay.” She thought to herself.

She closed her eyes and scrolled, picking any station at random and heard The Temptations croon a familiar tune. It was just my imagination, running away with me. That was it. She unceremoniously turned off the radio and looked at Dale.

“I’m sorry, but I have to break up with you. You’re never gonna wanna move past this point and I can’t wait any longer.”

He turned to her, confused. What brought this on all of a sudden?

She turned off the radio. “Let’s call it a brain worm.”