As I mentioned last time, one of the reasons I decided to settle in Boston is that there's Inn people there, but it hasn't really been an official support system until, I guess, fairly recently, when one of the local folks decided that she owned a bar and might as well get folks together there. Invitations got sent out and, after work, I headed the other direction up the Red Line and then took a buss from the end of the line a little way up Massachusetts Avenue and found "The Changeling".
Props on the clever name - it is, at heart, an Irish pub, even if the Irish lady who runs it used to be a Texan (and thus puts unusually good barbecue on the menu) and is thus sort of like those creatures placed in other people's lives. Is that too much explaining the joke?
So, I walked in a little nervously and saw it was a bit busy, what with it being happy hour and all. But then, it's just a bar, so I walked up to the counter and asked the bartender if she knew anything about "First Thursday Changelings' Club".
She was actually Irish, and said I'd be wantin' t' go t' the far booth, pointing me at one in a back corner, near a foosball table but no windows. One person was already sitting there - a woman of about 40 or so, who leapt up when she saw me. "Hi, I'm Ashlyn! Welcome to my bar. You must be... Za-rye-uh?"
"Za-ree-ya. Call me 'Zee'. You look great!" I looked her up and down a little, not sure what I'd expected, other than it wasn't quite this. As someone who had a number of older female friends as Magda, I've known a few who having not just been very attractive in their youth, but who traded off that, are either blithely unaware of how time has worked on them or who have been maniacal in maintaining it to the extent that they can and won't let you miss it. Ashlyn, it seemed, was in the second category, wearing a green dress with a plunging neckline that showed she still had an impressive rack, although it was maybe a little tighter than intended in some other spots. Her hair is bright red, and she's got strong-looking arms and legs as well as a face that ha a few more lines but great cheekbones.
"Thank you. 40 can hit hard and I'm not going down without a fight!" We laughed, and then we started talking. She asked if I was a Celtics fan yet, and I told her that I'd manage to cling to the Bulls despite not having been in Chicago for a while, and she expressed her sympathy but also her respect, because she'd given in little by little over the years, especially once she opened the bar.
We talked a lot of sports, and, god, I missed that; the ex's friends weren't really sports people, none of my female friends have been, and even the best of guy friends tend to get weird when a lady likes sports. I mean, I did the same thing back in the day, because it's like a signal that you're extra-compatible or something at best and a threat to the ego at worst.
We'd gone on about basketball for a while when a blonde lady about Ashlyn's age came in and he beckoned her over. "Zee, Penny; Penny, Zee. We shook hands like it was some secret 'we're actually guys and don't hug' signal, although Ashlyn was a hugger where this old friend was concerned. "So, how's the new job?"
Penny grunted. "It's a lot. I mean, it used to be enough to be married to a lawyer while writing a couple books a year, but Ray's practice is just getting off the ground and Millie is just good enough to need expensive coaches, so now I'm dealing with a classroom full of twenty Millies twice a day, and this is just part time!" She turned and gave me a wry grin. "Don't get me wrong, being a mother and a teacher is very rewarding, but sometimes I wish I could have passed my daughter bookish Arthur Milligan DNA as opposed to how athletic and competitive the original Penelope Lincoln was!"
That kind of bowled me over. "Geez, I hadn't thought of that."
"It's weird! It's not like I ever look at Millie and feel like she's not my kid or love her any less, but if every parent looks at their kids and wonders where that comes from, at least they have some idea! I keep getting blindsided by the parts of her that aren't clearly Ray."
I nodded, and then she pointed at the guy who was walking from the bar. "Now, Ande - Ande isn't going to have to worry about that, since he'll be using his twin's DNA!"
Ande started to back off but Ashlyn grabbed his arm. "Don't mind her, she doesn't mean you're going to be having kids any time soon. Now, c'mon, how do you know Penny?"
"I don't know her, I just, uh, sort of asked for something weird at a book signing."
"Not that weird - I get one or two Inn folks who want that to be part of their autographs a year. Usually on the Pygmalion books, even though I haven't done one of those in five years, although some of the Wandering Inn ones attract the same audience. Not that Ashlyn pays attention to anything but the mysteries."
A few other folks showed up who don't contribute to the blog and said to respect their privacy. We stayed well past happy hour, and by the time things were about to break up at around ten, one gave a big, exaggerated, maybe somewhat tipsy sigh. "Well, Zee, it looks like you got lucky and Lenny's not going to show up."
Penny turned to Ashlyn. "Wait, you invited Lenny?"
"What? I couldn't not invite him!"
Penny harrumphed. "Agree to disagree."
I noticed a bunch of folks were kind of trying not to look at me. "Who's Lenny?"
The lady who brought him up took me by the hand. "Lenny spent, like, eight weeks as a woman five years or so ago, and ever since, he's hit on everyone who returned from the Inn a moderately attractive woman, saying that we should stick together so that we can share everything about our lives."
A few other folks jumped in. "Which isn't entirely wrong." "But he's such a weirdo about it!" "I don't know how he even finds out." "Learned what a girl likes, though." "And that dick--"
The first woman slapped the table. "Hey, stop making him sound good! Fucker cheated on me with that stewardess for two months!" She pointed at me. "I'm just saying, you are totally his type - he really likes girls who used to be guys, and black girls besides. He acts like he really knows what you go through, and talks a good game, but he's a fucking dog."
I was a bit taken aback. "Well, I'm not looking to get back into another relationship right now."
Penny punched my shoulder. "You say that now, but c'mon, you're a romantic like me, and guys like Lenny have a real appeal to gals like us. I mean, if I hadn't already been married when he set his sights on me..." She shook her head to clear it. "Welp, that's enough sharing for tonight! Anyone heading to Camberville and want to split a cab?"
A couple folks raised their hands, and the party split up after that. At that relatively late hour, it took me over an hour to get home, and the walk at the end got my blood flowing just enough that I couldn't sleep now it's too late to try.
Good thing it's no-meetings Friday!
-Zee
1 comment:
Deeeeeep cuts
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