Time: Tuesday, 5 May, 10 PM and later
Place: The Fiendish Glow
Follows: La Fiesta de los Niños
During: Uno, Dos, Tres, Quatro, Cinco
[Tuesday 5 May, 10:00 PM]
Megan finished her shift at Radio Unnamed at the Raven and headed for The Fiendish Glow. She hadn't seen her friend Lora the entire time she'd been in Toronto and was looking forward to doing some partying with her.
As she approached the entrance, she didn't see the tall redhead anywhere. "That's funny," she said to herself absently, "she said she'd be right out front."
She approached the shorter of the two "door guards" in black T-shirts with "Fiendish Glow" written across their chests in neon-green. "Hi," she began with a smile. "I'm looking for Lora -- is she here?"
Immediately, Ronnie's demeanor changed. "Ye know Lora?"
"Why, sure," she said, wondering if something was wrong. "Lora and I live not too far apart in Virginia." She hesitated a moment, noticing that the taller of the two men was speaking into some kind of throat mike. "Is everything okay? She told me to stop by anytime."
"Can ye wait 'ere a moment?" the taller of the two asked.
The auburn-haired UFfer became nervous. "What's wrong? Where's Lora?" she found herself demanding.
Suddenly, and out-of-breath Brenda burst through the entrance. "Where is she, Daniel?" she asked the taller man.
"Brenda?" Megan asked, thinking this woman in jalapeño dress was the co-manager Lora had told her about.
Brenda's attention moved to the UFfer. "You know Lora?" she asked, a little less out of breath this time. "Are you Megan? The UFfer?"
"UFfer?" the shorter man asked.
"Nevermind," she muttered to Ronnie, keeping her attention on the young woman. At Megan's nod, Brenda asked her in, then led her to the cantina area where Pen was waiting.
As the two entered the darkened area of The Fiendish Glow, Megan had to blink her eyes a few times. She could swear Brenda was glowing a neon green that matched her costume.
Brenda led her to a back table, where another glowing woman sat with a half- empty bottle of Cuervo Gold and a lone shot glass. Megan blinked a few more times. This woman's glow reminded her of a tequila sunrise!
As the two women approached, Pen looked up. "Pen, this is Megan -- Lora's friend," Brenda said.
Pen motioned to a chair as she poured another shot. "Can we have Carlita get you anything?"
Megan assumed Carlita was the festively dressed waitress who was waiting near the table. "Thank you. I'll have mead, if you don't mind."
"I'll have a horchata," Brenda said, and Carlita took off to get their drinks.
"Where's Lora?" Megan asked as she sat down. "She knew I was coming."
"Lora's missing," Brenda said, taking the seat next to her.
"What?"
"Since Sunday night," Pen added. "We were hoping you'd seen her, or knew where she might be."
"I don't understand. It's not like her to disappear without telling someone. Heck, Lora doesn't leave a room to go to the bathroom without saying something."
Brenda laughed softly, remembering a few similar moments with Lora.
Megan quickly replayed her last conversation with Lora in her mind to search for places Lora might have gone. The last thing the two of them had discussed was that massive volume of fanfic Lora was working on, which prominently featured LaCroix. "Have you checked the Shrine?"
"The Shrine?" Pen asked.
The UFfer hesitated a moment. "Well, she does have a few Cousinly tendencies, and I know she's been to NA website a few times, even though she insists she doesn't stay long."
Pen shook her head. "MacCousin Heather is there, and I'm sure Lora would have contacted her or Heather would at least have seen her and told us about it. She's as worried as we are."
Carlita arrived with the drinks. Brenda took a long pull off hers, while the UFfer sipped and contemplated adding a little honey from the ever-handy honey bear she carried with her.
"It's worth a try," Megan said hopefully. She thought about her and Lora's trip to Virginia Beach, listening to that audio book, and how many times Lora rewound the tape so they could hear the narrator repeat the words, "Yes, oh yes." The UFfer felt herself go into a daze, remembering how much that man sounded just like Nun. . . er. . . LaCroix. Megan shook herself out of her reverie and continued. "Besides, she's a Glow Worm, and you all aren't exactly targets for kidnapping because of your neutrality."
The two women thanked the UFfer for her help and asked her to please stay and enjoy The Fiendish Glow's Cinco de Mayo celebration.
"Oh, I didn't come here for that. I really wanted to check out the pub, and Lora told me you have some excellent Irish food here."
"Well," Brenda began, "Grab your mead and let me take you down there. The pub's not too busy right now, and Consuela may have closed the kitchen early. However, I'll have her fix you whatever you want."
"Shouldn't we be out looking for Lora?" Megan asked as she rose from the table.
Brenda's glow increased noticeably.
"We are," Pen said.
"We are," Brenda echoed, glowing brighter.
Megan blinked again a few times, then shook her head. The two women exchanged a quick look but said nothing. Brenda then held out a jalapeño-green arm and, with a weak smile, said, "I'd tell you not to worry, but I can't lie. However, if you'll come with me, I'll get you fixed up with whatever you want. You came here for food, and we're here to serve it."
The young UFfer reluctantly followed the Glow Worm to the pub area of The Fiendish Glow. She was immediately struck with the decor -- it was everything Lora had described to her. Mahogany bar, dart boards, big-screen TVs, and lots of shamrocks, plaids, and other symbols of Celtic heritage.
Brenda seated her at a table and motioned for Deirdre. As she approached within earshot, she said, "This is Deirdre and she'll be taking care of you this evening." She then turned her attention to the waitress. "Deirdre, this is Megan, she's a friend of Lora's. She's also an UFfer."
Deirdre nodded and turned to Megan with a big smile on her face. "Uy take it tha' ye'll be wanting honey with everythin'?" she said.
Megan felt a sudden warmth fill her. She was definitely going to like this place!
The now-full UFfer leaned back in her chair looking at the remains of her dinner -- or at least the dishes. The meal began with Irish soda bread with honey butter (and a special bowl filled with honey to dip the buttered bread in), then a marvelous salad with honey-mustard dressing (and another bowl of honey to dip the salad in); for her main course she chose the corn beef and cabbage (with another lovely bowl of honey for dipping), and she topped it off with one of the cantina's sopaipillas, drenched in honey. The best part was that when Deirdre picked up the sopaipillas, the bartender asked her to take Megan a special drink he concocted -- a honeyed tequila sunrise! He'd been hoping an UFfer would stop by so he could have an "expert" opinion.
Megan was now working on her second, and had a third one on its way.
She gazed around the pub through blissful honey-glazed eyes. "If this keeps up," she said serenely, "I just might take on a 'fiendish glow' myself!"
*******************************
NEXT STORIES: McCANN'S RAGAMUFFINS
and
GLOWING
PERSPECTIVES
*******************************