Wow, we never knew our boss can be so serious about his hat.
Oh well, since he's the owner of a country bar, he basically is the representation, the very soul of it.
Now that we've introduced our new Canadian neighbor to practically everyone in this bar, we're now preparing ourselves for tonight's performance.
Leigh calmly instructs Aurora, "While we're preparing backstage, keep Lavian entertained, OK?"
Aurora gives the obvious answer, "OK!"
***
While Fred and Leigh are backstage, it's my obligation now to keep this Canadian beauty occupied.
Being at the front of the stage can be lonely at times, anyway.
The feeling I have right now can be best described as… exhilarating.
"Hey, Aurora. This is between you and me, OK?"
"OK. But why not confess it to Fred and Leigh, too?"
"They'll learn of it soon enough. Now then… I wanted to move here to Atlanta for one more reason."
"Other than pursuing your career and your lost childhood?"
"Exactly. I wanted… to escape from a man who unironically and unnecessarily calls me a shrew who needs to be tamed by him. That creep!"
"OK, tell me more about it."
***
It all started a year before I moved here.
While Metro Vancouver in general has strict laws against all kinds of harassment, some creeps are still unfazed by them. It's as if they are fueled by their inner desires that definitely went too far.
I was out for a leisurely walk on the street when a man suddenly whistled at me, noticing the outfit I wore.
For your information, what I wore at that time was a white long coat on top of a gray shirt and black pencil skirt.
It was not really revealing, but I guess… there are some turn-ons.
He continued on whistling and whistling.
I tried to avoid him in any way I could, but he still persisted.
Naturally, I wanted to get rid of him, so I diverted my steps to a place where there were many people.
The closest place to where I was was Don Roberts Park, down by Fraser River.
Good thing there were many people who wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of the riverside.
But the audacity of that creep!
He flashed me his phone with a picture of a woman who looked very much like me, wearing a skin-tight "office lady" outfit and doing a salacious pose, while I was chilling on a bench.
And then… I realized.
At that time, I learned that another woman who was from my hometown, Coquitlam, who got into porn and even moved to San Fernando Valley, California, for it… looked much like me.
She was primarily featured in those kinds of videos starring "office ladies" getting into "it".
But she wasn't even of Scandinavian stock like me.
Then she quit eight months later and moved back to Coquitlam.
And thus...
***
"You're being followed by that creep?" Aurora asks. "All the way here to Atlanta?!"
"Exactly," Lavian resigns. "And like I've said, Fred and Leigh will learn the truth soon enough, and I won't mind it, because they will fully understand the same way you do."
Aurora just rests her right hand on top of Lavian's, while assuring her...
"Whatever you're going through… one thing's for sure… we three will have your back."
"Thank you."
Performance time then begins for Brave Ad 65.
Both Aurora and Lavian just listen attentively to the duo's brand new song, "Yoobadabi (Scatting of the 16 Million)".
"Eyy! Yoobadabi, yoobadabi, yoobadabi, doo
"Yoobadabi, yoobadabi, yoobadabi, doo
"Pom-pom-pom-pom.
"Yoobadabi, yoobadabi, yoobadabi, doo
"Yoobadabi, yoobadabi, yoobadabi, doo
"Pom-pom-pom-pom."
While the two are performing, Aurora tells the Swedish-Canadian girl…
"By the way, I also contributed to their song. It sure feels nice to have done something for them."
"Wow, that's awesome."
And once that song finishes, Brave Ad 65 then plays a cover of "Keep Living in a Make-believe World Online" by Boy Canton T.
Their set list for tonight, by the way, is the usual healthy mix of originals and covers.
While the performance is still ongoing, Arcadia, one of the five waitresses, gives both girls the dish Felicia promises to cook as a provisional item on the menu.
What the two girls see are two bowls of a stew containing elbow macaroni, sliced hotdogs, corn, and stewed tomatoes.
Aurora basically know what the dish is, judging from those ingredients.
"It's Hoover stew!"
Arcadia reacts, "Wow. You recognized it in a heartbeat."
"That's because my family used to eat this whenever we're short on money."
"As did many others during the Great Depression."
Lavian cuts in, "Please… tell me more about it."
Arcadia wholeheartedly dishes out her own history lesson.
"It was the year 1929. The stock market crashed, and the economy was sent into a decade-long downward spiral.
"People were left with little money due to unemployment, and families were forced to live in shantytowns.
"At that time, President Herbert Hoover was the favorite scapegoat of many impoverished Americans due to his inability to turn things around for them.
"Many things that were improvised out of lack of money to buy things were named after the beleaguered president. Newspapers that were improvised as blankets were called Hoover blankets, empty pockets that were turned inside out were called Hoover flags, shantytowns were called Hoovervilles, cardboard used to fill in a pair of shoes was called Hoover leather, and cars that were driven by horses instead of engines which were removed beforehand were called Hoover wagons.
"And what you're eating right now is called the Hoover stew. The four basic ingredients came cheap during the Great Depression, and thus they provided nutrition for many families."
The two girls quickly dig into the stew; and once they finish their own bowls, they each give their honest criticisms.
Lavian takes the initiative.
"Well, the hotdogs, macaroni, and corn are alright, but there needs to be a richer tomato flavor. What I tasted out of the stew's soup is… how should I put it… it's just tomato-flavored water."