I wasn’t expecting Olivia to call back anytime soon, so I went out for lunch. Fast food was out of the question, so I stopped in at Daley’s Pub, owned and operated by none other than Colleen Daley. I hadn’t been there in several years but I knew I wanted the shepherd’s pie. Colleen used the same recipe her father had perfected, and it was always as delicious as I remembered. Colleen brought me my meal. We hugged and then caught up for a few minutes, but the pub was busy and she had other diners to attend to. We promised each other that we’d talk soon as she hurried towards the kitchen. As I enjoyed my meal, I thought about another pub that I’d once loved frequenting: McGuire’s Irish Pub in Pensacola. I remembered the dollar bills that were pinned all over the walls – dollars signed and put there over the years by the customers. Somewhere amongst all the hundreds of bills was one with my name on it – mine and Ben’s. McGuire’s – in the original location – had been a favorite hangout of ours. We’d known all the waitresses by name and all the Irish ditties by heart. The place was so different now that I rarely ever stopped in any more. Colleen’s place was much more intimate and quiet and it didn’t bring back memories of Ben.
