I got a call last Thursday night from my old roommate Ewan.

“Jane, meet me at Axel’s Bonfire on Grand. I miss you babe… let’s hang out.”

I had worked all day at my full time job and just finished a shift at my part time job. I was worn out and still needed to pack for my road trip to Chicago. (I was leaving right after work the next day.) I wasn’t looking my best and didn’t feel like taking the time to fix myself up.

“Mmmmm, I don’t know, I look like poo.” I hemmed and hawed.

“Awe, come on babe, you always look great.”

I loved it when Ewan lied to me. (We lived together for seven months. He knew flattery would get him everywhere.)

“Well… okay, but you’re buying. I’ll see you in 20 minutes.”

When I arrived at Bonfire, I was delighted to discover that the entertainment for the evening was not the dueling pianos, but instead… it was Karaoke! (I love Karaoke!)

We sat at the bar next to two guys and a girl. (It ends up, that they too were all roommates in some form or fashion.) They shared their songbook with us and we struck up a conversation. (I love meeting strangers at bars.) Between Ewan and I and our new friends (Chris, Jeff and Jennie), we were pretty much the only people singing.

I started things off with my favorite Tracy Chapman song, “Give Me One Reason.” Then Ewan followed with a Dooby Brother’s song that I didn’t really know. I was involved in an intense conversation about politics with Jeff so I didn’t notice that Ewan hadn’t come back from singing his song. In fact, ten minutes had gone by before Ewan reappeared. He tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear.

“Hey Jane, check out the Cougars in the booth over there. They’re seducing me!” Ewan let out his funny little giggle.

I turned around and my eyes got big, “What are you talking about?”

“Those old hot ladies pulled me into their booth after I got off the stage. They told me that they thought I did a great job and wanted to buy me a drink.”

I looked over in the direction that he pointed, “Ewan, those aren’t Cougars… those girls are my age!”

“No no Janie.” He turned my barstool a few inches to the right. “It’s those ladies right there.”

A smile formed across my face. Yep, those were definitely Cougars. The makeup, the clothes, the breasts, the ultra blonde hair and the crow’s feet all fit the profile. They stealthily blended in with this twenty something crowd, but closer examination revealed them to be the oldest women in the bar. (Not a day under 45.)

These women were on the prowl and Ewan was their defenseless prey. Well, not completely defenseless. Ewan had read my post about Cougars a few weeks earlier and he was on to their game.

“Okay Jane, I’m heading back over to the Cougar den. Wish me luck.” Ewan straightened his sports jacket and turned the collar up on his Ralph Lauren dress shirt. He was prime Cougar bait and he loved it!

But, much to the Cougars' chagrin, Ewan didn’t stick around to be eaten alive. After another hour or so we headed across the street to Billy’s with our new friends (Jeff and Jennie). There were other adventures to be had.