The ladies of Foof wrap up official business and most of them head off into the night. Samantha beckons for me to follow her out to the bar, where she asks Esther to pour us ”something celebratory.”

I climb into the stool next to her, noticing that there’s a foot rest at exactly the right height so my legs aren’t dangling as I sit. Sam sees me noticing, and nods. ”Esther thinks of everything,” she says. ”This is a place where women ...