42097609460

Rachel came back and checked on her hair. “A little while longer,”
she chirped, and resumed her conversation with her colleague,
gesturing with her hands. Animated. Young and carefree. Happy.
More minutes passed. Then, a dozen. Katie tried not to stare at the
clock. Finally, it was time, and Rachel removed the foil before
leading Katie to the sink. Katie sat and leaned back, resting her
neck against the towel. Rachel turned the water on and Katie felt a
splash of cool water against her cheek. Rachel massaged the
shampoo in her hair and scalp and rinsed, then added conditioner
and rinsed again.
“Now let’s trim you up, okay?”
Back at the station, Katie thought her hair looked okay, but it was
hard to tell when it was wet. It had to be right or Kevin would
notice. Rachel combed Katie’s hair straight, getting out the tangles.
There were forty minutes left.
Rachel stared into the mirror at Katie’s reflection. “How much do
you want taken off?”
“Not too much,” Katie said. “Just enough to clean it up. My
husband likes it long.”
“How do you want it styled? I’ve got a book over there if you
want something new.”
“How I had it when I came in is fine.”
“Will do,” Rachel said.
Katie watched as Rachel used a comb, running her hair through
her fingers, then snipped it with the scissors. First the back, then
the sides. And finally the top. Somewhere, Rachel had found a
piece of gum and she chewed, her jaw moving up and down as
she worked.
“Okay so far?”