Chapter 3
“I’m sorry guys,” Deborah was standing in the front of the salon. “I didn’t think that things would end this way. I thought we had more runway.”
“Really Deborah,” Mel said. “Did you really think we had more run way or did you just not plan things out?”
“I planned, I budgeted but I also had to cut hair on the daily. I was busy with my scissors. I’m sorry I just didn’t pay attention. It’s hard to manage everything.”
“Well what are we going to do now,” Mel said.
The three of the stylists were standing just inside the salon. The shop was supposed to open in just a few hours but they were having a meltdown meeting.
“Will we get paid for our month, for our week,” Kalyn asked. She was thinking about the electricity bill for her apartment. It wasn’t overdue yet but in another week, it would be. She had to get Kaboose dog food. She should also get him a walker, something that she was thinking she might be able to afford if things at the salon were going well which obviously right now they were most definitely not. Rent was due in two weeks as well.
“I think we should be able to get you wages for the week. We’ll have to cancel all further bookings. I’ll also slowly cut down your hours but I’ll still be able to pay you until the end of the month. I’m really sorry about this. Obviously if you get unemployment I’ll notify the labor department and let them know that it’s fine.”
“Unemployment doesn’t pay the rent. It doesn’t even buy a burrito.”
“What can I say Mel,” Deborah said. Her tongue was getting sharper and Kalyn could see that her friend was becoming defensive and rightfully so Mel was attacking her but Mel was on the offense for good reason. They had all made a leap of faith to start working for Deborah.
“My stove is broke,” Mel said. “How am I going to fix my stove.”
“Your stove,” Kalyn said.
“Yeah remember the housewarming party that I had? Matt was drunk and knocked into the stove. He broke one of the dials. Danny tried to fix it but it didn’t work. I’ve only been able to turn the oven onto 500 degrees. You know what you can bake at 500 degrees? Nothing! You can boil, you can broil but you certainly can’t bake!”
“Oh,” Kalyn said. She knew how serious Mel took her baking. She’d gotten good at it, quite good and supplemented her income, well before the dial disaster with a part time baking company called Goth Goodies. Things had been tight for her and she’d been as sharp as her shears at the salon because of the lack of work.
“I was hoping that next month I would be able to fix it with the money that came in. Now no fixed oven. Now more gluten free cookies for the mothers of Claremont street,” Mel said.
Kalyn snickered.
“Listen, I know this isn’t ideal but we’ll figure something out. I’ll figure out a way for you guys to get another job or something. This isn’t the end of the world. We’re survivors. We’re from Oakland not San Francisco.”
“Actually, Kalyn is from Concord and I’m from Dublin.”
“Well you know what I mean?”
“Is this the wrong time to ask you where you’re from,” Mel said.
“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.”
“That’s the beauty of sarcasm, right?”
“Ambivalence is beautiful,” Kalyn said.
“Okay. Great meeting guys. Great meeting. We’re about to go under and you’re debating on the importance of sarcasm. Well while you two are busy having an important philosophical discussion I’ll be trying to figure out a way to save the business.”
“Would it be sarcastic to say that you were the one to get us into this mess,” Mel said.
“I don’t think that counts as sarcasm,” Kalyn said.
“We are opening in ten minutes and you both have clients.”
“Right. Right. Right. Well make sure I have ten minutes to spare between clients so I can run to the liquor store and buy a fifth and some lottery tickets. We need all the luck and lack of sobriety we can get to survive this mess,” Mel said. She shook her head and went over to her work station. She started to prep everything for the day.
The doors opened as usual and everyone’s chairs filled up. For a day of impending doom things went smoothly and Mel was even able to go to the liquor store to buy a fifth of Hennessey and some lotto tickets. The three didn’t speak much to each other as the hours passed.
Mel was pouring out shots of Hennessey for the three of them and Kalyn was doing a final bit of sweeping before closing the doors for the day.
Deborah was at the front doing computer work when the door opened.
Joy walked in. She was carrying a Gucci purse and still wore her sunglasses. She was wearing a blue soft shift dress with a v neckline that showed off the top of her cleavage. Kalyn could tell that the dress had been imported because she’d seen it advertised on a website after Kelly had talked about not being able to afford it. Kalyn wanted to see what sort of dress Kelly couldn’t afford. It was a 37-inch shoulder to hem, sleeveless summer dress. There wasn’t much fabric too it but what cloth there was was exquisite.
It wasn’t just Joy’s dress that made an impression it was also her shoes. She was wearing Giorgio Armani ankle strap low heel sandals. There was an impressive cutout detail in the heel and the suede upper was perfectly strapped around Joy’s heel.
Mel was salivating. She loved high end shoes on women. Mel was always going on about different shoes and how they made women look. While she didn’t own a pair of shoes besides her black leather boots she knew everything there was about a well-turned heel and the perfect shoe to model it off.
“You the owner,” Joy said. She took off her sunglasses and looked for a moment at Deborah and then began to walk around the salon.
“Yes. May I ask whose asking? We were about to close. If you’d like to book an appointment,” Deborah said.
“I don’t think you’ll be needing to worry about that. You lease the space, or rent?”
“She rents it,” Mel said quickly. She was standing rather close to Joy. Her hands were tingling by her side. Kalyn could see the lust in her eyes. Mel was going mad. Deborah shot her a dirty look that she wasn’t even on the same planet to recognize.
“Excuse me but as I said before we were just closing up.”
“Well you can stay open for a little while longer,” Joy said.
“That’s not our policy,” Deborah said.
“Well it’s my policy and I’m buying this building and I’d like to buy the salon along with it.”
“I’ll have to discuss that with my lawyer,” Deborah said.
It was Mel’s turn to give a dirty look. Deborah saw it and sighed.
“Could I have your name,” Deborah said.
“Joy,” Joy said.
“Do you have a last name?”
“Duplan.”
“Okay Joy Duplan, do you have a contact number or a way to reach you,” Deborah said.
“Or maybe a card, I can take your card,” Mel said. She was like a puppy inching her way towards Joy. Mel had a nervous excited energy about the woman.
“I’ll have my lawyer contact you as well. It was great meeting you,” Joy said as she walked out the front door.
“Gawd fucking damn it,” Mel screamed. “Did you see that woman!? Did you see those legs, those shoes!?” Mel collapsed into one of the salon chairs and started to puff hard. “I’m in love L-U-V!”
“She seemed a little fake to me,” Kalyn said.
“I mean her fake breasts were absolutely beautiful,” Mel said. “She was a real woman and that ass. It wasn’t an Oakland booty.”
“Yeah not like yours at all,” Kalyn said.
“It was sculpted prefecture. So much firmness. I wanted to drop to my knees and worship her.”
“I don’t know, she seemed like a bitch,” Deborah said. She stood at the front desk and locked the door. “I don’t want anyone else coming in here.”
“You mean you don’t want the business saved,” Mel said spitting out the words.
“It’s not that. I’m just not sure that she’s the right one for this place.”
“The right one is whoever can keep us employed and you’re not able to do that right now,” Mel said.
“Mel might be being a bit aggressive but it is worth thinking about Deborah. You said yourself this morning that things were looking dire. We all have bills to pay, including you. How can we afford the bay without money for rent, groceries, without jobs,” Kalyn said.
“Okay. Fine. I don’t like it though. We’ll see what happens. I think a woman like that won’t do much,” Deborah said.
“I have to go home and think about her,” Mel said.
“Think about her,” Kalyn said arching an eyebrow.
“I’m gonna do more than think about her if she comes back.”
“Keep it in the pants you pussy hound for fuck’s sake,” Deborah said. “She might not even come back.”
The three parted ways. As Kalyn walked to her car she looked back. Deborah was standing at the store front looking at the sign. She’d put a lot into the shop but Mel was right they couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Kalyn got to her car and sat in the front seat. The key slid into the ignition and the car started with a rumble. She kept the car parked and plugged in her phone putting on her favorite song.
Stephen Patrick Morrissey’s voice rang out filling the small car with his voice.
“Can you squeeze me into an empty page of your diary,” the voice sang out. “And psychologically save me? I’ve got faith in you, I sense the power within the fingers.”
Kalyn took a deep breath and waited for the chorus of the song to begin before she turned on uber. No ride turned up right away so she started to make her way home hoping that someone would want her services soon before rent was due.