Chapter 7
The day passed quickly. Kalyn had a full card of clients and Mel was busy with her scissors as well. She totally forgot that Gary was even in the back after a while. She was too busy dying, shampooing, straightening and styling.
Cutting hair wasn’t just about aesthetics either it was about making people happy and that could be a hard job especially with some people.
Her last client of the day was a white woman from Walnut Creek. It was her first time in the shop and Kelly had recommended her to the shop. She wanted her hair bleached blonde and then trimmed but her hair was thin and damaged. Dying it again would leave her hair too thin and damaged for it to look good.
“I know what I want,” the woman, whose name was Grace, said. “I’m sure it will be fine. I’ve had it done before.” The woman sat down heavily into her chair.
“If you do this you can’t go back. Right now, you have split ends and your hair is brittle and dry,” Kalyn said to her. “If we dye it, it won’t look very full and will damage your hair even more. I’m really not sure it’s a good idea.”
“I said I know what I want.”
Kalyn took a deep breath. If the hair hadn’t already been bleached Kalyn would have used a high lift dye. Usually the technique worked well with light brown hair. An ash tone high lift dye would neutralize all the orange and yellow pigments that appear as the hair lightens. The dye was expensive and a proper salon style. The first step Kalyn took was bleaching out the pigment. Grace’s hair had begun to darken at the roots. Kalyn also needed to appraise the situation.
“Did you wash your hair last night,” Kalyn asked.
“Of course.”
“That’s not good. You don’t want to irritate the scalp by washing your hair. I wanted to do a deep treatment with you as well. It might be better to do that then bleach out your hair,” Kalyn said.
“I want it done now.”
“These things take time. Nothing is instantaneous and your previous bleaching affects the processing time and the procedure. Are you on any medication? That can affect the process as well.
“I’m not on anything besides a bad mood.”
“Why,” Kalyn asked.
Mel was rolling her eyes at the older woman. She made eye contact with Kalyn and shrugged with sympathy. This would not be an easy job for Kalyn. She was also on a time constraint. The woman had made the appointment for an hour but a coloring job would take close to four or five. If not longer.
“I’m hungry,” Grace said.
“Well we can order something for you to eat. This is really going to take a while.”
“No one told me that,” Grace said.
“You also didn’t tell us what you were coming in for.”
“I thought you would be able to accommodate me,” Grace said. She turned around in the chair to stare at Kalyn. The woman gave Kalyn a harsh look. Her eyes narrowed.
Kalyn took another deep breath. She would have to use all her patience dealing with this woman.
“Listen a full platinum blonde job isn’t just something you can walk into, even if you have had your hair done before. These things take time. Doing a double process could take up to nine hours. I can give you a treatment right now to strengthen your hair and we can schedule a coloring job for later this week,” Kalyn said.
She knew that she would have to be firm with the woman. Grace wasn’t going to take no for an answer but that’s what Kalyn had to give her.
“Fine. Do whatever. It doesn’t even matter,” Grace said.
“First things first,” Kalyn said aloud. “We’ll wash your hair.”
Kalyn took Grace over to the shower chair. Kalyn brushed the hair first to loosen dirt and the dead cells from Grace’s scalp. Grace kept her eyes close which was good for Kalyn. Grace seemed to slowly relax as the comb went through Grace’s hair.
Kalyn then rinsed the hair thoroughly using slightly warm water. She rubbed a quarter sized dollop of shampoo between her palms and started lathering the scalp. Kalyn slowly worked her hands down. She massaged Grace’s head gently using circular motions for five minutes. She was careful not to pile the hair on top of the head as she scrubbed it to prevent the hair from tangling. She gently worked the shampoo into the ends of the hair.
Rinsing the hair was easy, especially with the chair. She used the hose to run through the hair. She ran the water through Grace’s hair until it was clear and ran without any bubbles. She then used a wide tooth flat comb to untangle the few knots that had been created.
Kalyn applied the conditioner from mid length of the hair until the ends. She gently combed through and left the conditioner in for a few minutes. Kalyn gently combed the conditioner through and left it for a few minutes. Grace was completely relaxed and wasn’t talking at all which Kalyn took as a positive sign. She considered putting a shower cap onto Grace’s head to make sure the conditioner set thoroughly but decided to forgo it.
After a few minutes, Kalyn rinsed out the hair with cold water. Using cold water closed the pores and cuticles making the hair shine. Kalyn didn’t brush the hair afterwards but instead pat dried the hair with a towel. She gently squeezed the excess moisture out of it and tried to let it air dry. She didn’t want to use a hair dryer on it as she wasn’t in too much of a hurry.
Kalyn let Grace sit relaxed in the chair for a few minutes.
Mel was finishing up herself and quietly took money from her client and then saw them out. She packed up her supplies and then waved goodbye to Kalyn.
“I’ll close up and take care of everything,” Kalyn said.
Mel nodded and walked out the door. Kalyn watched as her friend walked out of sight. She then turned her attention back onto Grace. The older woman looked relaxed. The pampering and deep treatment had mellowed her out and she didn’t seem so abrasive.
“Thanks for taking the time out to do that,” Grace said with her eyes still closed. “I’ve been so anxious lately. My husband and I aren’t doing to well. I am considering having an affair. He just isn’t giving me what I want physically.”
“Oh...,” Kalyn said. She gently patted Grace’s hair and slowly ran her fingers through it to check to see how well the conditioner had done its job.
“We hardly ever have sex and when we do its just grunt, grunt, grunt, I’m done. I get more satisfaction from my Hitachi and porn,” Grace said.
“Relationships can be hard to manage.”
“Yes, they can be. I’m a little conflicted about everything. I’m not even sure that I should be talking about this with you. It’s not like you’re my therapist,” Grace said.
Kalyn laughed out loud.
“What are stylists for if not making you look and feel beautiful,” Kalyn said.
“I like that line of thinking,” Grace replied. A warm smile spread across her face. A few wrinkles showed as her cheeks lifted creating a topographical map of her life. Kalyn could see the stress and the worry on the woman. She would never be in her position, or at least not any time soon. Grace and her were different. Grace was well off. Kalyn was living paycheck to paycheck. Grace lived in Walnut Creek, a beautiful, white and upper class neighborhood. Kalyn lived in the lower bottoms. The most western part of Oakland. Yes, there was a new coffee shop in the neighborhood that was all white and served avocado toast but it also had a bullet proof glass window in front of the cashier.
Despite their differences seeing the lines that mapped Grace’s face made Kalyn feel closer to her. At some point, Kalyn would be older and would be like this woman. Hopefully not anytime soon but who Kalyn didn’t know which way her life would be taken.
“So, your hair is looking much better. Much stronger now,” Kalyn said.
“Thanks. And I’m feeling much better. I’m sorry I was such a bitch earlier,” Grace said. She got up from her chair and started walking to the register.
“It’s okay. We all have our days, and we all have our moments.”
“You’re a real dear. So, I do still want to redo my ends and go for the platinum.”
“Absolutely. It will be fun. It will take most of a day and it looks like the next free time to do it is next week. Are you available on Thursday?”
“Yeah. I can do that. Thanks again Kalyn. You’re the best,” Grace said. She had handed Kalyn her credit card and Kalyn had swiped it through their system. Grace took a pen from the counter and signed her slip leaving Kalyn a generous tip.
“It was my pleasure. I’ll see you again soon,” Kalyn said. She opened the door and watched Grace walk down the street.
The sun was dipping over the sky line. Kalyn was thinking of Kaboose as she began to do the paperwork. She brought the till and money back into the office to deposit into the safe when she saw Gary. She’d forgotten about him.
He was sitting in front of the computer filling out a spreadsheet on Excel.
“Oh hey,” Kalyn said.
“Hey.”
“Excuse me I’ll just deposit this into the safe,” Kalyn said. She scooted around Gary. The back room was small. It had just the computer and then the inventory. It was barely bigger than a closet. Kalyn could feel Gary in the room. His presence was large and she felt like she was almost touching him. He still smelled of sandalwood. She looked at his body and remembered the shape of his muscles. She could feel a heat between her legs begin to grow.
“That was good today,” Gary said.
“What,” Kalyn replied. He’d turned around in the chair and was facing her. He was still seated so his face was close to her breasts. She looked down at his thick lips. Gary bit them slightly and then let go.
“With the last woman. I overheard from back here. You really went the extra mile with her and took care of her. That was really good. You’re very professional,” Gary said. He reached out his hand and touched her arm. She didn’t move away. She liked the sensation of his hand against her. She remembered what his tongue felt like between her legs and she started to feel a little weaker.
“Thanks. But really it’s just a normal part of my job.”
“Well I appreciate you doing it. The place is a bit of a mess in terms of paperwork and the business side of things. It makes everything easier when you and Mel take care of the front end. Deborah didn’t do a great job keeping things straight,” Gary said.
“She was busy a lot.”
“I don’t mean to slag her off or anything. Keeping a business going is hard work. I know.”
“I thought Joy would be taking care of things,” Kalyn said. She looked down and Gary still had his hand on her arm. He pulled his hand away.
“I’m not really sure what Joy is doing to be honest. She does her own thing.”
“And you do yours?”
“Things are complicated.”
“Aren’t they always,” Kalyn replied. This time it was her who put her hands on him. She ran her fingers through his hair and then squeezed his shoulders.
“That feels nice. About the other night…”
Kalyn lifted her hand. She was still confused about how she should interact with Gary. She was attracted to him. There was no doubt about that. The wetness in her panties said it loud and clear but he was tied up with Joy and sleeping with the owner’s husband was probably not a great idea.
“I think it was maybe a mistake,” Kalyn said.
“It felt good.”
“It was a mistake that felt good,” Kalyn said. She smiled lightly as Gary stood up. Since the room was so small they were almost touching.
“Sometimes things that feel good can be wrong,” Gary said. There was a mischievous look in his eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt a fire like I felt with you. Things between Joy and I are a bit stale. We’ve been together for a long time and we are more like roommates now. I’m not even sure if she cares if I am there or not.”
“I don’t think I can be your marriage counselor,” Kalyn said with a laugh. She didn’t want to be Gary’s handkerchief for him. She wasn’t going to hang around while he cried his eyes out about whatever.
“I didn’t ask you to be,” Gary replied. He looked down and away from her.
Kalyn could tell that Gary wanted to say something so she stood there for a moment. There was a palpable tension in the small room. It was a mix of sexual and emotional tension but neither of them made the first move to cut through the atmosphere.
“I think I’ll go home,” Kalyn said. “Kaboose is waiting for me to walk him. I’ve been thinking about bringing him into the salon. You think Joy will be okay with that?”
Gary sullenly nodded his head. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you when I see you,” Kalyn said as she backed out the door. She walked backwards for a moment to see what he was looking at. Gary kept his eyes on Kalyn. Whatever he was going to say he wasn’t going to say it then. The cat still had his tongue.
A flash of light passed through his eyes. “Can I call you, or text you,” Gary said.
“Um…,” Kalyn replied. She still had his card at her house. She’d done nothing with it. She had wanted to call him but there wasn’t an opportunity or a good reason. Adultery wasn’t a good enough reason for Kalyn. “Sure. Why not,” Kalyn said. She didn’t know why she was holding back so much. They could still be friends, Kalyn thought. It wouldn’t hurt.
“Cool. I’ll get your number now,” Gary said. He pulled out his phone and entered her number. A second later he sent her a video of a dog chasing his own tail with a Smith’s song playing in the background.
Kalyn watched the video and laughed.
“I like the Smiths,” she said.
“Me too. We have so much in common,” he replied.
“Yeah maybe we do, maybe we do.”
“Okay I’ll see you later,” Gary said.
“Have a nice night get home safe,” Kalyn replied. “You’ll lock up?”
“Of course. I saw the closing instructions Deborah left. I should be good to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye Gary,” Kalyn said.
“Goodbye Kalyn.”
Kalyn walked out of the salon and down the street to her car. She felt lighter for some reason. She felt airy. She was still attracted to Gary, there was no doubt about that but maybe their one-time thing had just been that, a one-time thing. She wouldn’t worry about it too much, she said to herself.
She got into her car and started the ignition. The radio came on and The Cure started singing “It’s Friday I’m in Love.” She smiled. She remembered the first time she’d heard the song. Her friend Samantha had played it for her. They’d been in middle school and Sam, who was a bit of a tomboy, told her that she’d discovered the best band of the 90’s, Sam didn’t know yet that The Cure had started their career off earlier than that. The two had sat in Samantha’s room and listened to the album for several hours. They’d laid down on Sam’s bean bag while the hit single had played. Kalyn remembered it distinctly because it was during the summer, and it was a Wednesday.
“Today is Thursday,” Kalyn said aloud to herself. “I can’t fall in love today.”
She pulled out of her spot and made her way home.