Another Door Opens

4. The Brat Pack.

- EDEN -

Penn and I grabbed coffee at the cafe next door to Luna and Nella’s salon ‘Hair by Moonlight’, which of course meant that I got attacked outside by two hairy women wielding scissors and combs when they saw me through the glass front windows and needed to pause their client’s haircuts mid-brush and cut in order to run out and surround me in a crushing hug, made only slightly more difficult with the inclusion of Luna’s stomach, which looks so much bigger in person than on Facetime. I hadn’t seen her in person since she told me she was pregnant, which made the whole 'me living in Melbourne without my friends' thing a whole lot more miserable considering she’s about four months along now, meaning I haven’t seen two of the most important people in my life in almost half a whole year.

I almost felt bad for the two bewildered women covered in plastic smocks with their hair asymmetrical lengths, watching on at the window from inside, until I realised I don’t care what they think and if Luna and Nella are okay abandoning their clients for a few minutes to make me feel their love and warm welcomes home, then I should be okay with it too.

“I’m so glad you’re here, babe,” Nella said as she finally let go and went to greet my uncle standing to the side watching the familiar, emotional spectacle that is me finally getting to see my girls again for the first time in ages.

Luna could barely get out her greeting considering she was almost hysterically crying, blaming the hormones produced by her growing body when she finally calmed down enough to choke out a reply. “Welcome home, Wilkes. So happy to see you. You too, Uncle Penn, though you’re well overdue for a haircut by the looks of you,” Uncle Penn and I laughed, having spoken on the way here in the car that Luna would have something to say about him growing his hair out. She’s always been a sucker for long hair on guys, and Penn’s shoulder length brown hair, now speckled with grey along with his beard, just makes him even more handsome and distinguished than ever. “Unless you’re planning on growing it long, which I don’t think any person known to mankind could take issue with if this preview is anything to go by,” she flirted with him playfully with a wink and a kiss on the cheek in hello.

“By heavens, you will never hear a single word of complaint from me,” said a young boy dramatically from the doorway, which must, of course, be Heath, Luna and Nella’s most recent apprentice and one of the most openly gay male hairdressers that ever walked the planet. Fanning his face with his hand, he offered for Penn to come inside and give him a free wash and scalp massage before Nella and Luna hushed him and forced him back inside to continue sweeping the floor.

“That boy, I swear, he’ll be the death of me,” said Luna, though neither Nella nor I believed a word of it. She adored Heath, and spent a long time convincing him to get him off the streets and working with her for a chance at a better life. “Babe, I’m sorry, we’ve both got clients inside and are booked up all day, but here’s a key,” she said, pulling a set of keys out of her pocket and handing it over to me. “Go drop your bags off, and I’ll see you when you get back after the party. You shouldn’t need it because Wolfe is home, but just in case. Lazy bum has a slight cough and apparently it’s soooo bad he couldn’t go to work today.” She chuckled as she rolled her eyes dramatically, kissed me on the cheek and blew a goodbye one at Uncle Penn before walking inside.

Nella did much the same, but enlightened me that she was sworn to secrecy that Wolfe was actually working with her own husband Mason on building some furniture for the baby’s room today, which he was keeping a secret from Luna, knowing how much she hates surprises and thinking it would be amusing to watch her pregnant and hormonal reaction. Nella has apparently given up on trying to intervene in anything between Wolfe and Mason, who have become such good mates since Wolfe arrived in Byron Bay a year and a half ago to break the news of his and Luna’s dear friend Dalen’s death to Luna.