Steps

Chapter 3

"Just a little bit off the ends and add some layers in it too" my client, Avery, says as soon as she walks into the salon. She is a very thin blond woman who's had way too much plastic surgery on her face. I don't even know how she's able to show any facial expressions at all.

"OK Avery" I say flashing her a fake smile. I take her over to the sink to wash her hair. She sits down in the chair and rests her head over the sink. It takes me about two times longer to wash Avery's hair because she kept complaining about the temperature of the water or her position in the seat.

I finally finish off with washing her hair and tell her to take a seat in the chair in front of the full length mirror. Her pointed toe red heels click across the white marble floor.

Everything in the salon is very expensive,very. From the floors to the actual hair equipment. I guess that's the standard when you work in a high class salon working for high class people.

Once Avery examines her make-up in the mirror, she settles in the styling chair.

"Maybe we can take off more than a couple inches, I'm just getting so sick of this length, I feel like I've had it forever" Avery says as I comb through her wet hair. "What's your opinion Delia?"she asks meeting my eyes in the mirror.

I stop combing her hair and examine it. It reaches her middle back. I look at Avery's face; very thin and somewhat round most likely because she fixed it that way.

"Maybe we can do a pixie cut" I suggest running my fingers through her hair.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" She says clapping her hands together. "I was going to suggest that but I wanted your opinion first" she says straightening her shoulders.

"Are you positive Avery, I mean it's a big change" I ask nervously. I'm a hairdresser but I hate cutting people's  hair.

"Yes! Now let's get this should show on the road!" She says excitedly.

It takes almost an hour to cut her hair into a perfect pixie cut. I turned Avery away from the mirror so she could have a "big reveal" as she says.

"Are you ready Avery?" I ask with a real smile this time.

"Yes!" She squeals. I slowly turn the chair around so she can face the mirror. Her mouth falls open and her eyes are practically popping out of her head.

"Well what do you think? If you don't like it remember you're the one who wanted it in the first place" I say jokingly.

"Delia, you are amazing! I love it!" She says and jumps out of her chair and runs over and gives me a tight hug.

She moves away and stands in front of the full length mirror and runs her fingers through her now short hair. "I'm going to be all every one is going to be looking at when I walk out of here" she says strutting up and down the salon like it's a runway.

She grabs her purse form beside the chair, and walks with me to the front desk. She thanks me about a million more times while she is paying, and leaves me a very generous tip for all my work.

"I'm going to look just astonishing at the Hastings party this weekend" She says taking her Prada sunglasses out of her Louis Vuitton "thanks again Delia" she calls walking away from the desk and out the door to join the many people walking by.

My hands are frozen at the keyboard. Hastings, as in Renee the wife of Collin Hastings, the mother of-

"Delia are you OK?" I hear someone ask and place a hand on my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts.

I shake my head to snap out of my trance "ya, sorry Darcy do you need the computer?" I ask moving away from the key board.

"No, you just looked sick so I came over to see if you were OK" she says with a weird look on her face.