“She cut a huge chunk off,” I said, my voice shaking. “I asked for a trim.”
Elaine didn’t even open her eyes.
That word again.
“I don’t want a pixie cut,” I said.
“I never agreed to that.”
Marlene sounded annoyed. “Your mother-in-law said you changed your mind and wanted something bold. She paid in advance.”
“How much?” I demanded, no idea why it mattered but needing to know.
“One thousand,” she said.
“For full cut, color, style.”
I stared at the braid like it was a body.
“Oh, honey,” she cooed, “I thought you needed a push. Maybe this wedding isn’t meant to be if a haircut breaks it. Some things fall apart for a reason.”
There it was.
The truth.
She wasn’t trying to help.
She was trying to blow up my wedding.
Something in me shut down. I sat there, numb, while Marlene kept cutting. Hair fell all around me.
When she finally spun me toward the mirror, I barely recognized myself.
Red eyes. Streaked face.
I didn’t cry in front of them. I pulled my card out with shaking hands and paid for my nails and facial myself.
Elaine’s eyebrows shot up.
“Don’t be dramatic. I said it’s my treat.”
“I’ve got it,” I said.
She sighed. “You always were sensitive, dear.”
I walked out without another word, made it to my car, shut the door, and completely fell apart.
I sobbed until my head pounded.Continue reading…
