so to speak.”
“Are you unhappy here?” I asked softly.
He looked over his shoulder, then back at me. “I’ve just always
wanted to work at one of your salons. You have a magnificent
reputation.”
I liked Marvin, and what he did with my hair was amazing.
“My sister is out of town for two weeks, but when she gets back,
I’ll talk it over with her. I have your card, so I’ll give you a call.”
He hugged me and planted a kiss on my cheek before I knew
what was happening. Then he shrank back. “Oh, too forward,” he
said as he covered his face with his hands.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll call you one way or another.”
I actually had a spring in my step as I walked home. Maybe it
was the new diet or what felt like pounds of hair that had been cut
away, but I felt lighter. I was nearly skipping into the courtyard
when I passed Hailey sitting on a bench.
“Whoa,” she said with a look of surprise. “I almost didn’t
recognize you.”
I was immediately self-conscious. “Is that bad?”
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Robin Alexander
“No.” Hailey shook her head. “Amazing…your hair…it looks
fantastic.”
I ducked my head, embarrassed by her appraisal. “Well,
thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Who’s your stylist?”
“His name is Marvin. He’s moving to a salon on Canal Street
in two weeks. When he gets new cards made up, I’ll give you
one.”“Please do,” Hailey said with a smile.
One thing was for sure, Marvin was about to have a new job,
whether Kalen agreed or not.
It was my day. I had a new look and a bunch of messages in
my inbox. I scanned them all until I found Newbie.
Hi, P.U.,
I haven’t visited many places yet, but I did go to Fiorella’s on
your suggestion, and you’re right. The chicken was delicious! I
won’t be able to go there often, or I’ll do damage to my waistline.
I’m falling in love with this city. All the old architecture is
beautiful. And the people I’ve encountered have been friendly.
Atlanta is much colder in the winter, but I find the wind
blowing off the river to be bone chil ing. I imagine that the
summers here are much like they are back home, muggy and hot.
That’s fine by me. I’m cold-natured.
Oh, I found a place in the Quarter that makes a mean
chocolate cheesecake. I’ll have to avoid it in the future, too.
As you mentioned earlier, I’ve been getting a few creepy e-
mails, too. I’m glad you’re normal…even if you’re kind of rabid.
So have you been brave enough to go out with any of the people
you’ve met here?
Newbie
I read her e-mail a couple of times, actually a dozen. If she
found the wind coming off the river bone chilling and she’d been
in the Quarter, then she had been in my neighborhood. And she’d
gone to Fiorella’s. I wondered if we’d passed each other on the
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Pitifully Ugly
street. Even though she would never figure out where I lived, I was
still apprehensive to reveal that she’d been close to my apartment.
I wondered if she happened to live close by.
Hi, Newbie,
So you tried out Fiorella’s. Good for you. There are so many
places here to eat good food. You should try Maspero’s next.
They’re near the Quarter, too. Anything on the menu is good.
You’re right about our summers. They are hot and muggy
and sometimes downright oppressive. I don’t care for the cold,
either, but I miss it when the heat feels like it’s going to melt my
hair off.
I haven’t been brave enough to take up any offers yet. I did
get a haircut today, and one of the stylists gave me her card. I
don’t have any plans to call her, but it was nice to be noticed.
How about you? Gone on any dates yet?
Was she flirting with me? What if she asked me to meet her
in person? That was a sobering thought. I liked the mystique of
not knowing who she was, and although it might be nice to meet
her one day, the thought made me nervous.
One thing was for sure. Things were looking up, and I had a
glimmer of prospects. I couldn’t date a stylist from another salon.
Kalen would kill me for one thing, and it would be a conflict in
my opinion. Oh, but it was a sweet moment when she handed me
her card.
I didn’t hear from Newbie again that night nor the next day.
Unlike the last time, I didn’t get disappointed. I knew she would
eventually respond.
As luck would have it, there was a problem at the store on
Canal Street. The manager, Blitz, as she liked to call herself, was
caught in the crossfire between two stylists. Tension had been
brewing between the two for a while over a guy they were both
dating. The two had almost come to blows in the back of a packed
salon, and I’d been called for backup.
Blitz was red-faced when I arrived and apologetic for having
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Robin Alexander
to call me in. Kalen had left strict instructions that if there were
any more problems, they’d both have to be let go, and this was a
problem. My stomach was in knots. I’d never had to fire anyone,
and I wasn’t looking forward to it.
I followed Blitz to the back office where she filled me in
on what happened. They’d both made a huge scene in front of
customers. First trading insults that quickly led to a face-to-face
screaming match and some shoving.
“I’ve talked to them both on three separate occasions.” Blitz
pushed the documentation across the desk at me. “They both
signed the warnings. They know better than to pull this shit.”
“I have a guy in mind as one of the replacements, but he’ll
have to give notice to his employer. We won’t have him for two
weeks. Do you think you can cover two slots for that long?”
“I’ve been anticipating this,” Blitz said wearily. “Everybody
knows they’re on the chopping block, and a few have already
volunteered to fill the gap. Plus, Carol at the Rampart location
said she can spare at least one of her staff to help cover.”
I looked down at the warnings in front of me. Blitz had
detailed each incident and the probable outcome if the problems
continued. She’d done a good job of handling the situation, and
I knew that I couldn’t let her or the other employees down by
allowing the two troublemakers to remain.
“Okay, please bring them in.” I sounded a lot calmer than I
felt.Minutes later, Patrice and Kelly were sitting across from
me, and Blitz stood in the corner with her arms folded across her
chest.
Patrice, the bolder of the two, went on the offensive before