Page 67 of Proof

“Ah. Then I think I shall go for a walk in the neighborhood,” said Chi-Chi. “There is a brewery Cullen has been talking about. They do some sort of tour he seemed interested in. I shall get some information for him.”

“That’s very thoughtful,” Luna said. “Even if you’re leaving me alone here. With this man!” She laughed nervously.

“It is better if we see the final results together,” Chi-Chi said calmly. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Luna said.

“I meant to Felipé.” Chi-Chi grinned and left.

Felipé pumped the chair up so he could be face to face with Luna. “I’m thinking to here.” He touched her collarbone.

She winced.

“It will be alright. Trust me.”

“I have no choice, do I?”

“No. You are in my power now,” he said in jest.

He loosened her braid and took a wide-tooth comb and pulled it through her soon-to-be-gone, waist-length hair. “You have nice hair, and I have to tell you it is really a good idea to cut it. As we get older, our hair thins.” He rolled his eyes and leaned in. “I ought to know,” he continued. “Brushing and combing these locks will pull more hair out.”

Luna agreed. “Yes, I’ve noticed more in my brush and comb.”

“And let me tell you something, those celebrities who have all that long hair? Fake. Fake. Fake. Nobody has real hair like that, unless you’re eighteen years old.”

“That’s about when I let it grow.”

“See?” He pulled his scissors from a leather case, grabbed her hair, and pulled it into a ponytail just below her shoulder blades. From there, he unceremoniously lobbed off over a foot of hair. “For the children,” he said. “You are doing a good thing. You truly are.”

Luna could feel the difference already. The warmth and weight of her mane was no longer there. She was surprised that it actually felt good. He continued to clip and snip until he was satisfied with the length. “Alright, my pretty. On to the next phase.”

Luna reached around her back. It was truly gone. She took a few breaths and muttered, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

“You’re gonna be gorgeous.”

He next rolled out a cart with several tubs of various shades of hair color. Felipé and his assistant proceeded to part Luna’s hair in quarter-inch sections. Starting at the bottom, he began to paint, then foil, another section, paint, then foil, until her head was covered in foil strips. “Now we wait for the magic to happen!” Felipé said with great enthusiasm. “Can we get you anything? Coffee? Water? Tea? Crumpets?”

“You have crumpets?” Luna said with surprise.

“It is teatime, dearie.”

“How about smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches? Or cucumber and cream cheese? Perhaps some cheese and chutney?” Luna was teasing, but there was a surprise in store.

“Oh, darling. You have come to the right place.” He snapped his fingers, and Patrice rolled in another cart loaded with three tiers of sandwiches, scones, and cakes.

“Whoa! That looks incredible! No wonder Ellie likes to come here. And now I know where she got her penchant for scones. We have them every morning.” Luna was delighted at the yummy feast set in front of her.

“Shall I fix you a plate?” Patrice offered.

Luna pointed to a few items. “I’ll have one of those and two of these.”

Patrice added a few other things. “Just in case.”

Several minutes later, Chi-Chi returned. “Are you having a party without me?”

“Please. Join in.” Felipé gestured to the cart.

“Do you do this every day?” Chi-Chi asked.

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