Page 48 of If I Never Met You

Honey’s eyes widened. ‘Eighteen years! Oh my God!’

‘Yep.’About three quarters of your lifetime.

‘This is makeover kinda territory?’ Honey said, and Laurie sensed her excitement levels had shot up several notches, as she nodded.

‘OK, how about this. I’m thinking a centre parting, and I’llcut you in some slightly shorter pieces that blend around the front so you can still wear it up, so it’s not all one length. Then, like, play up your natural masses of curls? I think it would be really nice to put some lights in too. Natural ones, like chestnut and mocha, to break the block colour up a bit? It’ll be totally sensational, like movie star hair. Likea cloudof curls, like boom.’ Honey made a hand gesture like exploding earmuffs.

Despite the fact Laurie was sure she just got cannily upsold she agreed, infected by Honey’s clear enthusiasm for the task ahead.

The next two hours were sitting around with foils on her head, reading about sex with ghosts inTake A Breakand society weddings in Amagansett inVanity Fair. She texted Emily to delay their coffee by forty-five minutes.

As the process continued, Laurie could see she had less hair, and that streaks of it were now light brown. For the big finish, Honey poured out some transparent glop, worked it through Laurie’s ‘do with her hands and trained an enormous dryer on it, making ‘scrunching a ball of paper’ movements.

Gradually, the hair of Laurie’s youth emerged, but much, much better. She didn’t remember it ever having this shiny softness, and Honey had somehow produced the sort of ideal curl size you itched to poke your finger into. The caramel shot through it did indeed make it glimmer and catch the light in different ways to her pure black.

Unexpectedly, Laurie was envying herself. Emily was right, this sort of admiration for her own reflection was a very rare thing. She’d spent so long being low maintenance she’d forgotten the kick to be had in high.

‘How’s that?’ Honey said, standing back, with the smugly delighted intonation of someone who knows they’ve absolutely smashed it and can’t wait to collect the reviews.

‘I love it! Oh my God, I love it,’ Laurie said, turning her head and making it swish around her shoulders. ‘I love it so much.’

‘Right?’ Honey said, and started talking her through the products and processes for best maintenance, during which Laurie mumbled ‘hmmmm mmm’ as if she was taking it all deathly seriously when in fact she was giddy. Such a small thing, a nice hairdo, but it was nice to know she could still appreciate small joys. Laurie paid a three-figure sum, tipped hard and she and Honey giggled delightedly at their successful collaboration throughout.

‘He’s gonna ask you to get back with him!’ Honey called, as Laurie stepped out into the chill and felt her new curls blow about in the breeze.

‘Hah. Maybe,’ Laurie said, smiling, trying not to let the dagger of thinking about that right now break her skin.

‘No doubt!’ Honey said, waving. ‘Call me psychic! Psychic Honey!’

Laurie nearly said ‘Sounds very prog rock,’ before considering that despite the number of vintage band tees being sported in the salon, no one would have the faintest clue what she meant.

While Laurie guessed the response she’d get from Emily would be positive, she didn’t bank on what actually happened; Emily not recognising her for a moment. She passed, stopped, tracked back two steps and let out a small startled cry.

‘You look absolutely AMAZING,’ Emily said, clutching her chest. ‘Seriously, Laurie. You look like you’re a famous person trying to go unrecognised and failing. My heart’s going like a broken clock here! I fancy you!’

‘I thought you fancied me anyway?’ Laurie said. ‘It’s alright, isn’t it?’

Emily plopped into a seat and set her latte mug down.

‘It’s not alright, it’s utterly fucking fabulous. You are fabulous. I wish my hair could do that. It’s so good to see you like this. Fighting back.’

Laurie wasn’t sure she bought in as fully as Emily to a L’Oreal vision of womanhood where bouncy hair signalled being mentally robust. But she thought there’s a time and a place to be a naysayer, and now and here wasn’t it. She looked different so she felt better, that’d do.

‘Aw thanks, it’s only a ‘do I won’t be able to do myself. I like it though. Feels odd,’ Laurie said.

‘I didn’t even know your hair could do this! Can I touch?’

‘I’d forgotten too, to be honest. ’Course you can!’

Emily prodded a ringlet.

When they’d drained their coffees, Emily pulled Laurie out into the blue-dusk and up to the department stores of the Printworks for cosmetics.

‘I have make-up,’ Laurie said.

‘Evening out make-up.’

‘I wear my make-up on evenings out.’

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