Page 118 of Boss

Epilogue

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“Okay, Millie, what do you think?”

Kassidy turned the chair around. Millie gasped and her eyes stretched with surprise. Today they were going retro with a Marilyn Monroe dye job and haircut. Millie owned the local bookstore. She was also the wife of the local fire chief. In her early sixties, Millie was one of Kassidy’s first and now most loyal customers.

“Oh my, Clarissa. You’re a magician. It’s beautiful!” Millie said and fingered her curls. “I look ten years younger.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Kassidy said.

“Like it? I’ve told the ladies at the church to come sit in your chair. You have youth and a lot more experience than the other girls. Did you always want to be a beautician?” Millie asked.

Kassidy chuckled to herself and lied. “Yes, ever since I was a little girl.”

“I knew it! I knew it! You can tell when a person loves their job. You are simply wonderful my dear.” She picked at a few of the curls on her head styled and them to her liking. Most of Kassidy’s clients were white. Many of them had reservations about a black woman doing their hair. Some had never had a relationship, friendly or casual, with a black person before she moved into their town. A lot had changed for them all in the past four years.

“Thank you for accepting my last minute appointment. Chuck surprised me with this trip. I barely got enough time left in the day to pack,” she chuckled. Millie went into her purse to get her money. Kassidy glanced to the clock. It was after ten. Everything on this side of town was closed, and Kassidy was dead on her feet. She’d never accept an appointment so late. But Millie was a good customer, and her roots needed to be touched up. She couldn’t let her go on a cruise looking that way.

“It’s no problem. I’m glad you like it,” she said.

“I do! I do!” Millie gave her the forty dollars she owed, plus an extra twenty as a tip.

“Thank you, Millie. That’s so sweet.” Kassidy took the money and put it in her till. She undid her apron and folded it over her salon chair. “If you wait a second I will lock up and walk you out.”

“Okay, honey,” Millie said. She kept staring at herself and posing in the mirror. “Clarissa, where are you from?”

“The South,” Kassidy answered. “I’ve told you that already.”

“Yes. Yes. I know you’re from the South, but where down South?” Millie asked. “You know in church the other day Gladys asked about you. Said she wanted to encourage you to join the choir. Gladys loves those Tyler Perry movies. She thinks every woman of color can sing in church,” Millie chuckled. Kassidy didn’t take any offense. She and Millie had open discussions over the differences and stupid stereotypes their neighbors in town believed. “We got to talking and realize you don’t tell us much about you. Like, where you come from and who your people are?”

“I’m an orphan,” Kassidy said as she cut off the lights in the back of the salon. “I was raised in foster care in Florida. Bounced around a little after that and landed here in Danbury. That’s my story.”

“Oh? So sorry, sweetheart, that must have been tough.”

“I’ve survived. You ready?” Kassidy asked.

Millie collected her things. “Gladys said a couple of years back a man came to town asking about the salon, and was curious about you in particular.”

Kassidy froze. “What?”

“Yeah. She said he was a nice fella, but had an accent, some kind of foreigner. You know you girls in here are the prettiest in town.” Millie giggled.

“What did this man want to know about me?” Kassidy asked as she got her purse.

“Just who was single, who was married, stuff of that nature. Guess he came in one day and saw you ladies and got curious. Gladys remembers because he asked about the ‘black’ one. No offense, honey. You’re the only person of color here, so she remembered. But it wasn’t anything bad. He just thought you were pretty. You know why this came up,” Millie smiled. “My nephew is coming home from Afghanistan. He’s divorced. Remember I told you about him. His name is Evan. Very handsome and athletic too. He’s thirty-six. How about I set you two up for a dinner? What do you think?”

“That’s sweet. I’ll let you know, how’s that?” she patted Millie on the shoulder. The two of them walked out of the salon. Kassidy locked the door.

“Have a good night, Millie,” Kassidy said.

The old woman waved and got in her car. Kassidy did the same. Millie pulled out of the parking lot, while Kassidy sat there and waited for her engine to warm. Winter had come and frozen over the town. Everything was covered with ice and snow. She sat there and stared at the snow falling with her thoughts returning to Millie. Gladys was a town gossip and exaggerated everything.

Six months ago Tarek was released from parole. The FBI told her his probationary period had passed and he was now traveling between Texas and Russia. Tarek had moved on, forgotten his promise, and left her behind. So why hadn’t she let go?

Kassidy shifted out of park into reverse. She backed out of her reserved space and drove off toward the one main street that ran through town. An old Hall and Oates song played on the radio. She hummed along as she passed through several traffic lights blinking yellow. After ten at night the traffic lights stopped working.

She drove through the sleeping town half awake. Her mind tended to drift to thoughts of him when it snowed like this. Maybe Millie mentioning the stranger in town years ago brought his memory to surface. Or maybe it was just this particular night she felt the most alone. Either way she knew that meant she would have a fitful sleep.

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