Page 146 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
Despite my surprise, I rush to take the box from her before she starts down the stairs.
“Thanks,” she huffs. “I thought I could handle it, but it’s heavy!”
“I got it. Where do you want it?” I rotate carefully, balancing the box with my hip, before heading back down the steps. Dex passes me on his way up.
“Hey, mate.”
“Welcome back,” I say to him. “You’re leaving already?”
“Apartment’s ready now, so might as well get out of your hair.”
“Set it left of the front door,” Britta says behind me. “That's where we’re putting stuff that goes with us. The other boxes on the right are going into storage.”
I set the box down and face her, ready for more instructions. Her eyebrows pull together. “What’s with the beanie?”
I sigh and take it off.
Britta blinks. “You’re blond.”
“I was electric purple this morning.” I start back up the stairs.
“This is better?”
I put the beanie back on. The fact she’s questioning whether I looked better as a kid’s TV character isn’t encouraging. I can hardly wait for Dex’s reaction.
“So…why was your hair purple?” Britta asks as we walk down the hall.
“Piper.”
“Piper?”
We walk into their room—the primary suite of the house with a full en suite bathroom and wall to wall windows. Dex is taping a box shut. There are more of them stacked against the wall closest to the door.
Most of their stuff is still in boxes in the garage because they never really unpacked when they moved in. Their marriage was supposed to be temporary, so they didn’t have much reason to settle in. Even after Dex’s accident, as it became clear he and Britta had something real, they didn’t unpack anything they didn’t need.
I guess we all understood this arrangement was temporary.
“Show him your hair,” Britta orders as she rushes past me to take the taped box from Dex.
He reluctantly lets it go, then looks at me. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” I keep my beanie on. “Piper dyed my hair purple. I just spent six hours and a fair bit of cash for Juan Rivera to fix it.”
“I’m dying to hear why you let her mess with your hair in the first place.” Britta sets down the box by the door and her eyes bounce to my beanie.
“I didn’tlether do anything. She spiked my shampoo with purple hair dye.”
Britta looks horrified. Dex starts laughing.
“It’s not funny, Dex!” Britta pulls off my beanie on her way back to Dex. “Look what she did! She’s ruined Archie’s gorgeous hair!”
I appreciate her indignation. Also, her compliment about my real hair. She may be my new best mate. Particularly with Dex laughing as hard as he is.
“Why would Piper do this to you?” Britta demands.
“The better question is,” Dex interjects, “what did Archie do to deserve it?”
I glare at Dex. He keeps laughing.
