Page 3 of Same Girl
THREE YEARS EARLIER
“Mya, thank you, boo,”my sister, Santerica, stated as I removed the cape from her shoulders, and she stood from my chair. I had just installed a sew-in with twenty-four-inch heavy layers on her.
“Any time, big sis. Erica, don’t forget what I told you. Make sure that you come back next Thursday to prepare for the wedding. I’m not playing with you.”
My sister was in town for two weeks for one of our mutual friend’s weddings. She would be heading back to Tampa after that. I had been pressuring her to move back home. I was hoping that one day she would give in.
My sister laughed. “Girl, please. I’ll be back.”
“I hear you. But I know your last-minute behind will wait until Friday, talking about you want it to be fresh for the wedding.”
My big sister rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “You think you know me.”
“I do.”
“She’s not gon’ wait until Friday, Mya. She’ll be sitting at your house on Saturday morning with the wedding party, waiting for us to hook her up,” Diamond, one of my stylists, stated.
“Y’all get off my girl. Erica will be back when she said she would. Ain’t that right, Ms. Erica?” Sonya, another stylist, chimed in.
“Thank you, Sonya. Glad somebody got some faith in me.”
“Until you prove her wrong too,” I remarked, laughing at my sister’s facial expression.
“Whatever,” Santerica replied, sucking her teeth as she headed for the door. “Bye, girls.”
“Byyyee,” we replied.
I cleaned my chair and supplies as I prepared my station for my next client. When I finished, I surveyed my shop with a sense of pride, and I released a deep, gratifying sigh. I had never been great at school like Santerica, but I was always good with hair and money. In my later years, I learned to be good with people as well. My father had encouraged me to go to cosmetology school when I said I didn’t want to go to college. My mother was disappointed, but she supported me.
After she kept pushing for me to take a few business courses at the local community college, I caved in. That decision allowed me to open my own salon at twenty-five. Six years later, I was in a newer, bigger building, and my clientele had grown by leaps and bounds. I had some of the best talent in the city working in my salon, and I made sure they felt my appreciation.
I looked around the space, reveling in the glamor of the black exposed pipes above that went well with the black tin ceiling tiles. Down the middle of the ceiling was a white installation with a medallion painted in the center. A gold helix-shaped light fixture hung from the middle of the medallion. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors were affixed to the wall at every station, and we all had black glass stations and white chairs. The floor tiles were black and white marble, and I paid a nice price to keep them polished and gleaming every week.
My next client, Ciara, was sent back to me by my receptionist, Annika.
“Welcome to Mya’N Da Hair. Thanks so much for choosing us.”
“You’re welcome. My regular stylist canceled on me one too many times, and I couldn’t risk it all on her. Not this week,” she stated, sitting in my chair and rubbing her pregnant belly.
“How far along are you?”
“Eight months.”
“Girl, you’re carrying low. You must be having a boy,” Sonya guessed.
“You know that’s just an old wives’ tale, right, Soni?” Diamond asked, calling her by her nickname.
Sonya waved her off.
Ciara giggled and replied. “Actually, I am having a boy, but he just recently dropped.”
“And you said you’re having a baby shower tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yes. And I can’t wait for it to be over. Yesterday was my last day at work before maternity leave. They held a shower for me at work too. But after tomorrow, I’ll be in bed relaxing and preparing for my baby.”
“Have you gone into the nesting stage yet?” Diamond asked. “I remember when I was pregnant with La’Anica. I got on myman’s nerves with all the cleaning I was doing. I was washing baseboards, scrubbing walls, and all that.”
“Well, my house stays extremely clean, so there’s nothing left to do.”
