Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog

Destiny Brown rated it 5 stars – It is amazing!

Read the excerpt:

Mr. Perry had given Henrietta some coins and told her to get her hair done. Henrietta was feeling skeptical since the last time he’d given her money was to get a new dress for a man he set her up with. However, she accepted the silver and walked into town.

That day the salon’s owner, Eliza, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a petite woman with short, dark hair with a ribbon tied on the top of her head was tidying up the salon’s only station. Henrietta recognized Tommy Dorsey’s “The Music Goes ‘Round and ‘Round” through the static from the radio.

“Excuse me, do you know where I can find Eliza?” Henrietta said.

The woman looked up, smiled, and replied, “I’m Eliza’s apprentice. My name is Mary. It’s nice to meet you. Auntie’s going to be back in a little while, but if you want, I can work on you.”

“Okay, but I only want a wash and a trim. No fancy stuff.”

“As you wish.”

Henrietta sat in the chair, and Mary put a cape around her. Henrietta began to hum along with the song on the radio.

After a few moments, Mary said, “You like my music.”

“Excuse me.”

“The song that was playing on the radio. I’m not much into today’s music. I enjoy the old classics from the teens.”

“Where are you from?” Henrietta asked.

“I just finished beauty school down in Los Angeles. Auntie wants to take a vacation, so she brought me up to help. I’m so sick of working on snooty actors.”

“I see.”

“Tell me a bit about you.” Mary began cutting Henrietta’s hair.

“My name is Henrietta. I’m a Crescent native. I love the old tunes too. I don’t get out of town much except to visit my grandmother up in San Francisco. I’m planning on a visit soon. She’s the rock in my world.”

“That’s great you have a relative you can visit. I’ll tell you I’m relieved to be up here working with Auntie right now.”

Mary turned Henrietta around and began snipping her bangs. She wondered why Mary was taking an interest in talking with her. Nevertheless, she wanted to keep her guard up.

“Here, I’m a newcomer whom no one knows. I can be myself instead of having to put on a show for everyone. That gets tiresome.”

“You like it up here?”

“Yes, and I’m going to find work up here. If not in this town, perhaps in San Luis Obispo, which is not too far away.”

“Mary, I’m back with dinner. Why don’t you take a break?” A woman’s voice in the backroom announced.

Nervously, Mary put her scissors down and, in a deep voice, said, “Auntie’s back. I’m off later. Why don’t you meet me here around 7:00 p.m. and we can talk more?”

*