Soft.

t h i r t y - o n e | part 1

Excuse any mistakes...

Seattle, Washington
4:30 p.m.

The hair shop was busy. Much busier than it would usually be mostly because black women were trying to get their bundles before the holidays. It didn't help that Rayne was having a good sale going. She was also booked for hair appointments the next two weeks.

Conversations were flowing all over the room as the women drank wine and talked about whatever the trending topics were. Hairstylists were doing their jobs and doing them well.

Rayne, usually in the thick of the conversations, was concentrating on a client that was in her chair. She would glance up every now and then to check to see if everything was running smoothly.

This was her last client for the day and she was thankful. She'd been at the shop since 8:30 that morning. Although she wasn't involved in the conversation, her ears were wide open.

"I'm just saying, I want a brother to suck on my toes." Keisha, one of her hairstylists, said.

Rayne's face twisted in disapproval. Ew. "Hello!" Her other hairstylist, Markus, agreed. "My man better suck on all of my toes."

"That's nasty." Janay, a new employee, spoke what Rayne was thinking. "I feel bad for y'all men."

"Same." Rayne agreed. "I would never ask Amir to do that."

"What if you don't have to ask?" Markus looked at her. "What if he just take them lil pretty toes into his mouth willingly??" He smirked.

"I would judge him out loud." Rayne said seriously. The entire salon laughed in unison. She fell out of the conversation and began to style her client's hair.

"Speaking of Amir, how was the wedding?" Her client asked. Rayne looked at her, curious as to know how she knew Amir and about the wedding. She noticed the look on Rayne's face and began to explain. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Naomi's Chief Operating Officer, Janelle. I remember her mentioning her brother getting married and she recommended you to me for my hair. Rayne, correct?"

"Oh okay. Girl, don't be doing that." She and Rayne both laughed amongst one another.

"I saw that look on your face and realized that I hadn't fully introduced myself. I apologize."

Rayne waved her off. "You're good, girl. Naomi speaks highly of you. But, the wedding was amazing. It turned out how I wanted it to and that's all a bride can ask for."

Janelle nodded as Rayne turned her chair. "I know that's stressful. I can only imagine."

"It was." Rayne looked at her. "But, it was worth it."

"Have you always been in Seattle? I've been trying to find someone to do my hair for years." Janelle chuckled.

Rayne joined in and shook her head no. "I was in LA. That's where I started my business. I just opened a place here in Seattle since this is where Amir and I agreed to stay."

          "It's really nice." Janelle looked around the massive place.

Rayne smiled. "Thank you."