Clean Slate #Wattys2019

Chapter Three

When we pulled up to the salon, she freaked out again only to be shushed by me and again, all I had to do was tell the woman at the front desk who the appointment was for and she was taken to the back.

I stayed up front, but while they walked towards the back, I heard the hairdresser ask "Okay, hon, we're going to wash and then you have the option to cut and then style or just style, we have time for both. So you tell me, do you want to cut it at all beforehand?" I watched intently as Natalie nonchalantly grabbed a handful of her hair and brought the ends up in front of her eyes, examining the ends, contemplating.

I stood up and jogged towards the back where she was now seated in front of a sink with a towel around her shoulders. "Yes, please cut it a little bit." I couldn't bear to keep watching her contemplate just to say no in the end because of financial issues.

Nat shot me an accusing look and when I looked at her with a "you're-not-winning-today" look, she huffed at me and then said "Just enough to get rid of the dead ends, please. I love the length."

The hairdresser smiled and nodded, "You got it, doll. You can sit in the washing station next to her if you'd like." She looked at me and directed my gaze towards the washing station that she was talking about.

"Thank you." I took my seat and gave a thankful nod.

The time was filled with mindless chatter and the salon was surprisingly empty, so I sat with her and kept her company the whole time. As time passed, she seemed to glow more and more as she continued to get more excited about tonight's festivities.

We were at the front counter again paying for everything that Natalie had gotten done when she saw bracelets for sale and her face lit up. "Martha would love this!" She picked one up and looked at it adoringly. I suggested that she should put the bracelet on the counter so I could include it while I was paying and she vehemently refused.

"I wanted this to be from me. Seriously, thank you but you've done more than enough. I'm getting paid tomorrow or early next week and I will give you some money back. If you wanna thank Martha for everything, you'll just have to give her your own gift!" She stuck her tongue out at me.

She pulled out the money for the bracelet and paid for it all while insisting that we go to see Martha at the diner immediately so she can give her the present.

When we got to the diner and Martha got her gift, it brought tears to her eyes and she hugged Natalie warmly in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much, honey. I love you two so very much. Thank you for being the closest thing to children that I can have." I noticed sadness streak behind her eyes when she spoke.

I knew that she wanted to have children more than she wanted anything, but she had to undergo a hysterectomy before she got the chance. She told us the story years ago, she got cancer in her early twenties and fortunately, she caught it early enough that a hysterectomy and some chemo was able to eliminate the risk. Since then, she had been a health advocate and the healthiest woman I know. At times, she looked frail and I would worry but every time I asked, she told me she went to or was about to go to the doctor. She inspired me to be proactive with my health, and the fact that she considered us to be her children made me feel as though I had accomplished something important.

Martha fussed over how beautiful Natalie looked for a while before we eventually excused ourselves so that she could have enough time to get dressed. "Thank you both for coming to see me again, and Natalie thank you for the bracelet. You look beyond beautiful, have the best time tonight and please be safe."

"I will, I promise. We both know Dylan will be lecturing me about safety later, so don't worry." She said excitedly. I knew that the impending festivity would brighten her mood by the end of the day.