"Yo Jimmie!"
Poppy didn't look up at the sound of each boisterous man that entered her father's barber shop. There were so many and they came so frequently, she just didn't bother anymore.
"Angel!" Jimmie Cahill, Poppy's father and the owner of the shop, exclaimed happily. "Sit I'll be right with you."
"All good, vejete," Angel said, stepping back outside to smoke.
As he lingered by the door, Poppy did look up, watching his long legs as he swaggered along the length of the storefront window. She noticed two regulars approaching and she knew one of them needed to be in and out.
"Hey guys," Poppy said with a small smile. Getting up from her chair behind the small counter, Poppy sheepishly approached Angel. "Hi," she said with a little wave. "I know you're next but I was hoping you'd be okay letting someone go ahead of you?"
"Huh?" He glanced inside the shop then checked the time. "Yeah. You're good. Guy looks kind of tense," he remarked.
Poppy nodded. "Yeah, he was in the military, he's still uh, you know, adjusting."
Grimacing, Angel nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I can wait."
"Thank you," she beamed up at him.
"Yeah, 'course," Angel said with a flirty grin. "I'm Angel."
"Poppy," she said, offering her hand to him. "You're Felipe's son, right?"
"Yeah," Angel said, looking mildly put out by the mention. "We've been coming here since I was a kid."
Smiling at that, Poppy nodded and gestured over her shoulder at the shop. "He's always very nice. I should go back. Thanks for waiting."
Angel nodded and shot her a wink before turning back to his phone. Only mildly disappointed, Poppy went back into the shop and approached the two newest customers.
"Hey, you're next, Coco," she said quietly, "The guy ahead of you said he'd wait."
"Thanks," he said quickly. "What about Bish?"
"We appreciate it," Bishop said quickly. "I can wait or come back though."
"Shouldn't be long," Poppy gestured to Angel. "Doesn't have that much hair," she laughed a little.
Jimmie called Angel back but he simply pointed to Coco and turned back to the street. "Alright, come on, son," Jimmie said to Coco.
"Hey Jimmie," Coco said in a hushed voice as he sat.
"How you doin'?"
Coco shrugged a little. "I'm livin'."
"How long you been home this time?"
"Almost two months," Coco remarked.
"You need to shake it off," Jimmie advised him. "When's the last time you laid some pipe?"
"Come on, Jimmie," Coco chuckled. "I don't need any help with women."
"What about Poppy?" He said, lowering his voice. "I'll tell you what, you take her out and she'll help clear your head. You like her, next time you can pay."
Coco's face went dark. "What?"
"What?" Jimmie asked with a hearty chuckle. "Just a date." Glaring at Jimmie in the mirror, Coco didn't speak until Jimmie tried to smooth things over. "It was an off color joke," he said with a shrug. "Just sayin', a girl could do you a lot of good."
The second Jimmie whisked the cape off, Coco was out of the chair and heading toward the counter.
"You all done?" Poppy asked with a timid smile.
