Rebuilt

Chapter 26

    Oscar slammed down a basket full of white and brown bottles on the counter. "Pick the one that smells the best." He watched me comb through each set of bottles and flip the lid open and take a wiff of each. I separated the ones I liked into one pile, the ones that were okay into the middle, and the ones I thought were nasty got tossed back into the basket.
    I quirked an eyebrow at Oscar, "what's all this stuff for. . . And those scissors?"
    "Oh," he placed the scissors on the counter with a flat hand. "Well, if we don't want people to know who you are," he picked up two of the bottles I had set aside in the "I like these" pile, and placed them in the bed of the shower, "maybe, we could give you a little makeover. Clean you up and maybe a fresh cut? It'll throw people off if you look a little different."
    If the circumstances were different I would have been all over the idea. Though the whole "let's give you a haircut so you're less likely to be arrested for murder" just didn't really sit right. "Alright," I said. I picked back up the two bottles, "what's this funky stuff? What does it say?"
    Oscar leaned over my shoulder. "Well let's work out, it says 'shampoo' and the other one says 'conditioner'."  He pointed at each syllable while I pronounced it out, "don't worry, we'll get to the alphabet soon.  Hell, maybe even tonight or tomorrow after this makeover."
'The.. what-a-bet?" I quirked an eyebrow.
He laughed, "the alphabet. It's what we call all of our letters."
I exhaled in understanding. "Makes sense, so about this makeover."
Oscar quickly explained what he was planning on doing to me, washing my hair, giving it a "trim" whatever that was, changing my outfits, and basically unrecognizable.  Just to help maybe protect me a little more until we get this all sorted out.
"So first what you're going to do is take this-the shampoo- and you're gonna take a tiny amount," he made a small circle with his pointer finger and thumb, "and you're gonna rub it all through your hair and give your scalp a little massage."  He demonstrated with his own dry hair, which only really left his hair a tousled mess.   "Then you're gonna take this conditioner and rub it through the ends of y0ur hair, not really focusing on the scalp.  You want to rake it through so it gets all up in there.  Okay?" 
I ran a hand through my hair, it didn't get very far for the knots and snarls stopped it.  Trying to force its way through only made it hurt worse and made a sharp pain go through my head.  Oscar pulled open one of the drawers and dug through a portfolio of items.  Then he pulled out a brush and placed it on the counter.  "Here, this is a brush, it should help with the knots."
I picked it up and started working my way from top to bottom, every snarl snagging my head and making me grimace.  "I know what a brush is ya bastard."
He held up defensive hands, "yeesh sorry." He cringed every time I hit a knot.  Plucking the brush out of my hands he held a hand to my shoulder.  "Here," he took the brush down to the lowest part of my hair hanging just above my hips.  "It hurts less if you start from the bottom and work your way up.  See?" He slowly worked through all of the knots in one part of my hair and work bottom to top again and again.
"How you know this much stuff about hair? Isn't that stuff for girls?" I asked while he was still methodically brushing.
"My motha,"he slowed his brush pace working out a tangle.  "She started her own company and does this stuff for a living.  I pick up a thing or two along the way." He smiled to himself.  "Makes me not so useless with the laddies"
Even though I couldn't see his face I felt him wink in witt of his own joke.  "Yeah okay Delancey."
He joked along with me, "no I'se serious! Scouts honor."  He held a hand over my forehead and mockingly salute.
I huff a laugh and pushed his hand away, "okay so where do I start?"
"So I'll start up a nice warm shower and there's already soap and the other stuff you need to get clean, then after you shower and wash up you go from there."   He smiled and pushed open the glass door that enclosed the shower, the faucet started with a groan.
"I'se..uh..can't I just do it in da bath?" I toss a glance towards the other faucet beneath the shower head.
Oscar didn't look up, he had a hand in the stream seeing how warm it was, "the bath? That ain't no good way to wash off.  Then you'se just be sittin in a puddle of your own gunk.  C'mon I bet they didn't let you shower in the Refuge, least not often.  Doesn't this sound nice?" His voice trailed off.  "Oh...the refuge." He paused again, facing me and wiping his hand against his pants.  "How many gals were there?" He looked ashamed to ask. 
"I was the only one in the block."
"Blades, I'm so sorry," he came over and took my hands.  His one hand was substantially colder than the other, moist with heat clinging to it from the shower.  "Nothing is going to happen to you here.  You're safe, I promised Jack.  Remember?"
I remembered.
"And I'm also promising you.  Right here, right now.  You are safe.  No one knows you're here, and if they do they can't get to you.  You're not going back there." He released my hands and cranked back the shower door farther.  "Would you like me to draw you a bath instead?"
I shook my head.  "I'se okay." I smiled.
Oscar looked proud.  "Okay, towels are right here. If you need anything holler.  I'll be in the kitchen."  He turned on his heel and shut the door behind him.
"Thank you," I husked right as the door closed.