Kayla scurries off to her booking while a middle-aged lady appears from the backroom. Her dark hair is tied back in a high bun and she greets me with kind features and a wide smile. There’s a calming presence I get from her, like the comfort of my mother’s rose and cinnamon scent or the warm apple and blueberry pie she always used to make on my birthday as a kid.
“Good afternoon, what can I do for you?”
It’s been me and my long dark brown tresses for the better half of my life and right now, I’m dying for a change. The sharp sounds of the blow-dryers and client’s chatter deter me.
“Good afternoon! I’m sorry…” I smile apologetically. “I’m always so indecisive when it comes to things like this.”
“You and the rest of my clientele. Don’t stress, let’s see what we can do.” She steps forward and glides her fingers through the ends of my hair. Her slate eyes meet mine. “Oh, are you Valencia Giannotti?”
The yes gets caught in my throat.
She shakes her head in apology. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be intrusive. It’s just that I’ve been following the case on the news. I have been in your position. Twenty years ago my son was abducted when he was two and the investigation was very much like yours.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear. Have you…found him?”
She nods. “We found him alive a few weeks before his sixth birthday. It was four years of agony but the moment he was returned to us was the best day of my life. It was during those years I became a hairdresser. I felt something so liberating and freeing about altering appearances. I see how hopeful you are and I was exactly the same. It broke my marriage too, but we ended up coming back together sometime after our boy was returned. I learned to love myself in those years and trust myself. Valencia, I can tell you’re strong and so you’re halfway there. We should liberate you today.”
Tears blur my vision and I can see her glassy eyes redden as well. Without any warning I pull her into a tight embrace. The lady rubs small circles on my back and I connect with her on a mental level as well as an emotionally exhausting one. She’d battled through this hell for four years.
I can do this.
All I need to do is start believing in myself again. You’re strong. I am halfway there. I will find my daughter. Love yourself. Keep up the hope. Trust yourself. Don’t let go. I CAN DO THIS!
“I think I know what I want to do.”
She grins and we turn to the mirror. “Go on, honey.”
“Let’s cut it all off to my shoulders.”
“I can’t get over how good it looks! I loved it before but wow, short hair suits you too! How do you feel?”
“Liberated in some sense. It makes me feel like…a new fresh start!”
“That’s exactly where you want to be!” Kayla cheers me along when I run my hands through my new cut. I love the new feeling. It just reaches my shoulders and feels as though a weight has been taken off of me, literally. “You don’t know how proud I am of you!”
It’s the motivation I need to push myself to the limit and understand that I am capable of this all. I am strong. I am determined. Nothing will get in the way.
Kayla and I split up as she needs to mail a letter to her boyfriend in New Zealand. They’re the true romantics. It makes me think back to the amounts of letters Giulio and I have given each other. There is something about his hand-written cursive that makes me…Stop!
Do not think of him.
Breathe.
I stride into Notti Design’s lobby just before 2 P.M. Lee greets me with a salute. “As a man obliged to notice his wife’s haircuts or else I sleep on the couch, I can confidently say it suits you well!”
“Thank you, Lee! You’re a good man.”
“Try to be. You don’t know how uncomfortable our couch is! Bricks would be better!”
My smile drops at the sight of Marcus waiting by the elevator. His back is to me and he’s typing away on his phone. This is the first time I’ve seen him since learning the truth last night.
I control my breathing and squeeze out a goodbye to Lee.
Be strong.
Stay confident.
I want to fix this between us. It unsettles me that I am at a current crossroads with both Giannotti men. It’s not how I want the family to be.
“Afternoon, Marcus.”
He completely ignores me when I stand by his side.
“Hey, can we talk for a minute?”
“Don’t wanna talk.” He jabs the elevator button a dozen times and proceeds to curse when it still doesn’t open.
“Please. You’re one of the last people I want to be fighting with.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. When are you going to get that through your thick head?”
I’m taken aback because I haven’t done anything to him. Where is this coming from? Not only is my marriage slaughtered with Giulio, but it’s as if I’m breaking away from all the individuals surrounding him.
“Is that how you got your job here, Marcus? By not speaking? Hmmm, yes. You begged Giulio for it, didn’t you? Actually…no, bribed is the correct word. Isn’t it?”
Marcus scoffs, his stare piercing through my soul. “So, he finally told you?”
“He did.”
“Good on him. No more secrets and lies. I don’t need your help, I don’t need his help, or anyone else’s. So do me a favor and wait for the next elevator ride.”
“Woah, woah, woah.” In a striking gray suit, Lance Hilton steps between us with caution. “Marcus, are you really speaking to her like that? Your tone is unacceptable!”
“Yeah, I really am speaking to her like that. Get out of my shit, Hilton. I don’t answer to you,” Marcus
