Wild Fiction

Gunther pulled his fingers out of Genevieve’s hair and picked up a red hand towel. He wiped white streaks of conditioner on it as he cleaned his hands. His mouth hung open and the second of his two chins trembled a little. The man tapped his foot on the floor and curled his finger at Gunther again. He dropped the towel at his feet and minced over to where the man was standing. The man turned and went through the door and Gunther followed him.
Rebecca and Genevieve exchanged glances in the mirror. Pelolina returned to massaging Rebecca’s hair and scalp but did not take her eyes off the door.
‘Ouch,’ Rebecca said. ‘That’s starting to hurt.’
‘Oh I’m sorry,’ Pelolina said pulling her hands away with a little jerk.
‘Who’s that?’ Rebecca asked.
‘Nobody. He’s not supposed to be here. He promised Gunther that it was all over, that he didn’t have to be involved anymore.’
‘That what was all over?’
‘Nothing...nothing...please excuse me. You’re going to have to wait with that stuff in your hair for forty minutes before we can do the next stage. Can I get you a magazine or coffee?’
‘Forty minutes?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid Gunther’s going to be a while and it should stay in for at least forty minutes. Maybe even a little longer. Those face packs need to be on for quite a while as well. Would you like a magazine?’
Rebecca raised her eyebrows. ‘No thanks, we can amuse ourselves.’
Pelolina fussed around the front of the salon for a short while before disappearing through the door at the back of the shop where they had last seen Gunther.
Twenty minutes later the door opened and Pelolina returned. She ran her fingers through the Genevieve’s hair and forced a smile at them in the mirror. ‘He won’t be too long,’ she said and went to stand at the front of the shop and look out of the window.
‘What the hell’s going on?’ Rebecca whispered to Genevieve.
‘I don’t the hell know but I wish I did.’