Page 19

“An undercut at the neck?” Mateo supplied. Faith’s face went red. She wanted her neck shaved, but she didn’t want Carmen to think she was lame by copying the style.

“I think that would look awesome,” Carmen interjected.

“Really?” Faith didn’t mean to sound so timid, but she couldn’t help the nerves. Apart from Alice, she’d never really had anyone to look up to. The last thing she wanted was to irritate Carmen.

“Hell yeah. I think it’s gonna really suit your face. And your new style. Get in that bathroom and let that old queen do his thing.”

“Who the fuck are you calling old?” Mateo shot.

“Notice he’s offended by the age thing, but not being called a queen,” Carmen laughed.

“I am a queen, and don’t you forget it,” Mateo tutted. “Now, get in the bathroom, chica, I have work to do.”

Faith skipped into the bathroom and internally squealed with excitement. Mateo guided her to a chair and then leaned her head back. The water was warm and the head massage Mateo was performing felt heavenly. “Wow, I could fall asleep,” Faith muttered, her eyes closing.

“You do you, honey,” Mateo chuckled.

“Are you a hairdresser by trade?”

“Not professionally, no. I learned early. There weren’t a lot of things I enjoyed growing up. One thing I loved was playing with Carmen’s hair. It’s so thick. She would always let me fiddle about with it when we got placed in the group home together. It was a way for me to de-stress.”

“I’m sorry you went through that, Mateo.”

“Me, too.”

“How are you so open and relaxed about it?” Honestly, it staggered Faith how either Carmen or Mateo could talk so openly about their childhoods.

“Therapy,” he laughed. “When we were older and making money for ourselves, Carmen forced me to see a therapist. That girl worked her ass off to make sure we could both get weekly sessions. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”

Faith mulled over all the information Mateo was freely giving her. As much as she hated hearing what they went through, their lives also reassured her. If Carmen and Mateo could go through all that and come out the other side, so could Faith.

“You’re both amazing.”

“Yeah, we are,” Mateo stated. “Right, you’re all washed and rinsed. Sit up and we’ll get to work.”

Faith sat up. Mateo wheeled her over to the mirror opposite the sink. After a quick towel-dry, Mateo gathered Faith’s hair and brought up his scissors. “Ready?”

Faith looked him in the eye through the mirror. She’d never been more ready. With a quick nod, Faith watched Mateo snip the first tendrils of hair. As the pieces drifted to the floor, Faith took a deep breath and smiled.

“Hey, I’m going to get the tacos Mateo didn’t bring back,” Carmen called.

“We need hot sauce,” Mateo bellowed back.

“Mateo, we have five bottles in the cupboard. Stop buying or asking me to buy hot sauce.”

Faith’s shoulders vibrated as she tried in vain to conceal her laughter. The door banging closed ended the hot sauce argument. Mateo reached over and pressed a button on the wall. A cacophony of noise boomed through the house. “I need to dance as I cut,” he shouted over the music.

???

“I’ll say it again. I’m a genius!”

Faith studied her new look. Her blonde hair fell just past her shoulders in layers. The texture made her look a little older, which she liked. Paired with her new clothes, Faith was almost unrecognizable, even to herself.

“Nice job, Mateo,” Carmen whistled. After dumping the taco bag on the kitchen sink, she turned Faith in a circle. “You look great, kiddo.”

“I feel great.”

“Well, I hope this adds to your good mood.” Carmen reached inside her rucksack and produced a new iPhone. “It’s not the newest model, but it should get you by.”