In the morning, Sam is still sick, and Courtney has a headache, but Noah is running all around. Sam starts asking what will happen, but her mom is hunting for the pink medicine in the fridge and telling Noah, “Stop it.” That’s because her head is splitting but she has to work anyway, and who will watch Sam now?
“I’ll help you, Mom,” says Sam. She has more energy, now that Jack is gone. She finds Noah’s socks. They even match. “Sit here,” she orders, as she stuffs his feet into them.
Usually, her mom would thank her.
They drop off Noah and then Courtney takes Sam to work at Jennifer Salon. It’s because Sam is still contagious. Also, her mom has no choice. “Oh my God, Jen,” says Courtney, the minute she walks in the door.
Jen is Cousin Jen, who calls Sam sweetheart. Jen owns the shop and bleaches her hair blond.
The salon is right on Cabot Street. It’s purple and green like Easter. There is a big clock that runs backward in the mirror and there are lollipops, but they are very small. You can refill the candy or be an astronaut under the dryer.
The salon is right near Family Dollar, and two doors down, you can buy coffee from the Donut Stop. Sam is the delivery girl. Jen gives her money and Sam buys one black coffee and one latte. She carries them back, walking slowly.
“Thank you, sweetheart! Just put it there,” says Jen, because she has a client. Her client is old, and she is there with her daughter who sits under the dryer. Even the daughter is old. She has a tricky knee.
“I’ll take mine now,” says Courtney, and she drinks long sips. She has a client too, a lady with aluminum foil packets all over her head. She is going lighter. She will have streaks of gold.
Sam watches in the mirror and her mom is like an actor smiling. As soon as her client leaves, Courtney sinks down on the stool behind the counter.
Sam is tired too. She curls up in a big swivel chair.
“Aw, she’s sleeping,” Jen says.
Courtney whispers something. She talks for a long time, but Sam can’t hear.
At last, Jen whispers back, “Do you even want him there?”
Sam holds still, listening. Her mom says, “That’s the problem. It’s his parents’ house.”
Jen says, “Fuck ’em. Move to town.”
“With what?”
With me? Sam thinks. With Noah?
The door is opening; the bell is ringing. Cold air rushes in.
“Hey.”
It’s Jack. Sam’s eyes open. Then she squeezes them shut. She curls up tighter.
“I just thought…” He’s being nice again.
Courtney says, “I’m working.”
“Can I just?”
“No.”
“Just give me five minutes.”
Watching through her eyelashes, Sam sees Courtney lead Jack to the back door, Employees Only.
She sits up and Jen says, “You weren’t sleeping, were you?”
Cousin Jen and Sam look at each other in the mirror. Jen is tanned. Sam is pale and freckled. Her eyes are copper brown.
“You’re fine,” says Jen. “You’re gonna be okay.”
Sam says, “I have strawberry tongue.”
“Let’s see.”
Sam sticks out her tongue.
“Looks fine to me!”
“It’s pink.”
“Your tongue is supposed to be pink.”
“It’s pink with bumps.”
“If you say so.”
Sam frowns. “That’s strawberry tongue.”
“Okay, you don’t have to get upset about it.”
“I still have a fever.” Sam glances at the Employees Only door.
“Listen,” says Jen. “Your mom won’t let anything happen to you.”
“But she can’t be everywhere at once.”
Jen laughs. “You are a piece of work.” She always says this, and Sam can’t tell if it is good or bad.
Doorbell. Freezing cold. It’s Courtney’s next client, a mean lady who carries a rolled-up newspaper, like she’s about to kill a bug.
Jen says, “Hi, Theresa! Courtney just stepped out! She’ll be with you in a minute! Can I get you some water?” She takes a bottle from the mini-fridge and hands Theresa a short black kimono.
Theresa sits at Courtney’s station and starts rattling her paper as Jen says, “You remember Sam.”
Sam watches the clock running backward in the mirror. It’s supposed to be eleven. Then it’s supposed to be two minutes past, but it gets earlier and earlier.
Courtney comes running, and she talks fast. “Hello, Theresa! How are you? Are we doing the same color?” Theresa’s hair is light brown and gray, the color of a mouse. “Let me mix that up for you!” She is squeezing out the color into her bowl and mixing it together. You can’t tell she has a splitting headache. Her hands keep working, even though she never slept.
Jack does not come in again, but when Sam looks out at Cabot Street, she sees his black truck parked there.