Chapter Three—A Cut Above the Rest
Bella stepped out into the sunshine onto the sidewalk. The light made her eyes water, but she relished the heat on her face. She felt fantastic; lighter than she had in a long time. She felt like a new person and looked like one too.
After dropping Emma off at school, Bella had stopped off at a local bookstore next to the salon to get an idea of what she wanted her hair to look like. She thought that she would be able to find the look she wanted in some celebrity magazines.
When she stepped into the store, she was immediately hit with the scent of fresh brewing coffee. Her stomach growled, and she decided to go and grab a cup to sip on while perusing the magazine rack.
The bookstore was nearly empty, with only a few patrons sitting in the plush chairs located throughout the store. With her coffee in her hand, she meandered over to where the magazines were kept.
On the shelf were a variety of periodicals that covered everything from boating to entertainment. She picked up the first one that caught her eye and began to look through it. She silently hoped she would find the inspiration for her new look.
Movement to her left and the shuffling of a paper stole her attention away from the magazine she was holding. Over in the far corner sat a man in a very expensive business suit. He was reading a popular journal and was turning the page when their eyes met. The man smiled briefly at her.
Bella's cheeks flamed red and she quickly looked away. She heard the man chuckle softly and when she looked back up he was still staring at her. He was very good looking; probably in his mid to late twenties, if she were guessing, and had the most unusual hair color. It stuck up in all directions and looked as though he had just rolled out of bed. His eyes were a piercing green color and it felt as though he were looking right into her soul.
You're married…snap out of it, her brain screamed at her, but for some reason she couldn't look away. It wasn't until he went back to reading his paper that she was able to snap herself out of her trance. She immediately put the magazine back on the rack and walked out the door.
When Bella had called the salon, she still didn't know exactly what kind of change she wanted; she only knew she needed one…desperately. The encounter with the mystery man at the bookstore had shaken her, and she left without getting what she had intended on when she went there. She walked to the salon and opened the door making a bell chime, and instantly her stomach was filled with nervous knots. She didn't realize how emotional this experience was going to be. The attachment to her hair surprised her.
For as long as Bella could remember her hair had been long. At different times throughout elementary and high school it had varied in length from the middle of her back to the top of her waistline. It had been her signature trait. She wore it straight most of the time, but on occasion she would let it dry naturally and soft waves would flow freely down her back.
Behind the desk in front of her was a strikingly beautiful blonde. She had long flowing hair and an impeccable taste in clothing. The woman screamed "model material" and Bella nearly turned around but was stopped by the woman's calming voice. "Can I help you?"
"Um…my name is Bella Newton," she began, "I have an appointment to get my hair cut." The last couple of words were barely a whisper.
"Bella…Bella…Bella," the woman repeated as she looked at the appointment book. "Ah! Here you are! Looks like you are with me." She marked off Bella's name with an orange highlighter, looked up and smiled warmly. "I'm Rosalie. Come on…let's see what we can do for you, okay?"
Bella nodded and followed Rosalie to a chair in the back of the small room.
The salon was small but very tastefully furnished. Directly behind the reception counter were three stations with swiveling chairs and mirrors in front of them. Near each station was a plush chair for a guest to sit in while the hairdresser attended to their client. At the far back of the room were three hair washing bowls and above them a shelf that had a variety of shampoos and conditioners. The walls were painted a calming mauve color and had a teal design that wove through the color creating a very pleasing visual effect of clouds. Soft piano music played in the background of the busy salon and Bella felt instantly calm by it.
To the right of the hair stations was a hallway, and judging by the smell coming from it, there were nail technicians in the other room busily working on the hands of the ladies that were sitting in front of them.
The place was a-buzz with voices, but it wasn't distracting. People moved quickly from one area to the other, talking as they went. Bella followed Rosalie to the last station, dodging people on her way.
She sat down in the chair and Rosalie turned her so that she was facing the mirror in front of her.
"Well, Bella," she began while putting a black cloth over her shoulders and buttoning it behind her. "Are we just trimming the ends today?"
Rosalie moved her hands gently through Bella's long hair and studied the ends through her nimble fingers.
"I actually came here to change things up a bit. I was thinking about going shorter."
"Umhmmm…" Rosalie mumbled still looking at the split ends in Bella's hair. She looked up into the mirror and smiled warmly at Bella. "Have you looked in any magazines to see what kind of style you want?"
"I went to the bookstore next door to do that before I came in…," Bella's voice trailed off. Her thoughts immediately went to the man that she had seen in the store.
"Well, where's the magazine?" Rosalie asked looking at Bella's bag.
"I…um…I didn't actually buy one."
"Okay, doesn't matter. I have some you can look at." Rosalie reached over Bella's shoulder to a stack of periodicals on her station. "Just take a look-see in one of these and see if one of them strikes your fancy, okay? I'm going to go check my books to make sure I have enough time to give you my full attention. We are going to have so much fun!" Rosalie patted Bella's shoulder before walking away.
While Rosalie went to fix her books, Bella looked casually at the magazine in her hands. There were pictures of famous people with various looks, but none of them caught Bella's eye. She sighed deeply and continued to flip through the pages. Just as she was about to give up and tell Rosalie to do whatever she wanted, she stumbled upon a picture on the last page. Bella didn't recognize the woman, however her hairstyle was one that Bella could picture on her. It was not exactly short, but was much shorter than Bella's hair was now. It was cut just above the woman's shoulders with long bangs that swept across her face. Bella thought that even with her wavy hair, she could make the style work.
"Didja find something that you like?"
Bella jumped at the sound of Rosalie's voice and nodded her head while handing her the magazine. "Oooo! This will look so cute on you! I think you picked out a wonderful style, Bella. Let's get you to the sink and get started!"
Rosalie chatted about everything but yet nothing at all while she worked on Bella's hair. She asked questions about Bella's family and what she planned on doing with all of the free time she had now that Emma was in school.
"I was thinking about getting a part-time job," Bella answered as Rosalie snipped away at her hair.
"That's a great idea…help out with the family finances, huh? What does your husband do for a living?" Rosalie asked.
"He owns a sporting goods store. In fact, it was a wedding gift to us. His parents were looking for a reason to get out of the business. When I got pregnant and Mike asked me to marry him, it seemed like the logical step to take." Bella sighed. She couldn't remember the last time she was so free in speaking about her personal life. She chuckled to herself as she realized that it must be something about the chairs that made women want to spill their guts to their hairdresser. Rosalie made the conversation easy. She asked questions and Bella found that she wanted to answer them truthfully.
After watching Rosalie cut her hair for nearly a half an hour, she soon found herself with her back facing the mirror. When Bella started to complain, Rosalie shut her up quickly. "I like the element of surprise…trust me, you will too."
"I hate surprises."
"Suck it up, missy…you're going to love this one. Your husband will be picking his jaw up off of the floor when I am done with you."
Bella let her mind wander as Rosalie quickly and efficiently dried her hair and began styling. She knew she wanted a change, but suddenly realized that she hadn't talked to Mike about her decision. Mike loved her hair, but she was hoping that he would be accepting of the change that she had made. Just thinking about his reaction, however, gave her butterflies in her stomach. Oh God! What did I do?
Bella's fears were quickly dispersed as Rosalie finished. "Are you ready to see the new you, Bella?" she asked before turning the chair around.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Bella voiced passively.
"Don't worry…you're going to love it! Close your eyes."
Bella did as she was told while she felt Rosalie turn the chair around.
"Open your eyes."
Bella opened her eyes and blinked at the reflection in the mirror. She hardly recognized the person staring back at her. She looked at Rosalie who was beaming with pride at her work. Turning her gaze back to the reflection, she brought her hands up to her head and played with what was left of her hair. Tears threatened to spill and she heard Rosalie gasp behind her.
"Ah…honey…don't cry!" she soothed, "You don't like it?"
"No," Bella sniffed, "it's not that…"
Bella continued to look in the mirror as the tears started to fall freely. She couldn't believe how different she looked. She looked younger…more her age. Her emotions ran wild and she realized that for the first time in her life, she actually felt…beautiful.
"I look so different," she tried to explain. "I look...pretty."
"Well, of course you look pretty, silly! You were pretty before, Bella. I just enhanced your beauty for you. So…you really like it?"
"Yes…," she answered honestly. "I love it. Thank you so much."
Bella wiped the tears from her eyes and continued to look at her reflection. This is going to take some getting used to, she thought to herself.
Ten minutes later, she had composed herself well enough to pay for Rosalie's services. She promised she would return for routine trims, and before leaving gave Rosalie a hug.
"Feel free to come and visit me anytime," Rosalie said as Bella released her. "You don't have to have an appointment to pop in and say 'Hi.'"
"Thank you again." Bella stepped out of the salon and walked toward her car. She looked at her watch and realized it was time to pick Emma up from school. She silently wondered what her feisty daughter would think of her new look. Putting a smile on her face, she started the car and drove straight to Emma's school.
Bella stood outside with the rest of the parents waiting to pick up their kids. She nervously moved back and forth, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, while playing with her now 'just-above-the-shoulder' hair. Soon a stream load of kids started pushing their way out the front doors. Bella stood back waiting to see Emma bounce her way out of the school.
Bella watched as the other students found their parents. Most of the children had happy expressions on their faces, but she couldn't help but notice one little boy who was looking around with tears in his eyes. Bella's heart broke for him as she made her way over to where he was standing.
"Hey…are you okay?" she asked while bending down.
The boy wiped his runny nose on his sleeve and looked at Bella, "I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers."
"That's right," she answered, "you're not. Your mommy and daddy taught you well. Is your mommy and daddy here?"
The young boy looked at her and refused to speak. Clearing her throat, and muttering to herself, Bella stood up and looked around the courtyard. There were plenty of students and parents around, but she was having a hard time finding someone who looked like a teacher. The boy continued to sniffle next to her while she looked for someone that looked like the crying child.
She heard Emma's voice talking to someone in the distance and realized that she had missed her walking out of the school. She looked over to the front doors and saw her standing with Mrs. Whitlock.
She knelt down to look at the boy, "Do you see Mrs. Whitlock over there?"
The boy turned and followed Bella's gaze. As soon as he saw Alice, he nodded his head.
"Okay…I am going to take you over to her, okay? She's not a stranger right?" Bella held out her hand and the boy took it reluctantly. She breathed a sigh of relief and slowly walked over to where Alice and Emma were standing.
"Mommy!" Emma screamed and ran towards Bella but suddenly stopped in her tracks and stared at her mother with her mouth agape.
"It's me, sweetie," Bella said softly as she reached her daughter. "Does mommy look different?"
Emma stood silently in front of Bella and nodded her head slowly. Bella felt a tug on her shirt and she realized that she was still holding the lost boy's hand. She gently let go and steered him toward Emma's teacher.
"Alex, are you okay?" Alice asked taking the boy's hand. "C'mon, let's go find Mrs. Peters. She'll call your mom, alright?"
Just as Alice was going to turn and head toward the door, she stopped and whipped her head around so fast it startled Bella. "Oh. My. God! Bella? Emma's mom? Is that you? You look fantastic!"
Alice jumped up and down and clapped her hands together while she motioned for Bella to spin. Bella did as requested and she heard Emma giggle beside her.
"Mrs. Whitlock, you are so funny." Emma exclaimed.
"Well, don't you think mommy looks great, Emma?" Bella looked down at her daughter and saw her reflection through Emma's eyes. She saw nothing but adoration as her daughter looked at her.
"My mommy looked great before, Mrs. Whitlock…," Emma began, "but now she looks…beautiful."
Bella's tried to keep the tears away as she listened to her daughter speak. She could only hope that she would get the same reaction from her husband when he returned home a few hours later. She planned on making his favorite meal for him and silently prayed that it would soften the reaction she knew she was going to get when he laid eyes on her.
Bella and Alice talked for a few minutes about her day and how she had decided to get her hair cut, before Bella decided it was time to go. Alex and Emma were playing nearby when Bella called her daughter. "Emma, it's time to go."
"Alex, let's go see what has happened to your mommy, okay?" Alice waved at Bella as she walked him up the stairs and through the door.
While Bella listened to her daughter talk about her day, she noticed a shiny silver car pull quickly into the parking lot. The car skidded to a halt and a man quickly stepped out of the vehicle. Bella's breath hitched when she realized that it was the same man that she had seen earlier in the day at the bookstore. He looked frazzled as he ran to the doors of the school without casting Bella a sideways glance.
Did you think he would actually look? Bella thought to herself.
Emma pulled on her hand and Bella shook her head marveling at the coincidence of running into 'mystery man' again.
Bella scrambled around the kitchen preparing Mike's favorite meal, baked ham with potatoes and carrots, while Emma watched television. Her nerves were making her sick to her stomach as she cooked. She dreaded the inevitable confrontation she knew she was going to have with him about her hair. It seemed that lately everything got blown out of proportion. Not only did they argue about the normal things like finances, and their lack of sex, but it seemed that they now argued about small things such as what was for dinner, or how she dressed Emma in the morning.
The door opening and slamming shut shook Bella from her thinking. Here goes nothing.
"Wow! Something smells good," Mike stated as Bella heard him set his keys noisily on the small table next to the door.
"Daddy!"
"Hey there, Princess…where's your mom?" Mike asked.
"In the kitchen. She's making your favorite dinner." Emma answered sweetly.
Bella took a deep breath to calm her nerves and stepped around the corner. Mike was smiling at his daughter as he swung her around in his arms. He looked away from her face and his eyes met Bella's. His movement immediately stopped and he gently put Emma down.
"Emma, why don't you go play in your room while I help mommy get dinner finished." Mike's gaze never left Bella and his eyes darkened.
Bella watched Emma run to her room before turning her attention back to her husband. His features didn't hide his anger once Emma left. "What the fuck did you do to your hair?" he hissed quietly.
"I cut it." Bella replied simply.
"Why?"
"I wanted a change." Bella walked back into the kitchen and started putting the potatoes and carrots into a bowl.
Mike's voice behind her startled her and she dropped the spoon she was using. "I don't like it. What was wrong with your hair that you had to go and get it butchered the way you have?"
Bella turned around and sighed. "You know your daughter started school today…wouldn't you rather talk about her day?"
"Not particularly…why did you ruin your hair?"
"I didn't ruin it, Mike." Bella turned her attention back to her stove. "I needed a change. Emma starting school hit me really hard today. I wanted to do something for me…" She felt the tears burn her eyes and couldn't hold back the disappointment she felt at Mike's reaction. Earlier in the day she had felt beautiful, young, and full of life…now she wanted to hide and wished she could somehow attach her hair back to her head.
She heard Mike stomp out of the kitchen, grab his keys, and open the door. Bella peaked around the corner and saw him standing in the door jam. "Dinner is ready," she whispered quietly.
"I've lost my appetite. I'm going back to the store." Bella jumped when she heard the door slam behind him.
She sunk to the floor and sobbed in her hands. She knew that Mike would be a little upset about her hair, but somehow didn't expect him to react the way he had towards her. He was so angry and the look on his face spoke volumes of how he really felt about what she had done. She had wanted him to accept her change, to embrace it, to tell her she looked as beautiful as she had felt earlier in the day; that obviously wasn't going to happen.
Emma's little foot steps in the hallway alerted Bella, and she quickly wiped her tears and stood up.
"Where's daddy?" Emma asked.
Bella put on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "He had to go back to the store, honey…um…he forgot something."
"Is he going to come back for dinner?"
"I don't know…" Bella went to the oven and pulled out the ham. She sliced it and put a small piece on a plate for her daughter along with some potatoes and carrots. "C'mon, just because Daddy isn't here doesn't mean we can't enjoy dinner."
They sat at the table and ate in silence for a few minutes before Emma put her fork down and looked at Bella. "Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetheart."
"I really like your hair. You are the best looking mommy I have ever seen."
Bella looked up from her plate and saw Emma smiling widely at her. She felt her eyes well up again at her daughter's kind words. "Thank you, Emma. You make mommy so happy."
After dinner, Bella cleaned the kitchen, made a plate for Mike and put it in the refrigerator. Emma took her bath, and Bella read her a story before tucking her into bed.
Mike didn't come home that night.
