If Today Was Your Last Day

I stood in the hairdressers I currently worked at, talking to my co-workers. It was a light day, not many customers, but there was a reason. Because the hairdressers is based in the middle of L.A, we sometimes get famous people want their hair done. Why don’t they use their own hairstylist? We don’t even know, but hey! We get to meet famous people, so we don’t complain. And according to our boss, Missy, we are meeting a celebrity that one of us knew personally, which got us all wondering who it could be.

I should probably explain what I’m doing in L.A instead of New York, so I’ll go from the start.

When I was 18, I gave birth to my bundle of joy, Megan, on the 21st March 2010, meaning I had to go to university a year after everyone else. Elena and Max were happy to look after Megan while I was at university, but I made sure I lived near home so that I could visit her as much as possible.

At the age of 23, I passed the degree in hair and beauty and moved out, getting a job at a salon in L.A, which brings me to where I am today, and may I add that I am loving it here.

I bet you’re wondering about Hannah? She started university a year before I did (for obvious reasons) and so of course, she finished before me. She moved out, and moved in with Georg in Germany (I had taught her German by the way). They are now engaged. Hannah and I are still best mates no matter the distance. We keep in touch and she comes over to L.A. whenever Georg has to do a short tour.

“So Ebony. How is Megan coping at school now?” Lisa asked. She was probably the closest friend I had that lived near me. She knew about Tom and I and supported me through everything these past few years.

“Not too good. It seems like after I went in and spoke to her teacher, the bullying got worse,” I shrugged. Yep. Megan gets bullied, and it’s because she hasn’t got a dad. Well, she has, she just doesn’t know who he is, and she stopped asking about him when she was about 4.

“Oh. Send her my love, okay?” I nodded my head at Lisa, my attention soon being drawn to the door entrance which had just dinged.

“Looks like Missy was talking about you,” I didn’t respond to her. I just stared, my eyes wide, as I watched him walk towards the counter where I stood.

“Uhh. I have an appointment booked for 1.00pm?” I nodded my head and went through the bookings till I found his name and ticked him off so that we knew that he had come.

“Follow me,” I instructed, walking to where I normally work when dealing with hair.

“So what do you want done today then, Bill?” I asked him, looking at him through the mirror.

“I was planning on having the dreads taken out and my hair re-dyed black with blonde highlights. Shoulder length and layered too,” he smiled at me. I nodded and began to put on some Take Down cream over his scalp before picking apart each dreadlock.

“Do I... ouch... know you from somewhere?” Bill asked, looking at me through the mirror.

“Sorry. Um. I don’t think so, do you?” I lied. Yes he did know me.

“Oh. You just remind me of someone I knew. We got on very well, but then she left because of my stupid brother, “ he chuckled. “Hang on,” I looked up at him, my hands still on one of his dreadlocks, “Ebony?”

“Um. Yeah?” I uncomfortably laughed, looking back at his dreadlocks.

“I thought I recognised you. How is everything?” he asked.

“It’s good. You?”

“I’m good too. Nearly finished another American tour. I see your bump went down,” he tried to look at my stomach, but failed.

“Uhh yeah. She’s at school,” I told him.

“Tell me about my niece,” he shifted in his seat a little.

“Um well, her names Megan. She was born on 21st March and is now 6 years old. I think that’s about it?” I told him.

“Have you got a picture of her?” he asked as he followed me to the sink.

“Lay your head you back for me. And yeah I have,” I rubbed in some shampoo and rinsed all the soap out.

“May I see it?” he asked as I added some conditioner.

“Sure. I don’t see why not,” I smiled as I wrapped a towel around his head and led him back to his seat, rubbing the towel a little to dry his now wet hair a little before putting it in the towel bin.

“Here you go,” I handed Bill a baby picture of Megan.

“Isn’t she just precious!” He squealed as I began to layer his hair.

“The dummy and bracelet was a gift from Hannah, by the way,” I giggled.

“Typical Hannah.,” he rolled his eyes at me through mirror as I began to smother his hair in hair dye, starting with the highlights first.

“Indeed. But that’s why we love her, right?” I smirked. It was like the old times, before we lost contact for 6 years.

The bell above the door dinged signalling that someone had just entered the salon, but I paid no mind to it. I just concentrated on Bill’s hair and talking to him.

“Who’s the picture of, Bill?” A deep voice from behind me said, causing me to jump a little. I looked up in the mirror to see Tom staring at the picture. He hadn’t changed at all. He was still tall, he had the same black cornrows and was still drowning in baggy clothing.

“My niece,” Bill shrugged as if it was nothing.

“Your...” I watched him turn to face me, “Ebony?”

“The one and only,” I did one more layer of hair dye before saying to Bill, “Right. That should take about 45 minutes to set, I’m just going for my 15 minute break. I’ll be back soon,” going into my little cupboard and getting out my purse and phone.

“I’ll join you,” Tom jogged after me and opened the door, letting me out first. “So...” he began. “That was our baby?” Our. Never thought I’d hear him say that, but then again, I didn’t think he would ever see her.

“Yeah. That would be Megan when she was a baby,”

“Megan,” he whispered to himself. “she’s beautiful,” he told me.

“And 6 years on, she still is,” I entered a shop to buy my dinner. A French bread pepperoni pizza and bottle of water would do fine today.

“How have you been?” Tom asked after I had paid.

“I’ve been good,” I shrugged, taking a bite out of the pepperoni pizza which had just come out of the oven.

Next thing I knew, Tom was saying something I never thought I’d hear him say so soon, “Ebony, you’re acting very cold with me,”

“I am?” I knew I was.

“Yeah. Like you don’t want to see me. What happened to keeping in contact?” he pointed out.

“I never said that. I said I would send you pictures of Megan after she was born, and when she was born, I was going to, but then I saw that you had a new girlfriend, so I decided against it. It would’ve made it difficult for you,” I sat down on a bench to finish the French bread pizza, Tom sitting on my left.

“Oh. Her. Did you see how much she looked like you?” I nodded my head. “I pretended she was you because I missed you,” he shrugged, scooting on the bench towards me.

“Oh,” I replied, standing up and walking back to the hairdressers.

“Ebony! Wait up!” I got to the hairdressers and entered the shop, Tom on my tail. “You never said why you were acting so cold,”

“Bill, how are you feeling?” I asked him, ignoring Tom’s question.

“Fine. Just half an hour left,” he grinned. I noticed he was still holding the picture of Megan.

I felt a hand snake around my waist. Looking next to me, I saw Tom smiling at me through the mirror. I pushed his hand off my waist and sat down in a chair next to Bill.

“How is she?” Tom asked, standing behind Bill.

“Um. Other than being bullied at school, she’s doing fine,” I informed him.

“Why is she being bullied?” Tom asked, a worried expression on his face.

“Because she “has no dad”,” I used my fingers as air quotations.

“What?! Have you not told her I’m her dad?” I shook my head at him, “Why?”

“I didn’t plan on her seeing you, so I didn’t see the point. If I told her, she’d want to see you, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” I answered him, looking down at my hands.

***

Half an hour passed and I soon took Bill to the sink, shampooing and conditioning his hair and leading him back to the chair to blow dry his hair, Tom following my every move with his eyes

“How’s that?” I asked Bill, running my fingers through his hair.

“Thank you,” he stood up and hugged me before walking to the counter to pay, leaving me a tip.

I stood beside Lisa and she whispered in my ear, “So Tom knows?” I nodded my head at her and felt a piece of paper slip into my right hand.

I opened the folded piece of paper to see Tom’s number messily written down along with “Call Me. <3” written below it. I looked up at him and he smiled at me, leaving the salon with Bill.

Should I call him?