Jane Bites Back_ A Novel - Michael Thomas Ford [61]
“Aiko doesn’t like you to see what she’s doing,” Lucy explained to Jane. “It disturbs her process.”
“As long as it’s nothing too drastic,” said Jane.
Lucy put a finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything,” she whispered in Jane’s ear. “She’s a little temperamental. Just trust her. She’s a genius.”
Jane watched as Aiko pulled a pair of black latex gloves over her slim hands. “Color first,” she announced.
Jane decided that the best course of action was to close her eyes and think of England. She didn’t want to know what Aiko was doing to her head. It’s going to be fine, she repeated to herself. It’s going to be fine.
She pretended she was having a dream in which she was moved from one chair to another. Things were applied to her head, then rinsed off. Scissors snapped around her ears. Hot air blew in her face.
Then Aiko said, “Done.”
The chair was spun around, and Jane saw her new self in the mirror. She gasped. “I’m beautiful,” she said breathlessly.
“Yes,” Aiko said. For the first time since Jane had entered her salon, the woman smiled. “Beautiful.”
Jane didn’t know if she was referring to her haircut or to Jane herself, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t believe how she looked. Her hair was now a rich golden brown. Aiko had removed a great deal of it, so that it now framed Jane’s face rather than circling it like a tired holiday wreath. It was modern, natural-looking, and perfect, Jane thought.
“It’s a miracle.” Lucy was standing beside Jane, staring at her head.
“I know,” Aiko said.
Jane reached up and touched the hair where it brushed against her cheek. It felt like she was touching someone else’s face. “It’s really me,” she said.
“Now for your makeup,” said Lucy.
“No makeup,” Aiko said. “Just hair.”
“No, no,” said Lucy. “We’re doing makeup at home.”
“Good luck,” Aiko said, and walked away.
“Thank you,” Jane called after her. She looked at Lucy. “Am I done?” she asked.
Lucy nodded, then helped Jane out of the chair. Jane paid for her haircut at the front desk, where a thin young man dressed all in black said nothing as he handed Jane the credit card slip for her to sign.
“They’re very quiet, aren’t they?” Jane asked as she and Lucy left the salon.
“Aiko is all about minimalism,” said Lucy. “I think she likes you,” she added as they got into Jane’s car. “She doesn’t normally talk so much.”
Jane drove back to her house, making a stop at a drugstore so that Lucy could pick up some cosmetics she declared they needed for the second part of Jane’s transformation. Lucy made Jane wait in the car as she shopped. Jane spent the time looking at herself in the rearview mirror. She still couldn’t believe she was looking at her own reflection, and had to resist the urge to turn around and search the backseat to see if some other woman was sitting there.
When Lucy returned, she was carrying a large bag. “Is that all for me?” Jane asked. “Am I that bad?”
“It’s just a few things,” Lucy said unconvincingly
Her lie was revealed twenty minutes later when, in Jane’s bedroom, she upended the bag and unleashed a torrent of tubes, compacts, brushes, jars, and various other items Jane didn’t recognize.
“I didn’t know you were a cosmetologist,” Jane joked.
“I had to do all the makeup for the band,” said Lucy. “I picked up a few techniques.”
Like Aiko before her, Lucy didn’t allow Jane to see herself as her face was done. However, she did explain to Jane what she was doing, as well as show her the different brushes and curlers and lip liners she used.
“Apply the darkest shadow to the inside corner of your eye,” she said. This was followed by “Use liner to give your lips shape,” “Hold the eyelash curler in place for at least ten seconds,” and “Put the blush on the apples of your cheeks.” “Are you getting all this?” she asked in between pronouncements.
“I think so,” Jane said anxiously.
“I’ll write it down,” Lucy said, shaking her head.
“It’s all so complicated,” said Jane. “In my day we just bit our lips to bring a little color to them.”
“Don