The Salon tells the story of a small beauty salon where each guest brings a new world. Short, emotional and sensual stories by Sonja Blonde.
That particular Thursday morning, Lara's first client had also booked appointments with Nico and Gael. It wasn't often that someone signed up with all three of them back to back. Mia had carefully worked out how much time each of them would need at minimum, then arranged the schedule so the woman would have only a few minutes between treatments.
Lara gently set Rosita's foot on her knee. The old woman wiggled her toes playfully, turning her heel this way and that on the thick white towel — less like a woman past seventy and more like an impatient little girl waiting eagerly to be pampered.
Lara prepared the foot bath, set the water to a pleasant warmth, and checked that everything they needed for the pedicure was in place. She wiped down the color palette and quickly scanned the little bottles, making sure every shade was still on the shelf.
Mia opened the guest-list app to see who had how many clients that day. Her coworkers leaned against the reception desk.
"God, this heat!" panted the woman with the thick, curly hair that fell all the way to her backside, as she practically collapsed through the door.
Mia's shoulders sagged the moment she saw the name of the day's first guest in the booking log.
"Oh no. Poor Nico!"
"You can't do this to me, man."
At the sound of Nico's anguished voice, the salon fell silent in an instant. Rosita pulled her hand back from Lara's, gripped the back of her chair, and turned around.
The rain fell like a soft curtain, cutting the salon off from the noise of the street. Lara sat with her chin propped on her palm, waiting for her first client. Nico rocked back and forth in the styling chair, hands limp in his lap.
Lara took her time getting ready for her client. She refilled the box of disposable gloves, wiped down the UV lamp until not a single speck of dust remained, then straightened the rows of nail polish bottles until every label faced the same way.
Mia crept up behind Nico, who was sitting in the styling chair leafing through a magazine. She had already raised her hand to grab him by the shoulder when her eyes fell on the lingerie catalogue in his hands.