Such Devoted Sisters
Siblings face a challenge in this touching short story by Eirin Thompson.
“Nope. The lot. It’s coming out in clumps on my pillow. It’s time to go the whole hog.”
“You’ve still got a good bit,” Rebecca objected.
“I’m artfully arranging what’s left,” Tammy said ruefully.
“So, a pixie cut?” Susannah suggested.
“It’s past that. Look.” She raked her fingers through what remained of her hair and ducked her head. “See what I mean?”
“Oh, Tammy,” Charlotte said. “You poor thing.”
The next night, with a glass of wine and her feet up, Tammy looked through some old photo albums.
Even as a little girl, she’d had thick, strong hair.
“There’s no-one like the Henrys for wearing out hairdryers,” their mum had complained, but the girls all knew she was proud.
Sunday night had been hair-wash night.
Their mother had patiently shampooed, rinsed and dried all four of them.
Turning the pages, she saw a picture of them all at Charlotte’s wedding.
She, Rebecca and Susannah had been bridesmaids. It was their first time having a proper “up-do”.
The specialist hairdresser had made them all promise never to cut their hair.
Well, she couldn’t have known what lay ahead for Tammy.
Before bed, she sat in front of the mirror, combing her ravaged locks one last time.
“It’s not for ever. It’ll grow back,” she told herself.
But when she lay down, hot tears spilled on to the pillow.
****
On Saturday morning, as she ate her toast, Tammy wondered how she was going to look with a bald head. What if her skull was a peculiar shape?
Would people stare, or look away politely?
The phone rang. It was Susannah.
“Just wanted to wish you all the best. You’re gorgeous with or without hair, you know.”
“Thanks, Suze. It would be worse if it was happening in winter – at least I won’t be cold.” “That’s the spirit.”
Tammy plonked on her sunhat and sunglasses, grabbed her bag, keys and water bottle and pulled the front door behind her.
The next time she crossed her threshold, she’d be a different person.
The bus took her right into town. She was early, so she went into the café next to the hairdresser’s.
Her coffee and scone felt a little like the condemned prisoner’s last meal.
She acknowledged to herself that she was slightly wounded none of her sisters had offered to come along with her for this ordeal, or even said they’d call round to her flat afterwards.
She’d done too good a job of being “fine”, in fact.
Because she’d coped with everything so far, they reckoned she’d cope with this. But this time she felt sad and lonely.
She wished that just one of them had thought to support her.
“Morning, Tammy.” It was Penny, the salon receptionist. “They’re ready for you up at the back.
Walk on through.”
When Tammy proceeded, she couldn’t have been more surprised.
There, in salon gowns, sat all three of her sisters.
“Ready to go?” Charlotte cried. “Let’s do this!”
“You all came to support me? Thank you!” Tammy exclaimed.
“But why are you all wearing gowns?”
“We’re going to get all our hair lopped off, just like you,” Rebecca said. “In solidarity.
“And we’re donating our hair to the Princess Tiara Trust, to make wigs for children with cancer.” “You’re not serious!” “You’ve gone through so much, Tammy,” Susannah began.
“And although we could be there for you, we couldn’t actually go through it with you.
“But this one, we can.” “And we will,” Charlotte added. “Since I’m the oldest, I’ll take the plunge first. Here goes!”
With that, the senior stylist who’d been standing by switched on her shaver, which began to buzz.
“Eek, hold my hand!” Charlotte cried.
Three sisterly hands shot out. And, with that, Tammy knew everything was going to be all right.
The Henry girls had always been there for each other . . .
The End.