More Than Friends ✔

67~ "I want to cut my hair short."

It was one afternoon when Pallavi went to the parlor. As usual, she ordered face threading and waxing. She stared at herself in the mirror for the longest time when she was done. A voice in her head was telling her something was amiss. Something she had been wishing to do for a long time.

“Anything else, ma'am?” The parlor madam asked, standing behind the chair while looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Pallavi inhaled then exhaled. She finally spoke. “Yeah, I need a haircut.”

“Sure, ma'am,” The parlor woman replied, smiling and brought a water spray to wet her hair. After she was done combing, she took the ends of Pallavi's hair between her fingers and showed her through the mirror reflection. “Is this much enough?”

The voice in her head got bigger. “No. I want you to cut my hair short.”

“Okay, this much?” The parlor lady raised her hand higher, still reaching her back. Nope. Still long.

Pallavi kept on denying until the parlor woman's fingers on her hair reached the length of her shoulders. “Yes, this much is fine.”

The parlor lady raised her brow. “You want to change your look, I see. Sure then.”

Soon enough, the parlor lady got to work, cutting Pallavi's long straight hair that reached till her lower back. It felt bad seeing her precious hair lying on the floor but when she gazed at the mirror in the end, she was quite satisfied.

“Why did you do it? You had such long nice hair...” A middle aged woman who was seated next to her for a pedicure spoke, regarding Pallavi with disappointment.

Pallavi simply passed her a smile. “I've been wanting to do this for a while now to change my look.. The hair will grow again anyway.”

“Certainly, ma'am. You look fabulous.”

The middle aged lady however wasn't satisfied as she ranted about how she had been trying to grow her hair past her shoulders but they wouldn't while the young people were lucky. She did give Pallavi unsolicited advice on how she shouldn't cut her hair short many times, lest she wouldn't be able to grow hair again. Can't you mind your own business, woman?

Mrs Khuranna was initially shocked to see her eldest daughter sporting a shorter hair reaching her shoulders. However Deepali approved it as it made Pallavi look more girlish than before. Her colleagues at Utopian Adverts agreed as well.

***

Coming to Pallavi's job, it was going good but stagnant. It was repetative, monotonous and lonesome. She would still search for a job sometimes but other than that, her work life was the same.

Until her favorite manager, Karan Grover gave his resignation letter to Utopian Adverts.

Needless to say, the shock of Karan's departure remained for a week. After all, he was the one who took Pallavi in and made her to what she was today. He was almost like a teacher figure to her. Luckily, she was able to spend ample time with him and the group through an elaborate office event and party before bidding farewell for good. She thanked him for everything he taught her. He even told her to contact him in case she needed any work related advice in the future.

Someone once said that your corporate life was safe as long as you had a good manager to support you with. To Pallavi, Karan was just that and she was grateful to him. 

Pallavi walked through the office hallways with a heavy heart. The office seemed more emptier than before. Her previous digital media team ceased to exist. It was like the end of an era. She was just walking away when a voice inside her head spoke with certainty.