Cafe reading

Boundaries

"I can't believe that man!"

The bright and colourful hair salon was alive and bustling, with women gossiping over the sounds of blow dryers going off and pop music blaring out of speakers in the corner.

One woman was sitting in front of a mirror to the side of the overcrowded hair salon beside the large floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A woman with bright dyed-red hair stood behind her, a pair of sharp scissor in her right hand. With her other hand she was gesturing wildly and looking up at the sky, her tone saturated with disgust.

"To think! In your house, in your bed, with your best friend!" she snipped angrily at her customer's brown hair. "You bought him a car! And payed off his debt from all that money he lost in the stock market. You almost got kicked out of University because you could barely afford the fees after that!"

"I know." the woman glared at her reflection viciously. In her mind's eye she saw them together, her ex-best friend wearing her robe and lying on top of her ex-boyfriend. The sight of them together had brought her such fury, that she flew into a rage. She threw random objects at them as they ran out, not even giving them enough to grab their clothes. She ran out still in her robe, he ran after her with her good bed sheet wrapped around his waist. "You know, Lisa, before I kicked them out, he had the gall to say it was my fault that he cheated. Said that I hadn't loved him enough." her green almond eyes flashed dangerously.

Lisa groaned. "Tell me you kicked his ass after that."

“Lisa! You know I'm not a violent person!" Lisa snorted at her words but wisely stayed silent. "Instead I pushed him out the door and snatched my blanket from around his waist before slamming the door in his face. She'd already run for it so he was left standing there in his birthday suit trying to cover himself by any means possible. Fifteen minutes later the police where picking him up for indecent exposure in public!"

They laughed together, and Lisa sighed as she sliced off more straight brown hair.

"I'm sorry, Alex." she said suddenly sombre. "I should never have introduced you to him at Ash's wedding. I thought since they were friends, that idiot would be a good person."

Alex shook her head. "It’s not your fault, Lisa." she brightened up, ready to change the subject. "How is your step-cousin anyways? I heard he's back from his honeymoon"

"He’s great. Turns out my step mother will be a great-Aunt soon, she's overjoyed."

"Sandy's pregnant already?"

"With twins. Both boys apparently. Her father's over the moon."

Alex let out a whoosh of breath, her thought turning to her own life. Where was she now? What was she to do with the rest of her life?

"Alex!" a familiar voice had her look behind her in the mirror. A beautiful blonde woman was standing behind Lisa, waving in greeting. "Hey, I'm glad I saw you."

"Hello Laurie." Alex smiled at the younger woman who took the empty seat beside her. "What do you need me for?"

"I'm looking for a tutor for my nephew. He's eighteen and needs a math tutor. You used to tutor high school kids when you started Uni right?"

Alex looked at her. "I've stopped tutoring now."

Laurie leaned forward earnestly. "They’re willing to pay double your usual rates for a good tutor. And I know you’re a good tutor because most of your students had enormous success in their final exams."

Alex frowned. The extra money would be useful, especially since she'd broken so many of her things when she'd thrown her ex out of the house.

Laurie saw the hesitation and pushed to her advantage. "Come on Alex. The money's good, the people are friendly, and I bet you have loads of spare time now that you've realised your boyfriend's a whore."