The Blues of Atlantis | ✔

Chapter Twenty

"Wow, I look so different." Nerina turned her head to the left, then to the right. Wade had dyed her hair red; a fiery red, which almost glittered under the bathroom light.

"Figured it matched your temper," he said, winking at her through the mirror.

She dug her elbow into his stomach and he burst out laughing, as he rubbed the target area.

"You look sweet."

"Now I'm a ghost with red hair. I thought the idea was to make me less noticeable?" She couldn't take her eyes off the color. The hair stuck out like a sore thumb, even worse than before, but then again that might just be because the two colors were as far apart as the east was from the west.

He picked up the scissors from off the bathroom counter, and took her hand, leading her to a chair in the kitchen.

"Do we have to cut it?" she asked.

"A new look remember?"

She heard the swish of him opening and closing the scissors dangerously close to her head and cringed. "Isn't the dye job enough?" Her long hair had been her pride and joy, except for the color. She'd rarely ever cut her hair, except for the trims that Maggie gave her every now and then.

Before he even gave her another chance to think about it, he took a fistful of hair, and cut it off. Butterflies rattled around in her stomach. Too much was changing and way too fast for her liking.

He cut it to just above her shoulders, and as she stared at herself in the mirror, she did have to admit he did a good job. "Where did you learn how to cut hair?"

"My mom." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"What was she like?"

"She..." Wade paused, scratching his head, a sad smile playing on his face. They had been estranged after he got kicked out of Atlantis, more on his part than hers. His mother understood what happened and still wanted to see him, but he'd refused to see her.

The guilt had eaten him up inside over what happened, and he couldn't understand why she still loved him and would even risk associating with him. When he regained his place in Atlantis, he went to see his mother upon her request. During their visit he'd asked her why she even cared to see him. Her reply was, "The unconditional love of a mother, my dear."

How could he explain his mother to Nerina? "She lives each day to the fullest, doesn't let anything get her down. And she bloody cares more than she should." 

"Where does she live?"

Scratching his head again, he floundered for a response. Should he elaborate on his answer from earlier when he told Nerina that she was a mermaid? The answer hadn't gone over very well.

What if he told her that his mom was one, too? And himself as well? He backed away from her as he contemplated his answer. "She's out at sea."

"With the Navy?" she asked, running a hand through her newly shortened hair.

"Not exactly."

Boy, this was harder than he thought. It's not like he could prove who he was by popping a tail. That would only happen when they got back to the ocean and he had no intention of taking her there anytime soon.

"On a cruise?"

"No."

His palms began to sweat. If he lifted his arms, he'd, no doubt, already have sweat stains under his armpits. Why did he have to bring up the topic of his mom? He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.