Page 15 of Sparks Will Fly

“Hey, Ms. Lovie. Hey, April,” she greeted us both before taking up the seat beside April. I got her pedicure water ready as they dived into a conversation about some K-Pop band they were into. I sang “Hrs & Hrs” under my breath, losing myself in the work.

This was my ministry. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for the little girls that trusted me to do their hair and nails. I knew children were mean, and the first time April came to me about being bullied for hair not being done, I knew I had to step in. I created Sophisticated Saturdays for the girls in the neighborhood to schedule their own appointments to get dolled up twice a month. They had to wait at least two weeks between visits to allow room for others. I have gotten the same girls a lot of times though. I was cool with that because I’d grown a genuine bond with all of them. It brightened my days to spend this little bit of time with them. They were all way cooler than me at their age.

“You look so happy right now.” Romani’s voice brought me back to reality.

I grinned helplessly. “Because I am. I love doing this.”

He lifted the jar of rubber bands for me to see.

“Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Happy to help.” He winked and unleashed an ungodly smirk on my senses.

Something about his words felt genuine. I would even level to say a halo appeared around his crown as rays from the shine began shining through the window at that very moment.

“Then busy yourself taking Porter’s braids out while I finish painting their toes.” I pointed to where she sat ogling him. I understood the infatuation. That’s how I felt inside.

Romani gave me a toothless grin.

“Oh, I can do that. You are talking to Robyn’s twin. I’ve been taking out braids since I learned how to work my fingers.”

I giggled.

“Wait… so you’re a twin?” He nodded as he headed over to the back of Porter’s seat. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yep, I have a twin sister and a teenage brother named Regal.”

I listened intently, loving to hear a little more about the man I’d painted as a monster. He wasn’t giving claws, horns, and destruction when we were one-on-one.

“I have two older sisters and a younger brother too.” I found myself unintentionally opening up to him.

“Are y’all close?”

“Ugh, not really. My sisters are way older than me and so different than I am. Now, me and my brother Mercy are inseparable. We’re Irish twins. We even live together. That’s my dawg.”

We talked back and forth a little more, getting to know each other to pass the time. I learned he enjoyed baseball, poetry, and puzzles. By the time I finished with the nails and toes, he had Porter’s hair completely free. He followed me as I went to wash my hands before washing her hair.

“How did you learn to do hair?” he asked me.

I smiled, remembering the exact moment I took matters into my own hands.

“You remember I told you my parents are older?”

He nodded.

“Okay, so my mom used to do my hair, and I would hate it. This one time, the style was so ugly and made me look so old that I cried for hours. My dad felt so bad he let me stay home from school the next day. I spent the entire day on YouTube looking at hair tutorials. I just got better with time.”

He smiled widely. “I love what you do around here. I can tell it brings you joy, even them too.”

He motioned to the girls. I moved to the side of him.

“Yeah, we have a good thing going here. I would hate for it all to come to an end.”

He gently bumped my shoulder.

“Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

“That’s what scares me,” I admitted honestly. “What if God takes it all away? What are we going to do?”

---