Page 90 of Free to Breathe
Gail, who has a ridiculously small yet sharp pair of scissors in her hand steps forward. “Okay, everyone. You’ll notice there’s a note with your name tied around the braid you’re supposed to cut. There are fourteen braids. I’ll take one, show you where to cut, and take the braid after. Then you’ll go in the order Corinna’s card tells you.”
Gail picks up the first braid, which is banded at the top about two-and-a-half inches from my scalp. “Try to cut as close to the band without actually snipping it. The braids are all measured for us to send into Locks of Love.” Gail holds the base of the scissors to the only unlabeled braid. “Ready, kiddo?”
The music has switched to “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel. I simply nod.
Gail begins cutting just above the top of the braid. In a few moments, it comes off in a hunk in her hands. She moves to the next station where a box lined with tissue paper waits. She lays down the braid before coming back to me with the scissors. “Hold these while I find your braid,” she says. “Here it is.” Handing me the card, Gail stays close to help me with the actual cutting.
I swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes meet those of my extended family. On a deep breath, I say the words I memorized earlier. “I’m not ready to leave you all.” Holding the base of the scissors, Gail helps me put them in the right place, and together we cut off the second braid.
“Colby,” I say softly. My boyfriend swallows as he steps up to accept the braid Gail pulls out. His voice chokes on the words “Never forget.” He cuts the braid and hands it to Gail. “Ali, it says you’re next on my card.”
“Shit.” Finding her braid, she lets loose a sob behind me. “Damn you, Corinna.” I watch in the mirror as Keene steps up to hold her. “For sisterhood.” Tears flow down her face as she cuts the braid. “Keene, baby.” She just hands him the scissors.
“Hell.” The man who someday will become my brother-in-law glares at me in the mirror. “For the strength of convictions.” He shakes his head at me as he bends down to kiss my cheek. “You’re so damn strong, Corinna. Don’t you ever forget it. Phil?” He hands the scissors to my brother.
Phil’s eyes are overflowing so much, Gail has to step in and help him cut the braid before he can control himself enough to choke out, “For pride. Jace,” he calls to his husband.
Jason steps forward. Quickly locating his braid, he reads quietly, “For wisdom.” With a doctor’s surgical precision, he cuts the braid. “Holly.”
My sister wraps her arms around me, and I lean into her embrace. Because I know her as well as I do, I know she’ll spend the rest of the night looking at the pictures of my hair and mourning in her own way. “You slay me,” she whispers. Standing, she accepts the scissors from Jason. “For the strength to fight.” She looks down at me, her eyes a different shade of gold than my own. “You’d better have the strength, sister. Em?”
Emily steps forward, pushing her glasses back up her nose. There are only a few braids left. She grabs hers and holds on to it as if making a wish. I hope it’s the right one. Reading the card, she says, “Happiness is eternal. It’s everywhere.” She shakes her head in disbelief, even as she cuts my hair. “Corinna…”
“Em, just say who’s next,” I say gently.
“Charlie, it’s your turn.”
“Me?” His voice holds a note of disbelief. He looks around at the others, who are wiping their tear-filled eyes, but still nodding. “Corinna, are you sure?”
“Charlie, please,” I ask softly.
He steps up to Em and relieves her of the scissors. Fumbling for his braid, he reads, “For unexpected guardian angels.” Charlie’s cut is precise. There are so few braids left, I can feel each and every tug against my scalp. I relish the burden being taken from my mind and body. “Cassidy.”
My sister comes forward, her hands shaking. “You’re so brave, Cori. I’m so proud of you.”
A smile touches my lips. I just wait while Cassidy reads her card. Her hand lands on my shoulder. “No. No, this is you, not me.” Her sobs are uncontrollable.
Caleb steps forward. “Cass? What does it say?”
“For the bravest person in the world. I’m just lucky she chose me as a sister.” Cassidy’s voice is laden with tears, her cut likely jagged with the way her hands are trembling. As soon as she passes the braid over, she buries her head into my neck. “I love you. We all love you so much.”
“I know, Cass. You have to give the scissors to Caleb,” I whisper.
Squeezing me one more time, she turns to her husband and places the scissors in his hand. He noticeably swallows. There are only three braids left. He finds his in seconds. Scanning the words, he murmurs, “For determination and perseverance.” Brushing a kiss on the top of my head where the final two braids remain, he walks over to Colby. “Your turn again, brother.”
Colby gives me a surprised look. “Two?”
“Two,” I say firmly.
“I must have done something special,” he murmurs.
You sure did, I think to myself. I watch him in the mirror as he reads his card. His countenance softens. He begins cutting without reading the card, handing both the scissors and the braid to Gail before pulling me to my feet. Capturing my face in his hands, he whispers, “For love,” before he tenderly kisses me in front of my whole family.
The kiss goes on for some time before his lips pull away. The love sparkling between us is so bright, there’s no way I’ll ever be afraid of the dark ever again. Not as long as I have this man by my side.
Without moving from his arms, I reach my hand back toward Gail. She places the handle of the scissors in them. I feel for the final braid, all while holding Colby’s dusky gaze. “Is it in the right spot?” I ask.
He nods. “Do you need the card?”
