Page 49 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
“Gavin has a way of looking at people. Touched by the fairies, that one. But so am I. Short would certainly accentuate your beautiful chin and cheekbones. I think you have pretty ears peeking out from behind your current style.”
She pushed her hair back to look in the mirror across from her. “Pretty ears?”
“Like the elves.” Lisa Ann laughed. “But the big question is for you to answer. Shorter would look grand on you, but do you want it? Because I think you’ve been hiding a little behind your long hair.”
Her eyes tracked back to one of the long mirrors. Shehadbeen hiding. Trying to fit in. Trying not to make waves. Trying to…let everyone else take care of her and her life so she didn’t have to worry about screwing up.
But it had still kept happening, and she was sick of it.
She turned and looked the woman in the eye. “I want it.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Lisa Ann said. “Put your purse on the table over here and then come with me. We’re about to remake you into the woman you are now. Rather like you talked about with the clay the other night.”
Megan and she shared a smile at that.
“I have a feeling you haven’t had an easy time of things, but I’m thinking those days are behind you.”
“God, I hope so.” A laugh came out and then tears filled her eyes. “It’s not something I ever want to repeat.”
“No, I imagine it isn’t. Come now. Let’s wash it first, and then we’ll cut away what needs going.”
And so she did, gently washing Megan’s hair and then running her hands through the wet locks while studying her in the mirror.
Except Megan thought Lisa Ann was looking deeper than her reflection, at something inside of her ready to emerge. She had that same feeling whenever she was in her Zen place with the clay, as Liam called it. Or riding a horse.
An exultant feeling filled her chest at the first snip of the scissors. A bubble popped in her heart. It hurt. But she breathed it out.
Lisa Ann started to sing softly, something in Gaelic that made Megan think of angels. Goose bumps broke out over her arms, and then a beautiful calm enveloped her. She watched as decades of her life were cut away with the lightest of touches, almost like a heavy pot trimmed of its excessive weight.
At the end, Lisa Ann ran her hands through Megan’s hair again, cupping her skull in an oddly comforting way.
“Yes,” the young woman said softly. “There you are.”
A tear spilled down Megan’s face, but she didn’t brush it aside. It felt cleansing. Awe filled her as she stared in the mirror. The woman staring back at her looked wise…and happy. Pretty, even. She could finally see it.
She liked her very much.
“Thank you,” she said after Lisa Ann finished styling her hair. Her hand lifted to touch the new line of hair at her nape and chin.
“You’re very welcome,” Lisa Ann said, resting her hands gently on her shoulders. “Enjoy the new you. I’ll see you in class, which I’m loving, by the way. Not only because of the clay but because Keegan O’Malley has finally come out of his shell. The words on his cows come from his soul, and unlike others in the village, I like them. I can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Megan caught the gleam in her eyes. Did she like Keegan? It sure sounded like it.
She spontaneously hugged the woman after paying her. When she opened the door, she looked down at the hair Lisa Ann was brushing away and felt the weight of all of it. She was so glad to be leaving it behind.
When she stepped onto the street, a patch of sunlight was waiting for her. It seemed like a sign. She decided to look for some new clothes. Her first stop was the yoga studio where Liam had purchased herVisualize Sunshineshirt. They had a couple of shirts she liked in pale blue and pink—Zen DaysandMagic Me—as well as some patterned yoga pants she found, resembling pottery sgraffito. Another sign, she told herself. She wore theMagic Meshirt under her windbreaker with her jeans because she was bringing back her magic. People talked about it all the time in Ireland. She was ready for hers.
Back in the bar, she was congratulated for her new look. Everyone offered to buy her a drink, but she looked at the clock. She needed to pick up Ollie, and she didn’t want to be late.
She said goodbye to Gavin and Fergal and the other patrons. Eoghan said he’d see her soon, in class likely, and she kissed his cheek, her heart alight, which only made his smile brighten.
As she passed Keegan O’Malley’s cattle, she slowed her car, thinking about Lisa Ann and also looking for a message.
She saw the only word she needed.Date.
Yes, she wanted one. With Kade. Tonight if he was free.
When she arrived at the schoolyard, Ollie rushed to her. “Mom! You cut your hair! It looks so good.”
