Goldie looked at her father. “That’s okay?”
He shook his head. “Don’t ask me.”
She blinked.
He smiled. “It’s your hair.”
Goldie smiled back. “Okay.”
The hairdresser secured the first braid.
Goldie’s father suddenly turned away.
She reached out. “Dad.”
He faced her again.
His eyes were wet. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
He laughed once. “No. I’m not.”
The hairdresser waited.
Goldie’s father crouched beside the chair.
“I need to tell you something.”
Goldie listened.
“I kept telling myself this was your mother’s promise.”
Goldie’s smile faded.
“But it wasn’t only that,” he said. “Doing your hair every morning… washing it, brushing it, braiding it… it made me feel close to her.”
Goldie took his hand.
“When she was sick, she worried she wouldn’t get to do all the ordinary things with you. School mornings, pictures, dances, and birthdays.”
His voice broke.
“After she died, taking care of your hair became something I could still do that felt connected to her.”
Goldie squeezed his fingers.
“And somewhere along the way, I stopped asking whether the promise still made sense for you.”
“I like when you do my hair,” said Goldie.
“I know.”
“Just not this much hair.”
He laughed through his tears. “That’s fair.”
Then he became serious. “I’m sorry.”
Goldie looked down.
“It should have been cut the moment it felt uncomfortable.”
Goldie’s eyes filled.
“Your mom wanted us to do something kind. She would never have wanted that promise to feel like a punishment to you.”
“I still want to give the hair,” said Goldie.
“I know.”
“And I want to grow it again.”
He blinked. “You do?”
“Maybe.”
She smiled. “But not to my knees.”
“Okay, that’s a deal.”
“And if I hate it, I cut it.”
“Agreed.”
“Even if I’m not 17 yet.”
“Absolutely.”
The hairdresser lifted the first braid. “Ready?”
Goldie took a breath. “Ready.”
The scissors closed.
The sound was softer than I expected.
The braid came away in the hairdresser’s hand.
Goldie’s father covered his mouth.
Goldie touched the suddenly lighter section of hair near her shoulder.
The second braid came off.
Then the third. Then the fourth.
