Chapter 16 - LILY CHOOSES A HAIRCUT
For four months, Lily refused salons.
We let her hair grow unevenly.
Schoolchildren noticed.
One asked:
“Did you cut it in the dark?”
Lily cried in the bathroom.
I wanted to call the child’s parent immediately.
Dr. Chen asked:
“What does Lily want?”
Not what I wanted.
Lily wanted:
“Hair that looks like I picked it.”
We found a quiet salon that worked with children who had sensory or trauma concerns.
Stylist Nora sat on the floor first.
No cape.
No scissors.
“Show me what you want.”
Lily pointed to a picture.
A short bob.
Shorter than some of Vanessa’s hacked sections.
I froze.
“You’re sure?”
Lily looked at me.
“I said short.”
There it was.
My own fear trying to override her choice.
I nodded.
“Short.”
Nora asked before each step.
“Can I touch your hair?”
“Yes.”
“Comb?”
“Yes.”
“Scissors now?”
Lily took a breath.
“Yes.”
The first snip made her grip my fingers.
Then nothing terrible happened.
She watched strands fall.
Even sections.
Her choice.
When Nora finished, Lily turned her head in the mirror.
“I look like me.”
That sentence was worth more than beautiful.
We paid.
No livestream.
No photograph posted.
May you like
I took one private picture because Lily asked.
She wore no yellow hat.
