Today, I’d visited one of my regulars. Mildred interrogated me! With this client, it’s a two-way street. She’s my surrogate mom, and I have to remember my lies... sorry, cover story, as she has an amazing memory. It was a joy when I put her under the dryer with a glass of water within easy reach. She picked up her romance novel and was soon smiling. Finally, I had a few minutes of peace and quiet. I reloaded most of my gear back into my car and then came back to finish her perm.

“You’re good for a month.”

“I know dear, but I still want you to come next week. I get a kick out of listening to all of your stories. You do realize they’re getting rather tall.”

The truth would be even more far-fetched. “Mildred, can I help it if some of my more affluent clients want to live in distant places like Tahiti?”

“No dear, see you next Friday.”

Now, I was sitting on my deck staring out at the Pacific Ocean and sipping a vodka tonic. This never gets old. My phone started to ring, and it snapped me out of my pleasant daydream. “Hello, you’ve reached Extraordinhair. This is Cilla speaking. What can I do for you?”

“It’s Bengy. Can you rearrange your schedule to be gone for a month?”

“What? I could, but why and when?”

“Better late than never, you’re due for some corporate indoctrination and need to learn additional combat techniques.”

“Yes... isn’t this a little late? I’ve been through a lot for you. I think it’s called on-the-job training.”

“Is Monday morning too soon?”

“I thought you were supposed to give me six months’ notice? Instead, I get two days! Okay, I’ll manage somehow. What do I need to bring?”

“Nothing, it’s full service. You won’t even need to take a toothbrush. We’re agreed, the limo will pick you up at nine on Monday.” He chuckled, and the line went dead.

That’s it. Don’t like the sound of this. I shivered, got up and went to find my house guest.

“Gilly,” I shouted.

“I’m here in the kitchen. What’s up?”

“I’m going to be trained as a No Boundaries operative.”

“Bit late, isn’t it?”

“Yes, better late than never. I’ll be gone for a month.”

“A month? You’re kidding me!”

“No, you’re in charge. You have Bengy’s number if you really need to get in touch with me.”

Gilly hugged me. “When do you go?”

“Monday.”

“My, that’s quick. Dave’s taking me out tonight. Want to join us?”

“No, it would feel strange. Thanks, though. I’d better go and make some calls.”

Out on the deck again, I simply stood and stared for a minute. There’s something calming about looking down at the ocean. My garden was still green, and the few houses this far up were surrounded by patches of foliage. Everything else had pretty much died. The brown still looked impressive. We need rain bad. There were a few hardy bushes surviving on the moisture from the marine layer. The rest were either dormant, dead, or seeds waiting for life-giving rain.

I called Margaret, the owner of the salon where I used to work in Beverly Hills a couple of years ago. Melony, her receptionist, answered the phone.

“Hi, it’s Cilla. Is Margaret available?”

“She’s with a client at the moment. Can I help?”

“I’m going out of town on a long vacation, four weeks. This opportunity just popped up, and I couldn’t refuse.”

“Aren’t you the lucky one?”

“Well, I seem to remember you were dating a real hot man. What was his name... Bengy? Still seeing him?”

“Not as much as I want to. We’ve been sort of dating off and on for a couple of years now. Darn it. He won’t commit. I think I have him and he somehow slips away. He’s hot though. I’m seeing other guys now. I can’t hang around. You know how it is? You hit thirty, and you can hear the clock ticking.”

“Yes, I’m with you. I have sex buddies too! Back to the reason I phoned. I want to give my clients Margaret’s phone number. They know the salon from when I worked there, and I don’t want to just up and leave without knowing they’re going to be well taken care of.”

“Hold on, I’ll go and ask.”

I took a deep breath and waited.

“Hi Cilla, it’s Margaret. Of course, you can refer me. I warn you, you might not get them back.”

“That doesn’t matter. You know I had an inheritance.”

“Yes, it’s all right for some. Go and enjoy your vacation while the rest of us work. I’ll look after your clients.”

“Thank you.”

I called my clients and managed to speak to most of them. I left the rest a message referring them to Margaret’s salon. This left my two sets of special, extra service customers. I called Tim first and was forwarded to his answering service. I left a message. “Hi Tim, it’s Cilla. I’m going to be out of town for quite a while. Jake can ask Pierre or Charles for further details. If you need cosmetology services while I’m away, use my old salon.” I left Margaret’s phone number. “I’ll promise to make it up to you when I get back. Whatever you want... you have a blank check.”

My last call was to Pierre and Charles. Pierre answered, “Hello, who is it?”

“Can I come over and stay the night?”

“Of course you can. Charles won’t be here. He had an emergency back in England.”

“Nothing too serious, I hope?”

“We’re all getting older. His aunt isn’t well.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Don’t go too far. I’m on my way.”

“Bring your hairdressing bag, I need a trim.”