14. Katie
The twins swung around in the salon chairs, high-fiving each other as they whizzed past. They were in their school uniforms, trying to look cool with their skirts rolled up, their ties loosely done and tanned legs.
Katie remembered doing the same. With no mother to stop her, she’d cut her skirt so it was a mini, customized her school jumper by sewing patches on it and had worn Docs to school instead of the regulation shoes.
She was sent home at least once a week for being inappropriately dressed.
That was fine with her. The house was empty, so she’d just chill on the couch and watch TV.
Katie rolled her eyes. ‘All right, you two, enough messing. You’ll wreck those chairs.’
‘I’d love to work here,’ Joni said.
‘Same! It seems so fun,’ Janis agreed.
‘It’s not all fun. It’s bloody hard work too, and you have to deal with some delusional clients who come in with photos of supermodels and want you to make them look like them.
Then, when they just look like themselves but with better hair, they get really annoyed.
Hairdressers can change your hair but they can’t perform miracles. ’
‘But you like what you do, right?’ Joni asked.
‘Yeah, I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else, to be honest.’
It was true, Katie did like hairdressing because she was good at it and because she didn’t have to do any admin, which would have required writing and spelling names.
The receptionist did all that for her, and Jamie did her tax, so she focused on hair.
Katie couldn’t imagine doing any other job.
This suited her and didn’t stress her out.
‘Mum says we have to go to college,’ Joni said.
‘She’s right. You’re smart girls so you should go and get a degree.’
‘Dad says we should follow our curiosity and do something we feel passionately about,’ Joni added.
‘To be honest, I didn’t feel passionately about hairdressing. It was the only job I could get when I left school early, but then I realized I was good at it, so I began to enjoy it.’
‘I want to be an influencer. They make tons of money and all they have to do is post content,’ Janis said.
Katie grinned. ‘Have you told your mum?’
Janis rolled her eyes. ‘Are you mad? I don’t have a death wish.
Imagine her reaction! “No child of mine is going to waste their education. You are going to college to get a good degree and find a job that pays well so you can support yourself and never depend on anyone for your finances, blah-blah-blah” … ’
Joni groaned. ‘She is literally obsessed with us earning money.’
Katie thought Melanie put too much pressure on the twins, but she understood where her sister-in-law was coming from. Frank was lucky to work in the family business, or who knew what he’d be doing or earning? ‘All mums want their kids to be secure, that’s all.’
‘I wish Mum would relax. She’s so tense all the time,’ Joni said.
‘And she’s always working. Always,’ Janis said. ‘Her phone is literally glued to her hand.’
‘I think it’s actually part of her hand.’ Joni giggled.
‘Totally.’ Janis laughed.
‘We hid it once because we were angry with her for missing our hockey match and she almost had a nervous breakdown.’
‘Yeah, it was insane.’
Katie slapped their arms playfully. ‘Don’t wind your mother up. She has enough going on. We all do.’
‘But you’re so chill and fun,’ Janis told her.
‘Yeah, you’re never grumpy,’ Joni agreed.
‘Yes, she is. In the mornings Mum can be very grumpy,’ Lucy said, from behind her book.
Thanks, Lucy.
Was she cranky? She didn’t think she was, maybe a bit impatient when she was trying to get them out of the door to school, but what mother wasn’t?
‘Our mum’s never there in the morning. She goes to work before we get up,’ Janis said.
Thank God Jamie had taken Toby home from the salon earlier. Katie had her hands full with this lot. Lucy had insisted on staying with her big girl cousins.
Katie decided to change the subject before she and Melanie were annihilated for bad parenting. ‘Right, let’s get you both ready.’ She handed them long black gowns to cover their clothes.
‘This is so cool. We’re so excited to be allowed highlights at last,’ Janis gushed. ‘And to have the whole place to ourselves!’
‘I can’t believe Mum caved,’ Joni said.
Janis snorted. ‘She only said yes to make herself feel better for missing parents’ night.’
‘True, but it turned out to be a result for us. I wonder what we can get from her if she misses the musical?’ Joni wasn’t one to miss an opportunity.
‘Now, girls, you know your mum works very hard. Sometimes us mums miss things that we really did want to attend.’
‘Like me getting a prize for the best essay,’ Lucy said, glancing up from her book. She was curled up in the couch at the far corner of the salon.
‘Well done, you!’ Janis clapped for her young cousin.
‘We knew you were a brain-box. Mum’s always banging on about how Lucy is such an advanced reader,’ Joni added.
‘Well, I am for my age.’ Lucy didn’t do modesty. ‘Mum was invited to assembly to see me getting the prize but fell back to sleep and missed it.’
The twins turned to Katie, who flushed.
‘Oooh, Katie, that’s bad.’
‘Well, to be fair, the night before I had been out late wining and dining one of Jamie’s big German publishers, so technically I was working, helping him and the agency.
’ Katie tried not to sound as defensive as she felt.
She knew she’d let Lucy down. She’d woken and almost thrown up when she’d seen the time.
Too much wine, and then they’d done shots and espresso martinis …
It had got a bit out of hand. Those Germans had liked to party.
Janis twirled a strand of her brown hair around her finger. ‘Mum and Dad never go out together. Do they, Joni?’
Her sister thought for a minute. ‘No, not really.’
‘I dunno how they ended up together. They are soooooo different.’
‘Opposites attract, hadn’t you heard?’ Katie told them.
‘You and Jamie aren’t opposites, and Ross and Amanda aren’t opposites. They’re a bit weird but kind of similar.’
‘Hey now, they are not weird.’
‘Yeah, they are, and so is Theo. He barely says anything.’
‘They’re just trying to settle back into life in Ireland. It’s not easy on any of them.’ Katie defended her in-laws.
‘I think Auntie Amanda looks sad,’ Lucy said.
‘Yeah, me too,’ Janis said. ‘Maybe Ross is mean to her. I heard Mum saying he was a pain in the arse in the office.’
Katie wanted to get off the subject of Ross. ‘Okay, what are we doing? Honey and caramel highlights?’
‘I want bleach blonde,’ Joni told her.
‘That’s not happening. You are not leaving here looking a state or I’ll have your mum furious with me.’
‘Come on, Katie, we want to look cool.’
‘It will be cool, and also gorgeous, without being too dramatic.’
Janis popped a Malteser into her mouth. ‘You are so nice to buy us treats too.’
Joni poured herself a Coke Zero. ‘You are the funnest aunt.’
To be fair, the competition wasn’t very high. Amanda was about as much fun as a fart in a spacesuit, but Katie took the compliment.
She poured herself a Coke and, pulling a bottle from behind the counter, tipped a splash of vodka into it.
Janis’s eyes widened. ‘Can we have some?’
‘Are you mad? Do you think I have a death wish? This is for me to unwind after a busy day, not for my fifteen-year-old nieces.’
‘Mum always has a few drinks to unwind,’ Lucy said.
‘Not a few, Lucy, just one. The twins wouldn’t want me getting sloshed and ruining their hair, now would they?’
‘No! We have a party on Saturday so we need to look hot.’
‘Oh, yeah? Any cute boys going?’ Katie loved the gossip.
Joni blushed. ‘Maybe.’
‘Joni fancies a guy called Kenny who’s going.’
‘What about you?’ Katie asked Janis.
‘No one I like-like. But I don’t know everyone going, so …’
‘Well, I’ll have to make you look even more beautiful than you already are with my magic.’ Katie giggled. ‘Let’s put on some music.’ She played Dua Lipa and turned the volume up. The twins whooped and danced around the salon, taking selfies every two seconds.
Katie went to the stockroom to mix some colours, taking her vodka and Coke with her. This was fun, her nieces were good company – it was like a little party.
‘Mum?’ Lucy came in behind her.
‘Yes, pet?’ Katie sang along to the song.
‘I can’t read this word.’
Oh, no. Katie’s blood ran cold.
Lucy pushed her book in front of her mother and pointed at a word.
Reign .
Katie stared at the word. The letters danced in front of her eyes. Oh, God. Okay, think, Katie.
‘Mum?’
‘Hey, you know what? Let’s see which of the twins says it first. It can be like a little test.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘No. I just want you to tell me, Mum. I want to finish the chapter. It’s so good.’
‘Ah, come on, Lucy Lou.’ Ignoring her daughter, Katie took the book and went out to the twins. ‘Right! Which of you two can tell Lucy what this word is first? Winner gets an extra packet of M&Ms.’
‘Reign,’ Janis shouted.
Rain? Katie looked at the letters. How the hell did they make that sound?
She never would have got it. Never. Lucy was only nine: how on earth would she be able to help her daughter as she got older?
If the twins hadn’t been there, what would she have done?
It was getting harder to fudge Lucy when she needed help.
How could a child who was so bright get ahead with a mother who was so stupid?
Katie went back into the stockroom and pulled a vodka bottle out from where the staff kept their Friday-night drinks supply under the sink. She poured a large quantity into her Coke, took a long gulp, pulled her shoulders back, forced her mouth into a smile and went back out with the hair dye.
Happy Katie, fun Katie … Distract and deflect like you always have .
She cranked the music louder. ‘Let’s get this glow-up started.’
Pressed into the corner of the couch, her daughter covered her ears and continued to read.