4. Sarah
‘Hello? Mum? Are you here?’
Sarah walked into her parents’ townhouse, peeking through the jungle of indoor plants crowding the foyer.
‘Out the back,’ her mother called.
Sarah dragged her kit through the overcrowded living room, past the open plan kitchen, and through the massive bifold glass door out onto the back patio. The house was like one of those bohemian mood boards; all potted plants, colourful rugs, patchwork cushions, and beaded hanging things that Sarah couldn’t identify. A complete opposite of the display home they’d visited with its clean lines and beige colour scheme. The designer would probably have a heart attack if they saw what Sarah’s mother had done to it.
Her mother was sitting at the table with her tarot cards spread out in front of her.
Fran and Dave had moved into the townhouse only recently after selling the family home. Sarah hadn’t lived at home for years, and now that Gabe had moved out too, they hadn’t seen the point of keeping the large house. Gabe had now moved into Sarah’s apartment, much to her chagrin. It was a one-bedroom apartment, and it was awkward with Gabe camping out in the living room… not to mention all his dude-bro friends that stayed over. But at least her parents seemed happy. Her dad was retiring at the end of the year, and the new place meant he’d get to spend less time on maintenance and more time doing things he wanted to do. Sarah had heard plans of buying a motorhome and becoming grey nomads… she’d believe that when she saw it.
‘Did you wash your hair already?’ Sarah asked as she set her kit bag on the table and opened it.
‘Can you not see that I have it wrapped in a turban waiting for you?’ Fran said while looking at the spread of cards.
‘You wear a turban so often that it’s easy for me to be confused,’ Sarah muttered.
She wasn’t really mad at her mother, but it was her day off, and she would rather do anything else than cut her mother’s hair. Why Fran wouldn’t come into the salon to have it done, Sarah would never understand.
‘Is it going to be a good day?’ Sarah asked, snooping at the cards.
‘Hmm… I’m not sure.’
It was a spread of four cards: the Page of Cups, the Knight of Wands, The Lovers, and the Knight of Cups. Sarah had no clue what they meant, and she didn’t think her mother knew either. Fran fancied herself as a fortune teller, but she was only right about half of the time. That meant whatever these cards were saying, Fran had a fifty/fifty chance of getting it right.
‘I think it means you are going to meet a tall, dark, handsome… stranger?’
Sarah laughed. She couldn’t help it. Wasn’t that a clichéd line that all fortune tellers told their clients?
‘Wait,’ she said, suddenly realising what her mother had said. ‘Me? I’m going to meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger?’
‘Hmm… it’s the stranger part I’m not sure of,’ Fran replied, tapping the last card.
Sarah tried not to roll her eyes. She wasn’t a sceptic… but she wasn’t a true believer either. Her mother had been right a few times, but whether that was coincidence or her mother’s gift, Sarah couldn’t say. Even a broken clock was right twice a day.
‘I’m not interested in any tall, dark, handsome men, stranger or no,’ Sarah said, moving behind her mother and unwrapping the turban she wore. It wasn’t really the truth, and she had dreamed about him last night.
Sarah didn’t even want to think his name out loud. It felt far too much like she would conjure him out of thin air. Besides, he wasn’t even in the country, and there was no way her mother had pulled a tarot spread proclaiming his return into her life. It had been six months since he’d left, seven since that night in Byron Bay, and five months since he’d last spoken to her.
She couldn’t blame him… she hadn’t texted him either, but… but it was easier to blame him, especially when she missed him. It was easier to hate him than to admit she didn’t hate him… not even a little bit.
Fran’s hair was the same red as Sarah’s, although Fran needed a little chemical help these days to hide the grey. It fell in long, damp tresses down her back, and Sarah picked up her comb to start the detangling process.
‘Just a trim, honey,’ Fran said, still looking at the cards. ‘You took too much off last time.’
‘I needed to take that much off. Your split ends were out of control.’
It was a familiar argument, and it helped to pull Sarah’s wayward thoughts away from that man and to the task at hand.
‘You really should come into the salon,’ Sarah said, even though she knew it was a lost cause. But again, it was a familiar argument and a place where Sarah felt comfortable. Between the dream—the really hot dream—and the tarot cards, Sarah felt decidedly off-kilter.
It didn’t help that she knew exactly how accurate the dream had been.
‘I don’t want to take up space that could be used for a paying client,’ Fran said.
‘No, you’d rather I waste my day off,’ Sarah thought but didn’t say. It wasn’t worth upsetting her mother.
‘And this way, I get to see you,’ Fran went on. ‘I feel like I never see you these days.’
Sarah held back a sigh. Her mother might only be a mildly talented psychic, but she always knew where to aim the guilt grenades.
‘It’s been busy,’ Sarah said, keeping her voice calm and rational. ‘Opening a new business is hectic, and it seems this one has been even more chaotic than usual.’
She wasn’t lying. When Sarah had struck out on her own, she’d expected it to take a long time to build up the clientele. Ethically, she couldn’t take clients from her old salon, but they’d followed her anyway and brought new ones with them. Her old boss wasn’t happy, but Sarah had done nothing illegal. And it was no secret that a lot of the clients hadn’t been happy for a while. It was what had prompted Sarah to start her own business in the first place.
Fran pulled another card from the deck. It was The Devil, but it was upside down. Sarah did not like the look of that at all.
‘What’s that mean?’ she asked with trepidation.
‘It’s actually a good card, especially when it’s reversed.’
Sarah wasn’t sure about that.
‘It means… things are going to calm down for you,’ Fran said. ‘You are going to find some control and balance in your life and feel a bit more freedom.’
Okay. Sarah could get behind that. A little bit of freedom and a healthy dose of control would be great. Things had been so out-of-control with the salon opening that she didn’t know which way was up most of the time. A full night’s sleep without Theo appearing naked in her dreams would help too.
Dammit!
She’d said his name. She expected the sky to rumble with thunder, but nothing happened. The sky was clear, and the birds were singing. There was no sudden appearance of Theo Park with his perfect abs, cheeky smile, and well-groomed eyebrows.
Dammit! As much as she protested about not wanting to see him, she really did.
‘Ow,’ Fran complained.
‘Sorry, sorry,’ Sarah said, untangling the comb from the knot.
‘Are you okay, honey? You seem… distracted.’
‘I’m fine. I’ve just been so busy, and I’m not sleeping?—’
‘Oh, have you tried melatonin… is that what it’s called? I’ve heard it’s great for sleep.’
‘No, I haven’t. I think you need a script from the doctor for that.’
‘Do you want me to ask my herbalist friend? I’m sure she has some great non-pharmaceutical remedies you can try.’
‘Sure, Mum.’
Sarah probably wouldn’t try any of the remedies, but it was no use arguing with her mother. It was just easier to agree with her and hope she forgot about it.
‘So, is it just the business keeping you awake, or is there something else?’
‘Something else, like what?’
‘A man, maybe?’
‘I don’t have time for a man.’
‘There’s always time for a man, honey. You need to keep your body happy, or nothing goes right. It’s like what I’m always telling your father?—’
Sarah groaned. She did not need to know about her parents’ sex life, and she really, really, didn’t want to discuss her own sex life––or the lack thereof––with her mother.
Oh… that’s why she’d been dreaming of Theo. She hadn’t been with anyone since he’d left. She was frustrated. Not pining. Definitely not pining.
‘TMI, Mum,’ Sarah said, cutting her mother off before she could say any more.
‘I’m just trying to help.’
‘I know, and I love you for it, but…’
‘But?’
‘But I just don’t have time right now. Maybe in a couple of months when things settle down.’
‘I’ll hold you to that.’
‘Why does that sound like a threat?’
‘No threat, but I do know someone whose son would be a perfect match for you.’
‘No, Mum, just… no.’
‘Never say never,’ Fran muttered, and Sarah clenched her teeth so she didn’t say something she’d regret.