Worth a Thousand Words by Stacy Adams Read Free Book Online

run back there and check with Eboni and Carlotta. She just wants a single braid?”
    Indigo nodded.
    Yasmin walked over. “I can do that and earn some money for the mall. When does she want to come in?”
    “This is a reputable place of business, Yas,” Indigo said.
    Yasmin put a hand on her bony hip and struck a pose with her lanky frame. “Like I said, I can help if she wants to come in. I can braid and do a few other things. Aunt Melba knows I’m into fashion, so she taught me how to create several hairstyles to complement whatever look I’m aiming to achieve. Plus, I braid the neighborhood kids’ hair all the time. You know that.”
    Indigo paused before returning to the caller.
    “Ma’am, we don’t regularly offer braiding, but we have a teenager here this afternoon who’s skilled at it, and she’d be willing to assist you. If you’d prefer a professional, we fully understand. If you still want to come in, Yasmin will be here for a couple of hours.”
    Indigo grabbed a pen and scribbled some information on a notepad. “Okay, we’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
    When a striking café au lait young woman strolled into the foyer a short while later, Indigo, Rachelle, and Yasmin fell silent. Her thin black hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders and clearly didn’t require the perms that were typically applied in African American salons.
    “Hi. May we help you?” Indigo asked, remembering that people occasionally walked in without appointments to inquire about the salon’s services.
    Her thoughts turned to the conversation with Ms. Harrow, about how she had once stumbled into Hair Pizzazz by mistake, thinking it serviced people with her hair type. She wondered how this woman, who was clearly of mixed heritage, would respond.
    “I called earlier and made an appointment with Yasmin to get my hair braided,” she said.
    Indigo tried to mask her surprise. “You’re Nizhoni?”
    The woman smiled and nodded. “Yep, that’s me. And yep, I want to get this long, beautiful hair washed, brushed, and pulled into one braid. Can the young lady you mentioned do it?”
    Yasmin had made herself comfortable on the red sofa in the center of the lobby. She walked over to her potential customer and smiled.
    “Hi, I’m Yasmin.” She studied Nizhoni’s hair. “Mind if I touch it to see how thick it is?”
    Nizhoni nodded. “Go ahead. I’m part Navajo and part African American, but it’s more curly than thick.”
    Indigo contained her smile as she watched Yasmin run her fingers through Nizhoni’s ringlets. She saw glimpses of Aunt Melba in how her baby sister connected with this young woman and in how seriously she was taking this assignment.
    Yasmin stepped back and spoke formally to Nizhoni. “Your hair texture is very soft, but if you don’t mind me weighting it down with hair lotion, to help the braid stay firm, I think I can pull it off. It will be long though, all the way down your back.”
    “I know,” Nizhoni said. “When I sit down, I’ll have to flip it over my shoulder. But that’s okay. I just need it braided.”
    Indigo quoted her a price and looked to Yasmin. “Do you want to wash her hair or get Carmen to do that?”
    Yasmin shrugged. “I’ve been a shampoo girl, you know. Aunt Melba called me sometimes when she was shorthanded. I’ll do it all. It won’t take me long.”
    She led Nizhoni to the back and left Indigo and Rachelle alone.
    “That was interesting,” Rachelle said. “Wonder why she wants to braid her hair, and in one braid at that?”
    “I don’t know,” Indigo said. “But it’s great to see Yasmin stepping up and helping out. The way that girl keeps her room at home, Mama would be shocked. All she does there is watch those TV shows about models, read fashion magazines, and watch her weight, even though she’s barely ninety-nine pounds soaking wet.
    “She’s been asking me to take her pictures so she can visit me in New York and stop by some of the top modeling