#gen ortiz : 002.

[farrahfields]

with gen ortiz @  beauty and the beach salon , tuesday afternoon.

beauty  and  the  beach  salon  wasn't  exactly  the  first  place  that  farrah  had  envisioned  for  herself  to  get  her  hair  done.  in  fact ,  under  normal  circumstances ,  she  would  have  opted  for  one  of  the  more  popular  salons  she  had  frequented  over  the  years ,  places  where  she  felt  a  sense  of  comfort  and  trusted  the  expertise  of  the  stylists.  however ,  she  was  in  briar  ridge  now. ,  and  after  the  devastating  hurricane  had  ravaged  not  only  parts  of  downtown  but  also  left  her  hair  looking  like  a  hurricane  disaster  zone  itself ,  farrah  found  herself  with  no  choice  but  to  make  an  appointment  at  this  small ,  relatively  unknown  salon  for  her  standards.

as  she  walked  through  the  door ,  farrah  allowed  herself  a  moment  of  reflection.  she  had  to  admit ,  despite  her  reservations ,  that  it  was  an  undeniably  cute  space.  the  decor  was  charming ,  with  a  soothing  colour  palette  and  decorative  details  that  hinted  at  a  beach-y  vibe ,  which  immediately  put  her  at  ease.  yet ,  despite  the  inviting  ambiance ,  she  knew  that  her  sense  of  comfort  could  quickly  dissipate  the  moment  she  sat  in  that  chair ,  especially  since  she  wasn't  surrounded  by  the  familiar  faces  of  her  usual  stylists.

❛ hi ,  i’m  here  for  my  2:30  appointment ,  last  name  fields, ❜  she  said ,  her  voice  slightly  curt  as  she  approached  the  reception  area.  she  hoped  that  the  experience  would  turn  out  to  be  positive ,  despite  her  doubts.  just  as  she  finished  her  introduction ,  a  flash  of  recognition  sparked  between  her  and  the  stylist  waiting  for  her.  ❛ oh.  i  know  you , don't i ? ❜  farrah  questioned ,  her  eyes  narrowing  slightly  as  she  made  the  connection  with  a  pretty  brunette  standing  before  her.  ❛ you  were  with  me  at  the  school ...  gen ,  right ? ❜

[farrahfields]

since the moment their paths crossed amidst the chaos of the hurricane, genesis has consistently demonstrated kindness toward farrah. and it was a simple kindness. nothing overdone. honest. this gesture was particularly significant for farrah, who has spent too much time in the company of individuals whose smiles were warm and friendly, but whose intentions were far from genuine. she had seen the duplicity behind cheerful faces and hollow words, learned from experience that kindness could be a mask for more nefarious feelings. in her attempts to navigate through such treachery, farrah had once tried to adopt a similar strategy — killing people with kindness, as the saying goes. however, she soon found this facade unfulfilling ; it was a game that felt unauthentic and ultimately left her ... let's say dissatisfied. as she settled into the first chair that genesis had pointed out. ❛ a bottle of water is fine. thank you, ❜ she said. it was comforting to know that with genesis, there would be no pretence, only the openness of genuine interaction. ❛ tell me a bit about yourself, gen. ❜ farrah insists as the woman came back with the bottle of water and takes it. ❛ we survived a hurricane together and i don't know a thing about you. doesn't that seem wrong ? ❜

As a hair stylist, Genesis had grown rather used to clients coming and going. She had her regulars, which were comfortable and easy to talk to, but they rarely offered her fresh ideas. It was always the same cut, same colour or tone, and quite frankly; the same ten topics of conversation. Although she was always a little nervous to meet a new client, the stylist was always just as excited to get them into her chair and work her magic on them.

As the brunette entered the salon, Genesis glanced up from her appointment log, a bright smile gracing her lips. "Farrah! I should have known. It's not every day I hear your name. Come on in and make yourself comfortable in the first chair over here. Can I grab you a bottle of water or some coffee? Then we can chat about your hair goals and what you're looking to have done today, since I know it's your first time at the salon."