Serenity said her final goodbyes and left. The first thing she did when she got home was kick off her shoes. The hat had come off the moment she hit the car, reminding her why she never wore them. Those things were hot. She ran her hands through her braids and noted she needed to schedule an appointment to get them redone. She had started wearing them two years ago, after tiring of weekly salon appointments, relaxers, and bad hair days. Sure, it was an all-day affair, but only once every two months, and she could go from business to casual to elegant in a matter of minutes. Of course, she normally left her hair down for about a week or two in between getting new braids, but with the weather warming up, she didn’t want to deal with it for the moment. Also, Vonda had such a soft touch and had perfected the art of braiding without causing so much stress on her natural hair, Serenity felt she’d be okay to skip it this once.

She changed into shorts and a T-shirt, then called the salon. Her stylist didn’t have an appointment available for three weeks.

“I know you can’t get in here during the week, so I tell you what, I’ll come to your house on Sunday.”

Serenity’s disappointment turned to delight. “Tomorrow? I love you, girl! And I’ll cook.”

Vonda let out a little whoop. “Yes, honey. Will ten work? It’ll take about six or seven hours if you want something similar to what we did before.”

“Yes, it will, and I’m thinking about keeping it the same, and maybe doing the braids a little bigger. I appreciate you.” It would take her a good three or four hours to take it down, then wash and deep condition her hair tonight.

“Hmph. And I appreciate that good food I know I’m going to get. See you tomorrow.”

Laughing, she ended the call. It rang again almost immediately, and she smiled upon seeing Natasha’s name on the display. “Hey, Tasha.”

“Hey, girl. Open up. I’m at the door.”

She jumped up and made her way to the front door. “On my way.”

As soon as Serenity opened the door, Natasha said, “So, what’s up with Gabriel cutting your grass? I thought Top Lawn did your yard.”

Serenity just shook her head and stepped aside to let her friend enter. “I thought so too, but all of a sudden, they keep canceling five minutes before they’re supposed to be here.” They walked back to the family room and sat on opposite ends of the sofa. “Gabriel happened to overhear the call and he was already outside doing his own, so he offered to help me out. ‘Just being neighborly’ is how he put it.”