Caroline hated coming into the salon for one client. She didn’t like spending thirty minutes driving each way, totaling to an entire hour of her day. To make matters worse, her client had scheduled their appointment at one in the afternoon, smack dab in the middle of the day. It basically meant that her entire day was shot. The thing she hated most about the whole situation is that most of her colleagues would’ve declined the appointment, but Caroline could not do the same. She needed the money. Desperately.

When Caroline reached the salon, she pinned back her hair and waited for her client to arrive. She waited, and then she waited some more. About forty minutes had passed before she had decided to leave. Just as she turned towards the door, she heard a familiar voice.

“I have an appointment today,” it said in a disinterested tone. “It was for Pericia, at one in the afternoon for a cut, a color, and a style.”

“Oh, you must be the one who Caroline has been waiting for,” my colleague exclaimed. “Her station is right to the left.”

Caroline had been waiting for Pericia. She had not been waiting for her to come into the salon. Caroline had been waiting for an explanation.

“Pericia,” Caroline said, surprised. “It’s funny running into you here.”

“Can’t a girl get a haircut,” Pericia responded.

“I do need the money.”

“I know, I wouldn’t have bothered scheduling this appointment otherwise.”

Then, Caroline went to work on Pericia’s hair in silence. She decided to ignore Pericia altogether, only focusing on her hair. Caroline colored and cut Pericia’s hair, and then she began to style it.

“Can you braid the front?” Pericia asked.

“As long as you don’t look at my face,” Caroline replied.

“Humor me, darling, why ever not?”

“Don’t call me darling, darling. You don’t want to see the tears.”

“I’d like to dry them.”

“Is that why you enjoy making me cry?”

“I don’t enjoy stealing from you, or leaving you alone and completely helpless in the middle of the city if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Then why’d you do it.”

“I was forced to.”

“I know, but I’m still going to sue you and you know it.”

With that, Pericia walked out. She didn’t pay for her haircut. Caroline didn’t feel remorse for refusing to forgive her. Even though she had grown quite fond of the girl, it was just business. Sometimes desperate people do desperate things. Sometimes those things include hiring other people to threaten your rich friends into robbing you and leaving you to die so you can sue them out of their life’s savings.

It’s just survival of the fittest.