When It Rains: The Umbrella Collection Read Free

asked as he reached his hand to the back of his head.
    “No big deal.  I’ll fix it,” I quickly stated with my eyes bulging out, even though I have no clue how I would unless I glued the hair back on. 
    “Nora. ”
    “Relax. Relax,” I said as I patted him on his shoulder.
    As Pops relaxed more in his chair, I got to work on his hair.  “So, what are you doing tonight?” Pops asked.
    “I don’t know. Skylar might come over,” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.   Skylar didn’t know about that, yet.  I haven’t spoken to her all day.  When I’m finish up here I’ll give her a ring and I know she would come over once I tell her the way I have felt.
    “Sounds fun.   Speaking of fun, um, Molly is going to be here any minute, so can you hurry up?”
    “You can’t rush perfection,” I said and took the attachment to the razor off and grabbed a larger one to replace it.   I began to shave and blend the hair in the back, but with my first movement I realized, since his scalp and tiny hairs were staring at me, that I grabbed a smaller one instead. “Uh oh,” I cried as I slowly backed away from another mishap.
      “ What? What happened?” he questioned as he stood up closer to the mirror, trying to maneuver his head to view his bald spot in the back of his head.
    “Um, do you know that sweet haircut that Marines have...Do you like it?” I slowly asked with a twisted face, scared, but already knowing, his answer.
    “Eleanora May Boutilier.  What the hell is wrong with you?”
    The thing with Pops is that he isn’t an angry man.  He being mad typically lasts for 30 seconds and it’s gone.  That was evident when he looked at my face which already had a half smirk upon it and burst out laughing.   I reached for the little mirror to hold it in front of him while he had his back towards the big mirror and he got his first glance at his almost naked spot. 
    We were in hysterics until he sat back down on the chair and asked, “So, how are we going to fix this?”
    “Eh, just shave it.” 
    Pops’  head turned very slowly towards me and there was a slight look of impatience that appeared on his face and then it was gone.  “That’s the only option we have, so shave it,” he said and my mouth molded itself into a smile.  Finally, I got what I wanted.  I happily switched the clippers on and began to cut the rest of his locks. 
    After a few minutes, he was bald, well, not completely.   He had, maybe, an eighth of an inch of his gray hair remaining.  As he looked in the mirror, I did notice a bit of a dip in the middle of the top of his head.  I refrained from saying anything purely for the fact I didn’t want to feel the wrath of his 30 second evil stare again.
    The doorbell rang, “Oh goodie, Molly is here.   She was probably looking through the window watching us, waiting until we were done,” I mumbled under my breath.
    Pops took off the towel that shielded his clothing and began wiping off the back of his neck, as I walked down the hall to open the front door to greet his guest.
    “Eleanora, h ello, sweetie.  How are you?  Where is your Grandfather?” she said.
    She didn’t give me a chance to respond or invite her in.  That didn’t stop her because she was already half way up the steps going towards his room.  She was wearing a dress whose color almost matched the pukey colored paint on the dresser. She’s a mousy looking older lady with shoulder length gray wavy hair that is never out of place, big ears, a pointy face, skinny, but a huge head.  Seriously, she looks like a bobble-headed mouse.  I’m not the biggest fan of hers, but I believe the feeling is mutual. Pops appeared beside me at the front door all ready to go and looking for Molly with a quizzical look on his face.  When he looked at me about to ask where she is, I just shrugged my shoulders and pointed upward.
    “James?   James? Where are you, honey?” Molly rang out while she walked throughout