Victoria Petrovna entered the newly opened hair salon in her neighborhood and shook her head in surprise.
“How cozy and beautiful it is here!” she thought, looking around. The walls were adorned with paintings of beautiful model girls with various hairstyles, mirrors sparkled with cleanliness, and comfortable, expensive chairs invited one to sit down and enjoy the rest.
“Sweet girls,” Victoria Petrovna said, addressing the hairdressers, “is there a free master? I need a haircut and to dye my hair.”
The masters exchanged glances and sneered contemptuously, examining the thin, gray-haired woman in a simple coat and worn boots. She looked quite pitiful, only her intelligent eyes brightened her wrinkled face.
“What exactly do you want?” asked a hairdresser named Alena.
“I’d like a haircut,” Victoria repeated, showing a magazine page she had brought with her.
Alena laughed loudly and turned to her friends, inviting them to mock the old lady’s desire.
“But you saw what kind of haircut she wants!”
“Firstly, it’s a youthful haircut, meaning for the young. Secondly, have you seen your hair? Thin, gray. A couple of snips and there’s no hair left,” another hairdresser added, continuing to laugh. “And thirdly, such a haircut won’t suit someone so thin. And do you even know how much it will cost? Probably your entire pension.”
“But that’s okay, I have money,” Victoria Petrovna said quietly.
“I’m about to die of laughter!” Alena continued. “How old are you, grandma? Can you even hear me? Or decided to rejuvenate so late?”
Victoria Petrovna blushed and quietly said, “Well, no, my husband has been gone for over fifteen years…”
“With such a haircut, are you trying to snag a new husband? Decided to shake things up,” another girl laughed, finishing a client’s haircut.
Victoria Petrovna realized that no one here would help her. She lowered her head and left the beautiful, but unwelcoming salon.
Walking through the square, she turned onto a small street and saw a tiny hair salon with two chairs.
“Hello, did you want to get a haircut?” asked a young woman with a simple, open face.
“Yes, my dear,” Victoria Petrovna replied shyly, expecting mockery here too. But the hairdresser seated her in a chair and smiled: “Well, tell me, how shall we cut it?”
“I have this magazine,” Victoria Petrovna said, flustered again. “It’s, of course, youthful, but maybe something similar can be done.”
The hairdresser took the magazine and carefully examined the picture. Then, setting it aside, she said, “You know, this model would suit you very well. I suggest dyeing your hair. We can make the gray a noble shade. If not, let’s choose a color from the catalog. And don’t worry, it won’t be very expensive, and you’ll like the result.”
“Thank you, dear. And today is my anniversary – 70 years. I just wanted to treat myself!” Victoria Petrovna exclaimed joyfully.
“Oh, congratulations! I wish you more health, and don’t worry about the beauty, everything will be fine,” the hairdresser replied cheerfully.
“What’s your name, dear?” Victoria Petrovna asked.
“Katya,” she answered and began working.
Three hours later, a happy Victoria Petrovna, beautiful and well-groomed, walked down the street, enjoying the warm spring day. Her mood was excellent, and she felt much younger than she actually was.
“How grateful I am to Katya with magic hands!” Victoria Petrovna thought. She had inquired about the hairdresser’s life and learned that Katya had moved to the city from the countryside.
“We live alone with my son, but he’s in kindergarten now,” Katya had shared.
“Do you have a husband?” Victoria Petrovna asked.
“Had,” Katya sighed. “But he left…”
“What do you mean?” Victoria was surprised.
“It’s simple. We lived with Vladislav for seven years, had a son. I cared for his mother, and he worked in the north. His mother was seriously ill and eventually, I buried her. It seems something unpleasant just came back to me…” Katya fell silent.
“What is it, Katya?” Victoria Petrovna couldn’t hold back.
“Nothing,” Katya replied sadly. “Vladislav once said he had another family in the north and wouldn’t come home…, and instead of kicking me and the son out, he decided to sell the house. Now I’ve moved to the city with my son and rented a small room.”
Victoria Petrovna listened sympathetically to her story, and soon they both delved into memories.
Suddenly, someone called out to the old lady: “Victoria Petrovna, is that you?” She turned around and saw a beautiful, well-groomed woman approaching. It was one of her favorite students – Anna Volkova.
“Anya, my dear!” Victoria Petrovna was delighted, hugging her former student. “How beautiful you’ve become!”
“I haven’t seen you for a hundred years, how are you?” Anna asked.
“All good, living a little. How are you?”
“I’ll stop by the store to buy something for the table. Come visit me if you find the time,” Victoria Petrovna offered.
“I have a better idea. My salon is nearby, I need to stop by. Come with me,” Anna said.
“And while I’m at it, I’ll order dinner at a restaurant and would love to sit with you, especially since we haven’t seen each other for so long,” she added.
Agreeing, Victoria Petrovna nodded. But her smile faded when she approached the salon from which she had been ejected.
However, seeing Anna, all the workers stirred, looking into the eyes of the salon owner and her companion, not recognizing the old lady at first.
“Look, Victoria Petrovna, this is my salon,” Anna boasted, “now I have my own business.”
“The salon is nice,” Victoria Petrovna nodded. “But the people working in it are bad. You can’t rely on them.”
“Thank you, Anya, but I’ll go. I don’t want to spoil my mood again,” Victoria Petrovna replied.
“Wait, Victoria Petrovna,” Anna looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand anything.”
“I’ll explain,” Victoria Petrovna raised her gaze to her, then scanned everyone who had offended her. As the old lady recounted her story, they lowered their heads. Anna’s face was aflame with indignation.
“Forgive me, Victoria Petrovna,” she said. “Now please come to my office. I’ll sort everything out.”
When the door closed behind the old lady, Anna turned to her employees: “You’re all fired. My salon is the best in the city, and the salaries here are much higher than in other hairdressers. But you don’t deserve them. I don’t want to see you here tomorrow.”
Everyone understood. Now Alena and her friends were not in the mood to laugh.
But Victoria Petrovna had a surprise waiting for her. She had managed to invite classmates, and the dinner at the restaurant turned out to be noisy and fun. Everyone celebrated Victoria Petrovna and congratulated her on her anniversary.
The next day, Katerina moved to work at Anna’s salon with a very decent salary. And closer to the evening, Victoria Petrovna came and said, “Well, Katya, it turned out that I have no children or grandchildren, and no one to leave an inheritance to. Move in with your son to live with me. You’ll be like a daughter to me. No need to pay for housing, you’ll look after me, and then the apartment will stay with you and your son.”
Katya just gasped and her eyes filled with tears, and Victoria smiled: “I always dreamed of having such a daughter.”