A Great Day

By Dan Leicht

Bill pulled into the parking lot of his hairdresser around five. He’d had a rough day at work. Before getting out of the car, he sighed. The song playing was his father’s favorite, classic rock. It was a staple of every road trip his parents took him on when he was young. Back then, between the ages of six and sixteen, he’d grown tired of the song.

“This song again,” he’d say, rolling his eyes. A pair of headphones would find themselves over his ears so he could play his videogames in peace.

The song no longer annoyed him as it once did but instead reminded him of when times were simpler. His parents had recently retired and planned to visit him soon but being three states apart didn’t make it easy.

Ahead of his appointment at five-thirty, Bill sat in one of the chairs in the waiting room and pulled out his phone. He’d been reading a collection of mysteries on and off for the past month.

“Hey, Bill,” said his typical hairdresser, Ashley. “I’ll be with you in just a bit.”

“Take your time,” he replied, with a smile. “I’m halfway through a good mystery and hoping I can solve it before reaching the end.”

Ashley winked and smiled back. Bill always thought she had a beautiful smile. She returned her attention to the customer sitting in her chair.

The mystery was enough to distract him, for the moment, but the workday was still weighing heavily on his mind. It started out like any other, he showed up and switched his truck out for the work van. He drove to the first customer to help them set up their cable, easy enough. The second customer was more of the same, but the third was a different story.

There was nothing Bill could do to fix the technical issues at the third house. The customer, an old man with a frog in his throat, had little patience to begin with (Bill found this out right away when the man’s first words to him were “Took you long enough.”). Despite the greeting, Bill tried his best to get the man’s cable up and running again. The task, however, wasn’t as easy as the two before. Bill assured the man that someone else would have to come over, because he didn’t have the proper equipment in his van for such an intensive job.

When the rounds for the day were completed, Bill returned to the work parking lot to clock-out, only to find his manager leaning up against his truck.

“You got stuck with Edwards,” said his manager. “He called after you left.”

“I tried my best,” said Bill. “I didn’t have the right equipment.”

“I know,” said his manager. “I know. Edwards is one of those people who jumps online the second they don’t like something, and well,” his manager reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He showed it to Bill. “He doesn’t much like you.”

“What’s one bad review going to do?” He placed his hands on his hips.

“Nothing,” said his manager, “at least not any time soon. Still, I think it would be best if you took some time off. Just a week. Edwards will call in again, probably in the next few days with another problem, he always does. I think it’d be best if you weren’t on call, because if you are he’s going to insist you take his job, just so he can do this all over again.”

“Fine,” said Bill. “I’ll take a week off.” He brushed his hand over the back of his head. “I could use the break.”

***

The mystery unfolded as Bill continued to wait for his haircut. His eyes grew wide as the culprit revealed himself. The detective’s clues were too staggering.

“Bill,” said Ashley. “You ready?”

“You bet,” he replied.

“What’s on your mind that’s giving you such a big smile?”

“I’m just starting a weeklong vacation. Know anywhere I should checkout close by?”

“A weeklong vacation. I could sure use one of those. Close by?” She tapped the pair of scissors she was holding on her hip. “There’s a nice restaurant down the street. You ever been there?”

“The place with Gold in the name, right?”

She nodded.

He shook his head.

“No,” he replied. “I’ve always wanted to, though.” He looked at Ashley in the mirror. He always thought she was beautiful, ever since he first showed up to get his haircut two years ago after moving to the area. “Would you want to go with me? I’m going to have a nice new haircut and everything.”

“About time you asked,” she said.

Bill’s face turned bright red.

“I’d love to,” she added. “That grin on your face has gotten even bigger.”

“I’m just having a great day is all,” he replied.

🩷🩷🩷

Dan Leicht is a mystery, romance, and science fiction author living in Upstate New York with his wife Barbara and their mischievous tortie cat. He has a Bachelor's in Creative Writing from SUNY Brockport. His work has appeared in Black Cat Weekly, Sci-fi Shorts, 365 Tomorrows, The Kraken Lore, and Ripples in Space. You can find him online at danleicht.com and on Instagram/Threads @danleicht.