Daughter of a Dixon ✔️

58: Welcoming Party

Before I had concluded my interview with Deanna, she had told us that she would be throwing a welcoming party for all the new guests at her home that night. So, a haircut was just what I needed to make a good first impression on the fellow Alexandrians.

Our new neighbor, Jessie, was a hair stylist, and she told us she had already cut Rick's hair, and would be happy to do ours as well. Also, she was the wife of the surgeon who would be co-training me, Pete. Jessie was a very nice woman, so I could only expect that Pete would have the same personality.

I allowed her to cut my hair down to about the middle of my back, since I still wanted to have long hair. I could tell a difference, though; my head felt much lighter, and the ends of my hair felt soft and orderly, although it still looked scraggly overall. But, Jessie took care of that; she was able to put it in a cute, messy bun for the party that night.

As for Lea, she only got a few inches cut off, and Jessie managed to pull off a messy bun for her, too. She was a really good stylist, and we were both really pleased with the outcome. We looked better than we had in a very, very long time.

We were sure to thank Jessie for the haircuts, and by the time we walked out of her house, it was nearly time for the party to start. The sun was setting in the town, and I was struck with another wave of amazement at the fact that we were actually there, in a safe place, a community.

Lea and I quickly ran back to the house and threw on some fresh clothes before trotting over to Deanna's house, excitement rushing through both of us.

When we walked in, we saw that it was full of congregating people; probably 85% of the community showed up, if I had to make a guess.

"Wow," I laughed, walking in and looking over to Lea.

"Wow is right... the last time I saw this many people, I was afraid they were going to eat me," she chuckled nervously.

I snickered, walking over to where a few members of our group were standing; Ben, Carl, and Glenn were among them.

"Hey, guys!" I said, walking up to them cheerfully.

"Hey!" Glenn said, taking me in a quick hug. "You look good; I like the bun."

I laughed, and told him, "thanks," nodding my head.

"So, what do you guys think of the party?" Lea asked, grinning.

"It's... nice. There's a lot of people, not really used to that," Ben said, looking around the room with curiosity in his eyes.

"Yeah, but, they're nice people... hopefully," Glenn said, scanning the room from left-to-right.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

We all turned around, and my mouth dropped slightly at the sight of Alex walking up to us. He looked like a new person; he had ditched the old, blue hoodie he usually wore, and replaced it with a red flannel. His curly hair was slightly controlled with what looked like water, and overall, he just looked happy.

"Dang, Alex, you clean up nice," I told him, nodding my head.

He grinned, and I heard someone clear their throat from the left side of me. I looked, and saw Carl looking at me expectantly, gesturing to himself.