She was wearing an oversized hoodie with the hood pulled tightly around her head.
“Why are you wearing that? It’s warm outside.”
“I’m cold,” she said quietly.
Something about her voice immediately concerned me.
As she climbed the stairs, I noticed several tiny strands of chestnut hair caught on the black fabric of her hoodie.
I followed her upstairs.
She was sitting on her bed with her knees pulled toward her chest.
“Emily, honey, what’s wrong?”
“Mom, please.”
I sat beside her and gently lowered the hood.
I froze.
Her long hair was gone.
She now had a short, uneven haircut.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t find the words.
“Who cut your hair?”
Emily looked down.
“Ask Grandma.”
“Why? What happened?”
She shook her head.
“It’s not my story to tell.”
Then she started crying.
I hugged her and tried to reassure her, but I was confused and frightened by how upset she was.
I called Linda.
When she answered the door a short time later, I demanded an explanation.
Linda looked emotional, but she didn’t become defensive.
“I didn’t hurt Emily,” she said. “And I didn’t make this decision for her.”
“Then what happened?”
Linda took a deep breath.
“There is a school concert tomorrow evening. You need to come.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I know. But Emily needs to tell you herself.”
I was frustrated.
“What could possibly be so important that she had to cut off all her hair?”
Linda looked at me carefully.
“If I explain it now, you’ll focus on the haircut. You need to understand why she made the choice.”
I didn’t understand.
But something in her expression told me there was more to the story.
“Please come tomorrow,” she said. “And this time, be there for her.”
Her words stayed with me all the way home.
The following afternoon, Linda arrived to pick Emily up for the concert.
I watched them leave.
Emily was wearing a knit hat even though the weather was warm.
After they drove away, I noticed her purple backpack sitting near the stairs.
I picked it up, intending to take it to the car.
Then I noticed a crumpled piece of paper near the bottom.
