Soldiers' Wives by Fiona; Field Page A

doing that, she’s trying to get me through my BFT, but then I’m too knackered to chat. Honestly, even though we share a barrack room, we spend half our time communicating by text. In fact,’ she pulled her phone out of her pocket, ‘I’ve just had one telling me to meet her at the gym this evening again.’ Immi sighed. ‘I know she means well but I wish she wasn’t so sodding keen. I only need to pass my fitness test, not set some sort of world record.’
    â€˜So her phone’s not lost?’
    â€˜Lost? No, why should it be?’
    â€˜No, no reason.’ But Lee suddenly lost interest in his steak pie. Chrissie was blanking him. He just wished he knew why.

6
    Maddy sat in the upholstered plastic chair in front of the mirror in Zoë’s salon and gazed at her reflection. Then she raised her eyes to look at the hairdresser.
    â€˜So,’ said the woman who Maddy now knew to be Jenna, ‘just a trim, is it?’
    â€˜A bit more than that. Could you take a couple of inches off at least? I haven’t been able to get my hair cut for months.’
    Jenna picked up a clump of Maddy’s hair. ‘It’s a lovely colour, Mrs Fanshaw.’
    â€˜Thanks, and do call me Maddy.’
    Jenna grinned at her in the mirror. ‘Yeah, well,’ she leaned in and lowered her voice. ‘You have to be a bit careful round here. Some of the wives can be a bit snotty, if you know what I mean. Wearing their husband’s rank and all.’
    Maddy knew
exactly
what Jenna meant. ‘You don’t have to worry about anything like that with me, Jenna. I haven’t a clue how the army works – apart from having to move house constantly.’
    Jenna let Maddy’s hair fall again. ‘It’d be nice to
get
a house in the first place. Me and my Lee have been married for months now and we’ve still got nowhere to live. I’m still with my mum.’
    Maddy shook her head. ‘But that’s rotten.’
    â€˜Tell me about it. Anyway, best we get on…’
    Thirty minutes later Maddy’s hair was washed, dried, sleek, shining and cut into a flattering bob. For the whole time it had taken to revamp Maddy’s hair, the pair had chatted away like old buddies – their shared army experiences creating an instant bond; from their husbands’ duties to their worries about overseas tours, to the possibility of compulsory redundancies, to the attitudes of their fellow wives and to how they saw the next few years panning out, they ran the whole gamut. Finally, Jenna misted Maddy’s hair with spray.
    â€˜There, all done.’
    Maddy gazed at her new image. God, it was such an improvement. Whatever the cost, it was going to be worth it. And she’d made a new friend. All in all, it had been thirty minutes very well spent.
    Jenna held up a mirror behind her head so she could see how it looked from the back.
    â€˜Perfect,’ said Maddy happily. ‘You’re a miracle worker. Caro Brown said you were a star.’
    Jenna smiled at her. ‘You mates with Caro?’
    â€˜Neighbours. She’s looking after my baby, otherwise I’d have had no chance to escape for a bit of pampering.’
    Jenna glanced about her and then leaned in again. ‘I do home visits,’ she said quietly.
    Maddy nodded. ‘Caro said,’ she murmured back.
    â€˜She’s got my mobile number. Just give me a ring and I’ll pop round next time you need a trim.’
    â€˜Thanks.’ Maddy could tell from the way Jenna was keeping her voice low that her boss had no idea one of her stylists was pinching her customers but, glancing around, the place was pretty busy. And having Jenna come to the house would just make everything so much easier.
    She paid her bill, collected her coat and tipped Jenna. ‘I’ll be in touch,’ she said quietly, as she shrugged her thick mac on.
    â€˜Great,’ said Jenna.