I pushed the glass door
it swung open
guy at the reception
greeted in a flourish
“Welcome Ma’am!
Could you wait a moment?”
I expressed dissatisfaction
“You confirmed the appointment
at eleven. So, why are you
making me wait?” I shouted
To assuage my feelings
he offered a cup of green tea
I accepted. Worked
Soothed nerves frayed

Ten…twenty…thirty minutes went by
angst inside kept rising like bile
was he testing my patience?
Casting off all niceties
sprung up and demanded
refund of the fees paid
That made him sit up
like Jack in the box
all attentive

“You see Ma’am we are short staffed. Some haven’t turned up. Please bear with us. Someone will soon give you a hair cut”.

Just then the power went out
plunging the salon in dark
Somewhere a chair scrapped
Someone screamed “bloddy hell! you nicked my neck”.

I felt wet
Buster was on my chest
on his hind legs
saliva dripping from his tongue
trying best to wake me up
with apologetic looks

had pooped
on the carpet

Snigdha Agrawal, a septuagenarian, is a writer at heart, still learning the art. Raised in a cosmopolitan environment, she has imbibed the best of the East and the West.  Educated in Loreto Institutions, under the tutelage of Irish Nuns, both at school and university level, her command over the English language is commendable.  She is a versatile writer, writing in all genres of poetry, prose, short stories and travelogues. An intrepid traveller, her travelogues can be accessed in her WordPress blog. She is a published author of four books of poetry and short stories. Her writings are widely published in online journals and anthologies. She lives in Bangalore (India).