Chapter 3: Return to Norwich

“I hope everything works out okay for you,” says Val to Izzy as Val leaves for the coach the next morning. “Look me up once you get released. You can reach me at Ted’s Pharmacy on St. Andrew’s Street.”

“Sure,” replies Izzy.

Val arrives back at her apartment on Sunday evening to discover that her flatmate became engaged at Christmas and she’s moving in with her new fiancé. She’s left two weeks rent in lieu of notice and moved out while Val was away. Finding a new flatmate at this time of year is going to be problematic, and Val’s finances aren’t up to covering the apartment’s lease payments on her own for more than a month or two. She needs another flatmate, or she’ll be forced to asked her parents for a loan.

Because of her later than expected return to Norwich, Val only has sixteen hours before she needs to report for work tomorrow morning. She’s lost the couple of days she had hoped to have to rinse out the purple colour from her hair. Now she needs to work on her hair for most of the night. Ted might be lenient when granting Val time off work, but he expects all his employees to conform to his dress code. Reporting for work with waist length purple hair is asking for trouble. Val begins to wonder whether her act of defiance has been worth all the hassle it caused.

Val reports for work the next morning with her hair neatly bound in a bun. It’s a hairstyle she dislikes, preferring to give her long straight hair the freedom of hanging loose, or in a ponytail if some form of restraint is necessary. Ted certainly likes to see her hair in a ponytail while she works. He says that it pleases the customers, although Val dismisses his claim as hogwash. But it suits Val to have her hair in a ponytail, so she never makes an issue of it.

There’s only the slightest hint of purple tinting to her normally brown hair. Either Ted doesn’t notice the colour change, or he decides not to make a fuss. He does, however, ask Val to redo her hair into its usual ponytail. If Val wanted any proof that Ted has a desire for a more intimate relationship with her, then his inappropriate request would provide ample ammunition. Nevertheless she complies with his wish. She’s likes Ted, but any form of romantic relationship is out of the question.

During her years at university studying to be a pharmacist, Val had dated several male students. While her sexual preferences lean heavily towards women, she doesn’t dislike the attention of men, or their company ... as long as they keep their cocks in their pants. Unfortunately, that meant her male friendships tended to be short-lived. By her third year of study, those around her had guessed her lesbian leaning, even though she never openly admitted it. Her quiet diffidence left her prey to some of the more predatory lesbian students, while male friends started giving her a wide berth. The overall experience taught Val to be very careful with whom she shared any intimacy. By the time Val graduated, she never spoke about her sexual preferences to anybody but her most trusted friends.

By mid-January, Val’s attempts at finding a new flatmate are going nowhere. According to several agents, there’s little prospect of finding Val a flatmate before spring. Val arranges to work extra hours at the pharmacy to provide her with some more income. However, Ted can only offer an additional three hours a week, so the boost to her finances is limited.

“There’s a young woman asking for you,” says Carla while Val is busy making up customers’ prescriptions. “At least I think she means you. She was asking for ‘Val, the purple haired chick’.”

“Hah! Yes. A private joke. Thanks, Carla. Please will you tell her that I’ll be there in a minute. I need to finish making up these prescriptions.”

Val is delighted to see Izzy so soon. Izzy looks very different with make-up and wearing regular clothes.

“You look different,” both young women say at the same time, prompting a bout of laughter.

“I’m due for my lunch break in twenty minutes if you can wait,” says Val. “There’s a café across the street where we can get something to eat.”