She massaged my scalp and started talking immediately. Asked if I’m a mother. (I’m not). Asked what I do for work. (I don’t). So I asked her questions to stop hers. She answered while rinsing my hair. “I’ve a daughter, she worked for a PhD student. Attended classes, researched, wrote all papers for her. But it’s over.” “She graduated?” I asked, moving from the backwash to the chair. “No, no. My daughter only finished high school. The student graduated. Ceremony was beautiful.” She towel-dried my hair, then searched my eyes. “Maybe you’d consider a PhD? My daughter needs a job.”
Titi Kusumandari is an Indonesian writer based in Brussels, Belgium. She enjoys a good hair spa in Indonesia—just not the pitches.