She requests this without a word
stepping from the bath
hair still wet
droplets darkening the shoulders of her robe.
She sits in a chair facing the bedroom window
eyes closed, hands in lap and 630 sun on her face
I comb out her brown waves with only fingertips
~down and away~
until it is almost dry

I scrub her scalp, when I'm done
She reaches for my hands, when she's ready to start