BEFORE & AFTER FEBRUARY 18, 2013
There it was, Valentine’s Day, and I was off to the Beauty Salon for my appointments with Sabrina and Gail. The minute I walked in, Sabrina took one look at the pony tail, and shrieked at the top of her lungs: “That pony tail has GOT TO GO!” (see last week Checking in to Beauty Shop Feb. 11, 2013)
I replied: “Okay, okay, awright, awready, don’t panic.” then I grabbed the cap off my head, and of course, the pony tail came right off with the cap. (Someone had given me that cap on my 80th birthday — which was eons ago)
You know what I couldn’t believe? Well, it was because some of you out there in my fan land who haven’t seen me lurking about for the past 6 months or so, really thought the pony tail was for real.
I climbed up into her haircut chair, and asked: “So what are we going to do today?” She showed me with a few motions with scissors, and how she would poof it up. So I told her to go ahead, after all, Sabrina is the artiste. So away she went, snip, snip, cut, cut, and in no time at all it was done. It felt a lot better, and looked even better.
That hair of mine was the longest it had ever been in my entire life. When I was a kid, it was a bob with bangs. ‘Most kids wore their hair that way, and I just kept on, while others changed the style to match the times.
Then it was time for Gail to give me the pedicure. I went to her station, climbed up onto her “lounge” chair, took off my sandals, and she took one look at those nails. I gotta hand it to her — she did not screech, but was just very quiet with a fake smile on her face. She had the foot tub all ready to go with warm water and the jets on, and as she placed my feet in the tub, I could mind read every thought that was going through her brain. I could tell she was secretly wishing that the jets would just grab my feet and suck them right on down the drain into the sewer pipes and end up ‘way out in the deep blue sea maybe as far as Hawaii, but not close to any ship lanes. Then she could wash her hands of the whole scene.
She had to grin a little bit, and definitely had to bear it, away she went with the nippers, and the scissors, and the cuticle tool. I kept saying “Ouw” as quietly as I could. You can imagine how those toe nails had been doing their own thing – not only growing in length but also growing into the cuticle, maybe the skin, even the bone. Ouch!
I lived through it, and when the toes were looking pretty spiffy once more, I sat there in the chair, Sabrina was having a lull so came over to join Gail and me. I had taken last Monday’s story “Checking into Beauty Shop” to each, and we laughed and scratched over the story, then just enjoyed one another’s company. I didn’t get home until almost 5PM. The Warden was just picking up the phone to call the shop. I had been gone since 2PM. I would even begin to worry about myself at that point, but I enjoyed every minute. It was one of the nicest Valentine Days I have experienced in all those other 94. (I shouldn’t make that statement because I can’t remember at age 1, 2, and maybe 3, and they may have been real hum-dingers.)
Someone out there in fan land wanted pictures of before and after, so here they are: Before is last week’s picture with my pony tail cap (or if I am acting like Willie Nelson) then the After of the Hair, and After of the toes.)
As of this moment, have to tell you that I am sitting here trying to type this story — at the usual 80 wpm — the time is 4:45 pm Sunday, and no cocktail has been set on the desk beside me, then I recall the Warden is moonlighting on a plumbing job in one of the drains, so I had to get up, and go back to being a Bartender. I haven’t lost my touch, but I will keep it a secret. I wouldn’t want to upset the Warden’s daily routine.
Here’s to more Valentine Days!
MELITAS FORSTER
(unfortunately Melitas was unable to send pictures at this time!)
