A Life Ever Changing

by Angel O'Hare

 

#7-Hold Your Hand

"I wanna hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand..." -- The Beatles

 

...Mrs. Brown then asked me if I was ready for my surprise? OH FRAPST!!!!...

The "napkin" man signaled someone and greeted Mrs. Brown and asked her how our meal was. She told him it was light and tasty. I just smiled! He told her that her car was ready and we left.

She then told me that normally we both would have gone to the facilities and freshened up after our meal. (Meal? She called that a meal?) I looked a little bewildered I think because she went on with, after a person takes refreshment they go to wash up and check to see that they look presentable.

"Like, wash their hands and comb their hair?" I said.

She chuckled and added, "Making sure they look as good as when they arrived."

"Ok," I said. I then thanked her for the "meal".

She smiled again as we got into her car.

I then mentioned, "I bet we're going to a barbershop."

She looked surprised and said no. (What? I thought for sure she had wanted me to at least get my hair trimmed.) She then said, "We are going to my salon. I do not frequent barbershops." (She said this while she laughed.)

OH SHOOT!!! A SALON! I asked her if this was the same as a beauty shop and she laughed again and said no, it was more complete in the services offered. She then added, "Gentlemen often go there as well."

I asked, "Why would a man go to a salon?"

She chuckled and only said, "YOU'LL SEE FOR YOURSELF, SHORTLY."

Oh No!!! (CRAP!)

We pulled up to a nice building and parked. She motioned for me to follow her and so we started up the steps and went through a thick wooden door. A brass plaque on the door said "The House of Elegance". I started getting very nervous again! We walked down a very nice carpeted hallway with several doors on either side. Each had something written on smaller plaques on each door. All the doors were closed.

We then arrived at "the door" and Mrs. Brown motioned for me to open it for her. I did and quickly. She smiled and we went in.

Immediately, a very stylish woman came rushing over to Mrs. Brown and greeted her warmly and with a light hug. Then she looked at me and said, "This must be Ricky." (OH FRIPSY!) "Well, let me get a look at you." She proceeded to give me the once over and said to Mrs. Brown; "We do have our work cut out for us with this one don't we!"

Mrs. Brown laughed and said that I had never been to a salon. Mrs. Brown introduced the lady to me as Lucy.

I said hello and Lucy asked me what I had tortured myself with? (What?) She laughed and said, "You're just a typical boy with no clue as how to take care of your personal grooming." She asked us both to follow her. She called Mrs. Brown Grace, and asked her if she wanted to attend. (WHAT?) Grace said of course and that she would not miss this for the world! Oh boy, I think I was in for the long haul here! What are they going to do with me? Sounded like more than a hair trim to me!

We walked back out into the hall and Lucy opened a door before I could read the little plaque! Well, once inside a young lady (real cute as well) smiled and said, "I am all ready for you Ricky." OH GEEZ! This was definitely all planned ahead of time and eventually I will figure it all out! The young lady introduced herself to me as Janet. She took me by the hand and led me to a small back room and told me to take off everything from the waist up. She then added to take off my shoes and socks and pants. When I was done with that to put on the smock hanging on the back of the door.

"Wait!" I said. "Why do I have to do all this for a hair trim?"

She laughed and I mean really laughed, Mrs. Brown (Grace) and Lucy came in then and asked what was so funny? They took one look at my face and started laughing as well. Janet stopped laughing long enough to tell Lucy that I thought I was here for a hair trim. Now all three were laughing again and I was getting a little upset! As well as being embarrassed, I started getting mad!

Lucy said, "Oh Ricky, calm down, you are going to enjoy yourself, trust me!" As she was telling me this she gave me a hug. Trust her? I don't even know her! Well, she said that I was going to be spoiled and to just enjoy all the pampering I was going to get. "RELAX," she said and Janet again asked me to get ready.

Mrs. Brown looked at me and said, "Ricky just do as they ask and you will enjoy it honest!"

Ok. What the heck, At least this wasn't coming out of my wages. (Was it?)

I did as Janet asked and looked for the smock. Ok, light blue and it was long enough to cover everything with a little left over. I put it on and looked for a tie or snap. There wasn't any!

Janet asked me if I was ready yet and I told her that the tie was missing. She laughed again and told me it clipped on and she had the clips. Oh SHOOT!

I came out and she made an adjustment to the smock and clipped it into place. It was very loose the way she did it. But, I was covered and that was good! Janet gave me a pair of blue slippers, which were open at the back and the toes. She told me to come with her as she took hold of my hand again. GREAT! Out into the hallway wearing just this smock with Janet holding my hand like I was a little kid in danger of getting lost or running away. This with Lucy and Grace following close behind us both.

We came upon another door, which only said "Prep" on it. Into this room we all went and Lucy said that she would help Janet. Janet led me to a chair and had me sit down. I sat in the chair and stood back up very quickly. The clip was slipping! They all chuckled and Mrs. Brown showed me how to sit wearing just a smock. OH GEEZ!

I had to put both my hands behind my butt and sweep the smock as I sat. Ok, this worked, but it was weird! Janet was so helpful by re-doing the errant clip! Gee thanks!

Ok, there was this deep sink with a big half moon chunk cut out of it on the side. Janet tipped the chair back and my neck fit into the half moon! Oh, ok. She then proceeded to wet my hair and added something to it. Shampoo, I think. Ah, this felt good! She massaged my scalp and kept washing and rinsing my hair. I could get used to this! She then added something else and kept massaging my scalp and working it through my hair. This went on for some time and I was in heaven! She rinsed my hair again massaging all the while. Then she sat me up and wrapped my head in something that looked like a turban. Janet then asked me how that felt.

I told her I liked it.

They all smiled and chuckled and Lucy said; "I told you! Now trust us and just enjoy it."

"Ok." I smiled and said, "I will if everything feels like that!"

Janet turned the chair again and leaned me back again but not as far back. A table on rollers was brought next to me. She took off the turban and brushed out my hair straight back and down. She then put a weird sort of cap on my head, which covered just my hair and tied in the back. My forehead was exposed at the hairline. Then she started rubbing my face and neck with this sponge thing. She told me to keep my eyes closed. She kept rubbing in small circles with this wet sponge thing. She rubbed everywhere. My ears, behind them and my neck down to my shoulders and back again. My face was done several times. Then she must have taken something else to use because it felt different. Ah, this felt good! While Janet did that, Lucy took each hand and put them in what felt like bowls of warm water. Ah, this wasn't bad after all!

Janet told me I could open my eyes now and set the chair back up. My hands were still in the bowls. My face neck and even my ears felt clean and refreshed! Janet put something in her hands and moved her hands around. I guess to warm up what ever it was in her hands. She started massaging my face neck and ears with this cream. Ah, life was good!

Lucy took one hand out of a bowl and started on my fingernails. When Janet finished with the cream she washed her hands and took my other hand and started on the nails as well. Mrs. Brown just looked at me and smiled. I smiled back!

Well, the two ladies said almost on cue, "What a mess these nails are!" Lucy told me what she was doing and that I would have to start doing it myself and often! Ok, she told me after a bath or after a hand soak I was to clean under my nails with an "orange stick". Ok, It was a funny shaped stick with a flat end beveled on one side. The other end was like a sharpened pencil tip. She showed me how to clean my nails. THE CORRECT WAY!

Then she said she was going to clip them even and file the ends smooth. Ok, she showed me how to file them slightly rounded only filing one way, not back and forth! After that, she took this other thing that was soft and started rubbing it all over the surface of my nails. She said this was to smooth the roughness out. That done, she dipped my hand back into the bowl of warm water.

Then she did something that hurt a little bit. Not much but enough to know she was doing something. She told me she was trimming my cuticles. (My what?) She told me not to worry about it and that I would not be doing that. I would just be cleaning and then filing my nails. They would do the rest when I came back the next time. WHAT? Next time!

Lucy and Janet were done and they each had a bottle of something with a tiny brush attached to the cap. Oh no! "I don't want any nail polish!" I yelped.

I started to pull my hands away when Lucy told me it was a sealer and it was clear. She said I really needed it. They painted all my fingernails with this stuff and told me to wiggle my hands to help dry it quicker. Man did I feel weird doing that! My mom did this all the time! After a couple of minutes Lucy and Janet took my hands and painted the finger nails again! Lucy said this was a clear coat and it protected my nails and kept the sealer from wearing off to quickly. Oh CRAP! I had to do the hand wiggle again!

So now my hair was washed, brushed and, I was informed, conditioned as well. My face neck and ears were deep cleansed and nourished. All my fingernails were cleaned, filed, smoothed and my cuticles were trimmed. Add the sealer and polish! Oh CRAP! They were clear. But they were shiny!

Janet then gave me a hug and told me to go and enjoy the rest. The rest! Oh boy, what else could there be but a hair-trim now? Janet thanked Lucy for her help and said goodbye to Grace.

The three of us walked out and into the hallway again. To another door we went and Lucy opened it before I could read the plaque. This was a much bigger room and several ladies were sitting in chairs. They looked over at us and smiled when they saw me. Funny, I had not seen any gentlemen yet! These ladies in the chairs had their heads being filled with curlers by other women. I looked over at Mrs. Brown with what must have been a very worried look on my face. She chuckled and told me not to worry. That did not help!

Lucy led me to a chair of my own. I remembered to sweep the smock as I sat down. I did not want to flash these ladies! Lucy and Grace smiled as I did this! Oh GEEZ!

Ok, well two other ladies wearing work smocks came over and Lucy told them to give me the works. Mrs. Brown looked at her funny and Lucy said this part was on her. (What?) Mrs. Brown smiled real big then and Lucy said, "Grace, just have a seat over there and watch. This boy is going to be transformed!"

The two ladies looked at me and said "Ricky, just relax and let us do all the work."

I was very nervous! One lady took off my slippers and put both my feet into a large bowl of warm soapy water. The other lady wheeled a cart over and leaned the chair back. She took off the funny cap I had on my head. (Oh, the cap! No wonder the ladies were smiling at me!) She told me my hair was very full and baby fine and she wished she had my hair. It would be a pleasure to work with it. (Work with it?) The lady who had put my feet into the warm water came back and looked closely at my face. She smiled and told me I had wonderful eyelashes, but they needed a little combing.

I asked, "What?" She told me not to worry and she left. (I hate it when they keep telling me not to worry!) The lady combing my hair and parting it in different places asked Lucy what she wanted. (What she wanted? How about what I wanted?)

Lucy walked behind me and I felt her pull my hair up and into a ponytail. She said this is for work. Then she said I needed some body for when my hair was not in a ponytail. It should just fall and with a few brush strokes keep its shape. The lady then asked Lucy about length. Lucy told her to keep it long and to trim a minimal amount to get rid of the splits. (Whatever the "splits" were.)

Lucy asked Grace in one word "TEA?"

Mrs. Brown answered, "YES."

Lucy turned back and said, "Remember, BODY, lots of body!" With that said Lucy and Grace left.

"Ok Ricky my name is Gloria and this is Fran." Fran, the one who put my feet in the water, had come back. Gloria pressed on something with her foot and the chair moved a little. Fran then removed my feet from the bowl and wrapped them in a warm towel. It felt real good!

Gloria pushed on my chair and it started to move! She moved me to the other side of the room to a sink like the first one I had my head stuck into. I noticed the other ladies that had their heads covered in curlers were moved as well. They were put into another room, the door was closed but their heads were now covered with a hood and I heard a humming sound. Gloria tilted the chair back and my head was in a sink again! Fran had unwrapped my feet and she was sitting on a stool. Gloria started wetting my hair. Fran started massaging my feet.

I was in heaven again!

Gloria set me up not straight but at less of an angle. She started combing my hair with her fingers. Fran started cleaning my toenails! Gloria then took a comb with a long end on it and started to section my hair and pin it up with bobby pins! Oh GEEZ! Then she would take out a bobby pin and started cutting my hair! Ok, I knew this was coming. I just hoped she wouldn't cut it to short! I felt Fran cutting my toenails.

Gloria kept cutting and Fran kept at my toenails. Then Gloria stopped cutting and told Fran she would be back in about 10 minutes. Fran said she would be done by then. Fran told me just to lie back and relax. Ok. I think I fell asleep!

Gloria came back and my toes were being held apart by something in between each one. Gloria told me Fran would be back in a little while and she started moving the chair again. This time we ended up next to a wall of low shelves with a bunch of bottles and curlers in bins sorted by size. Oh, No!!

Gloria told me not to worry (Oh sure!) and that I was going to be a very handsome boy when she was through. Ok! Gloria then started sectioning my hair again. This time though, she started squirting some smelly junk in my hair! Fran came back and said "Oh, just in time I see."

Gloria dipped a hand in a jar of what looked like goop! Fran handed her a paper and Gloria put the goop in that section of my hair. Fran then handed her a curler! Oh No!! Gloria first put the paper on that section of my hair and then rolled the curler on it. Man, she wound that tight! I felt it pull real snug against my scalp! Then Fran gave Gloria a clip and she clipped the curler in my hair. This was repeated many times! It felt like the whole back of my head was wound up tight. Gloria told me I would just sit for a minute.

Fran came over with a pair of tweezers and looked closely at my face again.

"OUCH!" Fran started pulling hairs out of my eyebrows! "What are you doing?" I asked her.

She told me my eyebrows were too bushy and she had to thin them out just a little. She said she was making them even and neater looking.

I remembered my mother doing that and I told Fran, "I do not want my eyebrows looking like my mothers!"

She laughed and said, "I'm just thinning them and making them equal. I'm not sculpting them!" Ok. She finally stopped and then she had this thing in her hand that looked like a torturing device! In her other hand she had this little spiral brush.

"What's that for?" I asked

"For your eyelashes," she said.

I asked, "Why?"

She shook her head and just said, "Trust me." Not that again! (I would never trust another person as long as I lived!) Fran took that thing and told me to close my eyes and stay very still. I did not move a fraction! I felt it squeeze my lashes. Then she did the other side. When she was done she told me to open my eyes. She took that tiny spiral brush and brushed my lashes with it.

Gloria came back, looked and both Fran and she said at the same time "PERFECT!"

Fran then bent down and pulled out those things that were between my toes. Oh CRAP! My toenails were shiny now to! Gloria and Fran then wheeled me into the room and only one lady was in it. The lady looked at me and gave me a big smile. She motioned to Gloria and Fran like a question, "Is that him?" They both nodded. (Who else could it be! You see any of those other gentlemen around! GEEZ!)

That room when you are in it is noisy! Very noisy! They put my head under one of those super dryers. Man, was that hot! Thank heaven, I was only under it for a little while! I was wheeled out and told to stand up and stretch. Oh yes! I needed that. I needed a bathroom as well! I asked them where the men's room was and they started to giggle.

"What is so funny?" I had to pee!

Fran took me by the hand. (What is it with this hand holding stuff anyway?) She knocked on a door and then looked in. She took my hand again and led me inside. Hey, what is she doing in the men's room? She told me to go into a stall and sit to pee.

I asked, "What?"

She said if a lady came in she would not freak out if I sat to pee. Oh no! I was in the girl's bathroom! I quickly went into a stall. Closed and locked the door and sat to pee! Man, did I pee! Oh, that was good. I flushed and came out and went over to the sink to wash my hands. Fran told me to hurry and I did, just in time! As we were leaving a lady was entering! Whew, that was close. The lady looked at me and smiled. (Why is everybody smiling at me?) Maybe I am just being paranoid.

Ok, back we went to the room and Gloria. Gloria came over to me and sat me down in another chair. Yes, I remembered to sweep my smock with my hands! (I knew you were going to ask!) She started to take out the rollers and handed them to Fran who put them in a sink. The papers were thrown away. At last! The rollers were out and she started brushing my hair. Ah, that felt so good! Just then Mrs. Brown and Lucy came back.

Gloria finished brushing out my hair and then she sprayed the heck out of it with hair spray! She then took a portable hand dryer and blew dry the spray. Well, Fran, Gloria, Lucy and Mrs. Brown all said, "PERFECT!"

Just then Janet came in and said, "I knew it! He is just beautiful!" (Beautiful? Oh GEEZ!)

I looked around for a mirror. I needed to see what I looked like and I needed to do this quickly! Janet said, "Looking for a mirror?"

I said "Yes!"

She took my hand and led me out to the hall and back to her room. Ok! I looked in the mirror and it was not bad at all! Wow, my eyes looked different and bigger, my lashes were a little too full for my taste and my hair! Oh GEEZ! It was so full and wavy in the back instead of straight and lifeless. My eyebrows? They didn't look like my mothers, but you could tell they were "done". All in all it was cool.

Janet told me to change and I was very happy to do so! When I came out, changed into my own clothes again, Mrs. Brown and Lucy were there. I thanked Lucy and Mrs. Brown told me to go back and thank Fran and Gloria for their hard work. I did and they were happy and told me they couldn't wait for me to come back. (OH CRAP!) I went back and thanked Mrs. Brown as well.

Everybody was happy and Lucy gave me a wrapped present and told me to open it when I got home. I thanked her again and she gave me a hug. Lucy looked at Grace and said, "You bring Ricky back here once a month, okay Grace?"

Mrs. Brown chuckled and said, "He couldn't afford it."

I said, "I owe so much already!"

Lucy said "We will work something out, just come back here in one month's time and that's final!"

Mrs. Brown said, "Okay, make the appointment." OH NO!

Mrs. Brown then asked me if I was ready to go home? I said yes and she told me my mother was waiting for us. Oh CRAP! I just knew what was going to happen then...

 

How many of you have gone to a salon at 16 and received this type of treatment?

How many of you have gone to a uniform specialty store and have been treated as I was?

You see what it was like? Life was different back in 1969!

Angel

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Angel O'Hare. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.