Summer in Paris, year 2001
Soon school was over. My friends decided to escort me to this new, rising salon to get my hair trimmed and styled out of my messy look.
"Trust me, my mom gets her hair trimmed here every month. For a picky customer, she's becoming a regular here for the past couple of months. That's how I knew that this place will live to your expectations." Lucille smiled.
We arrived at the corner of the street, turning left to the place. Lucille opened the door for us.
A masculine voice greeted.
"Bonjour, welcome to Madame Bleu's Salon."
We stopped in our tracks.
It was him, with that unmistakable long blond hair. He wore a black apron over his brown slacks and white polo with rolled-up sleeves.
Renée came up to me from behind, whispering.
"That's not Mrs. Fleur's hairdresser..."
At that moment, it felt natural to exit the place and run away. But at the same time, I found myself rooted on the floor.
I didn't want to embarass him in front of my friends. Besides, I'm the one looking for a haircut, not them.
So... I took a step forward.
"Bonjour, I'd like to get my hair trimmed, please."
I can only guess from the corner of my eye that the girls may have gaped at what I have done, but they followed me and said nothing more.
With a graceful sweep of his hand he then gestured me to take my seat on a chair. His blue eyes were unexpectedly kind, which eased my nerves.
It's not everyday I get to witness a prince cut my hair.
As my friends sat back at the waiting area, he covered me with a white cloth and pinned it behind my neck in a single, fluid motion.
"What kind of style would you prefer?"
"Uh..." I began, realizing I didn't exactly think this through. "Actually just a trim would suffice, but I also wanted to try a new style."
He picked up a book at the counter in front of the large mirror and flipped through it for a while before taking a pair of scissors with a black comb.
"Don't worry, I know a perfect style for you."
He started to work.
He didn't bother me with awkward conversation, but he mentioned tips on taking care of my hair.
It piqued my curiosity that I began to open up about hair-related issues.
"My strands are thin. What should I do to have thicker hair?"
"First and foremost, get complete sleep."
"Oh, you're right. That's pretty basic."
Before I knew it, he was done.
Taking off the white cloth around me, he gave me a mirror. As I looked into it I gasped.
I looked fashionable.
My bangs were curled accordingly, parted on the side... And it seemed to gleam.
"It's beautiful." I said, "It looks great with my school uniform."
He nodded with a smile.
"I had that in mind."