"I smiled back and I thought how incredible that was, that they would find the time to smile. There was goodness in the world still, even if you couldn't always see it." –Jenny Valentine
Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep. I let out a loud moan as the alarm awoke me from my sleep. Slowly I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I groaned again as I looked at the clock. 6:30. I would need to be at work in thirty minutes. Sighing, I mustered up enough strength to swing my legs over the side of the bed. I really didn't mind going to work, it was just the fact that I woke up early that made me annoyed.
My robe was strewn across the chair near my bed. Gladly I picked it up and wrapped my body up in it. I moved to the kitchen and measured out my coffee grounds. While the machine was running I pulled out bread from the plastic loaf bag. I needed a quick and easy breakfast, so I usually ate peanut butter toast. I popped the bread in the toaster and scoured the cabinets for the peanut butter jar. It couldn't be far! Finally I found it (out of place as usual).
Grabbing a knife from the drawer, I waited for the toast to be done. The coffee pot went off first actually. Placing my mug under it, I pressed the release button, and the glorious coffee filled my cup. Coffee was the only way I could wake up. And when you were working somewhere like I was, coffee was a necessity.
A quick shower would have to do for this morning. I hoped that there was enough hot water in the tank for me. It was rather chilly outside in the mornings, and so the water would sometimes take longer to heat up. I went ahead and turned it on while I undressed. I avoided the glaring view of the mirror and stepped into the sort of cold shower. The water slowly began to warm up and it relaxed my tense muscles. Yesterday had been quite rigorous work, and as a result I was stiff and sore this morning.
Yesterday I worked in the hospital. I went back to school recently and I was going to become a medical assistant. It was exciting that I was finally completing my schooling and training. Working though wore me out. I was only part time, well for now. I still kept my other job here as a hair stylist. I absolutely loved them both and I was lucky to have two well paying jobs. The water would help, but what I really needed was a break. The weekend could not come any sooner. It's pretty sad that I'm saying this on a Tuesday too, isn't it? Oh well.
With my wishful thinking still clouding my mind, I shut off the shower and stepped into the steamy room. My towel was on the countertop and I wrapped my body up in it. Now what to wear? I meandered into my tiny closest and pulled out a nice blouse and some jeans. I tossed a pair of shoes on my bed and then went back into the bathroom. The blow-dryer was already on the sinktop, so all I had to do was plug it in and go. My thick red hair took a while to dry because its well, thick. While I was doing this, the curling iron was heating up.
Turning the blow-dryer off, I unplugged it and put it away. I ran to the kitchen for another quick cup of coffee and then back into the bathroom. It didn't take me long to curl my hair and apply makeup. After looking myself over again, I decided this was as good as it was going to get. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my purse. I lived in an apartment complex, so I had to walk down a flight or two of stairs, but that was okay. A thin layer of dew coated my car windows, but the defrost took care of that.
I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the busy street. It would take me a good fifteen minutes of crazy drivers, tons of stoplights, and hectic roadways to get to work. I actually didn't live too far from the salon, which was nice. But still, the traffic was terrible here in Texas. Still, I liked living near the city and I liked where I worked. Just an average little life of a completely ordinary woman.
After about twenty minutes, I pulled into the parking lot behind the salon. I had to be quick, I couldn't afford to be five minutes late like I was. I shoved my sunglasses back in their case and leapt out of the car. I rushed though the back door and into the back of the salon. "I hope I'm not too late!" I said as I scurried to find my apron. "Relax, Chrissy! Your first appointment isn't even here yet." Helen said from the main room. "Oh, what a relief!" I replied, walking out with my apron and some supplies. I dropped them off on the small counter of my station. "How was Monday?" I asked, since I was working in the hospital. "Oh, just great." She groaned. Helen was sweeping the strands of hair up off the floor, probably for a while now, since the hair gets everywhere.
"Well, don't have too much fun without me!" I joked, checking to see if my curling iron and hair-dryer was plugged in. "That won't be happening anytime soon." She muttered, tossing the hair into the trashcan. Leaning back behind my table, I plugged in the flat iron. "Hey, work isn't that bad! At least we get to do what we love everyday!" Helen laughed and lent up against her chair. "You're always so positive Christina! Sometimes I want to knock it out of you!" I actually got that a lot. I was always happy, or always positive, and for some reason, that bothered people. So what if I had a good outlook on life? I couldn't help it! I wasn't a Debby downer here. "Oh, you be quiet!" I told her, dusting off my chair. "I think today is going to be a great day, no matter what you tell me!" Helen dropped it and went back to the front desk.
Angie showed up a few minutes after I did and began to organize her stuff. I walked up to the front of the salon and unlocked the door. "Ready for business!" I told the other girls. Soon after I said it, people began to file in and the phone rang. Helen answered it and Angie took her customer back into the salon area. None of them were for me yet, so I spent some time working on organizing hair products. "Hey, Chrissy, do you think you could go in the back and get me some more dye?" Angie asked. Her hands were definitely tied up. "Yeah, sure, what number?" I asked. "It's Blonde 24 by L'Oreal." I nodded and walked into the back room.
There was a large shelf (which yours truly organized) of our hair dyes. Grabbing the tube, I walked back to Angie's station. "Here you are, Blonde 24!" She smiled and sat it down on her hair cart. "I opened the bottle of red and some of the dye got on my gloves already. Thank you!" I smiled back at her. "No problem!" I scanned the waiting room for my customer. I didn't see her there, so I decided to read the paper while I wait. People run behind, it's understandable.
The bell to the door rang and my sixth customer walked though. "Hey!" I greeted her, getting up out of the chair. "Come on back!" With a smile she did so, and took a seat in my chair. Grabbing one of the black capes, I placed it over her and fastened it around her neck. "So, what are we doing for you today?" I asked her. "I actually have a picture." She said. "Great! I love it when people bring in pictures for me to look at!" She smiled and pulled a magazine clipping out of her purse. "Oh, that would look so good on you, hun!" I exclaimed. "Short hair will work for you because of your rounder face. Oh, this is going to look so good!" She smiled even more and I took the clipping from her. With a hair clip, I stuck in up on my mirror, which was right in front of the customer.
We engaged in some friendly chitchat as I cut off her beautiful brown locks into a cute pixie cut. I would have a lot to sweep up afterwards, but I didn't mind. I liked to make people feel great about themselves, whether it be some bangs or a total new dye job. It wasn't just about styling it and cutting it, it was about making the customer feel good about themselves. We all need a little bit of that in today's society, don't you agree? I sure think so.
Her cut would take a while, and the waiting room was getting fuller and fuller. Courtney showed up a few minutes ago, so some of these may be her customers. Courtney worked the nail part of our salon. She did amazing work! "Hey Court!" I said as she took a seat behind her table. "How are you this morning?" She looked up from her desk and smiled. "I'm pretty good! Sorry I showed up a bit later. I called Helen and told her. I was pretty sick last night." Oh, that wasn't fun. I went back to cutting a few more uneven pieces of hair on the girl in my chair. "Does everything look okay?" I asked, setting my scissors down. "It looks wonderful!" She said. "Thank you so much!" And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I live for.
I scheduled her next appointment at the front desk and she paid me for her haircut. "Chrissy, when are you going to take lunch?" Angie asked me while I was in front of the calendar. "I take it around 12, so like five minutes." I told her. "Oh okay. What time did I write down?" She asked. "Uh, 12:30." Angie nodded. "Thanks!" I picked up my purse from behind my station and took off my apron. "I'm going to go ahead and take it. I'll come back five minutes early." I told the girls. "Have a good one!" Helen said. "Okay, I will!" I replied.
"Well, we are sort of full." I heard Angie say as I turned off my curling iron and hot iron. "Oh, okay." The woman replied. "Thanks anyways." Her voice sounded strained. "Oh, I'll do it!" I said, setting my purse back behind my station. "I can take a later lunch!" Angie turned around to face me. "Are you sure, Chrissy?" She asked. "Of course! Come on back!" I told the woman. She smiled slightly and nodded. While she walked back I turned everything on again. "How are you?" I asked her as she sat down in the chair. "Uh, great." She said. The woman was slouched over with her legs spread apart. I didn't say anything as I grabbed the cover to put around her. Suddenly her eyes became wide and she looked around. Timidly she crossed her legs and sat up stick straight. I shrugged at her odd behavior and tossed the cape around her, buttoning it around her neck. She gave me an uneasy look in the mirror.
"Are you from around here?" I asked, rather intrigued about her odd actions. "No." She said quickly. "I…I'm from…" It was like she totally forgot where she was from! "You sound British." I told her. Maybe she was just weary of me or something. I sure hoped not! "Yes, I am from England." She replied. "Americans are not too fond of us." I laughed at her hilarious assumption. "That's not true!" I said. "I've always wanted to go to England!" She finally smiled. "Oh, well it is very beautiful. I do like this place of Texas." People there must talk funny. "Yeah, Texas is very nice. How are you liking your stay in Dallas?" I asked her. "Oh, 'tis been very nice." She said. I smiled again at her funny words. "Okay, so how much are we cutting off?" I asked. She looked at herself in the mirror. "Just to the shoulders, if you can."
"Of course!" Her hair was very long, and it reached to the end of her back. "You know, you should think about donating this hair!" I told her as I grabbed my spray bottle. In the mirror I could see her eyes light up. "Donate it? Is that a good thing?" I tried not to laugh at her silly question. "Yeah! Locks of Love will make your hair into a wig for cancer patients to wear. It's a very good thing!" The lady about jumped out of her chair. "Yes!" She exclaimed. "I mean, yes. I would love to do that." She said calmer than before. I guess everyone has their quirks, so I tried not to judge. "Okay! Let me get a pony tail holder and a bag!" How nice of her though to do that! I walked into the back room and pulled out a plastic bag. Walking back out, I grabbed a pony tail holder from my work station. "You can find the address online. You just send it in and that's it! It's pretty easy!" I tied her long black hair into a pony tail that reached to her shoulders. "Is this length alright?" I asked her. "Yes, that is perfect." She replied.
With a snip of my scissors, the pony tail fell into my hands. I stuck it into the plastic bag and set it on the counter of my work station. "Now I'll just make it all the same length." I told her. She nodded but did not say anything else. As I trimmed it up, people came and went. I lost track of the time as I fixed up her hair. Maybe I would just have Angie pick me up something. "Does everything look alright?" I asked her as I set my scissors down. "Yes, it looks good." She replied. "Here's your hair, and I'll check you out at the front desk." I unbuttoned the cape around her neck and hung it back up. The lady got up and walked to the register. She pulled out her wallet and paid for her hair cut. "Enjoy your stay here!" I told her as she walked out the door, but she did not reply. "That was odd." Angie muttered from behind me. "Oh, come on! She's not from here, give her a break!" I defended her. I went back to work, but couldn't help think of her the rest of the day.
