She looks down at her appointments and she taps the end of her pencil against the book. She looks up at me again and she says, "Is Angie okay? She is free now."
I cannot remember when last I set my two feet in a hairdressing salon, so I have no idea who Angie might be, but I say anyway, "Okay."
She smiles and tells me, "Go through to the back, to the basins."
I follow her instructions and sit down on the chair. A girl comes and without a word, she gently pushes my head backward. She washes, treats and rinses my hair. I am starting to get a cramp in my neck when at last she is finished.
She wraps a warm towel around my head and she directs me toward a chair in front of a large mirror. I sit down on the black leather chair, but I do not want it to look as if I am staring vainly at myself in the mirror, so I swivel the chair away from it.
Another girl approaches me, and she asks friendly, "What are we doing for you today?"
Timidly I reply, "A colour and cut."
" Have you chosen a style?"
" Not yet. I want it short though."
She offers, "We have this new thing. I can scan your face into our computer and then we can choose a style to suit your face." She sees me hesitate, so she continues, "It is not expensive."
I decide to splurge. I have a good excuse anyway to be going on this rebellious emergency-spending spree.
She takes a digital photo of me and then she uploads it to her computer. Together we look for the perfect hairstyle to match my soon to be pitch-black hair. She colours my hair black on the screen and I realize it is a bit harsh and it will take a while for me to get used to it, but my mind is made up. My hair will be black when I leave this salon.
Short will definitely not suit me though, so we decide to only cut it shorter so that the tips will brush my shoulders.
Angie, the girl cutting and colouring my hair is chatty and I enjoy the hour plus one I am stuck in the salon with her.
My hair looks beautiful when she is finished. It hangs dead straight, shiny black past my cheeks and barely touches my shoulders. I move my head from side to side and I love the way it moves. I feel a renewed sense of self-confidence.
When I pay, I cringe a little, anticipating my future troubles concerning this credit card bill.