Split Ends
by Emily Reed
The leopard print apron was anything but draped over Sherry’s shoulders. In her mind, the assistant had wrapped her in a lead blanket that confined her to the uncomfortable black leather chair that sat permanently facing the mirror. She wished that this hair salon was like all of the others that had spinning chairs to whisk you away from the horrors in the mirror. Alas, she had to face reality and she didn’t like it one bit.
Erin sat down beside her and casually crossed one leg over the other. Her friend didn’t seem the least bit bothered by Sherry’s visible distress as she tugged at the sheet covering her. It was Erin’s idea to bring her to this hole-in-the-wall salon and she wasn’t in the mood to hear any complaints from Sherry.
The stylist walked over to Sherry’s chair and cleared her throat. She asked, “Hello Sherry, my name is Maria and I will be your hair stylist today. Are you looking for a routine trim or perhaps, a cut and color?”
Erin immediately replied for her quiet companion, “She just wants you to cut off about two inches so it hangs around her shoulders. No color, yet.”
Maria nodded and slowly leafed through Sherry’s messy mop of dirty blonde hair to get a feel for what she was dealing with. She took notice of the knots littered throughout Sherry’s hair and the overall pitiful nature of her damaged, neglected hair. Maria tried to not to grimace at the unsightly mess atop Sherry’s head but she was afraid her displeasure showed clearly on her face. Maria pulled her hands away from Sherry’s hair and said, “I can certainly do that. How do you feel about layers?”
If you think layers will make her hair look better, then go right ahead and add them. If it costs extra, that’s fine. Regardless of the cost, I want my friend to feel her best on the inside and the outside,” said Erin with assurance.
Maria was prepared to reason that although Sherry’s hair was as beautiful as a wildebeest, it was long enough and seemed malleable to adapt to layers. However, it seemed that her friend didn’t need extra persuasion. Maria liked that about the girl. She seemed like a real go-getter.
“Wonderful. First I have to shampoo her hair and then I’ll be ready to style it. Ladies, please follow me, ” said Maria.
Sherry’s hands shook as she arose from the uncomfortable chair and followed Maria to the shampoo station. She hadn’t been outside in over a week and she hadn’t been in a public place in over a year. She wasn’t sure how to act around other people who weren’t Erin or her parents. It didn’t help her confidence that during her first public outing, she felt judged and silently admonished for the outward appearance of her messy inside emotions. However, she couldn’t let Erin sense her nervousness. After her fiance died, Erin had been her constant shoulder to cry on. Sherry believed that it was the least she could do to comply to Erin’s one wish.
Erin sensed her shy friend’s nerves were on end as she tentatively leaned back in the chair to put her hair in the basin. Once the Maria started shampooing Sherry’s hair, Erin struck up a casual conversation with the stylist and her friend. At first, Sherry offered only monosyllabic replies to Maria’s questions about her hobbies, pets, and favorite restaurants. Then, Maria commented about the new broadway show coming to the local theatre and a shadow of a smile danced across Sherry’s face. She began to wildly gesticulate and talk animatedly about the upcoming show’s soundtrack she knew by heart. Musical theatre was her passion before he died. For so long, the vibrancy in her, that shined brighter than a million stage lights, was dimmed and the curtain was closed. Now it seemed as if the curtains were cracked just a sliver to give the audience a peek of the talent on center stage.
Suddenly, Sherry laughed and dropped the towel she was using to dry her wet hair. Sherry blinked rapidly and sat in a stunned silence for several seconds. “I… I… I forgot what my laugh sounded like. And… I forgot how to laugh!” She stammered and choked out a chuckle. “Yet it felt much better than I expected,” she managed to say in between giggles.
With the joke long forgotten, Erin and Maria joined in on the laughter simply because of the contagious nature of Sherry’s laugh. They merrily giggled until their sides hurt. After they recovered, their smiles continued to adorn their faces as they made their way back to the stylist’s chair.
Erin plopped down beside Sherry once more and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as if Sherry was back to her old self but Erin knew that wasn’t the truth. It would take much more time and many trips to the hair salon to heal Sherry’s wounds. This was simply the beginning of trimming the dead split ends blocking Sherry’s path to recovery
Erin sat down beside her and casually crossed one leg over the other. Her friend didn’t seem the least bit bothered by Sherry’s visible distress as she tugged at the sheet covering her. It was Erin’s idea to bring her to this hole-in-the-wall salon and she wasn’t in the mood to hear any complaints from Sherry.
The stylist walked over to Sherry’s chair and cleared her throat. She asked, “Hello Sherry, my name is Maria and I will be your hair stylist today. Are you looking for a routine trim or perhaps, a cut and color?”
Erin immediately replied for her quiet companion, “She just wants you to cut off about two inches so it hangs around her shoulders. No color, yet.”
Maria nodded and slowly leafed through Sherry’s messy mop of dirty blonde hair to get a feel for what she was dealing with. She took notice of the knots littered throughout Sherry’s hair and the overall pitiful nature of her damaged, neglected hair. Maria tried to not to grimace at the unsightly mess atop Sherry’s head but she was afraid her displeasure showed clearly on her face. Maria pulled her hands away from Sherry’s hair and said, “I can certainly do that. How do you feel about layers?”
If you think layers will make her hair look better, then go right ahead and add them. If it costs extra, that’s fine. Regardless of the cost, I want my friend to feel her best on the inside and the outside,” said Erin with assurance.
Maria was prepared to reason that although Sherry’s hair was as beautiful as a wildebeest, it was long enough and seemed malleable to adapt to layers. However, it seemed that her friend didn’t need extra persuasion. Maria liked that about the girl. She seemed like a real go-getter.
“Wonderful. First I have to shampoo her hair and then I’ll be ready to style it. Ladies, please follow me, ” said Maria.
Sherry’s hands shook as she arose from the uncomfortable chair and followed Maria to the shampoo station. She hadn’t been outside in over a week and she hadn’t been in a public place in over a year. She wasn’t sure how to act around other people who weren’t Erin or her parents. It didn’t help her confidence that during her first public outing, she felt judged and silently admonished for the outward appearance of her messy inside emotions. However, she couldn’t let Erin sense her nervousness. After her fiance died, Erin had been her constant shoulder to cry on. Sherry believed that it was the least she could do to comply to Erin’s one wish.
Erin sensed her shy friend’s nerves were on end as she tentatively leaned back in the chair to put her hair in the basin. Once the Maria started shampooing Sherry’s hair, Erin struck up a casual conversation with the stylist and her friend. At first, Sherry offered only monosyllabic replies to Maria’s questions about her hobbies, pets, and favorite restaurants. Then, Maria commented about the new broadway show coming to the local theatre and a shadow of a smile danced across Sherry’s face. She began to wildly gesticulate and talk animatedly about the upcoming show’s soundtrack she knew by heart. Musical theatre was her passion before he died. For so long, the vibrancy in her, that shined brighter than a million stage lights, was dimmed and the curtain was closed. Now it seemed as if the curtains were cracked just a sliver to give the audience a peek of the talent on center stage.
Suddenly, Sherry laughed and dropped the towel she was using to dry her wet hair. Sherry blinked rapidly and sat in a stunned silence for several seconds. “I… I… I forgot what my laugh sounded like. And… I forgot how to laugh!” She stammered and choked out a chuckle. “Yet it felt much better than I expected,” she managed to say in between giggles.
With the joke long forgotten, Erin and Maria joined in on the laughter simply because of the contagious nature of Sherry’s laugh. They merrily giggled until their sides hurt. After they recovered, their smiles continued to adorn their faces as they made their way back to the stylist’s chair.
Erin plopped down beside Sherry once more and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as if Sherry was back to her old self but Erin knew that wasn’t the truth. It would take much more time and many trips to the hair salon to heal Sherry’s wounds. This was simply the beginning of trimming the dead split ends blocking Sherry’s path to recovery