Looking back, I guess I should have just kept my mouth shut. But that's what happens when I get nervous or flustered. I start talking, just to break up the awkward silence and I can't stop, and that usually makes things worse. No one knows that better than Rina, my best friend.
My name's Martin. Most folks call me Marty. Rina calls me 'Mari' (Don't worry I'll explain why in a bit). Rina and I have been friends since both of us can remember. We met in grade school and have been 'besties' ever since. Me, I'm this kinda tall, kinda skinny Asian kid with glasses. Rina... Well, she's not tall (she hates being called short, so don't call her that!) but she's very pretty. But don't tell her I said that, she'll hit me. Her skin looks like fine porcelain and she has this long wavy black hair that you could just get lost in. Sorry, I went poetic there for a bit. And that's not really why I'm here.
This all started a few years back. It was a lazy Saturday and I was looking forward to an aftenoon of video gaming and vegetating, when Rina called me. “Marty, you have to help me” She said in a panic. “It's awful” She told me. “Come over here, quick.”. Well, like I said earlier, Rina is my best friend, so over to Rina's I went.
“It's just awful...” She cried as let me in. “My mom's making me.”
“Making you do what?” I asked. Now I was curious. What was this thing that had my best friend practically in tears. “What is your mom making you do?”
“She's making me go and get my hair done!!!” She sobbed. “She made an appointment at Salon Spice and she's making me go!!” I guess I should tell you at this point that Rina is kind of a 'tomboy'. She pretty like I said, and when she's dressed up, she turns heads, but she really doesn't go in for the 'girly-girl' stuff. Rina was to be a bridesmaid for her aunt's wedding and it seemed Rina's mom had made an appointment for the 'full salon treatment', hair, nails, the whole nine. Needless to say this was really stressing my friend out.
“You gotta come with me, Marty....” She pleaded. “You can't let me go there all alone.” “Please.......” She pouted. When Rina says 'please'' and pouts like that, I can't say no. So the two of us went to Salon Spice. So much for my afternoon of just laying around.
Salon Spice is a high-end beauty salon in our neighborhood. The place always seemed busy with lots of ladies (and guys) coming and going. It was early, so when we entered, there weren't a lot of customers. Rina and I were met at the door by a serious-looking stylist. “You must be Marina.” She said as she looked us over.
“And him?” Stern Stylist asked as she looked at me like I was something she found stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
“This is Marty.” Rina explained. “He's my friend and he's here for moral support.” “Can he come with me?”
“I'm sorry.” The Stylist told us. “But only employees and customers are allowed back here”
“Oh come one...” I grinned. “I won't cause any problems or anything.” . “Lighten up a little.”
“Your friend can sit here over there and wait” Answered Stern Stylist as she pointed to a row of chairs. She then led Rina back into the mysterious depths of the salon.
I have to admit, this was the first time I had ever been in a 'salon' before. I got my hair cuts at Rocco's Barbershop just like my dad had done for years, so this all was new to me. I was mesmerized by the sites, the smells and especially all things they put Rina through. I wandered back to where it was all taking place just to watch, but was chased out by Stern Stylist.
“You can't come back here”. She hissed. “This area is for customers and employees only”. I retreated, but soon returned and peeked over the counter.
First it was a thing called a pre-perm conditioner. Stern Stylist applied it to Rina's' locks and worked it in. Then S.S. began the process of winding Rina's usually straight hair around the perm rods. I found myself staring, fascinated by process. I wondered what it felt like... (Wait... What??) I realized I was staring, transfixed. The awkward silence became too much for me so I did what I usually do. I opened my big mouth.
“Hey girl.....” I called back. “You OK?”
“Yeah...” She smiled back. “I'm OK” “You don't suppose you could trade places with me could you?”
“Sorry....” I said. “maybe next time.”. “Only one of us should look like a poodle at a time.” . That comment got angry look from the stylist. I turned and went back to my chair, but soon I got bored.
I wandered back again to check out Rina's progress. By now, Rina had all the perm rods in, she looked scared and very uncomfortable. So I spoke up. “Hey lady...” I quipped. “ Can you get HBO with that set-up.” Rina laughed and it appeared to relieve her stress, but Stern Stylist wasn't amused. In fact, she was so 'unamused' that she grabbed me by my ear and tugged hard. She dragged me by my ear to and empty chair overlooking a sink and pushed me down into it.
What happened next was all a blur and to be honest, it remains a blur to this day. She pushed my head down into the sink, turned on the water and proceeded to shampoo my hair. “I told you that this area was for employees and customers only...” Stern Stylist hissed. “And since you're not an employee, let's just make you a customer.” She said as she worked my hair into a lather. The combination of the warm water and the scalp massage felt surprisingly good and I was beginning to relax. She rinsed my locks and wrapped a towel around my head like a turban. I'm sure I looked silly all done up like that and I turned and smiled at Rina. She smiled back and even laughed a little. But her smile turned to a look of shock suddenly. I turned to see what had bothered my friend so much and noticed Stern Stylist rolling a cart filled with rollers over to where I was sitting. .
“Wait....” I stammered as I surveyed the curlers. “What's this?” “What's going on??”
Stern Stylist said “I told you.” “You're going to be my next customer.”. She yanked the towel off my head, grabbed a comb and a curler. “Nobody makes fun of my work or my customers”. She sectioned off a bit of wet my hair and began to wrap it around the curler. “Usually I only perform wet sets for my older clients, but I thought it might be fun to try it out on you.” She grinned. “And don't you dare try to escape or so help me, I'll take you over my knee and paddle your unruly ass with a hairbrush in front of all these folks.
I wanted to jump up and run out of there. I wanted to yell. I wanted to curse. But in the end, I just sat there and let Stern Stylist do her worst. She rolled my wet hair up in a line of curlers from my forehead to the back of my neck. I looked like a skinny Asian kid with a pink Mohawk. But Stern wasn't done there. She forced my head to the side and worked three more of the curlers on each side and two more behind each ear. My scalp hurt from the tightness of the curlers as well as my pride. I should have run away, or something. But I just couldn't
Finished with the curlers, she wrapped a pink hair net around my curler-covered head and clipped it on the back. She led me by my ear again over to a dryer and sat me down.. She lowered the dryer over my head, turned the timer to twenty minutes. “Just sit back and relax, Princess” She smiled. “Here...” “You can read this while you wait.” She said as she handed me Glamour Magazine.
I looked up and caught Rina's eye. She looked sad, almost in tears (To tell the truth, I was almost in tears myself). I saw her mouth “I'm so sorry”. I smiled weakly mouthing, “It's OK”. But clearly it wasn't.
After 20 minutes (it seemed like a lot longer), my tormentor lifted the dryer and grinned evilly. “Let's see how you turned out.” I stood up, a picture of submission and followed her to a chair for what she told me was a 'comb-out'. She deftly removed my curlers one at a time and dropped them in the sink. My normally straight hair now a cloud of fluffy dark curls. My torturer fluffed and lifted and scrunched my curls all the while cooing and clucking. “Oh you turned out nicely.” She laughed “Such pretty curls”. She finished it all off with what seemed like a half a can of hair spray.
“Young lady...” The stylist called out to Rina who was already finished. “Come look.” Rina walked over and with sad eyes looked me over. “What do you think of your little friend?” The stylist asked her. “Isn't he pretty??”
“Um... Very nice” Rina blushed and stuttered.
I left, with my curly head bowed and my pride broken. Rina caught up to me and grabbed my hand. “Marty, I' so sorry...” She sobbed. “This is all my fault.”. “I made you come with me.”
“No, Rina...” I confessed. “It's my fault.” “I should have kept my mouth shut.” I said as I tried in vain to flatten out my curls. But as hard as I tried, they wouldn't stay down. I caught my reflection in a store front mirror and didn't like what I saw. I saw the same skinny Asian kid looking back at me, but with fluffy, curly hair that would make a Hollywood starlet jealous.
Rina noticed and walked me over to a park bench. “Here...” She said. “Sit down and let's see what we can do with all of this.” She fished a brushed out of her purse. She brushed my curls back and wrapped a rubber band around my hair to form a ponytail.
“There...” She smiled. “That's a little better.” “Do you want to come back to my house?” She asked. “I might be able to fix it”.
“No thanks, Rina.” I said as I turned away. “I think I'm just gonna go home.”

End of Part One