I went to get my hair
cut today, and the girl that has done it the past few times--Mindy--wasn't
there. Katie* was free, so I went with
her as I already had waited for my oil change, and my waiting tolerance was
dwindling.
I liked Mindy for several
reasons: (1) she did a really nice job; (2) she took her time; (3) she didn't
insist on talking. I am fine with making
a little conversation...but nonstop and incessant chatter just really isn't my
style. Katie, however, was a
talker. She was young, first of
all. I would have put her at 20 or 21,
but she later disclosed that she was 18.
She asked me how I wanted my hair, commented about 5 times about how
thick my hair is, asked me at least 7 times how long it takes me to style
it/blow dry it in the morning, and asked me 3 times what product I use in
it. While the repetition was a little
annoying, these are the questions I expect.
I wish she had stopped to breathe and/or hear my answer, but whatever. It's all good.
Once we exhausted the
hair cut/how thick/how long does it take to style/what product do you use
rotation of questions, we moved on.
She's 18, she just graduated from high school, she really doesn't want
to be cutting hair in a salon, she more likes to do it just for her friends and
like at her house and stuff, but you know, it's okay, and she really wants to
go to college in Washington state. She's
never been there but she hears that it's pretty, so she thinks it would be cool
and stuff, and she wants to be a publisher because English was always her best
subject even though she hates to read, but she wants to be a book publisher
anyway, isn't that so funny?
No, when somebody is
taking scissors to your head, you don't really
want to be hearing about how much they don't want to work there and how
they really aren't invested in cutting hair, so I was faced with a
dilemma. Do I encourage this chick to go
to college and pursue her dream of being a publisher-who-hates-reading, or do I
try to focus on building up the cosmetology skills (at least while she's hacking
at my hair)? I tried to balance the
two. It sounded something like this:
Katie: I just really
think Washington state would be a fun place to go for college because, like,
I've never been there and stuff and I think, like, it would be really
interesting and...ya know? I hear it's
really pretty, and I really want to be a publisher for books -- NOT magazines,
I do NOT see myself as a magazine publisher -- and I hear Washington has really
good schools for being a publisher.
Me: Oh really? That's interesting. I bet Washington is beautiful. How long have you worked here?
Katie: Not long. I still don't know how to work the cash
registers, haha, it's funny, I have to ask for help all the time. I mostly like to cut my friends hair in my
house and stuff because, you know, people appreciate that sort of thing, even
though I don't let them take advantage of me like some people around here
do. But I don't want to stay here for
long. I just want to be a publisher, I
don't know why.
Me: It's wonderful that
you have so many goals. And cutting hair
can help you pay for things along the way, I'm sure! It's great that you will always have that
skill.
Katie: Yeah, but when I
move to Washington to be a publisher, I really want to live in apartment. I just don't picture myself doing this, you
know? It's fine for some people, but...I
just really think being a publisher would be nice.
When we ran out of
publisher talk, Washington state wishing, and why she thinks she'll have her
own apartment and not worry about getting roommates, she STILL didn't come up
for air.
K: So what about
you? What do you do? Where do you work? Are you in college?
Me: No, I graduated
about a year ago from graduate school. I
work with children with developmental disabilities.
Rule #1: You do
not...under ANY circumstances...tell people in a situation like this that
you're a psychologist. Getting a hair
cut is not a billable hour, and I do my best not to make it one. We were already toeing the line.
K: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww,
that's so cute! That's so nice of
you. You must be a really good
person. I think that's a really nice
thing to do. Kind of like being a
publisher. Except you, like, help people
and stuff. Do you like it?
Me: I do. It's a very rewarding job.
K: Awwwwwww, that's so
sweet. I bet it's like really nice and
rewarding to like help people like that.
Me: Mmmmhmmmm.
**Here, there was a two
second silence in which neither of us knew what to say. Never fear!
Katie knew just what to do.**
K: If you didn't do
that, what would you do instead?
Me: Hmmm...that's a
tricky question. This is really what
I've wanted to do since I was a kid.
K: Awwwwww, that's
really cute.
Me: Mmmmmhmmm.
K: So, like, if you
weren't doing this, what else would you do?
Me: I think we just
talked about this. Well...given
that I really just graduated and started my career, I can't really imagine
doing anything else. Which, you know, is
probably a good thing with all the money I owe in student loans.
I laughed,
half-heartedly.
K: Awwww, that's
funny. So...what else would you want to
do?
Me: Is your name Dory? Have you met Nemo? I guess I would want to be a writer.
K: That's like me! You know, I want to be a publisher.
Me: Hey look! A castle!***
And so it went. Around...and around...and around...and when
we ran out, we talked about how thick my hair is, and what sort of product I
use in it, and how long it takes me to blow dry it and style it in the morning,
and then talked about how it's okay that I don't have a boyfriend or children
because I'm still young, and how it's okay that she doesn't have a boyfriend or
children because she's still young, and we talked about the fact that she wants
to be a ...yep, you guessed it...a publisher.
I don't know if I like
the hair cut yet, but it hardly matters.
It's hair, and my hair grows so fast I probably won't even look like I
got a hair cut by Monday morning. I
tipped Katie generously, just because.
Mostly because she's young and has no clue what she's doing, and is
looking for answers between strands of strangers' hair she hates cutting.
But next time...I'm
waiting for Mindy.
*Name has been changed,
primarily because I forget her actual name...but also for privacy and whatnot
***If you have not seen
"Finding Nemo," this will seem odd.
I apologize.
LOL! Katie is a dipshit, but at least you got a funny story out of the experience. One that you could publish. Like a publisher or something. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I didn't even have to move to Washington! (It was a good story. And, in spite of my concerns, my hair isn't as bad today as I anticipated. It's not what I wanted, but it's also not terrible).
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