18 -MOTHER'S NEW DAUGHTER

Carefully, Pat led me over to the shampoo bowl, and began to rinse out the curlers. When I thought I was almost finished, Pat suddenly had 3 more bottles---this time the neutralizer! I began to have serious misgivings. It was one thing for Allison, a famous model, to do this. But ME?

Pat began saturating each rod. The timer was set again and my head sat in the shampoo bowl until the timer went off. I was in no hurry to get up. Over the hair dryer, I could hear my mother talking to someone.

Finally Pat returned and slowly began to unwind the curlers, letting them drop into the sink.

Having the curlers out was a relief. There must have been a zillion of them!

After my rinse, I hoped that the other client was gone before I was led back to Pat's chair. My wet eyes focused on mother and the other lady. I saw the back of her shoulder length, dark brown curls "glistening" as she sat in the chair next to Pat's station talking to my mother.

My heart was pounding when I realized she was going to see me. I looked for a mirror to see how silly I looked. As we approached, mother turned to me and said, "Oh dear! How cute!"

I blushed and took a seat at Pat's station. I didn't want to even look at the woman in the chair----who was probably laughing at me.

As Pat began to arrange my curls, she said, "I want you to meet Sidney."

I turned to nod at her, but suddenly froze. First I noticed that this woman was much younger than I had assumed from her full hairstyle. As I tried to figure out her age, I noticed that she didn't have much of a bustline; in fact, none at all was noticeable under the salon smock. Sidney said sweetly, "Your hair is so pretty. It's even longer than mine!"

I closed my eyes as Pat sprayed on a light curl "enhancer" which smelled really perfumy. My face was ruby red by now. I figured that Sidney was about my age.

I peeked at her in the mirror. From the way she held her pink tipped fingernails, I assumed she had just had them done.

Pat moved between us and began to show me how to use

SANDY THOMAS ADV. -19

a diffuser dryer to get the right look. She gently lifted my hair in the back and applied the diffuser.

I heard Sidney over the dryer, "I wish I could wait to see the outcome, but I have to go. The weekend is evaporating." I saw her disappear into the changing room.

Pat had me toss my hair back as she continued to do a crunching thing to my hair until it was about dry.

She used some styling gel to lift my hair away and slightly upward from my ears to create a wave above my forehead, just like Allison's.

I was done! couldn't take my eyes off my hair. I had a full head of long, luscious and curly tresses just like the girl of my dreams. I was in awe! The perm actually lightened my hair a bit or maybe it was the way the light hit the curls.

"Very pretty!" I heard Sidney say behind my back. I turned and blushed. I felt her eyes on me. "Your mother tells me you've never been in a dress."

My head whipped around and I stared at her. She continued, "It's just that you have such a pretty face. With that perm..."

"I'm a boy!" I stammered.

"So am I," Sidney replied, "and it hasn't stopped me!" Mother laughed, "See honey. Doesn't he look nice in that skirt and sweater?"

I couldn't say anything, I just stared. He was wearing a black, clingy skirt and a gray, low-cut top and black jacket and black sandals. The youthful short pleated skirt showed a lot of smooth nyloned leg. It was just like the trendy outfit Allison was wearing in the last picture in the magazine! Sidney must have added a padded bra because he now sported a pert but girlish bosom.

"I've got to go, my ride is here," he said, quickly touching up his lipstick in the mirror. "I gave your mom my phone number--call me sometime." With that he ran out the door.

"Sidney's been coming here for years," Pat said, matterof-factly.

"That's a boy?" I stammered.

"He lives across town and comes here because he won't run into anyone he knows," Pat said putting a final touch of hair spray on my head. "I guess he has two lives going.