For the past six years, I have had JD do my hair, before that was Kathy for over 20 years, I can’t even remember before that.  Today I went out on a limb and had my hair done somewhere other than in my home town.  I knew I wasn’t getting back there anytime soon and it so needed done.  Last time that happened, I panicked and bought a box dye.  This time, I went to my friend Cottin and asked for a recommendation, so Cottin hooked me up with Kristin.  Great job, Kristin, thanks for taking care of me.  Now for me, the most interesting part about going to the salon isn’t the haircut or color, not the results, not even the process, it’s the people.  Invariably, someone is in there with a story to tell and today was no different.

Tatum was working the chair next to Kristin and her client about half way through my appointment had quite a story to tell.  I think sometimes that these stories are only fiction, and then you get to hear them first hand, it’s quite an eye opener.  Turns out this lady’s husband has left her, I’m going to call her M for lack of a better name.  M has been married eighteen years…oh, maybe I should tell it like I’m writing a romance novel…

“What are you doing?” Kyle asked, he had been laying on his side, asleep in their vacation bed at the Marriot in Maui when he felt M slide over his shoulder, what is she doing now?! He thought to himself.

“Nothing,” Kyle rolled over to look at M

“What is that?” he sat up on his elbow and looked closer, “Why do you have my phone?” Kyle snatched it out of her hand, but not before she had opened his email account.  Three messages had come in just recently, all from Nicole.  Kyle thought he had turned off the volume, so any messages would not notify, he must have been asleep, but M heard them as they came in.

M went on the defensive,  “Why won’t you let me look at your phone? Who’s Nicole?  Why is she asking you how it’s going?  This is our vacation, why are you talking to another woman?”

Kyle stared at her, this isn’t the first time in the last eighteen years that he thought, what am I doing here?

M started to cry, she didn’t want her marriage to end like this, didn’t he notice how hard she worked to look good for him.  “ I thought you were going to go to counseling with me?”  “I thought you were done with Nicole, isn’t she that 23 year old skank?”  M’s voiced hardened, “How dare you cheat on me?  She’s young enough to be your daughter!”

Kyle got out of bed, this wasn’t going to end well, it had nothing to do with Nicole, she was his friend, a co-worker, he looked at his phone to read the email messages, see if there was anything damning in them.  He couldn’t imagine what it would be, he wasn’t seeing Nicole romantically, he was married, and he knew it.  Kyle read the messages, the first was blank, she must have hit the button before she had typed anything, the second was just “How i” and than it stopped.  I bet she’s typing on her phone, he thought.  The third said, “How’s it going for you?  Is everything alright, hope you are having a good time in Hawaii.”  That was it.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Just a message from a friend.

He looked at M calmly, she was seeing red.  “M, why are you so worked up, nothing is going on here, look at the message.”  Kyle handed her the phone again, she read it but had the same reaction.  M started to cry again, screaming about their marriage being over, he needed to move out, she was going home.  Kyle took a deep breath, okay M what ever you want.  He had been trying for years to recover from her harsh recriminations, maybe it was time he moved out.  Of course, he knew it would be all his fault, such is the price you pay when you are with a woman who is bat shit crazy.

Ok, so maybe that’s just my interpretation of all that she said in the salon, Kyle did move out and according to her, he moved in with his 23 year old girlfriend, but as I listened to her talk, I thought “HOLY COW,” that woman has issues.  Kristin and I exchanged a glance in the mirror after she left, Wow, was all we could think!  It’s amazing the stories people will tell in public…