The Salon

Bags were filled for disposal or donation and thrown into the back of Amy’s sporty little hatchback and they headed out. After dropping bags at their appropriate locations, they parked up in the city and queued up at a trendy sushi restaurant. Amy came away with a large tray with a variety of maki and nigiri. “That’s a lot,” said Katy. “Is that just for us?”

Amy laughed, “No. My friend is super popular so normally we wouldn’t get an appointment this quickly. She’s working over her lunch break and part of the deal was that I bring food.”

They entered the unspeakably trendy salon with music blaring and three seats filled with ladies of varying ages having their hair done by young, vibrant and very beautiful hairdressers. Katy was completely out of her element.

A tanned and lean woman in strappy heels and loud leggings waved and shouted, “Hey, hot stuff. Not long, okay?” She had chin-length, blonde, tightly curled hair, tanned skin and was wearing a top that ended not far below her modest chest and showed off an expanse of toned tummy adorned with a dangly navel piercing. She was constantly on the move, shaking her butt to the thumping music and talking animatedly with the middle-aged woman in the chair.

One of the other hairdressers, a young petite black woman with straight hair came over and kissed Amy on the cheek. They spoke for a bit before she asked Amy if she wanted a drink. Amy asked for a coffee. “And what about you, love?” the woman asked Katy.

“I’m alright, thank you” she replied but was interrupted by Amy.

“You should get something. We will be here for a bit.”

“Oh, okay. A water?” It wasn’t what she would truly have wanted but she didn’t want to be a bother.

The woman smiled through her painted lips. “Sure, no problem,” she said and disappeared.

Amy looked at Katy and held her hand out. “Are you nervous?” she asked.

Katy took her hand and Amy squeezed it reassuringly. “A bit… Quite a lot actually.”

“You don’t need to be.”

“I’m just not like these women.”

“Would you like to be?” Amy asked, eagerly.

“Maybe, a bit, sure but I don’t think I can.”

“Well, not overnight, sure but you are just as pretty as anyone in here.”

“I am?”

“Babes, you are totally cute and pretty. It’s just hiding a bit. First step hair and I will help with makeup but the work is going to be on your attitude,” said Amy.

“My attitude?”

“You just need some confidence. Thankfully confidence is easy once you take the first step. You see my friend, Tracy, there?” Amy pointed at the woman who had waved. “We went to school together. She was such a jock. She was lethal with a hockey stick, hated lessons and dressed like a boy. She even shaved her head. Everyone thought she was a lesbian but I knew she liked boys. Everyone thought we were a couple. I mean, we did play around a bit but that was just girls messing around. She actually really liked boys but didn’t know how to talk to them so she came across as aggressive.

“She was my first success in girlyfying someone. She was failing school so I encouraged her to get a skill. I was surprised when she chose hairdressing but she rocked it. I helped her set this place up. You know, doing all the legal stuff, insurance, billing, tax, all the boring stuff so she could just get on with what she’s good at. She totally gets it now though.

“You’d say she’s sexy, right?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, she has a great body and she looks so cool,” said Katy.

“Well, the boys didn’t use to look at her twice. These days she is quite the slut,” giggled Amy.

“I heard that,” Tracy shouted.

“Deny it,” Amy shouted back.

“That’s not the point. Your friend is only just meeting me. She should at least know me for a couple of hours before she learns what a slut I am.”

A little later the shop was closed for a two-hour lunch. “I open late to get the after-work crowd,” Tracy explained as she started helping herself to sushi.

There was enough for all the girls. The black girl was Tamara and there was a slightly older and curvier woman with hair up in a bun called Cathy. They all descended on Katy or Kitten as Amy introduced her. Katy blushed at the use of such a cute name but she liked the fact that everyone thought it suited her.

Once fed, they ushered Katy into the chair. The whole shop had decided to stay. None of them could resist a makeover.

“Okay, Kitten,” said Tracy as she ran her fingers through the straggly, mousy hair. “Any ideas about what you want?”

“I don’t know. I just want to stand out a bit more.”

A discussion kicked up between the women about what they should do. It was decided to go safe. A hair treatment, take off enough length to deal with the split ends, straightening and some highlights to make it pop. As much as they would have loved her to walk out with an undercut and bright red tips, they agreed that it would be a bit of a shock for her.

As the process got underway, Katy absorbed the conversations and playfulness of the women as they spoke to each other. It was teasing, sometimes rude yet strangely comforting.

Once her hair was washed and treated the cutting began and Amy said, “While that’s happening, I’m going to show you how I do my makeup and then we will do yours.”

“Let me,” said Cathy. “If you are just learning you might as well get it right from the start.”

It turned out that Cathy was a makeup artist as well as a stylist and Katy watched as first Amy, and then Tamara got her makeup done, trying to take in everything that Cathy was saying. Then, while she got her highlights done, Cathay did hers.

The impact was shocking. Katy had never seen herself looking like that before. Her mother never approved of makeup and like a good girl, she had never really used it, even when her spots were bad in her early teens. She began to tear up which made all the women gather around and comfort her. Katy had never felt so cared for.

“I hate to say it but what are you doing about your clothes?” asked Tamara.

“That’s our next stop. Mission, liven up Kitten’s wardrobe,” said Amy.

“Ooh, exciting,” gushed Tamara. “Are you going to show off that figure?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I have anything to show off,” said Katy. This caused an uproar. “But I’m so skinny.”

“Er, excuse me,” said Tracy. “Not skinny, svelte.”

“Seriously, I’d love your figure,” said Tamara.

“But you have an amazing figure,” said Katy, which made Tamara happy.

“Seriously though,” said Tracy. “We get a lot of Chinese exchange students in here. They would kill to have your body.”Katy had seen the exchange students. They always travelled in small groups and always looked immaculate and very cool. “Also, guys like all sorts of body types. Not everyone has to have a figure like Amy.”

“Hey,” giggled Amy.

“Don’t judge yourself by Miss naturally blessed over there,” Tracy went on. “I don’t have her tits but I get a lot of cock.” Katy giggled in shock.

“That’s because you have this juicy toned butt,” said Amy, giving it a squeeze.

“I don’t have a butt or boobs though,” Katy protested.

“Guys don’t give a shit,” Tamara chimed in. “They like to look at boobs but when it comes down to it most don’t give a shit. Get you in a short skirt and guys will go crazy for those long legs.”

“She’s right,” said Amy. “We are getting you some heels. Guys will get lost, your legs will look so long.”

Amy took Tamara aside and whispered to her and Tamara left the salon only to come back later with some bags. Tracy had turned Katy away from the mirror as she started to wrap up then the women stripped her and redressed her before her final reveal.

Katy turned around. She saw a stylish young woman in a slip skirt that ended mid-thigh, a cable knit tank top and wedge-heeled sandals. Her nails had been shaped and painted as had her toes. Her hair was straightened and ended just below her shoulder with a centre parting. It seemed to get lighter towards the tips and shone like it never had before. Her face was made up but not ostentatiously, it was a subtle daytime look.

Amy came up behind her and put her hands on Katy’s shoulders and pulled back. “Stand up straight Kitten. You look beautiful. Stand like you are proud of it.”

The change in posture lifted her appearance and she cried again. The women rushed to her and comforted her. “I look so beautiful. It doesn't look like me,” she sobbed.

“It is you,” said Amy. “You were just hiding.”

There was a lot of fussing and excitement as they wrapped up. They headed into the street, the wind tickled Katy’s bare legs and for a moment she felt self-conscious but Amy’s outstretched hand reassured her. She took it and the women went shopping.