It was Neda's first time to be in the beauty salon. She was certain in would be her last. They had come there at eight in the morning, now it was two in the afternoon and they were not finished yet. To her everything so far was torture. It was pang to sit still and let the Wig Woman with painted face to touch her face and her hair; it was agony to listen to her jokes and unwarranted comment, and it was misery to be hungry and thirsty at the top of everything.
While sitting on the chair with her head inside the hood or what ever it was so her hair would dry out with rollers on it, the woman began working on her nails.
"Why didn't you let your nail grow long? Do you chew your nail?
Neda had hard time to hear her since her ears being inside the hood. So she raised the thing. The Wig Woman was losing her patience with her. She repeated her question. Oh, how much she hated that woman! There was another beautician, seemed much nicer, who was now doing Maryam's hair. Her aunt Zari was almost down. Her mother called a few times. She said that it was getting too late. Neda cried and complained that she was hungry. Finally at three o'clock a car sent for them. Neda was dizzy, hungry, and angry. She hated her big hair. The Wig Woman had her hair half up and half down. Her hair looked like rolls and rolls of hair up and some down to her waist. Her face was itchy and she felt this burning sensation on her face. She hated her painted, artificial nails. She remembered the Wig Woman complained about her nail:
"I have no choice. You have no nails. I got to put these fake ones on your nails."
She attached the headpiece to her hair, at the top of the mountain. She finished her make up which under no circumstances she would do any less. At the end, Neda thought that she looked like the Wig Woman. Maryama helped her to put her gown on.
Neda was still agonizing of physical pain of removing her facial hair. They were already some red bumps appearing in her face. When they were finally home, she asked for food. Her mother said:
"No, you're going to mess up your makeup!"
"I'm starved, mom. I am going to faint."
After arguing for a while and Neda threatening to go and wash out all those paints, she told her mother:'
"Mom, what is more important, my makeup or me being hungry?"
Mehri finally allowed her to eat. Neda took a bite and felt like throwing out. She still was smelling the Wig woman's perfume mixed with her sweat all around her. She was not able to swallow the food. She felt hot, cold, nervous, and itchy. She wanted to be left alone even if it was for a little while. But no, no, she could not. The house was filled with people. Everybody wanted to see her. They all had an opinion. They all were touching her. Someone pushed the top of her hair down. She heard:
"Too big!"
Neda could not stand it anymore. She could not tolerate all these women, children, all the noises, her makeup, her big hair, the itch on her face...
When she came out to awareness, her mother was crying; but Neda later would find out that her mother's tears were not for her fainting but it was for her hair and makeup being all messed up. Maryam, her cousin, who was going to beauty school and working at the same time, managed to fix her up again.
To Be Continued
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