Rain


Leandra Jamison studies the cobwebbed ceiling tiles as her hairdresser scrubs a mint shampoo into her hair. "I hate these sinks."

"Why?" Cyndee rubs vigorously, jamming Leandra's neck into cold ceramic.

"They hurt my neck."

"Oh. Here." Cyndee reaches into the cabinet above her head and brings down two thin towels which she doubles over. "Lift." Leandra does and Cyndee shoves the towels beneath her head. "Better?"

No. "Yes. Thanks."

Cyndee pats Leandra's shoulder. "You got to learn to speak up, honey. Hear me?"

"OK," Leandra says.

Cyndee shuts off the water and wraps a clean towel around Leandra's head. "Follow me."

Leandra hoists herself from the chair, arthritic knees groaning in protest, and sits in the chair Cyndee indicates, arranging herself on the vinyl.

"So what's new?" Cyndee asks as Leandra studies the photographs taped to the mirror.

"We're moving," Leandra says.

"Exciting!" Cyndee unwraps Leandra's head and begins toweling out her hair. She throws a dirty smock across her chest and fastens it at the neck. "Where to?"

"Home."

"That's great. Did you find a house?"

"Yep."

"Nice and new?"

"Hundred years."

"Your husband handy?"

"Not really."

"But it's well-maintained, I'm sure." Cyndee takes a comb from the jar of blue disinfectant. Leandra watches other people's dandruff swirl around inside. "Did you sell your house?"

"Not yet."

"Two mortgages?"

"Yeah."

"That's gonna' be hard with two in college."

"A little."

"You work?"

Leandra laughs. "I'm a writer."

Cyndee presses a finger to her chin. "You know, the Moonlight is hiring dancers. I have a friend who clears two thousand a night there."

"I'm not sure I'm the type of person they're looking..." Leandra gestures vaguely at her stomach and her thighs.

"Oh, don't you worry. They take anybody down there. Those men will rain the money down on you, even with those extra twenty pounds."

Leandra stares at Cyndee.

"I mean..." Cyndee's face falls. "It's just an idea."

Cyndee doesn't get a tip. Leandra has learned to speak up. In silence.

This was written for this week's Trifecta Writing Challenge.

The April Fool's word was rain: 3: to take a lot of money in bill form and toss it up in the air. This is most effectively done at a strip club for the effect of raining one dollar bills on the dancers (and it makes them feel so pretty), or to snub a hater by throwing money into their face that then falls to the floor like rain (use this when paying a debt to a punk bitch who keeps asking for their money to the point that they are ruining your friendship or when dumping someone who has been bankrolling you for a while now that you're making money).

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Writing in the Margins, Bursting at the Seams: Rain

Monday, April 1, 2013

Rain


Leandra Jamison studies the cobwebbed ceiling tiles as her hairdresser scrubs a mint shampoo into her hair. "I hate these sinks."

"Why?" Cyndee rubs vigorously, jamming Leandra's neck into cold ceramic.

"They hurt my neck."

"Oh. Here." Cyndee reaches into the cabinet above her head and brings down two thin towels which she doubles over. "Lift." Leandra does and Cyndee shoves the towels beneath her head. "Better?"

No. "Yes. Thanks."

Cyndee pats Leandra's shoulder. "You got to learn to speak up, honey. Hear me?"

"OK," Leandra says.

Cyndee shuts off the water and wraps a clean towel around Leandra's head. "Follow me."

Leandra hoists herself from the chair, arthritic knees groaning in protest, and sits in the chair Cyndee indicates, arranging herself on the vinyl.

"So what's new?" Cyndee asks as Leandra studies the photographs taped to the mirror.

"We're moving," Leandra says.

"Exciting!" Cyndee unwraps Leandra's head and begins toweling out her hair. She throws a dirty smock across her chest and fastens it at the neck. "Where to?"

"Home."

"That's great. Did you find a house?"

"Yep."

"Nice and new?"

"Hundred years."

"Your husband handy?"

"Not really."

"But it's well-maintained, I'm sure." Cyndee takes a comb from the jar of blue disinfectant. Leandra watches other people's dandruff swirl around inside. "Did you sell your house?"

"Not yet."

"Two mortgages?"

"Yeah."

"That's gonna' be hard with two in college."

"A little."

"You work?"

Leandra laughs. "I'm a writer."

Cyndee presses a finger to her chin. "You know, the Moonlight is hiring dancers. I have a friend who clears two thousand a night there."

"I'm not sure I'm the type of person they're looking..." Leandra gestures vaguely at her stomach and her thighs.

"Oh, don't you worry. They take anybody down there. Those men will rain the money down on you, even with those extra twenty pounds."

Leandra stares at Cyndee.

"I mean..." Cyndee's face falls. "It's just an idea."

Cyndee doesn't get a tip. Leandra has learned to speak up. In silence.

This was written for this week's Trifecta Writing Challenge.


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42 Comments:

At April 1, 2013 at 10:06 PM , Anonymous Euan said...

Oh dear! Very powerful stuff, and quite thought-provoking.....

 
At April 1, 2013 at 10:23 PM , Blogger Draug said...

Twenty pounds--yikes! Talk about tactless (: The last line is great. The whole piece is, really!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 3:32 AM , Blogger kymm said...

Hahahahaha. You have not helped me over my aversion to hairdressers. And Cyndee, great name! I'm also a fervent proponent of speaking up in silence. Love it, Kelly!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 4:39 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah speaking with your actions not your mouth - very good read..apart from the dandruff in the jar ewwww :-)

 
At April 2, 2013 at 8:06 AM , Blogger MINX61 said...

Yuck-watching other people's dandruff swirl!And an equally insensitive hairdresser!Glad I do not go to a parlour,lol!Great piece of writing:-)

 
At April 2, 2013 at 8:19 AM , Anonymous injaynesworld said...

OMG. The details! My overpriced hairdresser suddenly seems like a bargain. Hysterical!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 10:06 AM , Anonymous steph said...

The way you reveal details, one at a time, is brilliant. Great writing!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 12:31 PM , Blogger Thomas Charles MacInnes said...

This was one of my favourite pieces of yours that I have read. The structure was perfect. You included tons of very authentic details about hair salons. And, as many have mentioned, the response of the customer to the hairdresser's lack of tact is priceless....literally! To scream without raising your voice is a valuable skill to have on hand for times such as this. Extremely well done, Kelly!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 1:06 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

OMG! Hilarious, that was like reading a train wreck! I knew it was going to end badly but I couldn't look away.

And seriously, the spelling of Cyndee was an amazing touch!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 1:42 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much for reading! I enjoyed your piece this week.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 1:44 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks, D! Cyndee's a bit of an airhead, I'm afraid.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 1:45 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I hate hair stylists. And I try to speak up in silence as well. Thanks so much Kymm.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 2:13 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Yeah. That swirling dandruff in blue solution is disgusting. Every time I have a cut I come home and wash my hair right away.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 2:16 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much, Ruby!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 2:17 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Yeah, I wish someone in my house could cut hair - Wouldn't that make things easy? Tried to visit your blog but couldn't find it - Can you give me a link?

 
At April 2, 2013 at 2:18 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks, Jayne. Yes, at those nicer salons, you don't have to look at the combs swimming in disinfectant.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 2:21 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much, Steph! I appreciate your comments.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 2:22 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much, Tom. Unfortunately, this is based in truth.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 4:58 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much for stopping by! Poor Cyndee.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 5:14 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great read! I love all the little details in this, from the cobwebbed ceiling tiles to the dandruff swirling around in the blue disinfectant. Nicely done!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 5:25 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 
At April 2, 2013 at 7:00 PM , Blogger lumdog2012 said...

You have captured this entire ritual to a T. From the uncomfortable neck against the sink to the jarring and inappropriate conversation. Perfect.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 11:32 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This was awesome! Yeah, I wouldn't have left a tip either. No one talks about my twenty extra pounds but me :)

 
At April 3, 2013 at 4:35 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much, Lumdog! Your piece was terrific!

 
At April 3, 2013 at 4:40 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Exactly - Everyone is supposed to pretend it's not there. Thanks for reading!

 
At April 3, 2013 at 5:15 AM , Blogger Trifecta said...

Fabulous, per usual. I love the uncomfortable sink detail. I'm always in agony by the end of the wash, even at the high-end salons. My neck doesn't go that way. I, too, speak up by saying nothing.

 
At April 3, 2013 at 6:30 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I just tell them my hair is clean - to skip the wash entirely. They still charge me the full amount, but my neck doesn't hurt.

 
At April 3, 2013 at 10:47 AM , Blogger Valerie Boersma said...

I love that last line! At times, actions speak a whole lot louder than words ever could!

I always hated hair dresser small talk-and I always hated the vulnerability I felt looking like a drowned rat next to a immaculately coiffed "Cyndee" type, and oh yes, the stiff neck too!

This piece was perfect!!

 
At April 3, 2013 at 11:03 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

You're right about feeling vulnerable - I feel the same way, esp if it's one of those days when I forgo my contacts for my thick glasses.

 
At April 3, 2013 at 11:53 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Wonderful. I love it. I always tell my husband that I'm a magician because magicians have jazz hands...but a dancer. That's great.

 
At April 3, 2013 at 7:00 PM , Anonymous Brian said...

Wow, nicely done (and way to highlight the lucrative profession of writing ha). The back and forth between the two was perfect

 
At April 3, 2013 at 10:16 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice job with the dialogue. and the pointed end, excellent. sometimes silence is the best way to 'speak'.

 
At April 4, 2013 at 3:34 AM , Anonymous The Fiction Vixen said...

Brilliant dialogue... Loved it..xx

 
At April 4, 2013 at 4:51 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much, Elizabeth.

 
At April 4, 2013 at 4:51 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks Brian - Your piece was great this week.

 
At April 4, 2013 at 4:52 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thank you, Renada!

 
At April 4, 2013 at 4:54 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks so much! I appreciate your stopping by.

 
At April 4, 2013 at 6:45 AM , Blogger Ann Bennett said...

Great stuff, I was sitting in the chair. I went to a rotten hairdresser for a year or so because she was such a relief from the idle talk and rigmarole of getting your hair cut. The dandruff in the blue liquid, lol. I wash my hair when I get home from the hair salon.

 
At April 4, 2013 at 6:48 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks, Ann. I wash my hair when I get home, too!

 
At April 4, 2013 at 6:53 AM , Blogger Barb said...

The last two lines are absolutely perfect! I'm in bad need of a trim, but now...I'm not so sure!

 
At April 4, 2013 at 7:03 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks, Bee! I loved your post this week as well - Leno vs. Letterman is perfect.

 
At April 7, 2013 at 6:32 AM , Blogger Barb said...

Hi again, Kelly! I've nominated you for the Liebser and Awesome Blog Content (ABC) Awards. Details here: http://www.bnatividad.com/2013/04/liebster-award-awesome-blog-content-abc.html

 

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