A few days back I went for a haircut.
I'm certain the men folk reading this must be wondering what the big deal about that is. However, I expect the ladies would understand the importance of a great haircut in a women's life.
Your hair, defines your look which in turn defines the way you feel which in turn has a bearing on your entire persona.
When you think about it-it's a realllllllly big deal
But before I go any further a couple of hair facts concerning me -
Well, my hair is the dark, thick, wavy, fairly regular variety. Having said that, I thank HIM for a very 'no trouble' kind of mane. No dandruff (yuck!), no lice (eeks!).None of that. All in all I'm very satisfied with my tresses.
The only thing that I have missed at times is the fact that my hair take a painfully long time to grow. I can oil, henna and give them the works as far as nourishment is concerned and yet they'd take their own sweet time about growing even as I marvel at the length of the 'Long and Strong' girl's mane on screen.
During my younger years, I was extremely apprehensive of experimenting with any new looks and thus ended up spending more than half my life in one hairstyle
Then one fine day in a fit of fury I decided to revamp my whole look. And voila!It was a hit! Not only did my friends and colleagues love it, I myself simply loved the idea of looking into the mirror and seeing a very new me. My style gave me a renewed sense of confidence. And believe it or not contrary to the Samson from 'Samson and Delilah' fame my then fairly short tresses seemed to increase rather than decrease my strength. Curious!
And then, the change that was once triggered my certain distress become a habit.

Now, I change my hairstyle every few months. Every season heralds a new look for me and every look makes me feel different. The only commonality being, nicely groomed hair always makes me feel great!

So there I was, at my regular hair stylist's after having taken a prior appointment for the said day/time. Problem was, she wasn't there . Now if you have a penchant for one particular hair stylist it's not easy agreeing to the idea of letting someone else touch your hair. Sadly, I had to return without the much awaited cut that I had been planning for many days now.
Another week passed. Another appointment was taken. Another time the famous lady wasn't in her parlor to do the honors.
Being determined to get a haircut at least this weekend, I combated my nerves and requested another lady to go about the said cut.

I had to wait.
Finally, there I was, apron on me, finger crossed beneath it, dampened hair, saying my prayers even as I smiled a broad smile to the girl about to begin the assault, I mean the cut when ,like the bright sun after stormy weather(ok, ok,so I 've got a bit carried away)in walked my fav hair stylist. Imagine my relief and euphoria in a situation like this!
I explained the kind of haircut I had in mind and she set to work. Having known each other a while, we started talking about this and that, she gave me her reason for not being able to make it earlier for the appointment and I explained how much a stickler I was for her haircut. It is true, the lady does magic with a pair of scissors. Her fingers run through your hair as if casting a fine spell of charisma around them and before you know it-hey presto! The new YOU!
In fact, the first time I met her I remember how impressed I was with here shear style.
She walked in. I told her the cut I wanted. One glance at my hair. Then, she calmly put on her apron. Put on her favorite cd. Re-adjusted her hair clip and set to work. With deft snips and slides (some hairstylist jargon for the unfamiliar) accompanied my periodic hums, she was done in no time. And the results were great!!!
So, with her at work on my hair, I sat reassured whilst she did her bit.
Only the final, touches remained now..........

So I asked,
'How long do you intend to keep the fringe?'
She looked a bit surprised, and asked,
'You'd like a fringe?'
I said,
'Yes, of course.'
She said,
'Well, with your kinda hair I wonder how it would look.............'
Now it was my turn to be surprised, since, as far as I knew, I had got a fringe done plenty on times before. So I said,
'Really? Will it look bad?'
'No, no. That's not what I meant. I mean it's just that......Its a bit warm nowadays too...Anyways, it'll be fine.'
And she set to work as I mused what she meant.
I saw her cutting my hair in a different way this time but overlooked that as an idiosyncrasy of an artistic mind.
And then when she was done and I saw my hair looking -different.
Attributing it to their wetness, I waited patiently for them to be styled.
As she began curling by hair inwards and placing them on my forehead, I realized what I had done.
I almost reeled in my chair as it dawned on me that I had, in my absent mindedness asked her to give me a 'fringe' instead of a 'flick'!

I felt like I had redefined the height of stupidity!

I had to be the only women who could confuse a 'flick' with a 'fringe'!
My hairstylist caught my ex-pression and asked me what was wrong. As I explained to her, I felt my foolishness mingle with embarrassment. She assured me that I looked nice, but I was unconvinced.

I thanked the lady, paid up and left the place.
About an hour later, I began regaining my composure. I resisted the urge badly to laugh out loud by reminding myself that I was the affected party here!

I told my folks my faux paus and got a patient hearing and lots of -'Oh, but you're looking nice.'
I'm certain it must have taken some strong affection for me to resist the temptation of laughing out loud in a situation like this.

A couple of hours and a few compliments later we were all laughing together!
Anyways, it WAS time to change my look.

But, I never expected it to come about this way!!!

P.S. –For those of you who are still wondering what a 'fringe' is I 've attached a pic of Audrey Hepburn with her ever famous fringe for your reference.