Page 27 of Unlikely to Stay
CC wasn’t taking that bait.Instead, she led the woman to the sink and washed out her hair before leading her back to the styling chair.When she was finished drying, CC looked at Madge’s hair in the mirror.Definitely a cotton candy cloud on top of the old lady’s head.
“Well,” she said, holding her breath.“What do you think?”
“You know, I take back what I said about the cotton candy.I’m liking it.It’ll go well with the cupcake body spray I got at Cure All Pharmacy the other day.Men like it when you smell like food.”
“You don’t say.”
“It’s true.My husband Ralph used to come unglued whenever I cooked bacon.It was his favorite food.I always knew if I wanted some hanky panky that night I needed to have bacon on the table when he got home from work.”
CC wrinkled her nose.She loved bacon as much as the next person but to make it so her man would be turned on?No, thank you.
“Now, before I go can you paint my toes and nails to match?I got some new sparkly sandals I want to show off.The podiatrist in Lakeview just cut off the bunion on my left foot so I can show these puppies off,” Madge continued.
“I can.Just come over here and have yourself a massage in the chair while I’m working.”
“Don’t make that water too hot in the tub.My skin ain’t what it used to be.Scalding water might burn it off.”
“Will do.”
CC was putting the finishing touches on Madge’s nails when she heard the bell above her door jingling.
“Cees, I’m needing you to update my hair.The green from St.Patty’s Day served its purpose for that holidayandEaster.Those beads really did the trick.I expected all the kids to ask if they could find the eggs in my hair.But now I’m thinking I want—”
Kelda’s words trailed off when she noticed Madge sitting in CC’s manicurist’s chair.Her eyes went to Madge’s cotton candy hair before narrowing into slits.
“Madge,” she said, venom in her voice.
“Kelda,” Madge replied, her voice equally as venomous.
What waswiththe feud with these ladies?
CC tried to diffuse the situation.“Doesn’t Madge’s hair look nice?She’s going to impress some of those bachelors for sure.”
Kelda huffed.“If you like cotton candy, it looks perfect.”
Madge muttered something that sounded suspiciously like“hussy bitch”but CC thought it best to just ignore that particular comment.
“So what were you thinking for your hair, Kelda?”
“Oh, I don’t know.I’m thinking lilac purple or baby blue.Maybe with a loose perm.”
This time, instead of muttering, “Hussy bitch,” Madge yelled it loud and clear.CC’s brush left a long streak of pink polish on the woman’s pinky as she lifted herself off the chair as fast as an eighty-something-year-old woman could go.She headed over to Kelda and stood nose to nose with the other woman.
“Don’t youdaretry to copy my hair, Kelda Vanderburgh!You know I thought of this idea first!”
“I don’t know about that, MadgePerkins.I seem to recall mymantelling me he’d love to see my hair fluffed up like a blue little cloud.”
To CC’s surprise and horror, Madge slapped Kelda right on the arm.“No.Cotton.Candy.”
Kelda returned Madge’s slap.“You can’t tell me what to do.”
The two women began slapping each other’s hands back and forth like two kittens in a cat fight.CC thought she might have even heard one of them hiss.
“Ladies, ladies!Knock it off!”
Kelda turned her head and, still slapping, yelled at CC, “I’ll stop when she stops!”
“I ain’t stopping till she tells me she won’t copy my cotton candy hair!”