Pinay's Pie

Chapter Four: Make-over Do-over

THE two matchmakers were beside themselves after Jake left us because he needed to travel home after the movie. He had ditched going home early to Biñan because he wanted to see the movie. I guess he didn't leave home after her started working. It was a good idea but not for me. I'd rather stare in my tiny cluttered apartment than live with my family everyday after college. I love them, sure, but sixteen years of mandatory imprisonment was enough. I got out when I was sixteen and I have only come home for short periods of no more than seven months. Now mostly it was holidays, weekends that I was free or deaths in the family.

“Did we do good?” Josh asked. I faced Valerie instead.

“You liked him in college and you didn't even tell me?” I didn't want to sound judgmental but I didn't understand why she had to keep that a secret from him.

“I liked him a little but not as much as you did. You gushed over him all the time. And may I remind you that I had a crush on him but I was dating someone then.” we all cringed when we remembered her own Josh. Yes, that truth hung over me and Valerie, we both had exes who were not of the straight persuasion.

“I wish you could have told me at least. Sorry for being such a gusher by the way. I think I am over him now.” I said, lying through my teeth.

“What? After all the trouble we went through to get you guys together, you are giving up on him?” Valerie's voice was never scandalously loud. This was the closest that it ever got.

“I just think that we have too much in common, we'd bore each other.” there I was whimping out again. “I don't want to date anyone right now. There is a thing called three month rule or that other one, the half of the time you dated rule. Since I dated Ian for more or less eight months, I guess dating after five months would be safe. So I will allow blind dates and set-ups in March. And not a day sooner.”

I saw them both do the facepalm, it was hilarious. But by the look on their faces had I laughed, the would have clubbed me with their expensive apparel. Josh's Ferragamo and Val's Prada would hurt. Shoes always did. “Come on...just let me heal for a bit. I don't want him to be my rebound guy!” I was trying to talk some sense into myself and my friends.

“So you do like him like him!” Josh was so persistent I wanted to look up in the sky and scream to God Why? Why did you give me so many friends I can't lie to well enough! I nodded and the two almost shrieked. Thank the heavens they remembered that we were in a mall in the middle of a business district and not our beloved safe haven in Elbi where we could giggle and shriek like fangirls and no one would care.

“What we need is a rebound guy for you then.” Josh had one of those grins that I hate for him to have. It meant one thing and one thing only. “You need a make-over first.” and there it was my karmic retribution, the punishment for breaking Ian's heart. I let loose my two friends on the path towards the hair salon, one of my five most horrific place to go to. It was number three after hospital mourge and cemeteries at night.

“I don't need a make-over. I like the way I look.” I whinned because I really didn't want to go there for, in case I was right in interpreting the glint on their eyes, was going to take hours.

“We are not going now. We are going tomorrow. Since it's Saturday and you are sleeping over at my place because we have to discuss, research and plan on what must be done to...well...reconstruct your old spunky self. I am sure once Jake asks you out, you will be plucked,” he pointed at my eyebrows. “shaved,” he pointed at my woman business' general area, “and pimped all over.”

I need the apocalypse to happen tomorrow. Because nothing short of all hell breaking loose was going to save me from what these two fashionistas were planning to do to me. Welcome to a world of pain, Pinay. You have no one to blame but yourself.

“YOU want to do what to me?” I was so close to strangling Josh when he said it.

“Let's color your hair. It's not going to be drastic. Just a base color change when the light hits your hair. That's all.” he sounded like he was patronizing me.

“I will shave, bit done on something as they scrub me all over but when I enter that temple of mirrors and blowers, I want to come out of there with the same hair color that I had when I enter it, do I make myself clear, Joshy?” I think my threat was not as powerful since I used a pet name. But Josh knew I meant business. We had this conversation before and I didn't talk to him for a week when he said that I looked better with a new hairdo that ended disastrously. He had said that colored haired me would look good so I suffered through a bleach. But my skin got so irritated that I almost lost all of my hair. We had to get it shaved off and my scalp had to be covered with headgear and plastic wrap to keep the medication in that I vowed that if Josh ever mentioned the word, blonde in my presence that I was legally and morally allowed to murder him with my own hands.

“Okay, just a haircut and a hair spa then.” Valerie was not there for the whole blonde hair disaster since she was sent to India to train the employees there when she was still a trainer. She came back with a great appreciation for the fact that Filipinos bathe once a day or more.

“No, no hair spas. Just a hair cut.” Valerie gave me the you sure you want to get into this argumet look.

“One word, dandruff.” I rolled my eyes and wanted to say that mine was genetic. But we had that conversation before. She had won and I always ended up going to the salon again my will.

“I want this hair cut.” I pointed at the short pixie hair that I had before. It grew well and I always felt sexier with short hair than when I had all that mane to rope up.

“Not that short. But I see your point. You always felt more confident when you had shorter hair. And flirtier too.” Val agreed. Arigato, Jesus.

“That's because she felt like she had actual balls when she's looking like a teenage boy. Come on. Couldn't we go for a perm or something that would change your look. Something you have never done before.” Josh was harping the same things he said before the blonde hair baldness conondrum.

“Been there, heard that. I will get a short hair cut but not this short. Just to make sure you two don't devise any more plans to get me to date any more ex-crushes. At least they won't be interested if I look like a guy most of the time.”

“I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Jake loved your short hair.” Val covered her mouth but Josh and I were already on top of things.

I held her by the shoulder and short of shaking her, I asked, “He liked me?”

“He likes you in shorter hair. He said you looked like you were always on the go and spunky, his words not mine, when you have short hair.” Val grinned and I gushed. I was on the bed so I rolled over.

“I can't think about him right now. I have to focus on reinventing my awesomeness. Something that I let Andy use up and I promised Ian I would get back again. It's too bad none of them will ever tasted that new old me.” I revelled in the revenge that I had planned. Well it wasn't exactly like that but I just wanted to one day, walk down the street and make them drop their jaws and think to themselves. Who's that hottie? Yes, I wanted them to salivate and know that they can't get me feeling or looking like crap just because I didn't match up to their standard or they didn't care enough for me to make me stay. I sound like I am blamming Ian again. But his lame-assery caused the break up. I needed to recover my mojo and my center of happiness. And if going through Josh and Valerie's make-over would do that, then my credit card and I are ready.

“WE want sexy pixie but with a little more hair than regular pixie hair. Sort of like what pixie would look like if it grew out five months later.” Josh was chatting up the Korean hairdresser who did his own hair. Miyoung nodded and began to tie my hair in a loose pony. I heard the first clip that meant I had been released from the oppression of my hair. My first clip of freedom felt good. Just hearing it made me feel that a lot of great things were going to happen.