LAYLA! & THE UNTOLD STORIES OF LOVE

𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐘: 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏- chapter four

(Disclaimer: I did not write this story. This is an original story created by a Tumblr user named theangelwithabrokenwing. I am just uploading this to Wattpad due to my dislike of the Tumblr system. If you would like to support the original author, please follow the link in the comments and go favorite, like, and comment on her work on her blog.) 

Jan 15, 1994

It's my birthday.  People love birthdays.  Birthdays are great!  To be honest, I usually forget my birthday.  Then a few days later, I realize I'm a year older. The only thing I do to celebrate is that monthly birthday thing that we do at work – and I'm forced to do that (God bless human resources).  Today is different though.

Since it's Saturday, I decide to roam around the city a bit. Eventually, I find myself standing outside a salon.  I think, maybe I should get my hair trimmed; it is getting a bit shaggy.  The receptionist tells me to have a seat someone will be with me as soon as they can.  I flip through a gossip magazine while I wait, having no idea who the people filling its pages are.  A young girl greets me and leads me to the shampoo area; after she finishes washing my hair she introduces me to Nigel who'll be doing my cut.

He works quickly and without a lot of talking – I like Nigel.  While he's blow-drying my hair I tell him I have a formal event tonight and maybe I should get something special for it.

"Hmmm, you have nice thick hair; a loose chignon would look good and I can show you how to do it yourself in case you need to fix it later on."

He described everything he was doing as he pulled my hair into the chignon. I took mental notes, but my plan was to keep my head very still for the rest of the day so that his excellent work would stay in place.  As he was finishing a lady asked if I would like a manicure.  Short nails are kind of a job requirement for a surgeon, but there's no reason they can't look nice.  I say sure and move from Nigel's chair to Elena's station and she sets to work.

She's chattier than Nigel and asks me about my event tonight.  "First I have a reception that's work-related but then I'm going to dinner with a friend. It's my birthday."

"Happy birthday!  Is he a special friend," she asks - emphasizing the word "special".

Normally I would have raised an eyebrow at such familiarity from a person I met 10-minutes ago, but she's good-natured and, strangely, I want to talk about tonight.  If I had a BFF girlfriend I would have been on the phone talking to her about what I was feeling – that's what girlfriends do, right?  Talk about guys?  At least that's what the movies tell me.

"I don't know, actually."  I tell my new BFF, Elena the manicurist.

"Well he's taking you to dinner on your birthday, so that's something"

"Yes, I guess it is." I decide it's time to get back to a more appropriate subject and we discuss colors, settling on a very sheer nude pink.  I give Nigel and Elena a generous tip and continue my wanderings around London with a new hairstyle and fab nails.  

I roam a bit more until I see a boutique that looks interesting.  Idly flipping through a rack of dresses a saleswoman approaches asking if she can assist.  I brought some black dress pants and a white blouse from home that I was planning to wear for the reception but now I think I want to wear something with a bit of flair – not to look like part of the catering staff.  "I'm looking for something for a special event, like a cocktail dress I guess."  She introduces herself as Liz and we set off looking for my dress.

"What are you about an American size 4?"

"No, a size 6. I'd like something in black and nothing sleeveless or low-cut."