On one of those salon visit days, while sitting and getting my hair twisted, a little girl came in with her Mommy. The little girl was about eight years old. She waited patiently as her Mommy talked with the Salon Manager and then the Hairdresser. The Hairdresser got excited when she saw the little girl - I think she is a regular customer. I was beginning to think the little child was some sort of celebrity. I began to run through the child actors I had seen in my beloved Nollywood movies. I could not place her face. Ah music videos! Nothing. Never-the-less, I kept staring at the child 'codedly' through the mirror.
I could not believe my good fortune when the Hairdresser placed the little girl in the styling chair next to me. I too got kind of thrilled. I cannot say why. I was checking her out with side eye. She looked at me. Busted! I smiled. She smiled and said "Good afternoon Ma". And she is polite too! "Good afternoon my dear" I responded, realizing that I sounded older than my age. I smiled awkwardly and faced my front.
The little girl's Hairdresser came back and let down the child's hair. I almost choked on the juice I was drinking. The Hairdresser had let down lovely dredlocs that spiralled down to rest just below her shoulders. When the child had come in I thought that she had braids that had been wrapped into a bun. I coughed a few times until my Hairdresser swiftly moved me forward and hit my back twice. "Madam sofly o" she said as she gave me one last blow on the back. I glared at her, eyed her through the mirror and muttered "Break my back o".
The little girl had come in to get her locs re-twisted and palm rolled. She sat patiently and sipped on her canned Milo drink. I kept glancing at her as the Hairdresser worked on her hair. Part of me was checking to make sure the Hairdresser did not do anything "unacceptable" to the child's hair and the other part was just looking in admiration.
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| The little girl's locs were a little longer than this |
That was the first time I was sad to leave the salon. When my hair was done, I turned to my Hairdresser and asked "Now now?" She did not even answer me. Rude girl! *Hiss* I paid for my hair and turned towards the little girl. I hesitated for a bit before walking up to her. "You have really lovely hair." I told her. I wanted her to be confident about that. "I know" she answered with the biggest smile ever. "Oh? How do you know?" I asked the child, amused and curious. She took a sip of her canned Milo drink, looked at me from the top of her straw and said "My Mommy and Daddy told me". Now what do you say after that?
Cabella
1 comment:
It shows that confidence can be taught to a child at home. This is a lesson that parents need to pick up so that children don't walk around with a complex.
As usual, an entertaining read
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