I Cheated

I cheated. I’d like to say it wasn’t planned and it just happened, but I can’t. I planned it in such a way that it would appear to be impulsive, that it appeared to “just happen”, as if I was powerless to prevent it. I came up with hundreds of justifications for it including (but not limited to): “I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.” and “I just couldn’t take it anymore!” I cheated. And I feel terrible. And yet…

I also feel exhilarated. Ecstatic. Invigorated. I feel like I have a new lease on life, that anything is possible. That Merlin will live for another 5 years; I’ll lose 30 pounds, even while pregnant with twins (who will be adorable red-haired girls); I’ll quit my job because I’ve been offered a plum role on Broadway…the impossible with become possible and the implausible will become plausible. All because I cheated!

Who knew a haircut could be so empowering?

(evil grin)

Yes, I cheated. I cheated on my hairdresser. Honestly, I love my hairdresser. She did my hair for my wedding. She’s great. She’s also ridiculously expensive. $55 for a cut, not including tip. I haven’t cut my hair since June and it was in really bad shape. Split ends upon split ends. I broke down. I had to cut it. I figured I’d just run into one of the places at the mall while Teach was getting a massage and just have someone take off an inch or so all the way around. I figured $25 for a trim was better than $65-70. And besides, just a trim isn’t really cheating, is it?

So, I go. They take me right away. The hairdresser tut-tuts over my damaged hair, fusses at me for coloring my hair to the ends when I only need to color the roots, and then suggests layers. (At least, I think she did all that. I only understood every fifth word or so – I really need to learn Spanish!)

I panicked. Layers? Really? I once had a terrible experience with layers. And my normal (expensive, but great) stylist always steered me away from layers. And layering is so much more than just a trim. That’s the difference between a cup of coffee and dinner on the cheating scale. A trim can be justified…

But here I can say I was truly impulsive. Layers? Heck, why not. In for a penny, in for a pound. It’s just hair, after all. It’ll grow back.

So, I watched with trepidation as she started cutting. And cutting. And cutting. I could tell that the snarls were falling to the floor and my hair was feeling lighter. When she was done, my hair actually had some movement. It was pretty exciting. However, I wouldn’t discover just how exciting until much later.

I paid and left to meet up with Teach. He told me it looked good and asked me if I liked it. I said I thought I did but I’d have to wait until I got home and futzed with it myself. He noticed that all the dead ends were gone and it looked healthier. (Mixed blessing that he notices things like this).

When we got home, I spent some time in front of the mirror examining my hair. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. She cut it with a middle part but I wear my hair with a side part. When I parted it on the side, the other side looked all uneven and choppy. The bottom layer was much longer than the top layer and it looked kinda weird. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

But then I had an idea (I get those occasionally) and grabbed my huge barreled curling iron (which I haven’t used in ages) and started curling all the ends. Voila! Suddenly my kinda weird haircut became my most favorite haircut ever! It bounced, it swinged, it framed my face, and it was fabulous! And then I discovered even more exciting things about it. Now that my hair is layered and not all one length, I don’t have as much anymore. That means I can actually put it in a nice French braid, without killing my head or having to bail at the nape of my neck because I have more hair in my hands than I can handle. And, even better, I can wear pigtails and (the best of all) I can wear braids like Pobble. Oh happy day!

But now my cheating has taken on a whole new dimension. It’s one thing to cheat a little out of necessity and swear to never go back. It’s another thing to cheat and fall in love. I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do now. Except enjoy my hair and worry about my next cut when I actually need it.

Oh, and the kicker? This great hair cut only cost me $21. And that was with the tip!