Page 50 of Conan
TWENTY-THREE
DEMI
Lunaand I decided to have a mani/pedi day, and headed out shortly after Xavier did. Our favorite place to hit is a less popular one so there’s never a full house when we come for services, but the lady who works on my nails at this salon always manages to get the shape I want to perfection.
I laugh my ass off when Kimmi asks me, “You got man?” The only reason I find this comical is because she asks me the same thing every time I sit at her station.
“Yes, Kimmi. I’ve got a man.”
“You do? You didn’t last time,” she harrumphs. “He good man?”
“Yes, he’s a good man,” I answer her.
“What he do? He got to take care of you, so he has to be good,” she continues her line of questioning.
“He takes care of her,” Luna answers around a giggle. “Really good.”
“Alright, you two, that’ll be enough of that,” I playfully scold.
The two busybodies glance at each other and begin snickering.
A little bit later, Kimmi leans over the table, her eyes squinting before she says, “You have chin hair, lots of it, like a man. Don’t worry, I’ll wax for you.”
My head goes back and my eyes enlarge, this is a first and I’m not sure how to handle it. I’ve never in my life had my face waxed but I have my legs and my lady bits, therefore, I know how that feels to have your hair ripped out by the root, so I can’t imagine having my face done and it not making me squeal like a little girl.
“Luna? I have hair on my face, like a man,” I say, beginning to hyperventilate. “Xavier kisses this face and I have enough hair to rival a man!”
“It’s more like peach fuzz,” Luna swears, “it’s soft so he hasn’t noticed, I promise.”
“I have peach fuzz on my face, like a man?” I repeat their words, mixing them together, panic still ever-present in my tone.
“Your eyebrows like a caterpillar, meet together in the middle, we fix them too,” Kimmi adds. “Make you sexy so you keep your man.”
“Caterpillar eyebrows,” I recite, deciphering her words, my brows drawn together. “Like a unibrow? Luna! I have a unibrow too!”
Kimmi reaches up and pats my hand, “I take care of for you.”
I stare at myself every morning in the mirror and these are things I’ve never noticed. Luna gets a facial done every six to eight weeks, and she’s tried to get me to make an appointmentwith her esthetician, but to me, it was throwing money away. I can wash and moisturize my face without having to drop a hundred dollar bill in another person’s pocket.
So, it seemed inconsequential and unnecessary, but apparently, I was wrong.
Very,verywrong seeing as I need a full facial wax!
This is what happens when a girl doesn’t have a mother who sticks around and cares to teach her what’s needed and what’s not. Once again, I find myself cursing the selfish mother who deserted me to go off and live her best, kid-free life.
I’m still in a daze as Kimmi leads me to the pedicure chair and sits me down, adding water to the tub. As is my habit, I reach over and hit the remote that’ll have it massaging my back. When I watch Kimmi scuttle to the door and disappear through it, I look over at Luna, and ask, “Is this normal?”
“Getting your chin waxed and plucked?” she inquires.
“Yeah,” I confirm.
“Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil for some,” she remarks. “Demi, she’s doing her job and trying to bring in money for the salon. You know they don’t see much traffic here. There’s nothing wrong with you, okay? You’re perfectly imperfect, just like the rest of us.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a true compliment, or a backhanded one,” I chuff, peering at her with doubt. “Are you gaslighting me, Luna?”
“I would never,” she gasps, mocking me.
“Yes you would,” I contend. “Nobody’s ever told me that facial fuzz was a bad thing.”
