SKIN DEEP

ERNESTO has been in charge of my head for upward of 12 years. Keeping an appointment at his salon is uplifting. He's the eldest of 8 children and if I ever would be inclined to write a book, which certainly is not on my TO DO list, it would be about his family. He regales me with tales of his childhood that would translate well to the page. We laugh a lot in the process of my becoming more presentable than when I walked in the door. I've been known to say that I'm "gorgeous" on Wednesdays and it goes downhill from there until it's time for my weekly maintenance again.

But here's the problem. A regular 8 o'clock appointment was tricky enough to keep when we lived in our old house. But now that we're further away.......six miles, to be exact, it's tempting to get dressed and go down the hall to the elevator where I punch the LL button (the basement, otherwise known as the Lower Level) where right across from the elevator is the Manor Salon. There, Jeanne awaits. And she does quite an acceptable job of transformation. Judy, on the right above, cuts Mr. Bob's hair. How easy it is to take advantage of the services offered here.

But every month or so, I find my way back up the hill to Nuovo Salon where Ernesto welcomes me back and makes me laugh. After a haircut or a permanent, I go back home and for the next 4 weeks I face the dilemma of loyalty versus convenience.

I wonder if that's related to what it feels like to have two lovers?