Personalities by Leona!

Dear You,

If the title makes you feel that you are about to dash upon a poem or read a poetic prose or stories from the victorian era or anything relating to exemplary literary work, I am obliged to warn you that you might be unmistakably mistaken. Nor is this a Cut-Paste of an article of some fame claiming mag or a teenagers delite. 'Personalities by Leona' decides the personalities of many a poor souls in the midtown Cincinnati! This is the place one visits atleast once a month with the fond hope of looking and feeling better whe they come out. This is the place everyone loves coz something changes without you moving a muscle. This is the place which we call the Hair Cutting Salon!

My first Hair Cut in the US of A. I was required to something which I would'nt do even for consulting a Doc or meeting my professor in India. I was asked to fix up an appointment for my Haircut!! I was warned by my seniors that If I end up being a few minutes late to the salon, then dear Leona wud refuse to work! So, I called up the Salon and booked an appointment at 10:45 am on the first of November, 2004! All set, I woke up on time on this Rainy day, grabbed my umbrella and few Wrigleys and rushed my way to Clifton Street. There it was, a small, neat and clean Salon. Leona was quick to say "Welcome Aaashwin.." as I entered the floor. It made me realize how closely are they keeping up with their schedule for the day. She seemed to be booked for the day and she has alloted a good 40 minutes for all customers!!

Leona was far from attractive. She was a white with short hair and a pitiable flair for talking. She makes sure none of her customers remain silent when she is at work. I was asked to sit on a soft cushion and on me was spread a nice black rexin that sealed my body well from the surroundings.

"From India?"...."Yeah"..."Have they used Clippers on those curlies before?"..."Ah...NO!", coz I have never heard the word clippers!I hope they do no harm!As I was wondering what she might do next, she just said "I think Four would suit you" and just chose a huge orange clipper add-on to the cutting machine! She added "Yeah..that wud suit you" in the most trite, usual style when I requested her to cut my hair real short. After all, I didnt want to spend $10 every month!!

She treated my head nothing more than a lawn and with the handheld mover, I found my hair being cut at so rapid a rate that I was done in a few minutes. Leona has done a good job. She has made sure I dont give her business for atleast 3 months! Exactly what I wanted!! She then made me sit in the Shampoo room where she applied some wonderful lotion. My scalp felt the way our tongue does when we chew some strong mint!! It was good, trust me! I was enjoying the cool feeling when she had to say its time for the next person.

Paid off the dues and walked back in the rain, feeling a lot lighter!

Definitely, Me.