Here's more of my continuation of Deirdre Rosamond O'Connor's original, which can be found
here. The first part of my new material is
here.
IV: Pearl (continued)
Jan began to mix chemicals and then worked them into Pearl's hair. "This will bleach the dark color out of your hair, so we can remake it as we want," she explained. After the bleach was well absorbed into Pearl's hair, Jan placed a pink plastic cap over it all, saying, "We need to give the bleach time to process." Handing her a magazine, she said, "Why don't you look through this to find a style you like...and maybe even a shade of red you'd like."
While Pearl paged through the magazine, Jan went to report to Nora, Emma, and Rhoda. "How is she taking to it all?" Emma asked.
"Like she was born to be a prissy girl," Jan replied. "Clearly, at heart, she is just as much a sissy as her daughter Susan. She's asked to be made a redhead--I assume that's OK with you, Nora?"
"Oh, yes! With her coloring, red will be beautiful!" Pearl's wife exclaimed. "What about style?"
"I have her looking over a style book now...of course, I will guide her into something you would like, if necessary."
"Hmmmm...." Nora considered. She turned to Emma and Rhoda. "You and your family--and now Susan--all have lovely updos. I suppose we should try something similar with Pearl...but perhaps with lots of curls. Her hair is rather naturally curly."
"I'd noticed that," Rhoda answered. "Yes, I think something with curls piled high would be the best--maybe with some of her namesakes twined through it?" She turned to Jan. "You have some faux pearl strands you could use?"
"Oh, yes!" She clapped her hands. "What a wonderful idea!" She checked her watch. "Well, the bleach should have done its work by now--time to start on the color!" She rushed back to the salon.
She found Pearl with the magazine open on her lap, gazing at the image of a beautiful copper-haired girl with curls piled high. Jan smiled...little guidance would be needed with this one, she thought. "Is that what you'd like?" she asked.
"Oh, oh, Jan--yes! Yes! Isn't it gorgeous?" Pearl said, enthusiastically.
"It certainly is, and I know I can start by making your hair just that shade, with all the necessary highlights, too!" She pulled the cap off Pearl's hair, revealing it in all its curled but whited-out glory. She walked the wannabe-housewife back to the sink and rinsed the remaining chemicals out of her hair.
"How is it I've never done all this before, Jan?" Pearl asked. "It feels so good...."
"I don't know, dear...perhaps you've been living as a man?" Jan asked, teasing.
"Have I?" Pearl responded, confused. "I seem to recall wearing a suit and tie...but that's silly! I'm a woman, a married woman keeping house for my loving wife!"
"Are you sure? I could swear I've seen you in jeans and a t-shirt around the neighborhood," Jan continued her testing questions.
"Don't be ridiculous, Jan," Pearl protested. "I'd look absurd that way!"
"I guess you would, sweetie," Jan said. "Now, I've got the color ready for your hair." She began sectioning off Pearl's curly locks and painting the new color onto them. She covered each section with foil before moving onto the next. "This is just the base shade," she explained, as she finished. "We'll need to let it process under a low dryer before we move on to the highlighting."
She helped Pearl to the dryer and lowered the bonnet dome over her. As she started it up, Pearl was uncertain, but thought she heard a murmuring voice under the hum, speaking to her, saying, "You're a pretty woman, you love having your hair done, you love wearing makeup, heels and hose make you feel sexy...." Over and over, as her hair processed, she heard the voice repeat those and other phrases--or she thought she did.
The hum of the dryer and the drone of the almost-heard words soon had Pearl drifting off, dreaming of mincing around in her heels, feeling her petticoats float around her legs, tasting her lipstick.
She was startled when Jan said to her, "Wake up, sleepy-head! We need to check your color!"
"Oh, Jan...it felt so lovely under the dryer--but I can't wait until I can show Nora the new me!" Pearl went back to the sink station, where Jan began to unwrap the foil from her hair. She saw it was now a shade of red, somewhere between dark orange and vermillion. "Oh, but it looks so flat," she said, disappointed.
"That's because we haven't done the best part yet," Jan said. She picked up what looked like an artist's paint brush and dipped it into a new mixture of chemicals. "Now we create the highlights, the glow that every real woman's hair has." She began to brush the new color onto strands of Pearl's hair, some heavily, some lightly, working especially on the curls near her face. Again, as she completed each section, she wrapped it in foil.
"OK, this won't need as much time. While it's working, I'll gather up what I need for your new style!" Jan hurried off to find what she needed. Pearl gazed at her reflection in the mirror...even with the foil wrapped over parts of it, she could see how gorgeous her new color would be, and she felt a
frisson of excitement, a stirring at her crotch.
Still more to come; and don't forget to vote in the poll (
details here)!
