6.22

She could do this thing where she would use a strand of her hair, wrap it around the rest of her hair and then pin it up into the pony tail she just created. To me, this was the most resourceful thing a woman could do. It was beautiful in the ease she was capable of pulling it off with. She would brush her bangs off her face, then flip her hair over one shoulder, anxiously. I could usually sense its soon arrival at this point and bubbles of excitement would began to fizz inside me. It would be nearly impossible for me to keep my eyes off her for the next few minutes, longing for the moment when she would select a small lock, usually from the nape of her neck, and began the process. There was something about the way she bowed her head to make it easier for her arms to work, and something in the tension she used to hold the pin in her teeth. It was remarkably honest. With her hair pulled away, I could see the gentle lines of her neck and her small ears brushed with a few escaped strands of hair. She seemed ready now. This was not a woman who could hide behind a curtain of keratin.

This was a common occurrence in restaurants. She would be in the middle of explaining the latest tangle in the web of her social life. I would be pushing vegetables around on my plate and listening with mild interest. I still got a few of her friends jumbled. But my interest would peak when she began to dig in her purse. I would wait patiently, interjecting a few didn't she just sleep with his brother last week? and wow, it really makes you wonder what she isn't telling us when she stopped talking to eat some of her meal. She swept her strands over her shoulder. I stared at her under my lowered eyes. I felt the heat rush to my chest as she bowed her head and raised her arms. She talked to her lap while twisting her arms behind her head, continuing her story through clenched teeth. The dark pin reminded me of a cowboy's cigarette right before the shoot out. It knew nothing but anticipation. The pin and I waited for her to perfect the tension and placement of it's new home. With one swift motion she jabbed the pin into her hair. Lifting her face, she smiled. Ready.