Short Clips Of A Year Ending

The year of 1965 was nearly to a close. It had been a year of political unrest & frustrations. North Vietnam was trying to overtake South Vietnam. The U.S. sent Military advisers & then more soldiers. Over 200,000 American troops were in South Vietnam. The war that 'wasn't going on', was now admitted to be real by the government. Anti-war protests were starting up in masses in practically all of the colleges, draft dodgers were fleeing to Canada, & the racial unrest in the country was at an all time peek. Malcolm X, was assassinated, which caused more racial conflict.
We were cleaning up after a very long, busy day at the salon. The doors were locked & Josef was telling Charles, how he could 'change his life' for the better, jokingly, if Charles would 'experiment a new lifestyle' with him. This was an ongoing joke between those two, & I personally loved the batter between them. Josef, with his, lash batting, wrist flipping, hand on the hip pose, & Charles with his 'macho', womanizing attitude, caused the most hilarious scenario, all of us enjoyed.
"Gentleman!", Vidal held up his hand to Josef & Charles, "May I interrupt this flirtatious moment, please?"
All of us turned to Vidal.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you 'love birds', but I need to speak with all of you for a minute."
The shop was suddenly still.
"Ladies back there," Vidal motioned to Agnes, Judy, Maria & Lisa, our two manicurists, "I want ALL of you to hear this!"
We all gathered around Vidal.
"Due to this war, & the racial conflict going on in this country right now, I'm asking all of you to please, do NOT, give your personal feeling and/or beliefs to your clients, should you be engaged in a conversation about these subjects. Politics & religion is off limits."
"Vidal", Michele spoke up, "Everyone is talking about that stuff!"
"Yes, I know. Listen to them, nod your head in understanding, BUT, do not express your beliefs or feeling on these topics. At best, it might cause a friendly argument, at worst it WILL cost you a customer, may cost ALL of us customers, since we can hear the different discussions going on at other stations. But, for yourselves & each other, keep the conversation neutral."
"But, Vidal," I spoke up, "I'm against this war & so are all of us. I think that the Blacks have a right to equality in this country."
"Good, CeCe, but don't express your beliefs to the clients. We have some very powerful, & rich clients that come to us. Their beliefs & power is much stronger at the moment than what we have. I'm not saying not to talk about these subjects with them, everyone is talking about it. I'm just asking all of you, not to express to the client your personal beliefs & feelings. Some of these people feel President Johnson is right for keeping the war going, some don't. Some feel that the Blacks in this country should still be slaves & some don't. These are very powerful issues. Don't allow your feeling about them ruin your career, & that is what I fear could happen to some or all of you. Being 'Black Balled' right now is not the wisest thing to do. So, guys & gals, protect yourselves & each other. With that said, Beverly is across the street, who ever wants to join us, I'm buying drinks & dinner."

Vidal's Salon Turns One!

Fall has arrived! Today was the first anniversary of the salon opening, & Vidal was having food catered in. We set up tables to display all of the goodies. Magazine reporters & camera men were coming in & out. Josef was putting on his best performance, with his little flipping of his wrist, but for some reason Brad was not happy about all of the fuss.
"What's wrong with Brad?" I whispered into Charles ear.
"Not sure. Ask Aaron."
My next client walked in, so I went over to her & gave her a hug. "How are you, Eileen?"
" Great, CeCe!" She walked over to the client changing lounge. I lite a cigarette & waited for her to come out.
"What's all of this?" Eileen asked, motioning to all of the activity.
" Our first anniversary. What are we doing today?" as I started to brush her hair.
Eileen has been a client of mine since Brooklyn. We've become really good friends & over time have shared a great deal of our personal lives with each other. Eileen was a real pretty girl, but didn't see herself that way. I hated that for her, so I worked extra hard on her hair styles & advised her often on make-up & clothes.
" I'm thinking of a perm," she said with a smile,"What can you do for me, CeCe?"
"That's great. I know exactly what I want to do. It's a dramatic change. Are you up for it?"
"Yes,yes! I need change in my life right now. My love life has hit an all time low. The only one that I'm sleeping with is my cat."
We laughed out loud together. We were both in the same boat. I motioned her over to Agnes.
Camera men & reporters were interviewing everyone that they could. Cameras flashed all afternoon, music playing all of the current hits, clients getting a little tipsy, enjoying the catering, everyone was in a party mood. Michele was sneaking a drink in the back. Brad was still quiet, but did allow some photographers to take his pictures while he worked on his clients.
Three hours later I finished Eileen's hair. She looked beautiful. I kept it long in the back with large round ringlets falling around her face. She had beautiful blue eyes that sparkled, & the ringlets fell right at her temples to accent her eyes. I also added a few highlights around the frame of her face, so it seemed to glow.
"Can I take your picture, Miss?" One of the photographers asked Eileen
"Ah, yes, o'kay," she looked up to me & I smiled, nodding my head. "CeCe, you have to be in it also. You created this masterpiece."
"Yes, of course," He said,"My name is Sam." as he stretched his hand out to shake Eileen's.
Sam took about two dozen shots of Eileen. I was in about six of them, but he had her posing all over the salon. He was making her laugh, & she was as giddy as a school girl, with all of the attention he was giving her. I later saw her give him her phone number. I was thrilled. Sam was a nice looking guy, seemed to be taken by her, or at least flirtatious.
The day went by quickly, with the reporters, camera men, & clients going in & out. It was about an hour before closing time. I was in the employees lounge eating my dinner & having a drink.
"CeCe," Judy leaned against the doorway, "Your next client is here."
"Thanks Judy. Just tell them to change & have a seat. I'll be out in five minutes."
"O'kay." She went out to the salon area.
As I walk out to the clients waiting area, my heart dropped. It was 'him'! 'Oh my God' I said to myself.
"Hi Sunny," shaking his hand, "Are we doing the same cut?"
"I love it CeCe," holding my hand too long, "Can you do it again?"
"Sure can! Go tell Judy to shampoo you, & I'll see you at my station."
Joseef winked at me through the mirror, while Michele gave me an encouraging smile. The end of a very hard day, & this is what I have to deal with.

Sunny's First Appointment

Friday nights were always crazy at the salon. Clients coming in late because of traffic or getting stuck a little later at their office, always ran our bookings late.
Agnes was great with keeping the clients shampooed & processed, plus she trained Judy really well. Agnes also knew which clients tipped better than others & made sure those were the ones she shampooed.
I turned to call over my next client to my chair, & looked into the eyes of the man from Ammies.
"Have a seat here please." I tried not to show that I recognized him. "My name is CeCe, what is yours?" as I reached my hand out to shack his.
"Hi CeCe," he took my hand in both of his, "I'm Sunny."
I quickly removed my hand from his hold. "Well, what do you want to do with your hair?"
Sunny looked into the mirror & ran his fingers through his hair quickly. "I think just a shaping would be fine, but, on the other hand, I might like something a little different."
"That's a dangerous thing to say to her," Michele commented.
"Well, I think I'll leave it up to CeCe."
As I brushed his hair & made suggestions, Sunny nodded, asking about up-keep, etc., staring none stop at me through the mirror.Finally, I sent him over to Judy for a shampoo.
"Isn't that the guy from the bar?"
"Yes!", I answered.
"He's so cute." remarked Josef.
"Well I don't like him. He gives me the creeps! I don't like him coming to this shop."
"Well, honey," Josef brushed his eye brow, " If he could afford a sixty five dollar hair cut, then be cool. Or ah, you can pass him on to me." There was the flirty queen again. The three of us laughed.
As I cut Sunnys' hair, we chatted about the war, civil rights. He told me that he was a printer for a major company downtown, single, but divorced with a son, that lived with his mom in another state. I got the feeling he was trying to impress me, which wasn't working. I didn't know why I didn't like him, but my stomach was in a knot until he was out of my chair.
I motioned to my next client to give me a minute, as I plopped myself into my chair, lighting a cigarette.
"What do I owe you, CeCe?" as he was approaching my chair.
"It's sixty five dollars, Sunny."
He handed me a hundred dollar bill. "Keep the change."
"Thank You!" as I walked over to the desk, where the register is.
"Do you remember me?" Sunny asked.
"No" I lied, "Have I done your hair before?" I hoped that my voice sounded normal.
"We met at the club downtown about a month ago. I sent you white roses two days later. Did you get them?" His eyes were smiling, but his face wasn't.
"The roses," I responded, "They were from you?" pretending to be surprised. "They were beautiful."
"Good, I'm glad."
There was an awkward pause. I motioned for my client to come to my chair.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your haircut, Sunny." I started to drape the client in my chair.
"I'll see you again soon, CeCe" he said as he left the salon.

An Unscheduled Appointment

When I walked into the salon Tuesday, there was a large vase with beautiful white roses sitting on my station.


"What's this?", I asked, not waiting for a response. My first client was already in my chair. "Go get shampooed Leah," I told her, as I pulled my jacket off & went into the employees lounge, dropped the jacket on a chair & made myself a cup of coffee.


"Is someone in love?" asked Charles


"Who are they from? They were delivered yesterday." Brad informed me, as he blew dry his clients hair, tousling it with his fingers, for that full volume, slightly tossed look. It was the perfect cut for his young client.


"Don't have the foggiest." I lite a cigarette, pulling the card from the arrangement.It read: "Pure beauty for a pure beauty! Can I buy you a drink now?"


I let out a gasp. Josef walked away from his client & came to my side. Everyone was watching my reaction.


"What is it CeCe?" Josef pulled the card from my fingers, reading it out loud. "Who is this?"


"That's the guy at Ammies, Saturday night. He asked to by me a drink & I declined, told Nikki to put it on my tab."


"You got yourself a secret admirer. lucky girl!" Michele chirped in.


"I don't want an admirer! I don't want someone sending me anything. Heck, now he knows where I work!"


I was really upset about this. I hoped that this person would not pursue me, but my gut feeling was saying this was just the beginning. I removed the roses from my station & sat them on the receptionists desk.


The day ended quickly. I never gave the flowers another thought all day. Michele asked for a rose as we were leaving for the day.


"Take the whole thing. I don't want them."


With that, Josef, Agnes, & Brad each took a rose & Michele went home with the rest.

Shearing Into Isolation

All of us were doing really well at the salon. People were calling from all over to get their haircuts, colors etc. by a Vidal Sassoon stylist. We have become the 'Best of the Best', in the beauty industry, & all of us became famous in our own right. I loved to color hair. The challenge of combining two or three colors to emphasize the shape & movement in the haircut was exciting to me. We believed that your hair was your crowning glory, so every cut should shine. And shine they did!

I, though, was very unhappy. Mom was making it more & more difficult to see Sal. She even suggested that I mail her the checks every week, because she was too busy for me to waste her time to get Sal. We argued every time I went to the house. It was always that Sal was sick, had a cold, they were going out, I took him out too late. Something was always preventing me from seeing my son.

Plus I had almost no personal life. I had stopped dating since the last man told me he was married, after seeing him for three months.

"What are you doing tonight?" Josef asked as he was cleaning up his station.

"Nothing," I smiled over at him. "I'll just do some laundry, I guess. Watch some television."

"Come out with me, Aaron, & Michele."

"Yes, CeCe," Michele added, "It'll be good, & if your with us, Aaron & Josef can't call me a 'fag-hag'."

"Well," Aaron waved his hand in the air, placing one hand on his hip,"Aren't you, girl?"

Michele had started hanging out with Josef & Aaron a lot, since she broke up with her boyfriend. She was tired of being used & then dumped on, she told us one day. I agreed with her. It seemed the 'sexual revolution' opened the door for every married man to go on the prowl!

All of us laughed together at Aaron's swishing. He was such a 'queen', & he fit into the mixture so well, we all loved him.

"Oh, I don't know," I was very tired from the days business, but I knew that I would have a great time with them. "Where are you going tonight?"

"To Ammies." Josef chirped in, "Where else is there a place with sooo many gorgeous guys?"

Ammies was a gay club in downtown Manhattan. It was an old warehouse remodeled inside, beautiful lights & beautiful people. On Saturday nights, the club was open to gays & straights. The music was terrific, & they usually had a live drag show. Aaron's boyfriend worked one of the six bars, so a lot of our drinks were free.

"Your coming tonight," Michele ordered, "I will pick you up at 10 o'clock & that's final!"

Salon Talk & Product Line

Vidal & I were the last to leave the Salon. Josef left early, due to a terrible cold, Michele didn't come in, because the snow was too deep, and Charles left after his last client. The snow was falling so thick, we barely were able to see the cars & buses driving past.
"Going home, CeCe?"
"Yes."
"Want to stop for a drink first with me?" It was more of a command.
"Not really, Vidal. I'm going to have to walk home in this snow. That's going to be rough."
"Yes, I know." His voice was lower than usual.
"Why?" Vidal looked concerned, "Is something wrong?"
"I would like your opinion on something, but I need your input, since you will have the biggest challenge. I thought that we can go down to the saloon, & discuss it over a drink."
"Okay, sure. Let me finish cleaning up. Agnes forgot to wash the coffee pot again. I need to speak with her in the morning!"
Agnes was our new shampoo girl. She was great with the clients, very good with the timing of color washes, perm processing, & getting our clients ready for us, but, not very good at quiting time with the clean up. She always left something to be 'done in the morning', & I didn't approve of that. I expected everything to be clean & ready to go the next day.
It seemed to take us forever, just to cross the street to the bar that we all hung out in sometimes after work. It was a nice place. Not fancy like a lot of the bars. They served burgers, chili, Tex-mex sort of menu. But everyone knew us & it was a comfortable, friendly place to drop into.
George, the bartender, waved to us as we walked in.
"Usual guys?" Vidal had turned me on to Vodka martinis. He enjoyed them also.
"Yes, thanks." Vidal answered, as we walked to a table.
The place was unusually quite. They had a Presley tape playing in the back ground & the television was on, with no sound. Didn't need to hear what the news caster was saying. They were showing our men in Viet Nam.
George motioned to Vidal that our drinks were ready, so Vidal excused himself to go get them.
I lite a cigarette, as my martini was placed in front of me & Vidal sat across from me.
"CeCe, I've seen a tremendous increase in bookings over the past few months."
"Yes, I know," I responded with a big smile. Business has been terrific, & all of us are getting booked up one & two weeks in advance. Between my salary, commissions & tips, I was making about $1000.00 a week. Big difference from just one year ago.
"Well, this is my thought, but you tell me if it's going to be too difficult for you."
I took another sip of my drink as I snubbed out my cigarette.
"I want to hire two or three more stylist. We have enough stations. That would mean hiring another shampoo girl of course. I don't think Agnes can handle seven or eight stylist alone. Do you?"
I nodded my head in agreement.
"The other thing that I've been contemplating with is products."
"Products?" My voice rose up a little higher than I intended. Most salons were beginning to retail hair products now. I didn't care for the idea because it was a pain to inventory & market. Just too much paper work.
"Let me explain my idea." I loved the way he always held his hand up when he was going to push his idea." I've been speaking with a company that currently is making shampoos etc. They are agreeable to my having a say as to the ingredients that will go into the products. With that sort of input, I can design shampoos, conditioners, gels & sprays, that are custom formulated. Every customer will have a product formulated to their particular hair type."
I had to admit, it was a excellent idea!
" Vidal, that's brilliant!"
"I'd hoped you'd say that."
Three hours later, we had a game plan. Over burgers, onion rings, & three more martinis each, we both were please with the course of action. My only silent hesitation was, when will I get time to start law school?

Wash out the old & Ringing In A New Year

It was New Years Eve. 1965 was twenty four hours away. The salon was incredibly busy, music playing in the background, constant chatter between stylists & clients & staff. Vidal arranged for a caterer to set up a table in the salon, filled with all kinds of meats, seafood, breads & rolls, salads, sodas & juices for the staff & all of the clients.
After work, I went home to my new apartment in Manhattan, showered & took a nap. I had plans to meet up with Charles, Darlene (his girl), & Michele & her newest boyfriend, for dinner.
I purchased a beautiful red evening gown to wear that night, & I was eager to have a good time. We had reservations for 10pm, which gave me at least two hours rest.
Dinner was excellent as always. And as always we drank too much wine. Laughter was a constant & steady flow off conversation, mostly about how & who of our clients that day, got on our nerves. Anytime you get a bunch of hairdressers together, the gossip about their clients, makes rapid discussion & lots of laughter. We don't really see ourselves the way others see us, & a hairdressers eye is possibly the most critical. And a hairdressers revenge is to shred you to pieces the first opportunity they get, after the client is gone.
At 11:45, the maitradie & waiters passed hats & noise makers around to all of the tables. A large television was set up over the bar area, with Dick Clark talking & the cameras scanning down on all of the people at Times Square, waiting for the ball to descend. There it was! 1965!
All of us kissed & hugged, wishing each other great things for the New Year.
"What is your New Years Resolution, CeCe?", asked Michele
"Oh, I don't know." I answered, "What's yours?"
Michele leaned close to my ear & whispered, "To find a man that doesn't lie to you." We both laughed together. That wasn't likely to happen for either of us. Michele had just found out that her boyfriend was married with two kids. I broke up with a man that I had been dating, when his wife came to my apartment in October. Michele & I had many tearful nights, crying & getting drunk over these guys that took us to bed & then went home to their wives.
"You know, Michele, That's my resolution also!" We both clicked our glasses & hugged each other again.

Vidals' First American Haircut!

The 1960's is a fast & changing time. Viet Nam is going strong & protests are popping up all over the country. The term 'Hippie Generation' & 'Draft Dodgers' have become daily household words.

The 'Hippie Generation', while regarded by the adults as "lazy, drugged, disillusioned kids", has started a tidal wave of changes in our society. The most obvious is their style of dress. Long hair on the guys is the key issue. Suddenly, boys & men from 12 to 30 years old, stopped cutting their hair. Barber shop owners are on the news almost daily, complaining that their losing business, going out of business, & how disgraceful these men are to society. Unisex salons are starting to pop up in areas, especially Manhattan, causing even more controversy. Women cutting men's hair & men cutting women's hair, was in the same category as 'sex before marriage', which also was becoming popular, again, blamed on the 'hippy influence'.

Business stayed steady at the shop. Vidal became a frequent visitor, sometimes with paperwork to get advice from AnneMarie, sometime for quick private chats with her, & sometimes I think to get away from the stress of his project.

Today Vidal walked in, looking hot & tired. It's mid May & already we are getting Summer temperatures with humidity. I'm sitting at one of the hairdryer chairs, reading the newest copy of 'Hairdressers How-To' magazine.

"Hello Everyone." His voice was tired sounding & his face a bit drawn. He walked over to my station, & slid into my chair with a low sigh.

"How are you today, CeCe?" He always seemed to talk to me a little bit more than the other girls. That pleased me a lot!

"Good Vidal, how are you?"

" Oh, good I suppose. Are you busy today?"

"My next appointment is at 2 o'clock, it's only 12:30 now, why?"

"I was hoping you can give me a cut. I won't be flying back to London until July, & I hate when my hair looks like this. Can you do me now?"

As I started walking towards Vidal, I could see Sofia's eyes widen to the size of plates & in the mirror AnneMarie was staring at me. Vidal removed his suit jacket & tie, I asked Terry to please shampoo him, & then took a big swallow.

While I cut his hair, conversation flowed about London, his home town, wife & daughter (with photos) & before I knew it, I was removing the cape & brushing fly away hairs off his shirt. Vidal got out of the chair, ran his fingers through his hair saying it was perfect several times, putting on his tie & jacket. He offered me a tip, which I refused, thanking him. He tipped Terry, which she accepted, then turned to AnneMarie, telling her that he'll call her tomorrow, had to get back to his hotel to change for a business dinner at 7pm.

The rest of the day flew by. I hoped that Vidal was pleased with the haircut. I was aware that he watched every angle that I cut on, observed my blow drying techniques, & how comfortable I was with my "client".

Well, if he becomes popular in New York, I can say, "I gave Vidal his First American Haircut!"

You have pretty hair...

April is finally here! Spring time, the time of Renewal. My son's birthday party went well. I got him everything that my Mom told me that he needed & wanted. Gosh, I love that boy. I can't wait to get my law degree, so that I could bring him to live with me. It breaks my heart every time I see him, & then leave without him. Some day, Sal will be with me!

Like every Saturday, we were crazy busy at the salon. Customers were late for their appointments, & I had perms, cuts, colors stacked up so bad that I didn't stop to eat all day.

Half way through the day, Vidal walked through the door. It was as if he glided. Tall, tanned, beautiful haircut, white sparkly smile that dazzled you. Sharply dressed. Here in Brooklyn, "dressed" to the guys is changing into a clean pair of jeans. Vidal definitely made you turn your head!

We had learned from AnneMarie that he was a hairdresser from London. There weren't many male hairdressers here yet. Barbers is where the men went. It was still new for the guys to go to a 'beauty salon' to have a girl cut their hair. AnneMarie said she met Vidal at a 'Hairdressers Convention' in London, & they've been good friends since. My hunch was that they had a little romance & she would like to pick up where they left off, but Vidal is married now with a child.

Finally, the day came to an end. It was past 7PM, by the time I finished cleaning my station, & packing up my equipment. I was brushing my hair when Vidal walked over to my chair & slid himself into it.

"You have pretty hair."

"Thank You." Was HE talking to ME?!?

"Your pretty good with that shears." Hi accent was so seductive.

"Thank you again. Busy day, I had to whip through those cuts at record speed. Thank heavens for blow dryers."

" You have a good command of your tools. Where did you study cosmetology?"

"Winifred in Queens." My heart started to beat faster. Were my legs getting weak?

"Vidal?" AnneMarie called, " Let's get out of here girls", she called to us, "Come on Vidal, I need a cocktail."

All of us picked up our bags & purses, heading for the door. Thank God, another week over. Payday & my birthday. Yes, I was having what promised to be a very good year!