Dinner at the 'Resturant in the Sky.'

We arrived at the 'Restaurant in the Sky', shortly before 9pm. Vidal escorted us into the restaurant with an air of pride & control. The maitradie greeted Vidal warmly as they shook hands & I glimpsed at money passing between them.

"Your table will be ready in just a moment, sir," he said to Vidal.

"Thank you, Simon," Vidal answered, "Why don't we go over to the lounge until they come for us?" As he guided us over to a small table."We can have a cocktail before dinner."

The dinner was magnificent, beautifully served. The decor was elegant. I had never been in a restaurant of this magnitude before, & I was in awe. Vidal ordered a bottle of wine with dinner, conversation flowed easily between the three of us, & I learned that Vidal had a terrific sense of humor.

We were having our after dinner coffee, served with a sniff of Cognac on the side, when Vidal said,"Ladies, first allow me to thank the both of you for gracing my dinner with your beauty." as he held the Cognac up for a toast. "Now, I cannot hold back my excitement any longer & I'm anxious to share with you my delightful good fortune.

During dinner chatter, I had wondered what this evening was about, & here it comes. Anne Marie's eyes were sparkling. Was it the excitement of the evening, or too much wine?

"I found the most fabulous store on Fifth Ave. & Fifty-first street. Ground floor with big beautiful windows." His arms straighted out to describe the windows, his smile just glowing from excitement

"Darling," exclaimed Anne Marie, "Why, that's so great. How wonderful for you!"

I nodded my head in agreement, with a huge smile, also excited for his good fortune.

"Now ladies," holding up his hands to stop our chatter, "this is what I'm proposing to each of you!"

Vidal was silent for a moment as he looked directly into my eyes, & then to Anne Marie.

"The salon won't be ready to open until September or possibly October. You know with construction, design changes, on & on. Well, I'm going to need a place that I could work, design cuts & color, develop techniques, improved perm ideas, getting this whole 'free & casual' styling performance off the ground."

Anne Marie was nodding her head in agreement to every word Vidal spoke. I just starred at this man, my heart beating faster by the second!

"Anne Marie, my good friend," he looked directly into her eyes with that 'little bad boy' grin. "This is where I need your assistance. I very much would like to use your beauty shop to bring models in, so that we can do cuts, color, everything on them first. I want to try out various cutting techniques, color enhancements, everything that would be new & exciting for my new stylists & potential clientele."

"How can we do that, Vidal?' Anne Marie looked bewildered. I was confused.

" This is my thoughts, tell me if you have a simpler way. I'm thinking of you, CeCe, assisting me with the new cutting techniques & color shading. You & I would do all of the styling, & then we both would teach these techniques to the new stylists that I hire. No more wash & sets, teasing & tons of spray. My desire is to take hairdressing into a whole new world of beauty."

My stomach just made a leap to my throat. Anne Marie glanced across the table to me, the sparkle left her eyes.

" Well, that's great Vidal, but what can I do?"

"Anne Marie," he placed his hand over hers, "I want to use your shop, of course after business hours, for Cece & I to work. I intend to pay you rent, cost of supplies that we use, & anything else. I will advertise for my models, so of course the name of your shop goes into the advertisement. "

"CeCe, your days will become quite long, & I will pay you for the time that we are working." He gave a wink & a smile. The blood was now rushing to my head!

"Well, what do you think, Anne Marie?"

"Vidal," did I hear a crack in her voice? "What else can I do? Don't you need help other than using my shop?"

"Darling," He again reached for her hand, this time cupping it between both of his, "Do you realize the magnitude of importance using your shop is? Besides giving us a place to work every night, the traffic that it will generate to your business. When word gets out that 'new & exciting styles are being 'created' at your shop, your going to experience a whole new generation of clientele!"

I could see the wheels turning in Anne Marie's head. She hadn't thought, nor did I, about the word getting out that we were developing a whole new world for the hairdressers & salon owners. Things were changing fast in the 1960's. With the war going on, Woman's Liberation, the Hippie Generation! Why shouldn't the beauty industry take to new roads? We all wanted change, in some aspect of our lives, & this was a very doable concept. Plus, I was invited to take part in it. Yes, 1964 was showing strong possibility of being a very good year for me!