"A Hairdresser's Life-Changing Encounter with a Teenager"
Leisure and Careers
Maria started working as a hairdresser even before finishing high school. She had always possessed a special talent for making people smile through their appearance and hairstyles. It was her thing. She began by helping out in her aunt's salon to earn some extra money during her senior year.
Once in college, she decided to focus on hairdressing. Little did she know the impact it was going to have on her life. Two years later, Maria found a job as a hairdresser in the big city.
An Unusual Saturday
That particular Saturday was bustling for Maria and her colleagues. The hair salon was packed, and each hairdresser had a fully booked schedule for the entire weekend. But as Maria was about to finish with one of her regular clients, she noticed a teenage girl peering through the windows.
She didn't pay much attention, considering the number of people who often glanced in to see what was happening in the salon. But what the girl did made Maria pause.
Her curiosity is piqued
The girl, dressed in oversized gray joggers and a hoodie, walked into the salon. Her blue eyes scanned the crowd, her hood pulled up over her head, and her fingers constantly fidgeting. Maria could clearly see that she was nervous. She put down her scissors and faced her with a smile. But the teenager turned and rushed outside. "Sorry, Lucy," Maria apologized to her client. Then, she navigated through the packed salon to go out onto the street.
"Hey!" she shouted. The girl was about to turn a corner. "Come back," Maria exclaimed. The stranger stopped and turned around. There was evident fear in her eyes, and her lips were trembling. "Please, come back," the hairdresser repeated. She needed to know if the young girl was okay.
Offering help
"What's your name?" Maria asked as the girl walked toward her. The girl mumbled her name, and Maria gave her own. "Do you want to come back to the salon?" she asked. "We have milkshakes and cool stories."
Though the girl nodded and entered the salon, Maria had noticed that she was uneasy. She escorted her, passing numerous chairs, clients, and hairdressers. When the girl lowered her hood, Maria understood why she had run away.
A heart-wrenching request
"Cut it all off," the girl said as Maria stared at her hair. It was tangled and dirty, with thick knots that hadn't seen a comb in a long time. "Why do you want to cut it?" Maria asked, already envisioning canceling her entire schedule for the rest of the day. "Because it's useless," the teenager said. "I'm useless." Tears filled her eyes. "Please, cut it."
Maria said in a soothing manner, "We'll take it slowly. We'll start with the comb and really go step by step." She offered a gentle smile. "Scissors will be our last resort, okay?" The young girl looked at her, perplexed but nodding. "Why do you care?" she asked. What she revealed next tore Maria's heart in two.
"Why do you care?"
"Nobody cares," the teenager shared. She told Maria the story of her life, explaining that her mother had passed away a few months ago. Since then, the girl's mental state had slowly deteriorated, plunging her into the pervasive darkness of her life.
There were moments when she felt so sad, neglected, and worthless that she couldn't even brush her hair. A deep state of depression... But why did she want to cut it?
"Her Reason"
"The school year is about to start," the girl said. She needed a new photo for the semester, and she couldn't bear the thought of having to struggle with combing her hair. Maria's heart broke as she listened to her story.
She cleared her entire week, passing her clients to her colleagues. She sat with the teenager all day, tirelessly combing and cleaning. Could she prevent her from cutting her hair??
Day Two
As the day neared its end, Maria turned the young girl to face a mirror. She had managed to transform what was once a mass of tangled curls into a more manageable hairball. The teenager smiled. It was her first smile of the day. But Maria knew there was still much to be done. She returned the smile and asked if she could come back the next day.
She rarely opened the salon on Sunday mornings, but this was a special occasion. She wasn't sure if the girl would show up, but as she opened the door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection behind her. The teenager was dressed differently. Did she also seem happier?? Maria was about to find out.
A New Challenge
Maria picked up where she left off with the girl's hair. She asked her what length she would be comfortable with and her favorite styles. Although most of the knots and tangles had been tackled, the damage to her scalp was still significant.
Maria furrowed her brow, wondering how to proceed. They had made so much progress that she was worried the teenager would slip back into sadness if she mentioned this fact. So, she devised a plan...
Walking on Eggshells
Maria knew that if the girl opened up to her a bit more, they could find a balance between them. She desperately wanted to help her even more. The teenager had already shown that she easily panicked.
Maria knew she had to approach her with caution. She took a deep breath and asked her a few questions to see how it would go. Very basic questions, but ones that would start the conversation...
Getting a Bit More Personal
Maria wanted to learn more about her. Obviously, it was clear that she had a lot on her mind, especially for someone so young. It saddened Maria to know that this poor girl was going through such difficult times.
It was a lot to take in and digest for someone in her position, but also at her age. However, Maria also had a much more personal reason for wanting to help her so much...
Maria's Story
Life hadn't been easy for Maria either. She had grown up in challenging circumstances. With little means, she had grown up helping her mother pay the bills for her and her three siblings. Dropping out of school at a young age had been a tough choice. In the past, Maria had dreams and ambitions, but she had to set them aside for her family.
Then, things got worse. She faced obstacles her whole life. When she was only 17, her father abandoned the family. Her mother found a way to provide for the children, working up to three jobs to make ends meet. Life seemed to finally be turning around for the family, but that's when tragedy struck. Maria was only 22 when her mother fell ill.
Losing Her Mother
Losing her mother at such a young age had been the most difficult thing for Maria to bear. It was years ago, but she felt that pain every day. Maria now understood why she had instantly felt connected to the young girl. As she looked at the damaged roots of her hair, she knew she had to help her in some way.
Instead of asking the teenager to open up to her, risking making her uncomfortable, Maria decided to talk about her own past. While the girl listened to Maria's tragic childhood, Maria used that time to come up with a solution for her hair. As they spoke, an idea suddenly came to her.
A Delicate Solution
Maria realized that the tangled portions of hair were too small and fragile to be untangled without causing pain to the girl. However, if nothing was done, her "sick" hair would continue to grow and damage the "healthy" hair.
Maria thought she could apply a relaxing treatment to these portions to untangle the hair for her. She would have to keep a close eye on the time. However, it wouldn't be easy.
Getting to Work
Maria knew that relaxers contained harmful chemicals. These products were not meant to be directly applied to the scalp. She had to be extremely careful.
Gathering her tools, she mixed the treatments and started to apply them carefully to the affected areas. It was a highly stressful situation. Everything was going to be determined by the split of a second.
It Works?!
The relaxer worked like a charm, automatically untangling the sensitive areas of her hair that were too delicate to be untangled manually. Surprisingly, compared to the state of her hair when she entered the salon, they were completely transformed, from root to tip.
Maria shared the good news with her. Suddenly, the girl's eyes filled with tears and she began to cry. Maria thought she would be happy and couldn't understand what went wrong.
A New Friend
When the teenager calmed down and was able to explain, Maria felt relieved. They were tears of joy because the girl was actually grateful. No one had shown her so much kindness before. Maria was overjoyed.
She had completed the final part of this hairy marathon. Now that the girl's hair was beautiful and easy to manage again, it was just a matter of styling. Once finished, the teenager gasped in surprise.
A Fresh Start
Maria brought a mirror. She had cut the hair above the shoulders, curled the ends, and added light brown highlights to complement the girl's golden bronze color. The girl ran her hand through her hair, going through the soft curls.
Her lips curved slightly, her eyes shining with tears. She looked at Maria. "I'll be able to smile in my class photos," she said. "You've helped me feel like myself again."
A Happy Ending
In the end, Maria had successfully revived the teenager's hair and even gave her a free makeover. Overflowing with newfound confidence, the girl even became the center of attention on the day of the photo. After hearing Maria's story, they became close friends.
Maria had spoken with her boss, and the girl was given permission to come back to the salon after school to study as an apprentice. After all, she had been able to revive her hair while finding new hope to change her life.
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