I co-own a salon about five miles away from the air base. It is a cute little salon and my business partner and I try very hard to make customer service our priority. We get a lot of the air force and their families in the salon as we offer them pricing at the same rates that the base charges it helps to keep us busy and we do a good volume of clients, even if we do not make quite as much as we could by charging a higher price. We think it is important and most of the military people know someone that is not in the military that they refer to us, and then those new clients that are non-military we charge the normal rates. It helps us make a better living.
It is about 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon, and the salon usually closes by 4:00, unless there was something extra special going on that day, like there was a big dance or sometimes a wedding will set our day back a little later. I still had two clients left for the day, both were under the dryers and after quick comb-outs, they would both be on their way. My business partner had already finished with her book, and she was doing the laundry and the trash, all the general cleaning jobs like that. I was making up the bank deposit when the door to the salon opened. I could not believe my eyes. I was so shocked. I quickly stood and ran around the reception desk. I threw my arms around your neck and I asked you "But, I thought that you were coming back from Afghanistan through NC, not this base on your way back to Arizona?' I said I was so perplexed. I have dreamed of seeing you face to face since our cyber relationship had began and here you were, right in front of me. I was trembling inside with my excitement.
You looked deep in my eyes and chuckled, you called me "Nerd" which was your nickname for me and then you said," I decided to surprise you. I need a haircut, and I really wanted the best before I went home."
I replied "Wiseass I am going to need about fifteen minutes to finish up my other customers" knowing that the older women that were waiting for me would have never heard what I said with the dryers running; hell, they could hardly hear you if you were right next to them and the salon were completely quiet. I have known of you forever, since high school in our hometown and in the last year, we reconnected on a social networking website. We played the I know you but why game. It took us several emails, playing a game of six degrees of separation to figure out how we new each other, we finally just instant message one night and came across the true reason we knew of each other, it was your cousins that I was close friends with. You grew up living next door to them. When we hit this revelation, I actually heard your cousin's voice inside my head saying your name and then "am my cousin."
"No problem, but I will need a favor from you, when we finish can you drive me back to the base? I hitched a ride over here." You replied to my need for a few minutes to finish up my regular clientele.
"Was it difficult to find a ride over here? I asked, I was still so shocked and so happy that you were here with me, instead of thousands and thousands of miles away.
You replied, "No apparently they guys that work in transport were very familiar with the place, apparently you cut most of their hair."
I said, "I might actually do the whole department." I smiled.
In the back room, I told my business partner," Hey why don't you get out of here like you were planning, I'm finishing up my ladies and then I have one extra haircut. I will lock us in once my women leave so no one else comes in. I thought that you had plans tonight."
She replied "Yes, I do have dinner plans, and from the look of things I believe that you are about to become dinner for one sexy airman." as she gave me a knowing look.