"So glittery!" Reema exclaimed as she held her fingers out in front of her. Her newly groomed nails reminded her of the fun glitter pens they used to use back in art class. The speckled turquoise paint gleamed like tiny jewels. Her hands felt extra smooth, too, and smelled so nice!
As she kept admiring her 'zany' nail polish, Cassie pointed out that they still needed to finish working on her toes. Afterward, there was another surprise in store. She wouldn't say anything else about it, though.
The girls stretched out their robe-covered bodies on a pair of reclining seats. Below them, two Asian women colored their toes to match their fingernails. As Cassie Lynn Blom put it: they were 'prettying' everything up.
Reema looked at her friend. A few weeks ago, she would have just seen a big, blonde blur. Now -- with contact lenses -- she saw everything clearly. "You're right, this
was
a good idea," she sighed, as the petite Asian continued beautifying her toes.
"You're going to be
super
impressed when we get our massages," Cassie said.
Picking up
US!
magazine, Reema shared an unrelated thought, "Can you believe Kristen Stewart is the new spokesperson for Chanel?"
"Ugh. She only has one expression... and it isn't even that good!"
"I know! That sourpuss pouty face!"
The girls erupted in laughter that caught the attention of every other client in the salon. The beauticians looked at each other before shaking their heads and proceeding with their work. They preferred to stay silent during Cassie and Reema's appointment, mainly because the girls generated so much conversation already. There was still a moment when Reema seriously wondered if the salon workers could speak English at all.
She thought about what Cassie had told her on the way over: "Today is about getting pampered and not thinking about real-world drama, OK?" She was emphatic about it. Truthfully, Reema found herself in a pretty Zen mindset at that moment. Or at least she was trying to be in one. She leaned back on her headrest, closed her eyes, and casually discussed the latest Hollywood gossip and music trends with Cassie.
"And you can do me a favour, right?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah, I know," Reema smiled behind her foggy brown eyes. "I need to be your BFF and stand by you while you get pampered today. I got it!"
Cassie rolled her eyes. "No. Not that. You will see, but I'm warning you... you have to be a trouper today, OK?"
Reema responded with a hesitant nod, "Uh... Sure?" Other than that, she decided not to give Cassie's request too much thought.
Focusing on the new age music floating around the salon, she briefly fell asleep.
Cassie's voice interrupted her a short time later. "Wakey, Wakey!"
Reema looked down and yelped, "Wow!" She wiggled her newly painted toes. "They look fantastic. Thanks!" The beautician offered a cordial smile.
From there, the college girls were led into another room containing several massage beds. Reema laid on her table face up. The salon workers promptly started covering her eyes with cucumber and dressing her face with moisturizers. A petite masseuse then rubbed her body with precision, causing Reema to giggle at nearly every touch.
"Man, I was sooo stupid to be worried about this," she admitted. Cassie said nothing, offering only a smile.
The salon worker lifted Reema's arms in the air, kneading every muscle group from her shoulders to hands. Reema's shapely legs were next. The masseuse applied expert pressure to each point between her thighs and her firm, athletic calves.
The journalism major sucked on her complimentary Perrier while gossiping with Cassie. The salon lady eventually prompted her to flip over, so her back and buttocks could be properly massaged. For a girl who'd never received special treatment from her parents -- even as an only child -- this was a treat. It felt good to relax and expel all the tension that was woven into her psyche (woven so deeply that she often denied it existed, in fact).
Although she hadn't consumed any alcohol, Cassie happily noted that Reema almost seemed drunk. It was good to know she was capable of entering such blissed-out states. She nodded to the masseuse, who helped her ease Reema onto her back. "OK, hun," she said, squeezing Reema's hand, "this is where you do me that favour, OK?"
"Huh?" the dreamy girl replied. She felt her hands and fingers slicked down with a cold paste. Then the salon workers covered them in long, white strips. Reema looked to Cassie for some indication of what was happening.
"Don't worry," Cassie said, trying to distract Reema from the hair being ripped off her right forearm. Then the left. Then they did her legs... and even the little space between her eyebrows. Reema grimaced. Her eyes watered.
Cassie squeezed her hand tighter. "You gotta to be super strong for this next part, OK?"
Reema nodded. She felt the towel being peeled back from her thighs. The salon worker approached and applied more wax between her legs.
"It's OK... we're almost there," Cassie promised, stroking her hair.
Reema lost track of time as the strange treatments proceeded. She felt completely out of her element. Suddenly, she felt an intense pain, but didn't know exactly why. Like everything else that afternoon, she just tried to go along with it.
Eventually, the beautician announced she was finished. Using her friend's arm for support, Reema laboured to sit up. Cassie patted her on the back. "You're a superstar, Reem!"
The first movements she took were incredibly rough on her hips and thighs. Her brain felt like a whirlwind of painful tingles and confusing thoughts. She certainly didn't feel like a superstar. Planting her bare feet on the cold floor, she tried to stand, but only grew dizzier. Cassie propped her up on one side, with the salon worker on the other. By the time they changed Reema into her clothes, she was somewhat lucid again.
"We deserve a couple of nice, long naps," Cassie enthused. "Then we can get up and get ready for tonight!" Reema was limping out of the salon, weakly consenting to this plan. "Ugh, sure," she said, paying less attention to Cassie's words than the pain that flared up every time she shifted her thighs.
Back at home, Reema climbed into bed with extreme caution. Her nap only partly succeeded at recharging her. Getting out of bed was a big ordeal, too. Reema staggered across the hall. Suddenly, she didn't feel as enthusiastic about going dancing. She mentally rehearsed the excuse she would give Cassie. Her strategy was to politely decline, blaming it on physical discomfort and her less-than-favorable mood.
