Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
It takes me a couple of more steps to walk out into the waiting room. This is one of my favorite rooms in the place. I knew what I was going to do. I wanted it to be warm and welcoming, so I stuck to the neutral tones with, of course, pink, because everyone secretly likes pink, and if they tell you otherwise, they are just plain bald-faced lying to you. Raquel, our receptionist and office coordinator, sits behind the white rounded desk that is facing the glass door when you walk in. Behind her is a brown, tan, and beige wall with exposed bricks. A huge crystal vase with fresh light pink roses sits at the corner of the counter. “I was just coming to see you.” She looks up from her desk, her blond hair tied in a ponytail high in the middle of her head. “Here you go.” She lifts her hand holding a green mesh bag. “This is the deposit for tomorrow.”
I walk toward her desk. “You’re a lifesaver,” I praise. “I was going to come in early tomorrow morning and do it, but now I get to sleep in until six forty-five.” I glance over to the right, through the open wall that shows the little café we added this year. The tables and chairs are all clean and ready for the next day. Moving my head a bit to the side, I see past the café into the nail part of the salon. Three people sit side by side as they get their nails done, conversations flowing. I can’t help but smile when I take a look around at what I’ve done here.
“Also.” She gets up from her chair. “I just checked the calendar, and I’m happy to announce we are booked solid for the next six months.”
“For real?” I believe it, but also don’t believe it. “That’s amazing. Thank you, by the way.” She tilts her head. “If it wasn’t for you, we would be all over the place. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I look up and see the name that I came up with. It took me so many months of throwing names around. Literally going word by word in the dictionary until I got to the word—Envy Spa & Salon—and as usual, I can’t help but smile. In reality, I wanted to be the envy of all spas out there, and looking around, I really hope I am.
“I will be here,” she confirms, and I turn to walk toward the front door, passing two pink chairs with a fake but very expensive cherry blossom tree between them. Looking over my shoulder one last time, I smile at her, holding up my hand and wiggling my fingers.
My car is parked on the side, chirping crickets in the air fill the night. The wind softly blows my hair as I make my way from the commercial building to my car. Grabbing the keys, I unlock the doors, sliding into the driver’s seat and placing my purse in the seat beside me. Turning the car on, I buckle myself in, looking back at what hard work has gotten me.
When I was sixteen, I got a job at a hairdresser in town, washing hair and sweeping it up. But I was always more interested in the back of the salon where they did skin facials and waxing. After a year in the salon, I got to work more with Sandra, who did all waxing, peeling, and everything that had to do with the skin. I soaked it in, and I was good at it, so right out of high school, I opted to forgo college and head straight to aesthetician school.
School just made me even better than I was. I was at the top of my class, so when it was time for my internship, they sent me to the best salon there was out there. I meshed well with the owner, and when I got my hours in and graduated, she offered me a job. I jumped at the chance, especially since it was in a nice area and the clients were high-paying and high-tipping. A year later, I asked if I could rent space in her salon instead of working for her. She was apprehensive at first, but she wasn’t getting any younger, and none of her daughters even wanted to work with her. So that is how it started. I rented my space, and slowly, little by little, I worked up to afford to hire someone under me. It was a considerable risk, but I was putting my money on myself. It was amazing until the owner passed away, and her daughters decided to close up shop. I took out a small business loan and bought the building from them. Most of the hairdressers stayed and rented their chairs from me. It took five years of busting my ass to make it to where we were, one of the most sought-after salons. I hired the best hair color people. I hired a couple of massage therapists and even had makeup on the weekends. It exploded when we were featured in a bridal magazine.