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Local child hair-stylist getting hair-raising
education
By Bill Whitaker
Haley Gray probably doesn't know it, but at age 8 she's the
youngest student in any sort of local work-study program.
Granted, Haley isn't really in the Abilene Independent School
District's work-study program -- she's too young for that -- but
she's definitely getting an education, showing up at The Hair
Identity almost daily and immersing herself in its "Steel
Magnolias" culture.
Except at this place, "Hayseed Magnolias" is more
like it.
To hear the women at their funniest, you have to meet certain
qualifications to work there as an adult, including:
-- You must have been married at least twice in life, though
Reta Fowler has everyone beat with three trips to the altar. An
exception has been made for Ruby Brooks, who has gone 61 years
without once getting married. Instead, she lavishes affection
on her Volkswagen, which she bought new in 1971. She's only had
two sets of replacement tires in all that time.
-- You must hail from a small town to work at The Hair Identity.
Sometimes the women debate whose small town is the best. Irene
Coe, 52, probably has everyone else beat. She comes from Kerens,
which is not only the home of the best fruitcake in Texas but
is the former home of "Big Tex."
-- You must have a pretty extensive sense of humor. That goes
double if you're one of the customers, who not only hear about
everything going on in Abilene but hear it couched in wildly irreverent
terms.
THE CHATTER GOES ON
Darlene Deaver, who comes from Cedar Gap and owns The Hair
Identity, likes to think the daily chatter curls hair as well
as any curling iron.
"There's a couple who lives in town, and after they've
been away, the guy says to his wife, 'Zoie, you need to go down
to the beauty shop and find out what's going on in Abilene,' "
she told me the other day.
"We know all the gossip and all the rumors here. We know
what's going to happen a lot of times before it happens."
Thrust into this colorful coiffure culture is Haley, who turned
8 two days ago but some time ago began fancying herself as one
of the women pampering and prompting hair day in and day out.
When not practicing hair-styling on her tiny troll dolls, she
answers phones, takes money and sweeps up hair.
She even has her own price list, charging $20 for a perm and
shampoo but $36 for a Coke and shampoo. When asked by the other
women how a Coke could jack the price up $16, Haley replied confidently:
"I'm gonna entertain 'em!"
Thus far, though, she's had no takers. That is just as well,
because if any prospective customer sat down in the hair-styling
chair reserved specially for Haley, she couldn't reach up high
enough to do their hair anyway (though she might be able to serve
them a Coke).
BUSTING UP THE WEDDING
Meanwhile, Haley is getting quite an education, thanks not
only to the staff (including her mom, Darla Gray, 36) but the
customers, one of whom came in a bit tipsy, refused to tolerate
any hairspray or hair-styling gell, then staggered out into the
wind, her hair rising rigidly in salute to the heavens.
Life's little lesson gained from that episode: Always use hairspray.
Haley is also learning that, in a world likely to be forever
dominated by men, women must stick together, both inside the beauty
shop as well as outside. Haley has already seen proof of that.
It came when her mom was close to walking down the aisle again.
"Darlene gave me a shower that went on till 3 in the morning,"
Haley's mom confessed. "Well, some of the girls began discussing
how worthless this guy was and finally they decided to have a
meeting and just tell me he was worthless.
"So by the time the wedding shower was over, so was my
wedding."
"We took a vote," Darlene said, "and decided
we had to tell her!"
Fortunately, Haley seems like a very smart little girl. She
seems to realize that true love triumphs over all reason. For
instance, she knows where the older women keep their lipstick
in case a man walks in.
On the other hand, she doesn't for a moment buy Irene and Darlene's
line that inhaling "perm stink" will make you live forever.
Haley is keeping her options open. She says she entertains
notions of becoming either an author or a lawyer (she likes to
argue), though obviously she enjoys hanging around the beauty
shop, interacting with all the gals and helping with business.
And she has the best-groomed troll dolls in town.
"I think it's cute of a little girl to play beauty shop
in a real beauty shop," Irene told me one Saturday morning.
"I mean, I had to play that outside. I shampooed the chicken
in the tank by my grandmother's house and I shaved the cat.
"The cat didn't like that," she said. "The cat
was furious."
Bill Whitaker can be reached at 676-6732 once he gets the shampoo
and Coke out of his ears.
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Copyright ©1996 or
1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps. Publications
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