We had the ring.  In fact, we had the date set for our wedding, but we still weren’t engaged.  The CPA wanted to do it right.  And by right, I mean he wanted a good story that we could tell to our children, grandchildren, etc.  So, being the romantic man that he is, he planned an elaborate getaway.  I knew two things about it: 1) it was in San Francisco, CA, and 2) I would be getting my ring.  The rest was a secret. 

This upcoming trip was a big deal.  I had never been to San Francisco and was really looking forward to it.  I was also looking forward to getting engaged to my sweetie.  The time was right and I was anxious to make things official.

In preparation for the trip, I decided to get beautified.  So I went to a new salon to have my nails done.  I had not been there before, but it looked like a nice place so I decided to give it a try.  Afterall, I was just getting my nails done, what harm could come of that?  The nail tech was very sweet and the manicure went without a hitch.  I did the french manicure, even though my nails were much too short to pull off the look, but it was a special occasion.

And then she said it.  

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Salon person: “You should have your eyebrows done.”

Me: “I know, they’re awful, I only have them done a couple of times a year.”

(INSERT: in my defense, my eyebrows are very blonde, so I can get away with this.  At least I think I can.)

Salon person:  ”Well we can just clean them up a bit.”

Me:  ”Okay, sounds easy enough.”

So we go to the back room where she lies me down, pours on the wax, and gets to work.  A few minutes later I’m feeling plucked and polished.  Then she took it a step further,

Salon person: “Your eyebrows are so light, you really should darken them.”

Me: “I know, I’ve actually tried it before, years ago, when I had my hair done.  The stylist dyed them to match my hair and a day later I broke out in a hideous rash and had to go to the doctor.  My skin is a little sensitive so I don’t know if it’s such a good idea.”

Salon person:  ”Oh, but the dye we use is much better.  It’s made for this, not as strong as hair dye.”

Me:  ”Hmm… well, it would be nice to have them a little darker.  Okay, let’s go for it.”

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Do you see what happened there?  Do you see how easily manipulated I am?  How willing I am to believe the advice of someone I don’t know and who doesn’t know me, all in the pursuit of physical beauty?  I should have listened to that little voice screaming, “don’t do it, don’t do it!”  I should not have been so vain that I felt I had to have my eyebrows dyed.  I should have left.  

But alas.  I did not.  

The process only took a few short minutes.  After she was done, I walked to the front desk to pay.  I couldn’t figure out why the girls were looking at me so strangely.  As I exited the salon, I continued to get stares from passersby.  That’s when I began to worry.  But it wasn’t until I walked by a mirror that I realized what they were staring at.  

I almost didn’t recognize myself!  My eyebrow hair, which just moments before had nicely matched my face, was now a dark shade of brown.  So dark that it looked black.  I couldn’t believe it!  What happened to the “one shade darker” that we had agreed on?    

Needless to say,  I was pretty upset.  You know the feeling when you get a bad haircut and you just want to put your head under a bag until it grows out?  Yeah, it was like that.  Only I was about to have the trip of my life – I was about to get engaged in San Francisco!!  

I suddenly had the feeling that it was going to be a long week…

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