A fellow haircutter and friend that I met working in one of the first salons of my career, was born on or around Christmas day. I’m not sure exactly, but I remember that she was named “Noel” because of it. She was older than I and almost motherly towards me, but being fellow employees, she was more like a peer. She welcomed me into her heart as well as her family. I loved her from day one. She was italian and a little “old school” with her daily false eyelash wearing, and never left her house without her make up applied perfectly, and dressed to kill. I loved her for that too.
After I left that salon and started my journey towards self employment with my own salon, I kept in touch but eventually our relationship dwindled down to Christmas cards and an occasional telephone call. She eventually opened a salon of her own, and though I had mine on Long Island, I was living in manhattan full time.
After the introduction of Facebook, I eventually looked for Noel and also her to daughters that I also knew, and was friendly with through their mother. One was, and is, more fluent in “Facebook” than the other and she was quick to respond to me and fill me in on what I’ve missed with her and her family. I was very sad to hear that Noel had died from cancer a few years earlier. Very sad was even an understatement. I was shocked. I knew she smoked pretty regularly, but never had any indication or knowing that she was sick. As it turns out, neither did she or her family. It was something that sort of went ignored until it couldn’t be any longer and they did whatever they could to treat the disease but in the end, she passed. As much as I was devastated to hear that, I was so happy to hear from her youngest daughter and eventually her oldest one. They are now clients and back in my life and Noel lives again though them, our talks, and our memories of her. I like to think that I can make them feel good when I tell them stories of Noel and I from years ago. My doing her hair, or my surprise when I’d be at their house and find what I thought were two hideous bugs on the ledge in her bathroom, to find out they were false eyelashes she was saving.
Noel and her husband did a great job at raising their beautiful girls and now have three grandchildren as a result. I hope her memory is always a source of inspiration to them, and when they think of her they smile. I know I do.