Page 9 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2013

“Elli, you better come upstairs and let me do your
hair,” Donna said.

“How are you going to do it?” I asked. “The Farrah
Fawcett feathered look?” That was the one thing I
remembered about girls’ hair from that era.
“What else was there back then?” she replied.

“I thought that was a pretty nice hairstyle,” I said.
“That’s because you didn’t have to spend an hour
doing it, nor did you have to worry about a high
forehead,” Donna answered back.
The two of them went upstairs, and I finished
making breakfast. It took them so long I was sure I

would be late getting the kids to school, and me to work.
When I finally told them they had to hurry, Donna called
down that they were almost done.
She then hurried downstairs to help finish up the

morning schedule. Meanwhile, Elli turned around and
looked for the first time at herself in the mirror. Suddenly
we heard a horrible scream. “Aww! I look horrible!”
She came down the stairs, her eyes full of tears.
“Mom, what did you do to me?”

“Honey,” her mother answered, “that is the way we
always used to do our hair.”
“But I look so stupid,” she wailed.
“But that is the way your mother always used to
look,” I said.

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at me, and
everything went quiet in the house except for Elli’s
sniffling. That was when I realized my choice of words
and my timing left a lot to be desired. I decided it might
be a good time to retreat out to the van.

5