A New Addition To The Family
No, we didn’t get a dog, or a cat. But, some may actually mistake the newest member of the family for one of those domestic creatures. That is, if it isn’t where it’s supposed to be, on my mom’s head. I only say this in fun and with the visions of this evening still vivid in my mind.
This isn’t something to completely joke about or laugh about and I understand that but sometimes it’s the best thing to do in a situation. Mom decided that with the hair loss from the cancer treatment something was to be done. First we tried some scarves. I had a few that were actually hers from way back when which was fun to rediscover. Then, we picked out a couple of hats. She looks good in hats which is a great thing. The hats make her look a bit sporty and hip. I like seeing her in them because she already doesn’t look her age and with the hats on she looks even younger. Then, the other day, she said she wanted a wig. So that when she left the house, she didn’t feel like she was wearing a hat to cover something up. Something to make her feel like a normal person, not a woman who was losing her hair.
Today we went to this great little shop on 4th street, just down the way from Matt’s office. He needed to print a couple of things out at the office so he took Mason with him and Miles, my mom and I ventured into the wig store. It was a little shop with LOTS of wigs. Miles didn’t quite know what to think. He went right up to one of the large glass cases with heads and hair and started touching them all. Before I could get to him the girl running the shop came and closed the case up tight. No little hands messing up the hair!
There were two barbers chairs in the back in front of mirrors so you could sit and try the wigs on. There was a funny sign that read, “Limit. 5 wigs per customer to try on. After that, $25 fee plus an hourly rate.” Interesting. The even more interesting thing was that when I saw my mom trying on a wig, she had picked one out that was completely gray! It turns out she had convinced herself over the past few days that she should just buy a gray wig and be done with it. No more pretending to be a brunette any longer. It was shocking! It was just plain weird! My mother hasn’t shown a gray hair in all of her 74 years and all of a sudden, there she was, a gray haired old lady. It just seemed wrong. So, I did the only thing I could think of, I found a wig that was a brunette with attractive highlights for her to try instead. It was crazy what happened next. She put it on with the assistance of the shop keeper and voilå, there was mom. In the hair cut she’s been trying to achieve for the past I don’t know how many years. It was PERFECT. Just her color and style. The hair is a bit more straight and less frizzy than her natural hair and looked fantastic.
She tried on a couple more just to be sure and then that was that. Of course, I had to find out what it would be like to be a long blonde haired woman. Ah hem, not me. Fun, but not me. 😉
After buying “the wig” we walked in the light rain the couple of blocks to Matt’s office and when he came to open the door, I had to nudge him and ask him what he thought. Because it looked so natural, he didn’t even NOTICE!! Woohooo. I think it’s safe to say we found the perfect one.
Mason had a little harder time adjusting. He didn’t quite understand the “wig” concept and he wasn’t there to see her trying them on. So, she promised him that she would take it off to show him when we got home. Not 5 minutes after we walked in the door, I looked up from my desk and Mason was sporting the wig. Oh, my, goodness. THAT was awesome and what came next was even better. The wig became a member of the family and yes, we ALL tried it on.
It was the most fun we’ve had as a family in I don’t know how long. The laughter was loud and the tears were rolling down our faces. I think I may just have to let the pictures speak for themselves. Words can’t describe. So, here you go.
Enjoy!
