My First Pedicure


Good evening, ya'll. Come on in the 'Net Porch and sit with me awhile. I've been thinking about our trip to Atlanta this weekend and what a good time we had. It was a great trip and I shopped and shopped and shopped and ate at several good places. We also enjoyed our time with our daughter, Becky, and met some of her good friends and loved them. She was our chauffer this weekend because she knows how not to get killed in that traffic up there in "Hotlanta,"

I was excited to have my very, first pedicure on Saturday afternoon. Becky, Beth, Cindy and some of my friends have been telling me what a great experience this is. Now I've been putting it off because of my ugly bunion and crooked toe which I had fixed last fall. Thoug it has a few scars,nothing major, and they kept urging me to get this pedicure thing, I finally thought well why not? At my age, old as dirt, I'll try most anything to add a little excitement to my life.

The secret reason is that I was afraid to go by myself. I didn't want to act like the "Country Mouse" from South Georgia. Having never even watched anyone get a pedicure I just knew there was a certain protocol involved and I didn't want to embarrass myself, or Becky, and I wanted her to go with me. Having lived in Atlanta for several years, she has become the "City Mouse" and all citified. She could make sure I played it cool and not act like an unsophisticated, old woman, which I am.

I have also been delaying this pleasure for deep down I thought I would be wasting money. Mama never got a pedicure or a manicure except when she was in cosmetology school. She always painted her own fingernails and toenails and cut her own hair and I was following her example, except for the hair. I finally decided it was my money, I earned it and could spend it like I wanted to and I wanted a pedicure so my toe nails would look pretty.

Come Saturday afternoon I was a little anxious for I just knew I was going to make a big idiot out of myself. Becky told me she had scheduled her friend to work her magic on my feet and she would tell me what to do so off we went to the "nail heaven" for my new experience.

When I walked in the shop, I wished I had put my multicultural dictionary in my purse for they sure were not speaking English. I kinda figured out it was an Asian language so I just smiled a lot and kept nodding my head. It was about 10 women and 2 men working up a storm on people's hands and feet and the place was abuzz with chattering in several different languages. I thought, Oh my, will I make it through this without totally embarrassing myself and Becky?

About the time I sat down, a little man, about my size, said something to me and I kinda figured out he was the boss, but I didn't understand a word that man said. I just smiled, nodded my head and said nothing. Becky said, "Mama, you need to go pick out the color polish you want." She pointed at the back wall where there were a couple hundred various colors of nail polish all lined up. The only other place I have seen that many colors is in a drugstore and I have a difficult time make a decision when confronted with too many choices.

I approached the shelves with bewilderment, for I usually use a light pink when I do it myself, and heavens to Betsy, there was pinks, red, purples, greens, blues, blacks, glowing colors, muted colors, and some even had sparkly stuff in them. I tried to look cool and sophisticated as I perused the shelves of polish and I finally picked one I thought would be bright but not too bright and no sparkles. I didn't want to look like a "floozy" as mama would say.

As I was carrying the bottle to the little man, Becky intercepted me and said, "Mama, don't you think that's a little red and bright." Well, I looked at it and thought well, maybe and after all I am an older woman so I obediently went back and got a muted pink with a little bit of brown tone. She approved of that one and I took it a little table by a big lounge chair and had a seat with the little man helping me like I was a 100 and a doddering old fool.

He told me to sit back, put my feet in a little foot washing, whirlpool bathtub in front of my chair but when I put my feet in, I about scalded them. It was a lot, too hot so he had to cool it off while I checked to see if the skin was still on my feet. When I put them back in, I thought I had died and gone to heaven for it was warm, swirling around my feet and felt soooo good. I had no idea that a whirlpool for your feet would make you feel good all over.

Leaning back in the chair and relaxing was no problem until he asked me something and I said yes and he turned that chair on to massage my body. Now I mean he put it on full massage, maximum speed and I thought a giant squid had a hold of my body and was squeezing me, lifting me up, pummelling my back and squeezing my shoulders all at the same time. I tried to look pleased but I was hunting those buttons to shut that thing off before it squeezed me to death after it beat me senseless. That thing attacked me! I was about ready to jump out of that chair and shoot it for I thought it was alive.

Meanwhile I was soaking my feet and soaking my feet and soaking my feet for she was running a little behind in time. Finally she came and began to work her magic. Her name is Christine and she is a lovely young lady who can play with my feet anytime she wants to for she worked wonders.

She trimmed, filed, buffed, scrubbed, and rubbed my feet and legs until I just knew I was in heaven and an angel had a hold of me. She massaged my feet and legs and that felt so good and then she began to paint my toe nails. She put on 3 or 4 coats of various and sundry polishes and they looked so pretty. Christine had made my feet pretty again and I was amazed at how good they looked. She took me to a bench and I had to stick my feet into a little box, which blew warm air on my feet to dry the polish. That was a neat experience also for it was warm and it felt so good, I though about taking a nap.

Now is when disaster struck. The machine cut off, I pulled out my feet and low and behold I raked the polish off my big toe. I was about ready to cry and Becky said very sternly, "Go show Christine what you've done so she can fix it." I felt like a little girl who had misbehaved and my mama was getting on me. I sheepishly went and showed her, got back in the chair and she very sweetly fixed it for me. That time I kept it under that fan for a long time and very carefully removed my feet because I didn't want "Mama Becky" to look at me like that again.

I carefully walked out and got in the car and kept looking at my feet in my pretty sandals and thinking, "Why haven't I done this before?" I can guarantee you one thing, it won't be the last time I do this, for it is addictive. Not sure if I will ever get the fingernails done for I tend to work in the yard, wash dishes, and clean house without gloves, for they bother me. I'll just keep them short and buffed and let my feet do the talking.

Roy was dutifully impressed when we got back to the motel and said all the right things about the beauty of my feet. I explained to him that this new experience was wonderful and getting the polished nails was the minor joy for the scrubbing, massaging and lotions was the best part. It makes your feet and legs feel like new.

Now I have had that experience, plan to do it again but not too often. You see I have a lot of Tootsie and Ott Polk in me and they would not think that was a very wise use of my money, especially daddy. Not sure that will deter me for that was a grand experience, in spite of the "Attacking Chair."

Well, I have bored you long enough and I'm ready to go to bed. Gandy Stuart used to say, as he turned off his hearing aid, "My trains a tootin and I'm going to bed" and I hear my train.

Ya'll take care and come back to see me.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

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