“The contract will be ready to sign at 3, darling. I’m sorry it’s taken so long. But my dear, it’s here. The owner is ready for you to add y
our signature to his, he wants you to….”
“Ummm,” I interrupt on the phone in my normal elegant manner. “Uh, I don’t….”
“You don’t want to start the first of the month, my friend. I understand that.” The Persian-born realtor spoke deep-accented and swiftly, interspersing her words with endearments that made me blush.
“So my sweet being,” she continues. “No worries. The start date is the middle of the month. Just hop in that cute little car of yours in an hour, and we’ll see you…”
“But 3 o’clock doesn’t quite work,” I explain, expanding my voice more authoritatively. Then I squeak out, “4?”
“My love, my sweet beauty, 4 is too late for the owner. He’s gone by 4. He drove all this way just to meet you and sign the contract.”
I imagine that the realtor’s large darkened eyebrows move closer together, her lips beginning to pout.
“I know, I’m sorry,” I sigh, “but I have this other appointment. Three o’clock is difficult.”
“Deeficult?” Oh my, now her eyebrows are probably on top of her forehead. “You have been calling me twice a day for this property. You have pleaded and begged and, little one, my good good friend, I’ve worked for you, I’ve made this happen for you, my love. Three o’clock, you be here. Yes?”
I first met this woman two weeks ago, so I’m flattered that I’m now her good good friend. Are we close enough, in the kingdom of female friendship, for me to tell her why 3 o’clock is impossible?
“Azra,” I whisper, praying that I’m saying her name correctly. “Azra, I’ve needed a manicure for 15 days now. FIFTEEN days! My fingernails are ragged. This deal has devastated my nail beds, not to mention my cuticles.”
Silence.
Have I gone too far?
“Darling. Why didn’t you say so? Of course you must get your nails fixed. I’ll hold him off, Mr. Big Owner. I’ll ply him with cookies and whatever. You come, with gleaming nails. I’ll see you at 4, my pretty sweet pea.”
I hang up the phone with a smile and think of Audrey Hepburn.
“I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and… I believe in miracles.” Audrey Hepburn
TO MY READERS: I’ll miss next week’s post, due to contractual obligations (re: a move) and a week at the New Jersey ‘shore.’ If you miss my rough wighting, Travel to the Ocean with me (https://roughwighting.net/2011/08/25/traveling-to-the-ocean/) Happy Beaching!
roughwighting 
Oh daaahling, I love it! Good for you for holding your ground just for gleaming “digits!” Hope the move went well. Moves always do a number on our cuticles!
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Hope your nails stay strong during YOUR move. Can’t wait for us to visit eath other’s new digs….
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I’ll be traveling with you to the ocean, and when we travel back I hope to see your new home that was signed at 4 p.m. Glad you can stand up to the best of them!
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:+) Drinks on the verandah, dear, when we return….
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Aw. I just discovered your blog and now you’re off on a vacation. Not cool. Not cool at all.
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Not for long! See you in a week and a half…
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This is so flipping cool. I love it that she understood as soon as you mentioned “manicure.” 🙂
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Isn’t it neat how we ‘girls’ stick together, through thick or thin(ning) nails???
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I am laughing hysterically! First, you actually know someone that calls you “my sweet being” “my sweet beauty”?? And it’s not your partner; it’s a realtor! And she changes her tune with a MANICURE? What an unexpected flip! I was hanging on every word.
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Thank you! Yes, this is unfortunately the only person I know who calls me ‘sweet being,’ despite cajoling my man to try it too. :+)
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Very amusing! Thanks to your good influence I am about to dig out a nail kit I was persuaded to buy in a department store recently by a very handsome half Greek, half Polish salesman…. You fall for sweet talk and I for pretty faces!
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Of course, a pretty face with the sweet talk is the best combination…. Along with beautiful manicured nails. :+0
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I just came back to see if you’d posted lately. Last time you wrote a blog was on my birthday, July 20th. I see you have no compunctions to explain to people when you are ceasing blogging for awhile. You should be my guru. I always feel like everyone is sitting in my living room–like they’re my sisters–and I need to explain why Kathy won’t be in the living room for the next little while.
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Thanks for checking – I was surprised at how guilty I felt, taking a week off from blogging! (Didn’t bother me to take a week off from work, just from my post). But I thought a lot about blogging during the break, and I realized that yes, we’ve begun a dialogue with our friends ‘out there,’ and we miss them just as much as they miss us. Isn’t that cool? (Plus, I’m back on schedule and typing in my new post now.) :+)
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