The Gatekeeper

Part III Love Child Chapter 17

As we entered the hairdresser's workspace, the room lit up with the cheerful greetings of long-lost friends. This master of his craft happened to be gay, but that only deepened the bond between them. They cared for each other without the complication of come-on pressures. After a few minutes of catching up, he got to work.

Lauren was gifted with beautiful thick, long chestnut hair. Simon recently acquired a new mechanical means to temporarily imprint waves and curls into long hair. That was all she needed to hear. With her usual faith in his styling ideas she said, "Let your imagination run wild!" 

Two hours later the transformation was complete. The sculpted result revealed a one-of-a-kind rendering of a lavish look that was created specifically for Lauren and inspired by Lauren's matchless beauty.

I sensed the pleasure he was feeling while manipulating Lauren's flowing mane. If a person is fortunate they find a means to make a living that involves working with things or people they love to be around. Being able to enhance a woman's natural beauty meant much to this conductor of the coiffure. 

Lauren left beaming, being so pleased with the result she could hardly contain herself. She also experienced several recollections of her past days of glory as a supermodel, and it felt good to be treated that way again—like an important person, like a celebrity.

IT WAS NEW YEAR’S EVE DAY and there were a number of important preparations yet to make. We toured a mall looking for gloves and jewelry to complete the upcoming evening's outfit. After picking up the gown from the tailor, I brought Lauren home for some much-needed rest. Her expectations were perhaps unrealistically high—to win back Kurt. If not that, she was positioning herself for a clear closure with Kurt and her lingering feelings for him. 

By the time this night was over, she would either bury Kurt in her problematic past or revive their once-smoldering love.

Understandably, Lauren needed to resolve things with Kurt even though her relationship with Nick was not at all promising. She summoned the strength necessary to embrace the evening's responsibilities and opportunities. 

ALL OF THE PIECES were positioned and one by one assembled until the finished canvas captured the vision of Lauren's natural beauty surrounded by the accoutrements of crushed velvet gown, enthralling coiffure, and the vibrant colors added to enhance her eyes, face, and lips. I was proud to have this stunning woman on my arm as I escorted her into a restaurant to begin the first item on our evening's itinerary.

The elegant diner's name, appropriate for the goal of the special evening, was Valentyne's. The entrance was a time portal back to the turn of the century. With antique furniture throughout, old murals and cracked-frame paintings hung on red-patterned velvet wall paper. A black Baldwin grand piano greeted guests with seasonal melodies. 

We had cappuccino at the bar while waiting for our table. Much of the mirrored and columned back bar was impressively taken up by a meticulously restored antique massive copper-and-brass cappuccino and espresso maker. The hissing sounds of escaping steam tantalized our senses as we sipped gourmet coffee dashed with premium dark chocolate shavings and cinnamon. 

Hoping to make my own impression on Lauren, I sat down at the now empty piano and played a rendering of the melody I composed as an expression of my feelings for her during many a night missing her. Normally, I would never have done something so bold in public, but I was compelled to try anything to get this extraordinary creature to turn her desperate heart in my direction.

The aroma of fine cooked cuisine wafted through the restaurant. We were led to an isolated corner where a romantic candlelit table awaited. There was an undertone of melancholy projecting from both of us. I was with Lauren, but our relationship was not and might never be consummated.