PART 55
Miss Andrea skillfully twisted and pulled his hair as she methodically wrapped sections of it around her curling iron. Already warm with embarrassment, Josh could feel the additional heat from the curling iron near his scalp. With his back to the mirror, he could only imagine what he would look like when she finished. He nervously shifted a bit in his seat and felt his diaper crinkle unpleasantly in his velvet pants. He was not used to its extra bulk. He twisted again slightly and felt the tightness of his tightly laced corset. He was growing very restless and uncomfortable now while Miss Andrea curled his hair.
“Please sit still while I work, Josh,” Miss Andrea gently chided him, “this won’t take us long.” Then she recalled how she had buckled him in yesterday and said with a twinkle, “maybe I need to strap you back into my salon chair!”
Josh cringed to be reminded of that experience.
“You’re so fortunate you already have your darling perm!” Mrs. Smyth interjected. “Back in the day, boys had to sit still for long stretches of time while their mothers got their ringlets just right, but yours will be done in a jiffy thanks to Miss Andrea!” she continued.
She went on, “I find it fascinating that mothers commonly saw the Fauntleroy look as a reflection of their own social status… the fancier the better! In fact, it often became a competition among some of the most zealous mothers to outdo each other with their sons’ elaborate outfits. Thus, many boys were put into increasingly fancy ringlets and ever more adorable suits no matter how much they squirmed and protested!” She observed, “in many respects, the boys were often just swept along for the ride as their mothers tried to one-up each other.” She concluded with a stifled snort, “so, I suppose the idea of Fauntleroy suits being the sign of a ‘mama’s boy’ was more or less accurate.”
“How interesting!” Gwendolyn replied with a hint of a smile. Turning to her son, she said “now stop YOUR squirming, Joshy, so Miss Andrea can finish your ringlets.” Looking down, she frowned slightly and said, “do you need another reminder about your knees, dear?”
Josh immediately clasped his knees back together. Josh couldn’t help but think that he had sat still quite long enough yesterday in Miss Andrea’s salon to get his perm and highlights. He knew exactly how humiliated those “mama’s boys” of the past must have felt. Then, he reddened again as he recalled the shame of having a “little squirtie” in his panties while he got his hair permed yesterday.
Meanwhile, Gwendolyn reflected on Mrs. Smyth’s comments as well. She felt a warm surge of satisfaction, and she felt a kinship with those strong-willed mothers of days gone by. Smiling, she said to Josh, “I will be very proud to show off my ‘mama’s boy’ today, honey!” Beaming, she said, “We’re so lucky that Mrs. Smyth and Miss Andrea have pulled out all the stops for you!”
At this, Mrs. Smyth smiled broadly, and Miss Andrea chuckled. Josh, on the other hand, sighed softly and tried to sit very still with his knees together.
After a few more excruciating minutes, Miss Andrea announced, “I think that should do it.” Then she instructed him, “Close your eyes, honey.” Josh complied and immediately felt a blast of cool hairspray hitting his hair as she shielded his forehead with her other hand. She sprayed his hair very liberally, and Josh could smell the distinct odor of the hairspray as the can hissed. “This product I’m using has an extra-strong hold so we can really lock your ringlets in nicely, dear.” After it seemed that she emptied nearly the entire can on his curls, she told him he could open his eyes. She then used a hair dryer with a diffuser to dry his hair with gentle cool air. The overpowering smell of the hairspray lingered in his nostrils.
Then, she picked up another can and had him shut his eyes again. “This is a high shine finishing spray which I absolutely love,” she explained further. As she coated his hair again, she said, “this product is nice because it has some wax in it to produce a lustrous high shine and texture… it will really make your curls pop!”
Finally, she was done with the finishing wax spray. Lastly, she picked up the oversized pink velvet hairbow that had been awaiting him on the side table this whole time. “I suppose all we have left to do is your hairbow,” she announced with a grin. “Let’s get it on you, shall we?” she asked rhetorically.
Josh mustered a weak smile.
Topic: New Arrangements for Josh (Read 119019 times)
