Have Comb...Will Travel

By Jean Loretta Dietrich

Come take a look at how middle-aged Joanna, a well-known hairstylist from Vermont, is doing on the exciting "hair competition circuit." She finds that travel and challenge bring her a whole new busy life and a chance at love a second time around. Follow her in her travels all over the USA, France, and Italy.

Joanna and her friend Lila have joint ownership of a large salon in the busy city of Burlington, Vermont. Learn of the hard work in running such a large enterprise and the involvement of the personal lives of their employees and also about the complicated requirements of using the correct model in order to achieve success in competition work.

Joanna meets an Italian-born stylist and widower, James Petrocelli, from Rhode Island and unexpectedly finds love and romance. Even though they compete against each other, things become serious, and many major decisions have to be dealt with. James has a teenage daughter who quickly learns to resent Joanna and does all she can to break them up.

This book gives you a glimpse into the completely different and exciting world of cosmetology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685704032

Book preview

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Have Comb...Will Travel

Jean Loretta Dietrich

ISBN 978-1-68570-402-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68570-581-7 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-68570-403-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Jean Loretta Dietrich

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

About the Author

Chapter 1

The stage lights were blinding. The music was loud and upbeat in a spectacular ballroom full of people.

This was the setting for Joanna Driscoll, an ambitious middle-aged hairstylist. She was a tiny five-foot-two blond and a ball of dynamite with loads of energy in a small package.

At the moment, she was working frantically to finish the hairstyle on her young model. Today's competition was one of many Joanna had entered in the past year in order to be eligible for the national hair competition being held in January 2010 in San Francisco.

Hairstyling was a big business, and anyone wanting to advance in the field needed to compete in styling competitions held all over the world. The more winnings, the higher you could charge for your local hairstyles. That was why Joanna was working her way up the ladder by competing in this particular local state event.

Today's show was being held in the Marriott Plaza room in Wilmington, Delaware. It was one of many competitions that were planned in various cities, making up the so-called circuit. There was a pecking order to this type of work, and you needed to gather your medals and trophies to be eligible for the next event.

At that moment, Joanna was thinking that her present model, Ellie, was not exactly what she had been looking for in this competition.

Her hair was thick and luxurious but on the stubborn side, and Joanna had to thin and taper many times over before it became manageable. She was the preferred six-foot height and reed slim but never managed to carry the grace needed to make a great model.

It was extremely hard to find a model that could give you the requirements of height, weight, and good hair.

Joanna finished the evening look that she was competing in and still had a few minutes left before the bell rang to stop working. She placed Ellie in the sitting position she wanted in order to show off her hairstyle to its best advantage.

She placed Ellie's thin, tapered hands regally in her lap, raised her head, and tilted it to the left just a little. When the bell rang and the judges announced loudly, Place your models, Joanna was already done. She had practiced many times with Ellie and knew she was doing well.

Joanna was ahead of herself and felt comfortable with the outcome of her hairdo and hoped that Ellie would hold the look she placed her in. The stylists were then asked to leave their models and the area itself.

The judges then came in to judge each model. During this time, the models are not allowed to move one iota. The audience cannot approach the work area until the judges have done their scoring. Once the judges left to collaborate in private, then the audience was allowed to pass by but never speak to or touch the models.

Joanna was in the back room with the other fellow stylists, laughing and joking, trying to settle their nerves. They all had been under terrific tension for the past three hours, and it felt good to let their minds relax a little. It was important to win, but this level was not quite the dog-eat-dog level.

The stylists were under the supervision of three wise men whose job was to keep the stylists away from the audience.

About forty-five minutes later, the bell rang again, signifying that the stylists may return to the stage and stand near their models. The audience must return to their seats in order for the winners to be announced.

Third place went to Lila, Joanna's dear friend. Then second place was announced; and when Joanna heard her name called as the first-place winner, she knew that she would be in line to go to nationals in six months. She was congratulated by everyone, and her trophy was handed to her by the head judge.

It was one more trophy to add to the many others that Joanna prominently displayed in her large upscale salon in Burlington, Vermont.

She had been in business for the last twenty years, ever since her divorce. When the breakup happened so long ago, Joanna was adrift, not knowing what to do with her life.

At the time, she had two small children, one nine-year-old boy named Dave and her five-year-old daughter, Sissy.

Her ex-husband, Christopher, was a successful construction company owner and, during their ten-year marriage, had humored Joanna with her idea of going to cosmetology school and working a few days a week in a local salon, just to keep busy and have an outlet for her creativity. Little did they ever think it would become her lifesaving career.

Once she was on her own and had two children to raise, Joanna decided to look for a good spot in the center of town and open a sort of spa. She had always wanted to have a chance to operate a salon that would offer all the services that a woman would want. Spas were a new-and-upcoming thing in the beauty business then, and Joanna was game to give it a try.

Cosmetology came to her so easily that she gained a large following in no time.

Her salon was all windows on two sides and mirrors on the other two. It gave the area a wide-open, airy look that was separated only by colorful booths that harbored four other stylists besides Joanna.

In the rear of the salon, there were areas designated for manicures, waxing, massage, and facials. It was a great bustling business with a beautiful receptionist named Carrie, sitting at the front desk. She was the epitome of all the services provided in the salon. She used every service offered.

The business was situated on the main street off Burlington, and Joanna had purchased the large apartment building that came with the salon. The apartment rentals provided extra income, and she had made a good deal.

Her good friend, and fellow stylist, was an absolutely gorgeous thirty-year-old redhead and had a personality that made you love her. They even shared a luxury apartment situated on the fourth floor above the salon. Years before, when Joanna's children finished college and moved away, she had found it lonely in her big house; so when Lila started to work at Class Action Salon, there was an immediate connection, and they soon became good friends and decided they might as well share an apartment.

The top floor was bright and luxurious and had two bedrooms, so they got together and decorated the whole apartment to suit their taste. They chose girlie colors galore. Peach and mint were their favorite. Their kitchen looked like sherbet ice cream everywhere. They loved it!

One day, Joanna said to Lila, What do you think about the hair competition circuit? It would surely add a little excitement in our lives, and we can afford it now that we are doing so well in our business.

Lila remarked that they would be competing against each other if they joined the circuit and they would have to do a lot of traveling.

I think we would enjoy the challenge, and it would get us out of the salon for a while. We would be traveling to exciting places and meeting new and interesting people in our own field.

And so the circuit run began. It was hard work, but it led to excitement in the salon as the customers watched Lila and Joanna practice on their models in their spare time—not that there was much of that spare-time stuff working in a busy salon from nine to seven every day. But when something is fun, it isn't work, and both girls learned to love to compete. The thrill of the lights and glamor called to them.

Chapter 2

Joanna was a feisty blond, in her midforties, and still in good shape even though she had to work at it once in a while. Diet and exercise were her motto, even though she had what she called some weak moments with chocolate.

She had a fun personality that ingratiated her to everyone, especially her customers. Friendliness came automatically to her, and she was fun to be around. Now Lila was of a different type and personality altogether. She had natural strawberry-red hair and was tall and thin. She stayed that way no matter what she ate. She had the true volatility of a redhead and was known for losing her temper very quickly and having the storm pass within minutes.

Both Joanna and Lila were on a roll. They were having the time of their lives. They worked hard, but they also played hard. When they went away to compete in whatever city the event was being held, they would always plan to stay an extra few days after the shows were over to visit the area and do the tourist bit. Now that they had finished this Wilmington gig, Joanna had grabbed her first-place trophy and prize money, while Lila had her third-place medal. They looked at each other and laughed.

Where to next? they said.

Joanna suggested, Let's go out on the town and get ourselves our favorite margaritas and a thick juicy steak.

Lila grinned and said, Let's see if we can spend all your first-place winnings tonight in one swoop.

They invited their models to come with them; but they were both exhausted from the show and had decided to stay in their hotel rooms, take off all their makeup, wash out the elaborate hairstyles full of hairspray, and call room service. All on Joanna's tab, of course.

Lila told Joanna, Just let them be. They are party poopers, anyway. They think they work hard because they have to sit still during makeup, hairdos. and showing. But we do all the work. We should be the ones who should be tired. We are still on a high from all the excitement, and our nerves need settling, and these margaritas are certainly going to help.

Since they both were still dressed to the nines from the competition, they did not bother to go back to their hotel rooms to change. Off they went to the top of the Marriott Hotel and managed to get a gorgeous table facing the lights of the city. They didn't realize how stunning they both looked in their elegant outfits and perfectly done hair and makeup. They caused many heads to turn.

They ordered their favorite drinks on the rocks, with salt, of course, and then raised their glasses to each other. Lila toasted Joanna and said, Congratulations, kiddo, this is your fifth first-place win this year. If you keep this up, you will be competing in San Francisco next January for the US trophy and maybe even the world cup!

Joanna smiled dreamily and sat back with her drink. We are so lucky in our lives right now. What more could we ask for?

Lila's smile wavered a little and said, Maybe a little romance would be good. I kind of miss the excitement of an exciting love affair.

Joanna looked at her best friend and said, That might be looking for trouble again. Don't forget that we both have been hurt in life by this romance thing. Maybe we're better without it.

Lila just shook her head and tried to shake off this sudden melancholy mood by admiring the beautiful, thick rare steak that the waiter was just putting in front of her. They enjoyed their meal at leisure and considered it a great way to top off their busy weekend. Too soon, it was time to go back to the salon in Burlington and get back to work.

While they were gone, the receptionist, Carrie, had booked them solid; and there was no time to waste. She allowed everyone who worked there only one-half hour for haircuts, one and one-half hour for perms, and one-half hour for blow-drying and sets. No one had time to dillydally. She ran a tight ship, and everyone made good money under her management.

Joanna tried to stay out of the day-to-day bookings and inner workings of the salon. She left it all up to Carrie. This gave Joanna more time to earn good money doing her own customers.

Carrie came from a large hardworking family where she had learned to manage money and time. She was the oldest of six children and helped raise her siblings. She lived at home and was always involved with family dinners and events. She was a basic good kid who did not know that all the spa services that everyone practiced on her had turned her into a beautiful girl. Even though her hair was bleached to the max, wore every bit of makeup that was sold in the salon, and had long painted nails colored to each season, she was still innocent. She practically still believed in Santa and the Easter Bunny and thought everyone was good people. She trusted very easily and found good in everyone.

Carrie was the shining example for all the services that were done in the salon. Customers asked the stylists to copy whatever they liked on her. The patrons absolutely loved her, and the stylists tried to follow whatever schedules she put together for them without any complaints.

Now, in the pecking order of salons, the more experience you