Beth spent the past couple of years growing out her blonde hair. It now hung to the small of her back, with a fringe that just touched her eye brows. Today was the day. The day that her husband had been waiting for the past two years to come. The day that she would start her transformation.

She and Tom had made a deal two years previous that if she cut her hair short, he wouldn?t bother her again about cutting it for the next 24 months. He did ask that she keep it blonde until the transformation. Tom made the appointment last week and sat down with the stylist Jan, for an hour explaining the deal and going over the different things that would be done.

Here she now sat, in the salon, nervously awaiting her transformation to begin. Jan approached her and greeted her with a large smile.

?Are you ready, Beth??

?Not really,? Beth smiled weakly.

Jan led Beth to the salon chair and bid her take a seat. Beth eased into the molded chair and sat looking at her long hair for the last time. Jan covered her with the cape, lifting the hair off of her neck as she did so. Jan then turned Beth away from the mirror and started combing out her long thick strands.

?Don?t I get to watch?? Beth inquired.

?Sorry, Beth, part of Tom?s instructions, were for you not to see yourself until the finished product.

Beth pouted. Tom had thought of everything. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the soothing stokes of the comb across her scalp and down the length of her hair.

?Okay, Beth, here goes the first cut.? Jan warned.

Jan took out her larger scissors and snipped the back of her hair to about shoulder length She cut a line all the way around to each side. Beth winced when she caught sight of the long chunks of hair sliding into her lap. She picked up a wisp and admired its length and texture. It would be a long time before she would have anything close to this again, if ever.

Beth then felt Jan section off and separate the hair on her crown from the rest of her hair, clipping it on top of her head.

?Here comes the goo.? Jan warned.

?Goo?? Beth questioned.

The hair dye.? Jan explained.

Jan brushed on and worked in the colorful gel, making sure to get it down to the root and covering every strand possible. She then foiled off some layers around her crown and applied more gel to the top of Beth?s head. Beth thumbed nervously through a magazine, hardly realizing what she was looking at. This was a change, and Beth didn?t handle change well.

?Okay, time for the driers.? Jan said gesturing across the room to the large, plastic hoods. Beth stood up and found her way to the dryers.

On the way, Beth tried to see herself in the mirrors as she walked by. She could only catch a glimpse of a strange young woman with purple and pink gel in her hair. Jan covered Beth?s head with a plastic hood and set the timer.

?I?ll be right back,? Jan commented.

She returned a moment later with a cold soft drink and a few more magazines.

Another woman approached Beth, with a small cart.

?Hello Beth, I?m Cris, I?m to do your nails.?

Beth sat under the dryers with her hands on a cart as Cris applied the acrylic to her finger nails and finished them off with a raspberry color.

The next thing Beth knew, Jan was turning off the heat and helping her over to the rinsing station. The cool water was refreshing on her hot scalp. Jan gently rinsed the colored gel out of her hair and made a point of massaging Beth?s scalp. Probably upon Tom?s instruction. Jan carefully dried Beth?s hair and wrapped it up in a turban, before leading her back to the hair station.

Once Beth was seated, again facing away from any mirrors, Jan unwrapped the newly colored hair and began brushing it out. She nudged Beth?s head forward and sectioned off her hair again. Beth flinched slightly as she felt the cold steel of the scissors touch the nape of her neck, snipping away the hair. It was the first time in two years that scissors have touched her neck.

?Cool hair color.? A young girl said admiringly as she passed Beth?s chair.

Beth?s heart started to flutter all over again. She reached up from under the cape and pulled a side strand of her hair forward so that she could see just what color her husband had chosen. She was slightly relieved not to find purple, blue or green. Instead it was a pretty, very rich, red. She sighed some relief.

?That?s cheating.? Jan said, combing the strand back and clipping it away from Beth?s searching eyes.

Beth felt Jan comb out another layer from higher on her head and listened to the fast work of the scissors. She could no longer feel hair on the back of her neck. That absence, that loss of security made her heart beat faster.

Jan was very careful to keep all of the hair clipped back from Beth?s face, and probing, eyes.

Beth jumped when she heard the pop of clippers come to life. For some reason, she just couldn?t get the butterflies out of her stomach. She flinched when she felt the cold steel vibrate against her neck. Jan ran the clippers up Beth?s nape. Beth?s butterflies fluttered even worse as she felt the clippers reach up to her occipital lobe. ?What was Jan doing, shaving her head? This wasn?t part of the bargain with Tim. He had promised no head shaving. Jan was sure spending a lot of time back there, with that vibrating monster.?

Relief washed over Beth as the clippers were turned off with another pop. Jan picked up the hairdryer and round brush and started sculpting and styling Beth?s hair.

Beth started to put her fingers to her nape, but Jan brushed them away before she could even reach her shoulder.

?Just close your eyes and relax.? Jan instructed, ?I?m almost done.?

When Beth opened her eyes again, Cris was standing in front of her with another cart. Jan switched off the dryer and put her tools down on the counter.

?Wow! That looks great! Jan could you do something like that for me?? Cris asked.

?Sure.? Jan answered.

Cris pumped up the chair and started shuffling around in the cart.

?I?m here to redo your make up.? Cris informed Beth. ?Your husband wanted you to get a complete make-over.?

Beth felt Jan?s presence behind her as Cris applied her make up. Beth tried twice to feel the back of her neck, both times, Jan was there to guard the sensitive area.

Cris stood back and scrutinized her work. ?I think that will do it. Beth your have beautiful eyes. If only I had eyes like those.?

Cris pulled out a small box and offered it to Beth. Inside Beth found a new pair of emerald earrings. Feelings of warmth for her husband washed over her as Cris put them in for her. Jan pulled the cape away and brushed the loose hairs away from Beth?s clothing. Several people in the salon, both customers and stylists gathered around Beth, Smiles radiating their faces as they anticipated the unveiling.

?Here you go.? Jan said, turning the chair around for Beth to view a mirror for the first time in the past two and a half hours.

It took Beth a few moments to find herself in the mirror. She couldn?t find anyone who looked like her until she realized that the beautiful young woman in the chair was she.

Her once brassy blonde hair was now platinum blonde, no, wait just the top layer was platinum. The underlying layers were the deep, rich red. Her once long locks now framed her face in a flattering bob. She ran her fingers through the platinum sides to get a better view of the rich red under layers. Her fingers searched out the back of her neck. Rubbing the short, soft pelt sent shock waves down her spine.

Jan held a mirror for her to see that the back of her hair was cut much shorter than the front. The angled bob swooped at a wonderful angle to caress her cheek at even with her lips.

Beth swept one side back and tucked it behind her ear, exposing her new earring. The sparkling of the emeralds matching the sparkling of her blue eyes.

?Well what do you think?? Jan asked nervously.

?It will take some getting used to, but I love it. Are you sure that is me in the mirror? Beth asked.

Jan and Cris both smiled.

Your husband instructed me to give this to you.? Jan said handing Beth an envelope.

Beth thanked Jan and Cris for their wonderful work and left the salon. She tore into the envelope and found a card key for one of the nicer hotels in the city.

On the way to the hotel, Beth could see and feel people admiring her new look, she tossed her hair and held her head up with pride as she made her way to the hotel.

Once in the room, she found a wrapped box and a note attached. Beth opened the note.

Beloved,

Change into this new outfit and meet me on the roof garden for dinner.

With love,

Tom

Beth opened the box and found a beautiful green dress, one she had been eyeing for a while now and had hinted at wanting. Tom had always found an excuse for not purchasing it.

Beth quickly changed into the dress and stood in front of the mirror. She still saw a stranger staring back at her. A very beautiful stranger.

Up on the roof garden she found her husband waiting for her with a candle lit table, overlooking the city. The sun painting the sky in red behind him.

Tom?s heart skipped a beat when he spotted his transformed wife standing in the doorway of the roof garden. With butterflies in his stomach, heart in his throat, and hands, shaking, he met this beautiful woman. Her smile put him at ease at once. She liked it, good. He kissed her and led her to the table for a perfect evening under the stars.

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