I went to see Cavalia last weekend. For those of you who don’t know Cavalia is a show created by the co-founder of Cirque de Soleil which includes their trademark acrobatics plus horses! Yes horses, lots of pretty horses doing pretty horse tricks.
As Annie and I sat there mesmerized by the horses, the acrobats and the new age music (which really was quite hypnotic), she leaned over to me and said, “Remember when they used to say weaves were made of horse hair?”
Now, I love a weave. I’ve worn a weave off and on for years now. I’m not wearing one now because I’m unemployed and good weaves cost money. It just wouldn’t be right to be living off unemployment, fighting to keep my house and stay even a little bit current on my mortgage all while rocking several hundreds of dollars worth of weave. It just wouldn’t be right.
Anyway, as I watched the flowing manes of the beautiful horses, I missed my weave even more. It brought a tear to my eye. My hair is alright but I’m a child of the 80’s, I like big hair. My hair is never going to be as big and thick as I need it to be. I could tease it, spray it, volumize it and pray to the gods and it just ain’t gonna happen.
I used to have a full weave with tight spirally curls. I loved it. It was easy to maintain. I didn’t have to worry about umbrellas when it rained because it never went flat and it never lost its curl. It was wonderful. It was funky. It reflected my eccentric and creative persona
lity. Now, with my own shortish, relaxed do, I look like every other corporate-type woman. I look like I work downtown and spend weekends shuttling kids back and forth from wherever it is kids go back and forth from.
There is nothing wrong with that if that’s who you are and that’s what you do. But I’m a writer, damn it. And I don’t have kids. I’m creative. I’m quirky. I’ve got a tenuous grip on reality. I need hair that reflects my complex and kooky nature.
As I watched the long silky manes of the Cavalia horses, I realized that like Samson needed his luscious locks, I need my weave. We will be together again!
