The Manicurist

Late in the year of 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the untouched tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. The discovery made international news and was a sensation in many newspapers around the world. The colorful lifestyles of the Egyptians soon became the rage in fashion and makeup, and during the roaring twenties of a hundred years ago, many secrets of the ancient civilization became a reflection of everyday life.

Queen Cleopatra wore the color of terracotta on her fingernails, while Queen Nefertiti preferred her manicurist to use the color of bright red berries to decorate her nails. The legacy of manicures and pedicures was a commonplace discovery on most Egyptian mummies.

In 1878, Mary Cobb opened a nail salon in New York City, and the nail grooming shop was an instant success. When the automotive industry began, all cars were black. In the early 1930s, colors other than black became a new sensation, and soon the durable and bright colors of automotive paint began to appear on the fingernails of women around the world. Because the automotive paint was tricky and not sold in small supplies, Mary Cobb’s version of nail grooming exploded with color as women everywhere wanted the latest in fashion and style.

Although psychologists and psychiatrists are professionals in caring for mental health, and work by listening and talking to their patients about everything and anything, hairdressers and manicurists often represent the same role when listening to personal problems and sometimes giving advice.

Marco, Goodland, and the Isles of Capri are most definitely unique. The smaller number of year-round residents compared to other parts of Florida is probably one of the reasons for the unique and special quality. Because the number of people is smaller on the limited space of the coastal islands, individuals might be prone to stumble upon each other and experience opposite ends of the same situation. Only a local manicurist would know for sure, but no one has more time to sit and listen than someone holding your hand.

When the summertime and rainy season arrive in the deepest south of Florida, the wintertime crowds diminish and islanders have time and space to reflect on their problems, real or imagined.

When the wife came in, she was obviously worried. The popular nail salon was usually busy, but the slow day was a blessing because the wife clearly had a lot on her mind. After the manicure began, the confession started. The middle-aged woman was convinced that her husband was having an affair. The signs were everywhere. He did not keep his normal hours of work and play, and his eating was sparse because he was on a new diet. He was also taking more time with his grooming and personal appearance. In the past, he had never been a fan of cologne, but now he was wearing a sultry fragrance that many women found attractive. He was also making excuses for out-of-town business trips to Texas.

As the manicurist worked diligently, holding the hand of the worried wife, she listened carefully. When the manicure was over, the manicurist could only offer words of encouragement, but she silently agreed with the wife. The man was absolutely having an affair.

When the mistress came in and sat down for a new French manicure, she was also worried. Her affair with the married man was going on for several months, but now, the mistress was concerned that the complaining wife was about to find out. The middle-aged man was going too far. He had never worn cologne and had never been one to fret over his appearance, but now he was on a strict diet and wearing a sexy scent. The man was kind but never living in the moment because he was always worried about his spendthrift wife. He was also sporting new clothes that she was bound to notice, and the weekend getaways in Texas - although fun and exciting - were also a worry. There was also the concern that the man was not sincere. There had been talk of a divorce and a new life together, but talk could always be just talk, and nothing more.

The manicurist’s schedule and her clients were almost always the same. The worrisome wife came in on Monday mornings, and the fretting mistress on Friday afternoons. After three weeks of opposite ends of the same stories from both the wife and the mistress, the manicurist suddenly realized that the island was small in summer and that both women were talking about the same man. The wife and the mistress were both coming to the same manicurist.

When an unexpected deluge of tropical rain came and changed the schedule for hairdressing and nails, the manicurist was shocked to learn the reservations for the wife and the mistress were now at the same time.

Because the manicurist could not do a manicure on two women at the same time, the worrisome wife and the fretting mistress were to both have manicures next to each other - and in minutes after the reservation - the whole salon was secretly aware of the man, the marriage, the mistress, and the wife who was suspicious.

When the man walked into the hair and nail salon for his rescheduled appointment for a manicure and pedicure to complete his new grooming standards, two very familiar women were sitting side by side, laughing and talking to each other. The two manicurists who were holding the two women’s hands as they all were talking together suddenly looked up when the man, the husband and the cheater, turned around and ran out of the salon.

Queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti might have had their nails done in different henna colors at different times, but their manicurist experience probably could not compare to life on a coastal island during the sultry summer season.