When no one was looking, Maria pressed a few buttons on her cell phone and made it ring. Then pretending she had a call, she spoke into the mouthpiece.
“Yes, yes, no, okay, yes, I’ll be right there.”
She turned to Dee Dee. “I’m sorry. Something important has come up. We’ll have to reschedule.” Then making no attempt to reschedule on the spot, she headed for the door.
Maria half expected someone to try and stop her.
“Oh hey is that the new Stark phone 5.” Dee Dee suddenly seemed interested in the cell she was holding.
Not wanting to look like she was trying to escape Maria reasoned some small talk wouldn’t hurt. “It’s only the Stark phone 3, she told her.”
“Well I been plann’n to get one for awhile now. Ya mind if I take a look see dearie.”
She practically grabbed the phone from Maria’s hand. Dee Dee toggled a few screens, looking like she didn’t even know how to handle a phone. Maria gave her a cross stare and finally Dee Dee handed it back.
Maria left. She briskly made her way to her car, where she placed the phone in it’s special holder than allowed it to sink via blue tooth with the cars radio and on-stark.
While driving the phone made an odd noise. It was a mix of a rhythmic hum and a chime. The sound was faint at first and by the time it became noticeable it had some effect that caused her to accept it.
Her radio began changing stations on it’s own, seeking songs by Katey Perry, Lady Gaga, and Keisha. She drove for over an hour; blindly obeying the directions of her on-stark gps. Whatever her destination had been that was long forgotten.
After another two hours, her car was nearly out of gas. The on-stark announced that she had reached her destination. She parked and took a look. She was at the New U Salon; now looking forward to a complete makeover.
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Dolly somehow remembered her security override code for the elevator. It did take her longer than normal to poke at the computerized keypad.
The jiggly woman was already smoking a cigarette when she entered the elevator. From her purse she took a small hand mirror and examined herself. Then with an odd amount of precision she fixed her hair to look bigger, applying hairspray to hold it in
place. Not mindful of the cigarette smoke or hairspray she added perfume to the mix, applying it liberally to herself. The hairspray, perfume, and even her brand of cigarettes were all things she borrowed from work.
Valerie Storm Richards made her way to the elevator, intending to leave just as her altered mother returned. When the door opened she was bombarded by the intense odour. She coughed and her vision blurred. It was only through blurred vision that she
could recognize the woman before her in any respect as her mother. Her mind became suggestible and pliant.
“Hi pumpkin.” She opened her purse revealing a generous assortment of borrowed goods from the New U Salon. “Are you ready for your first makeover.”