“Bend forward and pose like Arnold,” Maggie instructed.
In a grimace of sheer humiliation, I leaned forward and did my best body-builder imitation.
Maggie pointed the spray gun at my shoulders and released a cool blend of brown shellac and air.
It was my first ever spray tan and I was standing in my underwear in a little tanning tent feeling like a big goof. But then I thought about exposing my Colgate white butt cheeks at the pool this weekend in La Quinta I remembered my motivation.
I am what most people call a fair girl. I have naturally blond hair and blue eyes with a spatter of freckles dusting my nose. I burn, I peel and even after a summer by the pool I am at my best a gentle shade of cream.
Self-tanner is my friend in the summer. Usually I do a mystic-tan for big events, but because this weekend is my fortieth birthday I thought I would go all out for the personal touch.
And Kolby’s pre-school teacher (also a spa owner) gave me good deal. How could I refuse?
Maggie looked at me and smiled. “Now go home and sleep and take a shower in the morning. Half of this will come off and you won’t be this dark. Don’t be scared when you look in the mirror. It won’t be this dark. I promise.”
I turned and glanced in the mirror and almost fell over. My body looked smoking tan but my face looked like the scary tan lady who took her kid to the tanning bed.
I looked like an Aborigine with blond hair.
How could I go home like this? I put on my glasses, paid her and skulked out.
When I got home I ran up to my room and grabbed a wipey and tried to undo the damage to my brown face. My daughter Faith came upstairs and in her usual Jr. High tactfulness said, “Ummm, do you think she did a good job?”
I ran downstairs as my son and husband returned home. Kyle walked in and started laughing, “Mom, who screwed up your face?”
Kolby stared and looked confused. And then I started crying brown tears of shame.
My sweet husband calmed me down and stared at my tan legs and arms. “I like it,” he exclaimed. It will be better tomorrow.
Leave it to my darling man to talk me off the cliff.
I woke up this morning at 4:45am and showered. And fortunately, Maggie’s prediction came true. All the icky brown washed down the drain leaving me with a pretty golden glow.
Score this round Sam -10 Vanity +10
