Now that it's finally summer, I took a quick jaunt to the beach with my three kids. I had just finished readjusting my pretied bandana and was helping my three-year-old dig up her small neon-green Croc from the sand when I almost FLIPPED OUT!
About three feet away from me stood another religious lady at the beach in – I kid you not – a Shaitel. Yes! She apparently put on her fine, custom, $3,500 + wig to go to the beach?! Oxidize much?!
“You have got to be kidding me!” was my first reaction.
Then my not highly conditioned enough reflex of “different strokes for different folks” kicked in. I glanced again at the lady, pulled the two ends of my kerchief out of habit, glanced at the wig wearing lady again, and then stared out to sea, deliberately keeping my “new friend” and her Shaitel out of sight…. trying to behave…
Someone tapped me and I jumped! “Sorry!” I heard a timid voice break through my grumping. “I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to know where you got that pre-tied. Sorry!”
I lifted me kerchief-clad head and stared at – you guessed it – my wig clad “neighbor,” I restructured my grimace into a lopsided grin, clumsily got to my feet and stuttered, “Ooohhh! T- Th- That's okay! It-it-it's no pro-prob-problem. Reeeaally!
I quickly studied her appearance and came to three conclusions: She cared how she dressed, she knew how to dress, and she always looked great – from the sole of her shoe to the top of her hat – well shaitel!
“So, anyway, where did you get that pre-tied?” she prompted.
“I go to www.MillineryShop.net. See, I would never even think of going to the beach in a Shaitel, even if it was a cheaper one. It would get completely killed, besides that it's so uncomfortable… and.. oh! Yeah! This Millinery Shop is really great they like sell everything you need in the way of head-coverings, like everything. They've even got Shawls and Costume Jewlery. They have pre-tieds, bandannas, hair clips, kerchiefs, snoods, tichels… um mitpachot turbans and even hair clips and jelly bands… I mean they have everything! Um..” I was babbling and I knew it.
“They've go it all. Seriously! Check them out… they have something for every taste and need. They're even well-priced.”
“What's the name of the place again?” she asked. And I proceeded to give her the information. We talked for a few minutes more and then she turned and walked away, her wig winking in the sunlight. It's funny! Now it looked a drop more blondish, before I had been positive it was brown. “I guess my imaginations running wild again,” I mused as I reached up to pull the two ends of my pretied again… out of habit.
