Missing Haircuts By Suzie Schwartz I missed the simple, mundane aspects of life such as a regular haircut during the covid lockdowns. I realised how I had previously taken it so for granted that I could get one whenever I wanted with my hairdresser, Marian who assiduously observed the mandatory guidelines even while working from home. She herself had contracted covid from her husband who, in turn, had caught it after attending Rosh Hashanah shul services last year. After getting the vaccination, it was a great feeling to be able to visit her salon again. One morning, looking forward to catching up and spending some time in her company I set off. It was perfect weather for a leisurely stroll down Netanya’s tree-lined streets until eventually reaching her road. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a car driving by. Then it stopped suddenly and I heard ‘Suzie!’ I looked around. It was Marian. ‘Don’t say you have an appointment!?’ ‘I think I do, don’t I ?’ I asked. ‘I forgot to write it in the book!’ she responded. ‘I feel so bad.’ To tell you the truth, so did I. Really disappointed as if I had been badly let down. That’s when I was about to ….. say something. However, I just couldn’t 42 | Rosh Hashanah 2021
because she started explaining where she was going. I soon realised my haircut could wait since she was on a more important mission of collecting and re-homing a poodle that its elderly owner could no longer take care of. She explained that they had always wanted one but couldn’t afford the price tag and this was their chance. I had come to know Marian well through our chats and she and her husband worked so hard to provide for her family as best they could. She had a heart of gold and chose to work from home so that she could be there for her 3 teenage girls. She kept on saying how bad she felt and I tried reassuring her that it was no big deal. I walked back home sans haircut and a couple of hours later I texted Marian to ask whether she had picked up her dog. She sent me a beautiful picture of a brown poodle sitting next to her. ‘What’s his name?’ I asked. ‘Choko’ I was so pleased that I hadn’t let this oversight get in the way of a friendship we had both worked hard to cultivate and grow. I have something to look forward to in the future which hopefully are the moments we will spend in each other’s company while she is working on my hair. n
