The weather was dark and gloomy but the color yellow of the taxi and the matching interior helped to cheer Dana up. As she sat in the back of the cab with its reinforced metal screen separating her from the driver, Dana pictured her hands growing into long, wormy talons that wiggled into the metal screen and captured the cabby and stunned him with an electrical current. Dana had a vivid imagination and when stressed, her imagination went into overdrive!
Dana was on her way to a job interview and it had been a very long time since she had spoken to anyone about work. The job market was beginning to recover and employers were starting to hire. Dana was attempting to get a job with a small hardware store in her neighborhood called U-Need It, a very direct name and lacking in finesse, Dana thought to herself, but she was intrigued by the amount of stuff that was crammed into the store. Peg boards full of keys, boxes of nails, piles and piles of garbage bags, tools for the yard, and paint swatches.
Dana felt at home in the mishmash of useful items. There was something consoling about the goods that U-Need It stocked. She was confident that she had a good chance to land this job. Her father had a general store when she was growing up and every day after school and on Saturdays, Dana would work there. Dana loved helping customers and making sales. Her father always gave her a thumbs-up every time and, as her dad put it, “sealed the deal “.
Dana spent hours in front of the mirror wondering how to dress for an interview at a hardware store. She tried on dresses, skirts and dress slacks. She finally decided on a red cashmere sweater, black slacks and waffle soled boots. The sweater and slacks were professional looking but not too dressy and the boots were meant to be worn in this particular field…heavy-duty and made to last.
Back to reality...the job interview. Dana entered the ramshackle hardware store with her most confidant stride, up to the counter she marched. A small man of about forty with thick glasses and a tiny mustache , dressed in a crisp white shirt , narrow brown tie and a blue sweater vest met her eyes and said, “Can I help you? “ He had a very low voice which startled Dana. “Yes! I am looking for Mr. Castille; I am here for an interview. The small man very politely said, “Please come this way. “ He led her to the back of the store and into a dark and narrow hallway full of boxes. At the end of the hall was Mr. Castile’s office. He was at his desk, which was piled high with paperwork. Mr. Castille was a very, very tall man with ashy skin, a Roman nose, and curly salt and pepper hair. “You must be Dana Wintch. Have a seat. I see on your resume that you have had some shop experience but perhaps this is not all I sell!”
Dana watched as the lanky man raised a narrow eyebrow and said, “How do you feel about wigs? “ Dana was puzzled; this place looked like a dusty old hardware store to her. Wigs? What was he going on about! Dana looked at Mr. Castille with her most obliging smile and said, “I love wigs!”
Dana had never had any experience with wigs, but she liked the idea of transforming her look with a new head of hair. Mr. Castille looked pleased and said,”Good! Come this way. “ There was another door that leads out of the office and into another room…maybe another universe! A cross between a dance club and a hair salon! Hanging from the ceiling was a huge glass disco ball and all around the walls were shelves of wigs! Every color, every length - not to mention curly, straight, wavy and crimped! Elegant tan leather quilted salon chairs flanked the sides of the rooms facing large gold gilded mirrors and the floor was wood parquet with a center inset of a gold crown! Dana just stood in the resplendent room with her mouth wide open taking it all in. Mr. Castille nudged her “Snap out of it girl! You are not seeing things, this is Salon Vinchenzo! Welcome!” The small man from the front came in but was wearing different clothes - a sleek grey sharkskin suit with a black satin bowtie. He said to Dana, “I am Vinchenzo and this is my secret wig salon!” Then Mr. Castille said, “I am Gregore Botwatsan and I am really Vinchenzo's assistant! We need you to run the front store full time so we can concentrate on the salon.” Vinchenzo broke in, “Men and woman come from around the world to purchase our wigs. People that need to change their identities, or just want to transform their looks for some special evening. The former Mr. Castille (now George) chimed in, “We have a website and membership to the salon, a secret code of conduct, and a secret knock to enter. This is a conservative town and we need to remain discreet…that is why we have the hardware store - it is our cover!” Vinchenzo moved in close to Dana and asked, “We have shown you our secret ………now can we trust you? “ Dana thought it over for a moment. “Yes, but I would love to try on all the wigs, would that be allowed?”
Needless to say, Dana was hired for the job as front desk clerk at U-Need It but after hours she was allowed to enter the secret salon, put on a red satin lab coat, and learn the skills for her to become a wig stylist. Dana had never been happier. She had a new job and was apprenticing in her spare time. Her imagination and distracting visions had diminished since taking on this new job and her life felt full of possibility. As for Vinchenzo and George, they became very successful and opened secret wig salons around the world turning the business into a corporation and selling franchises. The two stylists eventually moved to Bucharest where they infused new style and verve to the people of Romania. Dana was the first franchise owner and would hold a themed dance party in the salon every Wednesday night. After all, Dana discovered that she was an artist and artists follow their own rules!
