Karen posted a condolence
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Many years ago I was at the Frontenac Mall and on a whim I went into Marrellos Hair Salon
I had never been there before but wanted my bangs trimmed
Crystale was at the reception desk saying goodbye to her client and I asked if anyone was available to cut my bangs
She had time before her next appointment so this gorgeous woman with fiery red hair took me to her chair
I had overprocessed, box blonde hair that was practically falling out it was so unhealthy
Crystale said that if I did everything she told me to do and if I never dyed my own hair again, she would take me on as a client and fix the mess I called hair
I made her that promise and never broke it and she kept hers and turned my frizzy, split end hair into something beautiful
It took a very long time to undo the damage but she stuck with me and did the seemingly impossible
That was one of the luckiest moments of my life
Not only did I get great hair, but I ended up with one of the best friends I've ever had
There were salon changes but I would have followed her anywhere
We bonded over our lives, past, present and hopes for the future
No topic was off limits for us
She knew all my secrets
Our appappointments became less about my hair and more about our friendship
We could talk for four hours without a break in the conversation
We celebrated life's victories and cried with each other over the heart aches
We talked about our kids and the men in our lives...past and present
As time went by, grandchildren became one of our favorite things to talk about
We gushed over pictures and shared stories of their antics
We both loved 80's music and when she opened her own salon, she would play that channel and we would relive our youths and talk about who were the 'hottest' guys back then
We were planning to go to a concert this summer to see Def Leppard and Journey (an 80's girl bucket list must see)
We ended each visit with a hug and saying we loved each other
Those are the last words we said and I will be forever thankful for that
Crystale was like no one else
She was a badass with a wicked sense of humor
We were both professional smokers and spent almost as much time outside as we did inside in all kinds of weather (like I said, professionals!)
She made a point to time our sessions around my need to let my pills 'kick in'
She would remind me what time I had to leave home in order to make it all the way 'out there' yet there were countless calls from the car to say I was running late
She would just laugh and say "I'll see you when you get here"
I believe that it what she would say to me now
I will never have a friend like Crystale again
She is irreplaceable
I am so lucky I walked into her workplace that day
I got so much more than a bang trim
I love you Crystale and I'll see you when I get there♥️
