The Popular and the Pious

Story by Beth & The Shopkeeper

Dorothy has always thought she was smarter than everyone.  While she would have had no problems graduating at the top of her high school class, she instead, her below average grades barely allowed her to graduate.  Her parents were thoroughly tired of fighting with her throughout high school, and had forced her to attend one of the lower rated state colleges.  Her parents still wanted their daughter to be successful, so they did everything they could to help her navigate thru her college career.  This included leasing a brand new car for her time away at college and providing her the best of everything she needed to salvage her academic career.  Unfortunately, these things only made it easy for Dorothy to skip out on most of her classes and end up on academic probation after just one term.  Her second term would prove to be her last.  Already on academic probation, Dorothy was driving back towards her dorm when she rear-ended a parked car.  If that wasn’t bad enough the campus police charged her with underage drinking and driving.  Her permanent academic suspension followed, and Dorothy was sent home.

Once she returned home, things didn’t get any better, her parents decided they would sell her car since the judge had sentenced Dorothy to 2 years of probation plus 100 hours of community service.  He also revoked her driving privileges for 2 years.  This left Dorothy reliant on either family, or public transit to get around. Although her parents made it clear of what the expected of her, Dorothy, like expected, put little to no effort into her job search, instead she would send out 1 or 2 resumes per week to jobs she knew she wasn’t qualified for.  This had gone on for 3 weeks and her parents were at the end of their rope.

It was a Sunday and Dorothy’s parents were headed to church, without Dorothy, of course.  Always arriving early enough to get seats right up front, they were met by Dorothy’s aunt Grace.  While waiting for the sermon to start the the discussion turned to Dorothy.  Her parents told Grace that Dorothy was walking on thin ice, and they were afraid that they were going to have to resort to drastic things to make her understand she was an adult now.   The were mostly upset about what to do with Dorothy as they were planning on moving to a warmer climate because the last of their children had left the house.  Grace took all of this in, all the while planning what she would do to put her favorite niece on the right track.  Grace chose to keep that to herself as the conversation ended when the mass began.

It was Monday afternoon when Grace called her sister-in-law.  Grace’s children had all left home, leaving her alone in her big house.  She suggested that Dorothy be allowed to live with her as kind of a break for all of them, plus insure a good bit of her famous discipline would help straighten the young girl out.   She told her sister that the church was looking for a young girl to work in the day care center along with working with the nuns in the kitchen on the daily meals they served.  “It will do all of you some good.  Dorothy will get some real life experience while I insure that she attends all 3 masses every day.  The exposure to working with the nuns will hopefully get her to re-examine her lifestyle.”   The conversation between Dorothy’s parents was a quick one and a short time later they informed her that her aunt had gotten her a job as a “Youth Director” at the church.  Dorothy thought about the job for a minute, and though she really did not want to work at the church,  when her parents made it clear to her it was her last chance to get her life together because they would be moving away in just a few weeks, leaving Dorothy with nowhere else to go.

Dorothy was 18, and wanted to make an impression at her first job. Knowing little about the job she decided to wear what she thought was her smartest outfit. Wearing the shortest, tightest pencil skirt she could find, paired with sheer tights, a tight blouse showing ample cleavage and enough makeup to act as sunscreen. Lastly her hair is loose, covering her eyes in a “come hither” fashion, hanging down to her thighs and heavily straightened, not that she needed to. Her hair was naturally pin-straight, the envy of all her friends with its thickness, length and texture.

“Right, I’m too smart for that college anyways” she rolled her eyes, still looking in the mirror. “But this church thing will keep everyone off my back until I can get a real job, like a model or something.”  She struck a pose, working her angles as she flipped her hair. “Just need to make a good impression, I think this is a good outfit for a ‘youth director’… whatever that is”.  With that she head out to get the bus, “Only 15 minutes late, not too bad.”

As she walked towards the church she sees her aunt standing by the front door repeatedly looking at her watch.  Putting the biggest smile on her face as she approached…”Good morning aunt Grace. How are you this…”  She didn’t get another word out before her aunt voiced her displeasure…”You’re 20 minutes late, dressed like you’re going to a party instead of church, and you smell like cigarettes.  You know I always get to church a half hour before mass starts so I can sit up front.  No we’ll be lucky to get a seat in the first 10 rows.  Here, put on my sweater so you can cover up a little bit, and take one of these mints so everyone doesn’t have to smell that horrible cigarette stench.”

Dorothy, confused by what her aunt said…”What do you mean mass?  I thought I was supposed to start my new job today.”  She looked up at the building that always intimidated her.  She pulled on the tall, wooden doors, surprised at the ease in which they opened.  She quickly began to take in the intimidating surroundings.  As she continued to stare around her aunt broke her concentration and made herself perfectly clear…”Everyone who is at the church is expected at mass, so not only will you be here for the 8:00 mass, but also the noon and 4:00 services.”  Dorothy’s eyes rolled back into her head.  Even though her parents were regular attendee’s at Sunday mass, they never went to weekday mass, or forced Dorothy to go with them.  She followed closely behind her aunt, all the way to the second row.  As she sat and waited, her eyes were drawn to the line of nuns who entered thru the side door.  She couldn’t imagine why the woman would ever give their lives to the church.  The odd thing to her was, she no longer felt intimidated, but instead started to feel comfortable in her surroundings.

Once the mass finished Dorothy followed her aunt out into the hall and then towards the stairs…”Dorothy, come on, we’ve could a ton of work to take care of before lunch starts.”  Confused, Dorothy followed closely behind…”Aunt Grace I thought I was supposed to be working with kids.”  Her aunt keep walking at her brisk pace…”Do you see any kids here right now?  You will pitch in wherever needed until the kids start showing up.  For now your’re going to work with the sisters getting the community lunch ready to serve.”

Once in the lunch room Dorothy was immediately put to work with Sister Mary, one of the younger nuns.  They started making sure everything was set-up before the crowds started arriving.  Once finished, Sister Mary pulled Dorothy into the kitchen…”Come on, we still have tons of work to do before the crowds start coming in.”  They walked into the kitchen which was humming with work as the Sisters all pitched in.  Sister Mary handed Dorothy something she didn’t recognize…”Here, you need to have your hair covered when you work with the food.”  Dorothy took the hairnet, still unsure of what to do with it.  Sister Mary, seeing her struggle grabbed in back from her…”Here, let me do that for you.”  Mary pulled all Dorothy’s hair together as she fought to get it in the hairnet.  Seeing the two of them struggle, one of the older Sisters chimed in…”She really needs to do something with all this hair so you’re not wasting all this time every day.”

Sister Mary showed Dorothy what they were doing, but after just a few minutes, Dorothy was already fighting to keep her hair contained in the hairnet.  Mary again went to help her out…”Maybe we should just have you working on cleanup.  That way it won’t matter as much if some falls out.”  Dorothy, relieved that she wouldn’t have to fight with it anymore…”Thanks Sister Mary.  I’m sure you never have this problem, do you?”  The sister smiled at Dorothy…”Well, you could cover your head up just like mine.  I’m sure you’d love it in the order.”  Dorothy was surprised at what Mary said.  Joking, or not, there was no chance that she would join the nuns.  Saying under her breath…’I’m not even religious.  She was then shown the area where everything was washed, a huge pile of pots and pans already waiting  for her.”

Dorothy was working harder than she ever had cleaning up the growing pile of dirty kitchen tools.  As the lunch crowd dwindled down she finally felt like she would catch up.  A short while later, her aunt appeared…”What happened to serving the lunch?”  Dorothy just looked at her, to worn out to answer.  Her aunt knew what the problem was.  She had already talked with the Sisters who were in charge of the kitchen…”That hair’s been giving you troubles hasn’t it?”  Dorothy, protective of her hair…”I wasn’t used to the hairnet, that’s all.”  Her aunt had already decided a change was in order….Well, when you’re finished in the kitchen you can head to mass with the Sisters.  I’m going to go early so I can get my seat right up front.”  Dorothy thought for a second that it would be strange to go with the nuns, but before she could say anything Sister Mary chimed in…”Don’t worry Grace, we’ll treat her like she’s one of us.”

Dorothy sat surrounded by nuns, pretending to listen to mass but hardly paying attention. She had ripped the hairnet from her head as soon as she was able, and was watching out the window as the priest droned on about modesty.  Not wanting to look out of place around the nuns, Dorothy sat up straighter than normal, with her hands folded on her lap.  Every once in a while a nun would give her a nudge to make sure she looked, but it didn’t last long.  She went right back to day dreaming.

Soon after she found herself in the daycare, watching the children of those working in the church. The little girls with their short bobs were fascinated by Dorothy’s “princess hair” and she was near forced to let them braid it into one thick braid going down her back.  The clock seemed to crawl as Dorothy was kept continuously busy tending to the children’s needs.  It soon reached 5 pm and the children were collected, mostly by their grandparents, all turning their noses at Dorothy in her modern clothes.

“Dorothy, would you meet me in the rec room?” Came over the PA speaker, which vexed Dorothy.   She walked towards the rec room, only to be met in the hallway by her aunt…”Hurry up now Dorothy.  I told Mrs Jennings I’d have you her a little after 5, so she’s been holding the chair open for you.”  Dorothy’s face went totally blank as she tried to figure out just what her aunt had meant…”Who’s Mrs Jennings?”  Her aunt opened the door, holding it for Dorothy…”Sister Joan said she had to pull you off of serving food because you kept having trouble keeping your hair up.  I told her it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.”  Dorothy’s stride slowed as she neared the door.  As she walked to the opening She saw a group of about 6 old ladies in various stages of having their hair done.  She then saw a woman wearing a flowery smock, standing by the salon chair set up in the room….”Oh, Grace I’m glad you made it, and this must be my new regular client Dorothy.  So nice to meet you young lady.  Why don’t you come right over her and have a seat, so we can get started.”

Dorothy hesitated, but her aunt took her by the arm and directed her right to the chair….”There now, Mrs Jennings knows just what to do so you won’t have a problem with that hairnet anymore.”  Dorothy tried to question her aunt, but as she began to speak, she was interrupted by a cape swinging around her body.  She looked straight ahead, and the image that met her eyes was her head, now looking smaller, and Mrs Jennings standing behind her.  She cleared her throat as she pushed a finger up thru the neckline of the cape, trying to give herself a little more breathing room…”I just need a little bit taken off, maybe an inch or two, then it will be fine.”  A slight laughter went thru the old ladies sitting there, and Dorothy’s aunt set her straight…”Dear, Mrs Jennings has been doing hair for almost 50 years.  She knows exactly what you need.”

Dorothy knew not to question her aunt again.  All she could do was hope and pray the old woman wouldn’t do too much damage.  She sat there, still unsure of what was going to happen, but then she felt what she thought was the old woman undoing her braid.   The only thing she couldn’t figure out was why she had started at the top.  She felt some pulling and tugging on her hair, and as she was about to complain, it all stopped.  Dorothy was glad it was over until the old woman moved towards the table in front of them…”Your aunt wants to send this to your mother.”  As she moved away Dorothy screamed as she saw her thick braid sitting in front of her…”Why did you cut off my braid?!”  Mrs Jennings then started to comb thru what was left of her clients hair…”You need a practical style for your job dear.  Just relax, your aunt told me just what you need.”

Dorothy looked over at her aunt, who had a knowing smirk on her face.  Dorothy had no choice but to give in to her aunts wishes, unless she found another place where she could stay.  She lowered her eyes as she started to see even more hair hitting the cape and sliding into her lap.  The raining down of 3″ pieces began to worry her…’How much is she leaving me?’ she thought to herself.  As she looked back up Dorothy took notice of several of the old ladies in various states of having their hair tended to and she realized that her chances of leaving with a stylish haircut were slim.

As she sat, wishing that there was a mirror within  her eyesight, Dorothy noticed that the scissors had stopped, but before she could react Mrs Jennings was again at the side of her.  She then felt a mist of water hitting her head and shoulders…”Your aunt said you just washed your hair when you had your bath last night, so there’s no point in me doing it again.”  She then began to comb thru her dampened hair….Dorothy wasn’t sure if Mrs Jennings would style it wet, or blow dry it, but she was surprised when Mrs Jennings began to separate her hair into several different sections…”I thought you were finished.”  A few laughs could be heard from the women sitting near the chair.  Mrs Jennings continued to work…”Let me get these sections clipped out of the way and then we can get a some curls in your hair.”  Dorothy was not ready for what she had heard…”What?  Did you say curls?  Why would you curl my hair now?  It’s the end of the day already.”

Mrs Jennings smiled with the rest of the ladies present, all of them already knowing what was next for her young customer.   Mrs Jennings deciding to give her new client something to take her mind off what was going on, handed her the box of end wrap papers.  Dorothy took them, still confused by what was happening, took them without any idea of what was about to happen.  Mrs Jennings, now combing a thin width of hair at the crown of Dorothy’s head…”Okay dear, have one of those ready for me when I reach for it.”  Dorothy still couldn’t figure it out, but handed the first of what would be nearly one hundred of the papers to her.

The cycle of Mrs Jennings combing out a thin width of hair and reaching for the next paper continued on for what seemed like hours to Dorothy.  As her head was becoming filled with the little yellow rods Dorothy started to notice that all of the other ladies sitting in the room all had a head full of various sizes of curls.  The light started to go on in Dorothy’s head, both of her cousins, who were much older than her, always had short, curly hair.  Now she started to wonder if  aunt Grace was making sure she was next.

Her head, now with over 90 tiny rods tightly secured, soon had a length of cotton cord placed along its edges.  Dorothy still didn’t know what was happening as she assumed she would just be put under one of the two dryers sitting on a nearby table.  Instead she was surprised as Mrs Jennings began to squirt a smelly liquid onto each one of the curlers.  She again looked to her aunt…”Aunt Grace, is she making my hair like Faith and Hope?  Her aunt, never one to hide from the truth, admitted to Dorothy what, indeed was happening…”Yes dear.  You need to start looking  a lot more modest while you’re working here.”  Dorothy couldn’t believe what her aunt said…”What? Wait a minute, I don’t want my hair like that.”  Mrs Jennings who had just finished soaking the last of the rods…”Well that’s what you have now, and there’s no going back.”  Dorothy about jumped out of the chair…”What?  No!!!  I don’t want my hair like that.  Comb it out when the rods come out.”  This, of course, drew laughs from the seated regulars.  Mrs Jennings told her new client just how it was going to be…”When the rods come out there’s nothing that will ever straighten out your new curls until they grow out, but by then you’ll be back in my chair getting a new head full of rods on your head.  You will come see me every 2 weeks so we can keep you looking your best.”

Dorothy was hyperventilating at what she was told.  Mrs Jennings moved her over to one of the tabletop dryers…”Here you go dear.  A little heat will make sure all those curls turn out perfect, and don’t worry dear, it’ll all be over soon. It’s for the best”

Dorothy couldn’t sit still as the heat surrounded her head.  All she could think of was her two cousins.  The two of them always had the tightest little curls on their heads and she always remembered seeing them in very basic looking dresses.  As she looked out and saw her aunt, she saw a smile that she hadn’t seen before.  She knew then what she was going to look like, and hoped the curls weren’t ‘as permanent’ as she was told.

She sat under the dryer for almost 20 minutes when she saw another older woman come into the room.  She then saw that she was holding what looked like a dress from 30 years ago, nothing that she would ever wear.  She saw the woman speaking with her aunt with both of them admiring the dress, smiling as they looked it over.  Then they looked over at Dorothy and smiled as if they were proud parents.  The more Dorothy saw of the dress, the more they reminded her of the outfits her cousins always wore.

Mrs Jennings then came over and shut down the dryer.  As she lifted the hood up she helped Dorothy out of her chair…”Come now dear, we can get you rinsed and neutralized.”  Dorothy knew nothing about what was happening, but settled into the strange chair next to the sink.  Mrs Jennings helped her lay back into the seat, its plastic tray became snug against he clients neck…”Okay dear, just a few seconds to let the water warm up.”  Dorothy started up at the ceiling tiles waiting for the impending warm water.  Shortly after, a stream of water, hardly warm enough to keep her from jumping out of the chair, hit her head.  In a few seconds, now used to the temperature, the cool water felt soothing against her baked scalp.  Her head thoroughly rinsed for 10 minutes, was sat upward in the seat.  Mrs Jennings carefully blotted the rods on Dorothy’s head until they had most of the excess water soaked up.  She was laid back into the chair until her neck rested against the tray again…”Now we just need to lock your curls in good and tight.”  It wasn’t until the liquid began hitting her head that Dorothy felt defeated.  She knew that the curls that were held on the rods would be permanently locked in place, and there was nothing she could do about it.

As Dorothy sat with the soaked rods on her head, she was trying to figure out just how this all happened to her.  She had never had problems getting away with just about anything with her parents, but she wasn’t prepared for what Aunt Grace was doing to her.  First was moving in with her, then the job that wasn’t, at all, what she had expected, and now she was minutes away from having her hair permanently transformed into what can only be described as an old woman’s hairstyle.  Then she remembered the dress that her aunt and another woman were so happy about, Dorothy couldn’t believe that her aunt would force that upon her too.  Dorothy was brought out of her daydream by a small bell going off.  Just then Mrs Jennings came back over to the shampoo chair…”That should be enough to lock those curls in nice and tight.  I don’t think you’re going to have any problems at all with frizziness.”  The water was started up again and Dorothy’s head was pushed back against the edge of the tray.  The warm water rinsed over each of the rods for almost ten minutes, then Mrs Jennings began to blot each of the rods dry again.

Dorothy was allowed to lift her head up again, and the first thing she saw was the faces of most of the ladies sitting around the room.  She felt as if she was the main attraction as all eyes were on her.  One face after another had an approving smile on it telling her they all knew what was coming next.  She then felt Mrs Jennings working on her head again…”It won’t be long now deary.”  Mrs Jennings began unwinding rod after rod, revealing the tightest curls she has seen in years…”Oh, this has turned out better than expected.  Grace, you were so right to want me to use the smallest rods on her head.  She’s going to be so happy with the results.”  Dorothy then saw her aunt walking towards the chair…”Oh, yes, this is just what I had in mind for her.  Sh’e going to a whole new person once we leave here.”

It was almost 15 minutes until the last of the rods were out of her hair.  Moved back to the salon chair, Mrs Jennings was using a pick to fluff up her hair just enough to separate the curls from the little tube shape they formed when the rods came out.  As Dorothy sat and waited for whatever came next, Mrs Jennings called her aunt back over…”Grace, I think I should clean up her sideburns, they’re so much thinner than the rest of her hair they would stand out too much.”  Of course Aunt Grace agreed…”You can just clean the whole area up.  I’m sure you know what would look best.”  Dorothy then saw Mrs Jennings pick up something totally unfamiliar to her.  It looked almost like a toothbrush, but it had a blade instead of rows of bristles.  Mrs Jennings was at Dorothy’s side…”I’m just going to clean up the fine hairs in front of your ears.  You’ll love how this looks.”  She then began to scrape the tool down in front of her ears.

All Dorothy could do was sit there nervously as the old woman shaved away at the side of her face.  The images than ran thru her head of how she must look now were giving her the chills.  As the scraping stopped, Mrs Jennings looked to Dorothy’s aunt once more…”Do you want me to just clean up her neck, or am I going to clipper it up like we talked about?”  Dorothy shuttered at the thought of having the back shaved off, but thankfully she was given a reprieve as her aunt spoke…”Lets see how she looks with it like this once we get her changed out.  I want her to look like a modest young girl, not anything too modern.”  With that statement Dorothy was all but sure her aunt was going to make her look just like her cousins.  This, she knew, would all but guarantee she would be forgotten among her friends, male and female.

Mrs Jennings set the razor down and pronounced Dorothy was ready to be presented to the ladies in the room.  While she hadn’t yet seen her new look, she was sat up and turned to face the ladies gathered.  She instantly noticed all of the big smiles on their faces and soon heard each one of them congratulating her on her big step into womanhood.  Her aunt Grace had the biggest smile of all as she told Mrs Jennings…”Well, I guess we can let her get used to her new look.  She’s going to have it for a long time.”  Mrs Jennings started to turn the chair towards the little mirror…”I’m sure you’ll just love the look your aunt has picked for you.”  Slowly her head came into view, and Dorothy couldn’t believe what had happened to her…”My beautiful long hair.  It’s all gone.”  She reached up, first to rub the bare skin where her sideburns used to be, now just skin up as high as the top of her ears.  Then she gently touched the little curls and was shocked that they couldn’t be moved.  No matter which way she pushed or pulled them, they snapped back tightly against her head…”Why did you have to cut off all my hair?”   Mrs Jennings scoffed at her words…”All of us wondered this the first time we were permed dear, but not one of us has ever let our hair get straight again, and now it’s your turn.”

As Dorothy sat and sulked about the loss of her hair, her aunt stood up and approached the chair…”Alright young lady, it’s time to get you into some proper clothes.”  Dorothy knew this was coming, and at that moment realized that her choice of bra and panties was not what she wanted to be wearing right then.  The cape was removed and Dorothy was told to get up…”Alright then lets get you out of that horrible outfit you put on this morning.  You’ve got nothing we haven’t seen before, so go ahead and take off what you’re wearing so we can get you changed out.”  Dorothy scrambled to get out of doing this in front of the room full of old ladies…”Aunt Grace, couldn’t I just take this nice dress home and try it there?”  Her aunt wasn’t about to give in to her young niece while she had gotten her this far into the changes she had made…”Enough wasting time young lady, lets get that outfit off so you can start to look civilized.”  Dorothy was left with no choice but to come clean to her aunt…”Aunt Grace, I’d rather not show everything off to these nice ladies here.”  Her aunt Grace got a huge smile on her face.  Her once wild niece was starting to show a bit of modesty, which, to her, was a big step in the young girls future…”Okay dear, if you’re too modest to change in front of others, you can go into the ladies room to change.”

Dorothy, now safe in the ladies room, pulled off the outfit that she wore that day.  As she pulled it off and looked at it, she knew her days of dressing like this were coming to an end.  Standing there in her matching black bra and thong panties, she, for the first time ever, felt embarrassed to be wearing this type of clothing.  For some reason she started to worry that she might be seen wearing what were, to that moment, her every day clothes.  She quickly covered them up by pulling the dress on.  Struggling with the buttons on the back, once she finished she looked at herself in the mirror.  The reflection was of a person she didn’t know, but as she looked herself over from top to bottom, she realized that her aunt had gotten exactly what she wanted.  She looked identical to her 2 cousins form the tight perm to the knee length dress she figured would be part of her daily outfits.  She returned to the other room, where she was greeted again by the approval of every one of the ladies present.  Aunt Grace was overjoyed to see Dorothy now looking like she was one of her daughters…”That looks beautiful on you dear.  I don’t thing we’re going to need any hemming at all on them.  Mrs Wilson has a whole closet of dresses she made for her daughter that will work perfectly for your needs.”

Soon after they retrieved several more dresses from Mrs Wilson’s car, the got in aunt Grace’s car…”Don’t worry, we can stop at the department store and get you something more appropriate to wear under your new dresses.”  Where just days ago Dorothy would have put up a fight, instead Dorothy thanked her aunt…”Thank you for understanding what was happening back there.  I really didn’t want to embarrass myself around the other ladies.”  Her aunt noticed the change in Dorothy’s tone, especially when she talked about the other girls present….”We’ll get you everything you’ll need, including some knee-highs to cover up those legs.”  Dorothy wasn’t sure what her aunt meant at first, then she remembered seeing the little stockings that were always hung up in her on the towel bar in her grams bathroom.

The next day didn’t start in the usual way for Dorothy.  Gone was having to wash her hair in the morning, as she was told that Mr Jennings would be handling that from now on, but not until her perm had a full week to set in tight.  The other change was her wardrobe.  Her aunt made her lay out her outfit for the next day before she went to bed, so getting ready, although a strange new process, was fast and easy.  As Dorothy walked down the stairs, her aunt already had breakfast ready…”Well, lets see you first before you sit down for breakfast.”  Dorothy turned to be inspected by her aunt, who found the one thing that she was missing…”Dorothy, you’ve forgotten your stockings.  I keep an extra pair in my purse, so grab them and put them on.  Get moving so you can finish your breakfast and we’re not late for mass.”

This first time putting on the knee-highs seemed strange to Dorothy, higher than any socks she had worn, but nothing like the few times she wore stockings.  Aunt Grace saw to it that they weren’t late for the early mass and as they started to make their was towards the front few rows, Dorothy was surprised when the Mother Superior came towards her…”Come sit with the sisters Dorothy, they enjoy your company.”  Dorothy looked towards her aunt, who was elated that the Mother Superior had taken notice of her.  This, indeed, would fit well into her plans for her niece.  Dorothy, who had sat with the nuns at the last 2 masses the day earlier, felt a little out of place as she was soon surrounded by nuns on all sides.  As the service started Dorothy, usually not a very religious person, found herself reciting the prayers as loud as those around her, and when it came time for everyone to sing, she sang out like she hadn’t done before.

As the mass ended Dorothy felt a new sense of well-being.  She thought nothing of it as she filled out with the nuns, on their way to again work on preparing the daily lunch.  She watched as this time, unlike yesterday, her aunt headed for the exit.  She soon found herself working away alongside the sisters, and unlike yesterday, she had no problems keeping her hair inside the hairnet and easily under control.

The meal went off as planned, and as they were finishing things up before the mid-day mass she was approached by the Mother Superior…”You’ve had quite an big step up from yesterday.  I’m so happy to see you dressed in a nice, modest outfit and that’s such a major improvement to your hair as well.”  Dorothy, again surprised that the Mother Superior had taken notice of her, was actually quite bashful at the comments that were given to her….”Thank You, My aunt has been helping me with my new appearance.”  Dorothy didn’t expect what she was told next…”Dorothy, you’ve been working quite well with the sisters, and we all enjoy having you sit with us at mass, so I’d like to ask if you would consider joining us on a permanent basis.”

Dorothy enjoyed sitting with sister Mary and some of the younger nuns, and thought it was much better than sitting with all the older ladies near her aunt, so without giving it any further thought gave her answer to the Mother Superior…”Oh, that would be so nice.  I’d really like to sit with you all the time.”  The Mother Superior was somewhat surprised at the lack of push-back from the young girl…”Well that was a very good decision on your part.  We will be so happy to have you joining us.”  As Dorothy made her way towards the pews for the mid-day mass, the Mother Superior spoke with her again…”You and I can meet with Father Joseph after morning mass on Saturday.  Okay?”  Dorothy then looked over as her aunt was walking towards her seat.  She noticed that her eyes looked all watery and red.  As Dorothy sat down, sister Mary sat next to her…”I’m overjoyed that you agreed to join us.  Your aunt has never been so happy.”  Her statement flew right over Dorothy’s head as she settled in for the mass to start.

After mass Dorothy started to make her way towards the childcare center,  As she walked down the hall her aunt called out for her…”Dorothy dear, wait a minute.”  Dorothy turned and waited for her aunt to catch up to her.  Her aunt hugged her as she got close to her…”Dorothy, you’ve really surprised me.  I can’t believe you’ve made such a big decision so quickly.  Your parents will be so happy when they hear of this.”  Dorothy was totally confused by her aunts joy, after all, deciding to sit with the nuns was more to not have to sit with her aunt than anything else…”I knew it would make you happy if I just sat with them during mass.  Now I won’t be in your way anymore.”  Her aunt, still under the impression that Dorothy has agreed to join the order, asked her some of the details…”So, I’m sure you’ll have to meet with the Priest, but I’m sure with the Mother Superiors recommendation he will welcome your decision to join the order.”  This took her totally off-guard…”I’ve only agreed to sit with them from now on.  It’s not like I’m going to become a nun, or anything like that.”  Dorothy’s aunt set the girl straight…”The Mother Superior asked you to join the order and believes that you’ve agreed to it, so yes dear, you are indeed going to be joining them, as soon as the Priest gives his approval.”

That afternoon Dorothy could hardly concentrate on taking care of the kids as her mind kept wandering towards why her aunt thought she was going to become a nun.  She thought that she never considered herself to be a religious person, but, she was beginning to enjoy the time she was spending with the sisters.  Then, in her next thought, the whole thing just sounded outrageous to her, there was no way she could give up her entire life to become a nun.  The problem was, the more she thought about her life to this point, maybe she was feeling so happy being around the sisters because that was a sign that a major change was just what she needed.  She knew that her aunt would want to talk with her about it once the afternoon mass was over, but she just didn’t have an answer for her yet.

After the last of the kids was picked up, it was time to head up for the afternoon mass.  As Dorothy made her way inside several of her aunts friends plus the older ladies she had met when she got her hair done were all smiles when they saw her.  She could see that her aunt looked as happy as she had ever seen her before.  During the whole mass she felt as I’d all eyes were on her.

At the start of her next week her aunt reminded Dorothy that she had an appointment with Mrs Jennings.  She assumed that she would finally be getting her hair washed, which she was more than happy to have done.  Having never gone more than a day or two without shampooing it, a full week, even if it was short and curly, was far too long.  Every hour of the day passed slower than the next, until finally Dorothy and her aunt were headed down the hall to the room Mrs Jennings used.

As they entered the room Dorothy saw the same group of women that were there the prior week.  Like the previous time, she saw a few of them in various stages of completion.  As she sat and waited, several of the ladies congratulated her on her big news to which she could only say thank you.  It was nearly an hour later when her aunt took her turn in the chair.  A simple was and set, then she was led to one of the table-top dryers.  As she sat down she told Mrs Jennings…”I think you were right.  Go ahead and trim up the bottom of Dorothy’s hair.  It might be her last chance to have it styled up so nice.”  Dorothy had no idea what her aunt and Mrs Jennings were talking about.  She had grown used to the perm and figured her aunt would make sure she kept it as long as she lived with her.

As Mrs Jennings covered her with a vinyl cape, Dorothy waited to finally have her hair after a week of wanting too.  She sat forward on the seat, waiting to be told to lean back towards the neck rest.  Instead, Mrs Jennings pushed her head down…”Lets take care of this first so it makes your aunt happy.”  The sound of  the clippers soon filled the small room and Mrs Jennings began to run them upwards from her nape.  Dorothy jumped as they first dug into her hair, the teeth began to chew away at the hair, leaving barely an 1/8″ of hair behind.  She felt a lump in her throat as the clippers made a second pass, but it wasn’t long before the old woman was starting the next…”We should have done this from the start Grace.  I’ve always thought a nice clean neckline was the best look for my young perm customers.”  Dorothy’s aunt soon agreed with the stylist…”I should know not to question you Abigail.  I knew she’d look her best like this.”

Once the bottom 2 inches had been sheared away, Dorothy was leaned back into the neck rest of the shampoo chair.  After a week of not being able to wash her hair, the water felt wonderful running over her scalp.  Then the shampoo felt even better as Mrs Jennings massaged it thru her curls, but once it hit the freshly clippered bottom it caused Dorothy to flinch as it was a feeling she had never felt before.  Once Mrs Jennings had rinsed her thoroughly, Dorothy was sat up in the seat again and after a brief towel dry she picked thru her hair before escorting her to one of the dryers.

Dorothy felt that it was the last step in her aunts plans to totally remake her image.  Rather than be upset about it, she was now at the point where she just went along with whatever plans her aunt had for her, and what surprised her the most was she actually didn’t mind the changes.  Her curly hair, new wardrobe, and every other part of her daily routine was now just a normal part of her life.

The following Saturday as Dorothy and her aunt entered the church they were met by the Mother Superior…”Well hello Grace.  I’m sure your niece is getting all excited about our meeting today.”  Looking to Dorothy…”I, for one, will be happy to welcome this fine young lady among us.”  Dorothy had tried to put the whole meeting out of her head.  She had no intention of even going, except that she couldn’t let her aunt down.  After the mass ended the Mother Superior asked her to follow to the Priests office.  Once there, the Priest and Mother Superior teamed up to put the pressure on Dorothy to join the order.  They insisted that with all the improvements she had made to herself over the past few weeks were just the start, and her obvious next step would be committing to join the order.  Somehow Dorothy withstood their pressure and only agreed to take some time to think over such a huge step in her life.  she also agreed to meet with the two of them every week to continue the discussion on her future.  She left the meeting happy that she had avoided the onslaught she had faced from the 2 of them, and she figured that she would tell her aunt that she was still undecided, though she had already made her choice.

She didn’t speak with her aunt until after the afternoon mass.  Before she could break the news to her aunt, her aunt surprised her with news of her own…”I have a surprise for you Dorothy.  Your mother is back in town and coming to mass tomorrow.  I told her to expect a whole new you, and that you had some huge news to tell her that would make her proud.”  Dorothy found it hard to take in everything her aunt was saying.  She was happy that she would be seeing her mom, and that she would be overjoyed at her new appearance, but she then had to explain to her aunt that she, in fact, hadn’t signed the commitment contract that the priest presented to her.  Her aunt, disappointed in hearing the news, tried to steer her niece towards making the right choice…”Young lady, you have made some big steps in the last month to get your life back on track, and you need to realize that this is the best thing for you.  Now I hope that by the time we see your mother at mass tomorrow morning you come to your senses and we can give your mother something to be proud about.”

Dorothy’s mother was certainly surprised to see just how much she had changed in the few months since she last saw her.  While not surprised that her sister Grace made sure than she was given the tightest of perms, what surprised her most was that her daughter seemed to be enjoying her new modest lifestyle.  As Dorothy excused herself to go take her seat before mass, it was then that Grace told her sister about the meeting that Dorothy recently had…”She has already met with Father Daniel and the Mother Superior and they have asked her to join the order.  In fact, as you can see, she has chosen to sit with the nuns at every mass, so I expect that it won’t be long now before she makes her decision.”

Once Sunday mass was over, it was time for Dorothy’s mother to leave.  She told her daughter just how proud of the changes she has made so far and was expected to hear the best news of all soon after she got home…”Your father and I will be back when it’s time to take your vows.”  Dorothy could only look down towards the floor as she heard her mothers words.  The pressure from her family was becoming hard to ignore, but now that her mother was leaving Dorothy figured she would find it a little easier.

The new week started like any other, that was until Dorothy’s aunt told her that she would be going to visit her daughters for a few days…”You’ll have to take the bus to church, but just remember you’re never alone while you’re there.”  Dorothy was surprised.  It would be her first time in her life that she would truly be on her own.  Always surrounded by parents, or roommates while she was in college, she couldn’t remember ever spending a night alone.  The morning when she was getting ready to leave, aunt Grace left Dorothy some final instructions…”Don’t forget your appointment with Mrs Jennings.  I told her you needed your hair set on rollers to tide you over until she can perm you again.  I don’t want you looking disheveled for your appointment Sunday afternoon.”  Dorothy thought her hair still looked fine and couldn’t understand why her aunt made such a fuss over it.

The first night went fine as Dorothy was worn out from her busy day at the church.  She was scheduled to have the next 2 days off, and even though she could have skipped going to mass, she instead arrived early, not wanting to be home alone.  After the morning mass she found an excuse to stay around the church, not wanting to be home alone.  Her presence was, of course, noticed by the Mother Superior…”Dorothy, why don’t you come join the others until it’s time for the mid-day mass.”  She couldn’t think of an excuse not to go and soon found herself in the residence house where the nuns stayed.  Uncomfortable at first, the nuns just accepted her as one of them, and she quickly felt at ease.  She was again invited back after the mid-day mass.

Once the afternoon mass had ended Dorothy figured she would head to the bus stop and head towards home, but before she said her goodbyes to sister Mary and several of the nuns she had grown to know, the Mother Superior  stopped her…”Dorothy, my child, there is no point in you going home to an empty house.  We have plenty of room for you to stay with us for the night, and I’ll see to it you have some proper night clothes to wear.”  She really wasn’t looking forward to the bus ride and being home alone, so Dorothy agreed to stay for the night.

The second day off saw Dorothy repeating the previous one, spending every minute of her day with the nuns.  When she mentioned to sister Mary that she would be going home that afternoon to get a change of clothes, she was surprised that the Mother Superior soon sought her out…”Dorthy, I’ve seen to it that there is an outfit for you in your room.” Dorothy had an idea of the outfit that would be there for her, and decided it would be best if she went home for the night.

The next morning Dorothy was back at mass when the Mother Superior came up to her again…”We missed you last night young lady.  I expect you will will be joining us this evening.”  Dorothy, remembering her appointment with Mrs Jennings, tried to get out of spending another night with the nuns…”Sorry, Mother Superior, I have an appointment after mass this evening.”  The senior nun  was well prepared for her…”Yes, I know you are seeing Mrs Jennings this evening, but she informed me she wasn’t perming your hair until next week, so she would be done with you in about an hour.  I’ll expect you right after you’re finished.”

Dorothy went to her appointment once mass was over.  Mrs Jennings wound her hair in some small curlers before placing her under the dryer.  Twenty minutes later she was back in the chair getting the finishing touches on her curls.  Mrs Jennings commented as she pulled the cape off…”It’s been really nice to have a nice young customer like you around for the last few months.  Your aunt should be proud of what you’re doing.”  Dorothy assumed the old woman was just going on because her aunt wasn’t there to chat with.  Leaving the room where the salon was, Dorothy was soon spotted by sister Mary…”You look lovely Dorothy.  Mother Superior told me you would be joining us again tonight.”  Dorothy saw no other option and began to follow sister Mary towards the nuns residence.  At the evening meal Dorothy was surprised when one of the older nuns called her sister Dorothy, but she just assumed it was a slip of the tongue due to her repeated nights among them.

Dorothy was awoken at 6am Saturday morning and told she was to join with the others in morning prayers before breakfast.  A first for her, Dorothy was surprised that she didn’t feel out of place at all during the hour long session.  After breakfast and morning mass she was reminded that her weekly meeting would be after evening mass.  Dorothy thought about going home before the mid-day mass so she had a clean dress to put on before the meeting.  Instead she was called to help out again with the preparations for the lunch, leaving her no time to head out.  That afternoon with the kids sped by and Dorothy found herself at the evening mass, only she sensed that something was different.  Ignoring it as the mass finished, she made the familiar walk towards the Priests office.

Once in the office, Dorothy was surprised as she saw several of the oldest nuns were also there.  As she walked in the Priest spoke out…Well, sister Dorothy.  I hear that you’ve done a wonderful job in your first week with us.  I just got off the phone with your parents and you aunt, who were all ecstatic with your progress as a novice.  Dorothy, confused by his words looked quickly around the room, but before she could form a sentence, the Priest spoke again…”You will go with the sisters now so they can get you properly ready for the path you have chosen.”  Again, Dorothy looked around in shock.  She was looking right at the Mother Superior when she spoke to the others…”Okay sisters, you know what our young novice needs.  Lets get her out of those street clothes and into something more appropriate for our new sister.”

As they headed out the door the Mother Superior gave one last command…”Mrs Jennings will be giving you another perm this Friday, although I’ve told her it has to be toned down so you look much more demure.  The children are used to seeing you with a head of curls, so we will let you keep them while you are a novice.  It’s just important that you appear completely modest and without style, but once you take your vows you will be require to sacrifice your beauty as a final devotion.  The whole evening had been a blur for Dorothy as she was dressed in her novice outfit and introduced to all the nuns of the order.  As she tried to imagine what her hair would look like by next week, she was shown to what would become where she would live from now on.  The small bed was in a room with sister Mary and 2 much older nuns.  As smile came across her face as she thought…’At least I’ll never be alone.’

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