two to tango

It gets really tricky when the ex-spouses schedule their appointments at the same approximate time. How about the client who called the police on her next door neighbor, complaining about their lawn, only to be sitting next to her at the shampoo bowl three weeks later? There's also the perturbed ex-coworker across the room with another stylist that has made a bundle of nerves out of a client or two.

Most of the time it's a one-sided spectacle. My client will inform me of the uncomfortable situation and I will try to diffuse said situation by hiding them behind the cape, a mirror, a magazine, all of the above, and shuttling them out the back door before anyone is the wiser. True story. Of course the last thing we want is to make a client uncomfortable. We risk alienating them and losing their business. An effort is made for future appointments to not coincide with conflicting people.

Since Cape is such a small community, sometimes such atrocities occur. The horror! I'd like to think I've witnessed everyone taking the high road in these situations, and I've never heard a word otherwise. Even the exes just ignore each other and dash out without glancing back. My fellow stylists and I have learned to execute this dance with grace. I may not be able to get down like I used to, but these dances in particular are a great workout!