A trip down memory lane...THE BEAUTICIAN'S STORY.

I thought to share this story with you my sweet peeps. A true life story.I actually don't know if the memory makes me smile or..sad! This happened some years ago,say 6 years or so..
   I accompanied my friend ,Ese to a nails'shop around new benin axis in Benin city to get her nails done. As I looked round the numerous beauticians calling on us to come fix our nails,i smiled ruefully. Little did they know I had the habit of biting my natural nails and then chewing on them! What was the essence of fixing false nails when I couldn't 'benefit' from biting them??! I shook my head and pointed at my short nails. "Aunty,we fit fix am for you like that! E go fine o!" one of them called on top of her voice.
"Pretty Aunty,i fix nails so well! Please come and fix your nails. You won't regret it!" another called. The voices of the beauticians begging for patronage were becoming almost deafening now!
And then my friend located her customer and the voices mellowed,each of them still clinging to some flicker of hope that I might yet decide to do mine. Suddenly my eyes drew to this particular,lonely looking girl. She was calling on me softly to come fix my nails. Her voice wasn't the loudest,in fact it was almost inaudible. Oh my Goodness,she was even in tattered clothing. I went to her and sat down. The other beauticians were taken aback and soon clamped their mouths. Wordlessly I stretched out my nails and she started to work on them immediately.  Then all of a sudden I said to her," You are married.. where's your husband and children?" she looked at me in astonishment then quickly returned to the task of fixing my nails. She was silent for long moments. Honestly I didn't know where that sprung from! I too was shocked. Perhaps I was getting clairvoyant.. Perhaps..perhaps meme was becoming a prophetess now?Lol..
  Well,the silence stretched for quite a long time before she burst into tears and started to recount her life ordeals : her husband was late. She deserted the village cos her in-laws were such malicious people . She'd come to the city to hustle,so she could return someday to the village to rescue her children. Ha,tears welled up in my eyes. I comforted and encouraged her to stay strong. My friend and I left afterwards with the promise to stop by again.
     Hmmmm,do you know the next time I visited her shop and excitedly went to her,she pointedly ignored me with her facial expression like ' This aunty that knows too much,abeg o! No come involve me for this side where dem nor know me o!" I left,a bit sad. But I wouldn't blame her. Not everyone gets comfortable that you know a thing or two about them when like seriously they didn't give the information to you in the first place!
 As I write now, I got this small smile lurking around my lips.. I think of that scruffy young lady and hope things are better now. For her.