The Cost of Open-Toes

With Springtime comes the arrival of my FAVORITE accessory - open-toed shoes. The unfortunate side effect of my beloved wedges, mod-clogs, stilletos, and sandals is the cost incurred by toenails that have been forgotten over the long, dark winter. Suddenly, they are shoved out into the world and put on display for the rite of passage of female-inspection. Whether stated or implied, all girls learn the rules of the pedicure somewhere around junior high school. For some, the lesson is learned by the words of a kind, well-manicured mother. For others, it is learned in the cruel confines of the locker room. For me, the lesson was the latter. I shudder still when I think about my winter-worn toes, making their debut in Mrs. Fetrel's PE Locker Room as we began changing into PE shoes. I took off my socks and my little toes clung to whatever warmth they could find, which happened to be bits of cotton fuzz my socks left behind. There, on my toenails, remained the chipped remains of Wet n Wild's fire red, number 812, that I had applied approximately 6 months earlier for the Back-to-School Dance. It was then that I noticed the other fuschia, magenta, and shiny purple tonails surrounding mine, accusing them of a breach against a girl-rule I hadn't yet learned: When you hit late February, the toes must be prepared. I cringe when I think of the humiliation of my little appendages that cold day in March, 1994, but it was then and there I vowed to make them proud to go bare among their fellow toenail friends and never have to curl away into the shadows of the locker room benches again.

That memory in mind, Abbie, Allison, Jayme, Lydia, and I all went to Jackie's Nails to begin preparations for open-toe season the way some men prepare for open-season on deer or ducks or whatever. Jayme must have known it was an important day, because she brought the necessary celebratory supplies: Solo cups and Riesling. We had such a great time pseudo-bonding with the people rubbing our feet (which is a rather intimate procedure when you think about how little you really get to know each other before the groping and rubbing begins) and talking about plans for a couples' cruise. We also enjoyed the rather...unique...massage chairs, but that's a story for another time...

Thanks, girls, for a great day! And please, let's be true friends to each other and gently remind when the polish begins to chip so we aren't reminded by the awkward stares of strangers. XO