Day 255: Manicure

When I lived in Queens all those many (almost two decades) ago, I had a standing Saturday morning appointment to get my nails done. Hibiscus is the name of the polish I always chose and Sherry the name of the woman who always did my nails. Sherry, whose name, I found out only a few years ago, is really ShaoLi, is from China and did both my nails and my mother's (at my recommendation) for many, many years. Sherry called my mother MaMa and would introduce me to her colleagues and customers as her sister, "Same mother, different father," was her line. Sherry was invited and attended my mother's surprise 80th birthday party, visited her in the hospital, and even called me in Sweden because she was worried when she hadn't seen my mother in a while.

So you will understand how happy we both were when I showed up at the salon today to get my nails done. I always make it a point to do that when I am in NY and am always received with a huge hug and a smile, the best manicure ever accompanied by a long and luxurious hand massage (because she knows it's my favorite part of the manicure).