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March 21, 2004

"Surprise!" Part Three.

Saturday saw me waking the ladies up early for the day at the spa. As the sandman's efforts were gradually rubbed away Fabulous Babe and her friends started moving around.

FB's life long friend Mrs. Lost Control arrived around 7:30 and we soon piled into the suv and were off to the races. When we arrived the women disappeared into the changing room and I left to run errands. Several hours later I returned to see what the spa had wrought.

FB used to go to St. Catherines the Aveda spa in Canada with her friends from time to time. (You can look at it here.) They would go and relax as the tension and stress of their careers was slowly stripped away like the layers of an onion. By the end of the trip all that was left was a feeling of being whole.

One of the first things I had thought of for this weekend was trying to recreate that experience for FB. She's had a rough 6 months with the pregnancy and having a day where she didn't have to do anything seemed right. It would give her a chance to feel human before entering the hardest months of the pregnancy.

It was also important to me to send her with friends to try and recreate that bond that comes from doing this sort of thing with other women. My experience has always been that women enjoy these things as a group even more than they do alone. It's a familial activity that I'm not certain most men understand. Surprising them with it was almost as much fun as surprising FB with it.

When I arrived they were finishing up their hair and topping off the day. When I settled up the bill with the staff and covered the tips I got to sit and enjoy bustle and activity while waiting. (I'm always amazed at the dichotomy of the staff and the patrons.) From my vantage point I was able to see the four being fussed over by a bevy of beauticians.

Eventually they trickled out of the double doors and into the area where I was waiting. Each had that expression that lies somewhere between bliss and disappointment as they roamed among the nail polish and skin care products with their $10 gift cards.

Finally we walked out of the spa and into the sunlight. A cold wind whipped through us as a harsh reminder that they were out of the spa. When we got into the car they were giggling and talking among themselves about things that had occurred to each of them. After a few miles they fell silent. I had the radio off and could hear them breathing. It was a stillness that was very soothing. Looking in the rear view mirror and glancing around I noticed all of them looking out the windows in deep thought. All of them had the same expression of noble serenity.

I?m pretty sure they had a good time?

Posted by Jim at March 21, 2004 10:51 PM

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