Katya the Hairdresser

 Katya the hairdresser





     This experience goes back to B.L (before Lissy) and features the bachelor lifestyle Greg from circa 1986. I was a new father and enjoying the role very much since it gave me the excuse to explore the world without being judged as a solitary weirdo. Katya was a toddler and precocious plus inquisitive. She was rather wild in restaurants but we wanted to expose her to life in the big city of LA as much as possible. And so it was that I gave my old buddy a call over on Tremaine and suggested we go out to dinner in his neighborhood. Of course, he chose the Nickodell which was a great spot that was first "discovered" by Greg's Uncle Johnny and then to young Sheehy. I was a sort of regular since I could drive over to 5511 Melrose easily on my lunch break from the library and at 4:30 sit at one of the perfect for singles booths where I would order the marvelous roast beef jardiniere or a unique ravioli. Greg loved to order the sand dabs because the thoroughly professional waitresses would de-bone the fish at the table and lay a delicious filet on your plate. Also the salads there were gloriously over-dressed and contained our favorite pickled beets under a mountain of thousand island dressing. On this occasion we got to sit in one of the booths where many a Paramount studio star, director, producer or editor may have once sat. The booths were rather short since they were put in place when folks were smaller. Greg was never a big fusser with children and had little experience with kids at this point in his life. Yet, I was so involved with Kat he was ready to accept her companionship, at least for a dinner. So we sat down, got menus which we did not really need and watched as the girl bounced all around the booth with "uncle" Greg watching nervously. I realized he was on edge not knowing what she might do next and how to react. Then, without warning, as we were deep in some conversation we looked over and the little girl had begun curling the hair of a man in the next booth. I am not sure if he knew it or not but his neck area was the subject of a toddler hair styling. Poor Greg looked on in shock and could only murmur to me "uh...Glen..."





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