The Girl with the Hair

The room was filled with an audience.    
The space was small, and every bar stool and chair was taken.
He stood with his stand-up microphone, in the corner. 
Thirty-something, unless he looked old for his age,
and somewhat unkempt.
Hair, a bit messy, and he wore a wrinkled shirt, untucked.   
He carried that "I don't give a shit" attitude, and was dressed for the part.

He was a comedian.  

Funny enough for a five-dollar show.
I laughed out loud at several of his jokes, but I was not busting apart at the seams.

That being said, I respect and admire anyone who is willing to risk public humiliation.

While he slouched over his mic., telling joke after joke, story after story,
     his eyes seemed to wander around the room in a scattered fashion, 
but always landing on ...................."the girl with the hair". 

SHE was his focal point, I thought.

Like during child birth, or a yoga class, she was the "spot on the wall"
that was going to help him .....................survive.
Although, I have given birth three times, and attended several yoga classes,
and I don't recall ever looking at my "spot on the wall" that way.   

I could not see her face. 
She sat at the table full of twenty-somethings, in front of me.
She had that long, straight, shiny, flowing, auburn colored hair that any girl would die for.
The more that he focused on her, the more that she played with her hair.
Tossing it, twisting it, pulling it up, pulling it to one side - flirting with it.


Now..............

       I am in my forties, and very happy with who I am.

I like my hair ENOUGH.

I like my face ENOUGH.

I like my body ENOUGH.

And yes, this is all about PHYSICAL BEAUTY
(for those of you who are about to accuse me of jeopardizing the progress of women's lib).  

As a female, however, I don't think you ever stop having that feeling
     where you are like,

"I HOPE HER FACE IS REALLY UGLY,
     because NO ONE DESERVES to have THAT hair AND a pretty face!!!"    

As well as,

"Excuse me, Mr. Comedian?  HELLO!!! There are other people in this room to look at!!!
     Not just the girl with the pretty hair!!!"

I joke about this but, in actuality, it DID bother me.
He was SO focused on her, that he should have just asked the rest of us to leave,
     and offered her a private show. 
By the end, I was just annoyed with him, and happy that it was over with.

When I went to the bathroom, after the show, "the girl with the hair" was in line.

And yes, she also had a face.

Her face was beautiful.    

Part of me could not blame the poor guy for being cast over her spell.

The reality is that, when I walked away at the end of the evening,
I could not remember a damn joke he told,
     but I could remember "the girl with the hair".