How I Love Thee, Hairbrush!

It was 1978. My Mom threw a surprise party for me. Even at that age I was a snot. I remember thinking there was something special going on because Dad not only took me to the store, but he also bought me a book. The book was about mothers and their babies. It had a hot pink cover and a duck & duckling on the cover. I also remember clearly that I was by perusing the books by myself while Dad was meandering through the store. No one thought anything of it. That would never happen in this day and age.

Other than the box of 48 Crayola Crayons that I opened from the wrong end, the only other gifts I remember are the Winnie the Pooh 100 Acre Woods pajamas (that ended up being my official wrestling outfit when my brother & I had WWF tournaments in the basement) and the pink Avon hairbrush. The hairbrush was rolled/wrapped in the pjs.

I was never a big fan of pink. Blue has always been my color. But golly I loved that hairbrush. It had stayed with me through my life. Then, one wintery day, it was gone. I had it when I left my parent’s house, but it wasn’t in my car. It wasn’t in my house. Damn it. Where’d it go!? A part of my life had disappeared.

2 months later, the snow had melted and the mourning period had passed. I had stopped wearing black. My Mom was visiting and as we pulled away from the house…THERE IT WAS! MY PINK HAIRBRUSH!!…in the gutter…where it had been for 2 months…

What a dilemma! Do I pick it up? Do I leave it? It’s been out there for 2 months. Eww. I left it.

I regretted it.

I searched eBay for a replacement to no avail. I even thought of stealing my sister’s. But I would have been busted. Hers is light pink, mine dark. And she knew I was on the prowl.

I wrote to Avon.

THEY WROTE BACK! Seems I have a flair for the dramatic and they enjoyed the imagery that I included in the letter. They published it in their newsletter. I ended up receiving a call and an email from 2 Avon Consultants that had the brush. I called the number and the Avon Consultant’s stoner son answered. I think he must have just taken one hit too many because he didn’t seem to know that his Mom sold Avon. I never heard back.

Poo.

I emailed the other person. SHE REPLIED! She said my story was touching and funny and that she indeed had the brush in question. I believe she only charged me $5 plus shipping and handling.

It was better than Christmas when the package arrived.

It doesn’t look like much. It’s not really. Just plastic with plastic bristles, I covet that darn brush. It was every bit worth the effort. In true ‘me’ form, shortly after I received it, I melted a couple of the bristles with the hairdryer. But all-in-all, it’s still a-ok in my book!