The Dreadful Tale of Mary and Sarah

This is a tale of two friends. It's sort of long, but there are questions at the end so you have to pay attention. Or not. You can go visit Happy Blog or Dogs-R-Us Blog where you can pop in without straining your eyeballs, but then you'd miss it. You can bail mid-story if you want, too--I'd never know-- but let your conscience be your guide. I hope you stick it out.


There were two friends, Mary and Sarah. Mary went to the University to study beauty parlor management and earned her degree. After college, Mary worked for a few years in her field, but then married, had children, and quit her job to be a mom. She liked it. But, now she is ready to go back to work and tells her friend that.

Sarah went to school for car repairs, earned a two-year certificate and went off looking for work. She found a job at the local beauty parlor, which wasn't her field, but it turned out okay. She worked for many years as a hair dresser and worked her way up into the position of manager. She likes her new job and is very proud, and she should be.

When Sarah learns that Mary would like to work again, she offers Mary a job cleaning up her station at work. She is very busy, you see, and she doesn't get around to cleaning the brushes and combs like she should. Yeah, it's probably not in the best interest of the beauty parlor to not have this done, but she is the manager, and she doesn't like doing that menial stuff anymore. Sarah thinks that Mary would be grateful for the work being that she went to school for something to do with beauty parlors. It would only be for a couple of times, until it got straightened out. Mary, looking for a couple of dollars, agrees to help out for those few times.

Well, that Mary rocked it. She cleaned the combs and the brushes. She swept the floor and scrubbed the chair. She sterilized the clippers and straightened the drawers. Sarah was pleased as punch! This was great! She could do her job and didn't have to be bothered with cleaning the mess she left behind. Sarah was happy. The customers were happy. Sarah's co-workers were happy. And most importantly--Sarah's boss (the parlor owner) was really, really happy. It was sooo clean! And Mary was happy that everyone else was so happy.

Owner lady stops to talk to Mary one day and comments on how she would like Mary to stay longer. She does such a fine job cleaning, maybe she could cut hair or do manicures instead. Maybe even do coloring. There are so many jobs that need to be done in a beauty parlor, you see. " We can use the help" she tells Mary.

Mary was very excited! She never expected to be kept on permanently--it seemed as though this could blossom into something more than what she expected. It might be fun to cut hair and do manicures. But the thing that excited Mary was the thought of coloring hair! That was always her favorite part of Beauty Management School, and here she was, offered that as a possible opportunity for her!

Sarah was excited too. Mary and Sarah would work together, eat lunch together, and chat about the customers together. Sarah was so excited for Mary that she offered to the other employees Mary's services of cleaning their combs and brushes too. "She loves doing that!" she would say. But Mary wasn't so excited about that. "No, I don't think so, Sarah" Mary would say to defend herself, but Sarah never heard her--she was too busy planning more work for Mary.

Time goes on and Mary and Sarah work around the beauty parlor together. Sarah does her hairstyling while Mary cuts a client's hair here and there. She does a manicure once in awhile too, but she is always dragged back to Sarah's station to clean her combs and brushes. Even if she is in the middle of a blow-dry, she has to stop what she is doing to clean up Sarah's station--so the owner thinks Sarah is doing a fine job. Mary is growing weary of the situation, but she holds out for the one chance to do the coloring. It is always promised, but it never seems to happen.

Mary is struggling with this. She wants to cut hair and do manicures--she likes it. She really, really wants to do the coloring, but is sick of having to go back and clean Sarah's mess each day. She has the education to be a manager, but wants no part of that--it's just so demeaning to keep cleaning the combs and brushes day after day when Sarah is capable to do it herself--Sarah just thinks she's above it and Mary isn't.

So, now the questions:

1) Should Mary keep cleaning Sarah's station and just be glad that she has a job?

2) Does she "owe" it to Sarah for getting her the job in the first place?

3) Should Mary quit and go work for another beauty parlor where she can cut hair and do manicures? Or someplace she has a real chance of doing coloring?

4) Do you think Mary should just pound away, do what's she's told, wait for someone to finally ask her to do the coloring and then sort of "forget" to clean Sarah's things?


Mary awaits your answers while sipping a cocktail and watches Bret Michaels' "Tour of Love" and feeling sorry for herself.