Somewhere around the time after I turned 18 RJ said he was tired of waiting for me to finish beauty school. At first, I had been going in the mornings and then working in the salon with him in the afternoons and evenings. He had even sent me to some larger salons to get experience, and save money by not having to not pay me. I had stopped going to beauty school even before I worked for Sharon. Mostly survival got in the way of me finishing the required hours to take the test.
I spent as much time working as I could in the salon but also other places like David’s Deli in the theater district. When David was alive he would keep the place open until midnight to catch the crowds when the shows were over so I could go after the salon. He would even feed me.
One day RJ showed me a piece of paper stating I had apprenticed in Europe for my required hours. He said a client of his had got it signed for him. I remember looking at the dates and thinking if anyone checked I was around 11 when I started working there. I didn’t look that closely but he must of sent it in because I got a date to take my exam. I took the exam and passed. I worked as a hairdresser in SF for RJ for years in the salon he eventually started and for others whenever we would have a falling out. When I went to Europe I let it expire.
I see now how all these fudges and falsities I lived with tied me to RJ even further. Even my cosmetology license he controlled and at the time I was grateful. He loves to talk about what fun we had back then and it is partially true. I did have some fun, but I don’t remember having nearly as much as he did.
