ANTHEA

According to my iCal,

my first hairstyling appointment with Anthea was scheduled for August 26, 2015.

I don’t recall how I located the hair salon where she worked at the time.

(She is now an independent hairstylist.)

I do recall being grateful that she was my hairstylist – and hair scientist, as I regarded her.

I’ve known Anthea for almost 10 years, and, I’m comfortable making a few claims about her.

One, she is a beautiful and brilliant human being who possesses the patience of a saint.

Two, she is a model of a loving and emotionally intelligent mother.

Three, she is a caring friend who will check on you when you’re AWOL and also hold space for you on a phone call, as you cry your eyes out, because you fear that your life is once more going backward.

Four, she is a visionary whom I believe is going to monumentally impact the textured hair industry within her lifetime.

And five, she is a considerate photography client; on our inaugural shoot, she surprised me by gifting me not one but TWO artisanal desserts from one of my favorite bakeries in South Florida.

(Naturally, she’s been invited to my Free Photoshoots for Life Club.)

In conversation, Anthea is soft-spoken and thoughtful with her words.

On camera, she is free-flowing and focused.

At one point during our portrait session, I confidently told her I was retiring as her posing coach, because it became obvious that she knew how to communicate a range of emotional expressions through my lens.

After our portrait session,

on a whim, we decided to visit one of my favorite restaurants in Miami to triumphantly enjoy a non-nutritional dinner.

While indoors, we continued with an informal shoot by snapping two packs worth of color plus black-and-white Polaroids.

Our late-evening dinner was accompanied by conversations on heavy-hitting topics like motherhood and mental health, as well as lighthearted topics, such as debating what dessert(s) to order.

Upon ordering our desserts,

I looked at the time on my iPhone.

With a mix of concern – and mild amusement – I reminded Anthea of a time-sensitive detail she had previously alerted me of, several hours prior.

(Normally, I would have asked Siri to plug in said detail via my iCal on our behalf, because an alert would have determined what time we’d both need to head out. However, I didn’t anticipate spending too much time at the restaurant, so I didn’t bother contacting Siri to set a reminder for us to leave at a certain time.)

The sudden shock on Anthea’s face when I noted the time was followed by us laughing, and speedily searching for our server, so we could ask them to convert our respective desserts into a to-go order.

It was too late. Our desserts came to the table, so we indulged in quick bites before packing our sweet treats in our to-go boxes.

Nine years ago, my inaugural meeting with Anthea was cemented in my iCal.

Nine years later, my iCal did not note that I would enjoy an evening saturated with mouthwatering food and meaningful fellowship with a fantastic friend.

I was grateful for this unplanned event, and joy-filled moment.

Time flies by when you’re having (too much) fun,

Y.