If These Hands Could Talk

Mary walked into the nail salon as she’d done a dozen times before, took a look around and saw that today was going to be a very busy day. All the pedicure chairs were full and it seemed that every employee was in attendance.

Tina, a very petite Vietnamese girl, looked up from her station and immediately smiled.“Hi Mary!” She said. “You want Fill-In? Pedicure?"

Mary looked down at her wrinkled hands. “Just a Fill-In today, Tina.”

“Pick a color.” Tina swung her head in the direction of the nail polish rack.  “I’ll be ready for you in ten minute.”

She said it out of habit, as she knew that Mary liked her nails to look natural and she never used polish.  Mary returned the smile then took a seat. As is often the case when a woman is in the company of other women, she felt herself being sized up by some of the other female customers. Though she could have easily thrown on a pair of sweats that day, her upbringing had instilled in her the notion of always looking her best. At times it had caused her problems.  And it had saddened her to discover over the years just how many people judged someone on appearance alone. But she had refused to allow others to change who she was or what she believed. She simply looked over, smiled at them and hoped they would smile back.

As she glanced back at Tina, she saw her wave and Mary stood, eager to get on with it as she had a million things to do that day.

When she was settled in her chair, she held out her hands. Tina gave them a careful inspection. Two of Mary’s nails had broken off and her hands looked especially old in the fluorescent glare of the shop‘s lights.

“You work hard?” Tina asked, then laughed.

“Hard enough…” Mary responded.  She’d broken them wrapping several Christmas packages for a local charity.

As Tina went about her business Mary leaned back in her chair, her reply still lingering. Hard enough …..Her gaze fell upon her hands. If these hands could talk… She smiled to herself. If they could talk indeed….  

“You not working today?” Tina always asked her this.

And her reply was always “No.”

“You lucky…” Tina commented.

Lucky? She asked herself. She often wondered if it hadn’t been more by some sort of cosmic design. Mary hadn’t worked outside the home in eighteen years. Not since her daughter had been one year old. How many times had she heard just how fortunate she was to be able to do this? Probably more times than she could count. Mary would always nod in agreement never telling anyone about the disability that sometimes robbed her of days at a time. She was still grateful though, regardless of the reason, that she had been able to spend those years at home with her children.

 As Tina applied new nail tips to her fingers with the broken nails, Mary’s mind wandered back to her younger years. Years of working in labs, her index fingers etched from working with acid, and parched from years of scrubbing glassware. How many jobs had she had over the years? More than she could count on two hands. The thought brought a wry smile to her lips. And an image of her hands always busy…Serving food to patients at the local hospital, tearing off EKG strips for Doctors to inspect in an Intensive Care Unit, putting up sales displays at a Department Store, hauling fifty pound bags of grass seed when she’d worked in a Garden Shop…. And then the more pleasant memory of doling out bridal gowns and veils to anxious brides-to-be when she’d worked in the Bridal Shop. Mary could easily state that she’d never been afraid of work.

“How’s your daughter?” Tina interrupted her flow of thoughts.

“She’s better... Thanks Tina.”  All the girls at the salon knew that Mary’s daughter had struggled with an autoimmune disease and then a bout with cancer. It had been a very long tough battle. Annie had always been delicate and then at the age of twelve she had gotten very sick. Mary once again wandered back in time, her mind filled with more images--the bitter and the sweet.

Yes, her hands had many stories to tell…Washing bottles and endless loads of baby clothes…. Patting backs, rubbing tummies, playing peek-a boo, wiping up accidents from the kitchen and bathroom floors…Helping the kids get dressed, making things for school projects,…And then the darker memories…Holding Annie’s hand through all of her medical tests, Doctor’s appointments and surgeries. Hours spent wondering how it all would turn out… And the hardest of all…Placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders to tell her she’d had cancer…And though Annie was over the worst of it, she still struggled to this day and Mary still took care of her. Yes, staying home had been a blessing.

Tina pulled out her gel powders. “You want pink and white fill-in? And nails shorter?”

Mary nodded. “Yes. Not too long.” Mary had become an artist and a writer in recent years and needed her fingers to be useful as well as “glamorous”…It was another reason for her ever present gratitude of being able to remain at home with the kids. She would never have discovered these talents otherwise. Or that she might be able to actually make a living at doing the things that she loved. 

Tina pulled one of Mary’s hands closer and proceeded to fill in each nail bed with pink gel.  “You got a party to go to?”  It was almost New Year’s Eve and it was a logical assumption.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” Mary had a wonderful party to attend at a friend’s house. ---A well to do friend whose parties were the talk of the town.  Mary traveled in such circles--And a friend whose recommendation of a certain Doctor had once saved her life. Yes, life had given her many blessings.

“You gonna wear something sexy?” Tina asked, quite seriously.

Mary had to resist the urge to laugh. “At my age?  Probably not…”

Tina tsked, tsked. “Your age? You still young!!”

At the half century mark, Mary didn’t think so. But truthfully the mirror told another tale for she didn‘t look anything near to her age--Another blessing. Her hands however, told a different story.

Her life hadn’t always been comfortable…Memories came flooding back…Living in welfare housing, trying to repair a hole in the ceiling to keep the roaches out, cleaning up a neighbor’s face after her boyfriend beat her, putting up a tent in her living room when she babysat the neighbor’s son to give him a break from parents who partied way too much, fending off an abusive partner and other images that she fought hard to forget.

And then there was one very distinct memory in great detail…A dozen eggs dropped on the floor--her hands cleaning up the goopy mess with tears streaming down her face--as she was flat broke till the end of the month and she wouldn‘t be able to buy any more food.

But that was all in the past…

 Mary hadn’t realized just how much time had passed  while she'd gotten lost in past remembrances until Tina smiled then let go of her hands. She looked down at her fingers, now all manicured and pretty, the white tips of the nails glistening. Upon closer inspection she realized that her hands were actually quite lovely. Wrinkled? Yes…But sturdy and capable as well. And with the grace of God perhaps she’d have many more years ahead to make them useful.

“You know, Tina, perhaps I’ll take your advice.” Yes, she’d go out today and buy herself a new dress. Something daring to celebrate her life and all that she had to be grateful for. For after her party, a new business venture awaited-- A wonderful opportunity to promote her artwork. It looked like she was finally on her way to realizing a dream. 

“Thanks so much Tina. And I hope you have a wonderful New Year!”

“You, too, Mary!” Tina gave her the warmest of smiles  then whispered. “Buy a red dress. You look good in red!” 

 Mary chuckled then  paid the bill and headed out to do her chores.

Later, at home, as she sat down to check her email she found a note from a friend with a request to make a list of NewYear’s Resolutions. She sat for a bit and considered just what exactly it was that she wanted to do with the rest of her life. With her thoughts still focused on her musings of earlier that day, she leaned forward  and started to type:


My List of Things To Do Before I Leave Planet Earth

1) To be all that I can be, no matter what circumstances I find myself in.

2) To spread joy, wherever I go, and try to make others smile.

3) To help in any way that I am able to, when the need arises, wherever I may be or with whom.

4) To use my creativity in productive and inspirational ways.

5) To do my best, in whatever way I can, to ensure that children will not have to suffer unfairly or unnecessarily, in any way, shape or form.

6) To try to spend what's left of my life savoring the little things...

7) To learn to be happy with what I have, even if it doesn't seem like my fair share...

8) To learn to accept my limitations and love myself no matter how inept or useless I may feel at times...

9) To learn to trust others and lean on them if they offer help.

10)To accept that there will always be people who will judge me and who will never understand my hardships and to not allow them to rob me of my joy.


With that completed, she sat back and gazed down at her now pampered hands. Yes, Mary thought, if these hands could talk they would raise themselves to the heavens and say, “ Thank you! For the many opportunities you have brought this way. For they have made us what we are today.” And then, they would get ready to reach out in faith, to do whatever was right and necessary, knowing that whatever the future brought, things would be as they should be. 

And she wouldn’t have it any other way… 

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May the New Year bring each and every one of you blessings in abundance and may you never forget all that you have to be thankful for!

Happy New Year…