Death by Manicure: The Case of the Poison Polish. Dr. Robert T. Spalding Jr.
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but who had now kind of lapsed into self-parody. He was like a boxer who had stayed in the ring too long and didn’t know when to call it quits. In Chuck’s case it was a style that suited him perfectly, and the audience however reluctantly warmed to his self-deprecating putdowns. Where some people got stuck in a rut and decided to reinvent themselves, Chuck had refused to move with the times to the point where he had become a kind of anachronism. Yep, that’s just Harris, most thought to themselves as they listened awaiting the first round of awards.
“I know you could all listen to me indefinitely,” Harris said with another loud laugh, “but the wonderful people here at the Pinnacle Show are paying me to do a job. Every year I tell them it’s my last show, but they keep begging me to come back, so I do. I like being here so much that I could do it for free … but I won’t,” he said and paused as if awaiting exclamations. “I realise that some of the nominees have to get back to their booths so without further ado, this award is for Best Acrylic Nails. The five nominees, and I promise you that Tad Barger isn’t amongst them, are: Susan Little for PerfectPink, Mandy Dayton for HighShine, Raymond Ellis for ReleaseClaws, Athena Elliott for Glitzy Tips and Tammy Bishop for ColorOn,” he said glancing at a large white card on the podium.
The fact that her name was mentioned next to last did nothing to her confidence. Athena sat with her fingers crossed and mouthed a silent prayer to the higher beings as she waited. It didn’t matter how many awards she won, Athena knew that she would always feel her heart pound as she listened for what she hoped to be her name. And she wasn’t often disappointed. But Harris had to be Harris as he feigned difficulty in prying the envelope open, and when at last he accomplished the deed there was a brief drum-roll. “Gee, he won’t have many rock bands hammering on his door begging for him to join them,” Harris said, pausing yet again, this time to wink at the person responsible for the brief drumming. “And the winner is ………. Athena Elliott, for Glitzy Tips! Come on down, Athena if you’re here!”
This was it. Athena was aware of the people around her patting her back or her arms. Someone shook her hand, and then she was gliding up to the podium with all the enthusiasm of a teenybopper being made prom queen inside, but all the dignity she had honed over her lifetime. Pausing a moment to compose herself before taking the mic, she cleared her throat quickly and then proceeded. “Thank you so much, Chick.”
“That’s ‘Chuck’ … but carry on,” Harris said, wondering briefly if Athena had missed his name on purpose.
“Oh excuse me,” Athena said, giving Harris and then the audience her famous smile. Only those who knew her well knew that she was playing one of her little jokes on the MC. “Thanks, everyone so much. It means a great deal to me. I can’t thank everyone who has helped me to win this treasured award, there are so many of you, but I want to name a few in particular. First and foremost I would like to thank my family for supporting my decision to go into the beauty industry. My SPAthena staff. What would I do without them? And finally a man who has been my mentor, Dr. Bob Spalding. He couldn’t be here today, but he knows what this means to me, and he knows that I share it with him in my heart. Thank you so much, everyone,” Athena concluded, holding up the small, yet coveted award.
Some Oscar speeches had been shorter, but in Athena’s world it was like winning one of those. It was all relative. It took the same amount of grit and determination to reach the top of one’s trade whatever that trade might be. Some people dismissed accolades as meaningless tokens, but to others they were worth pursuing, and they did wonders for one’s business. Athena handed the mic back to Chuck as she left the stage, giving him one of her own little winks in recognition.
“Let’s hear it for her once again, ladies and gentlemen. Athena Elliott, winner for Best Acrylic Nails. She can dig her nails into me anytime, you know what I mean,” said Chuck, almost ruining the poignancy of the moment.
With that behind her, Athena treated herself to Crown on the rocks and then rang her girls at SPAthena who were over the moon. Athena had made a point of telling them “We won an award.” rather than taking all the credit for herself.
CHAPTER 2
Athena was a strong advocate for social networking groups on the Internet. She firmly believed that without it she would not have been anywhere near as successful as she’d been. Part of the reason that she had been so successful came down to the simple fact that she embraced modern technology and used it to its full potential. Some people refused to move with the times and didn’t want to work to become computer literate, but Athena knew that a stubborn attitude could be the kiss of death in being successful in business.
Her Glitzy Tips line of nail coating had the most awesome reflective shiny finish that regular polish could never achieve. It was applied with a special glue and topped off with the fastest drying top coat in the industry. This product was so versatile it could be used in layering techniques with acrylics and gels and in place of regular nail polish. When the “no-chip” guarantee was factored in, Athena knew that her clients had one of the most user-friendly fashion forward products to ever hit the industry. It also really opened people’s eyes when it was unleashed onto the public. And better still, the Glitzy Tips foil coating lasted two weeks on natural nails and four to six weeks on toes.
It wasn’t just women who’d been on the receiving end of Athena’s “Glitzing.” She had done male rock stars that loved the ‘Black’ and ‘Black and Chrome’ variety, ideal for heavy metal group members. For singer Toya TrueLove’s album, Athena created a unique design that Toya debuted at a Dodgers baseball game. Athena added a nice list of celebrities to her resume as she travelled from LA to New York creating Glitzy Tips for the entertainment world.
Athena had a wish list of famous ladies that she would love to work on . Anyone from First Lady Michelle Obama, Madonna, Pink, and Oprah, to name but a few on her lengthy list. There was no doubt that the publicity generated from working with a celebrity was good for her business, but Athena’s list was not built around who could do the most for her. It was more to do with meeting people that she admired. She never compromised her ethics, which also included not testing her products on animals.
Athena was passionate about her profession and truly loved what she did for a living. Providing this service and sharing her experience with people was what she loved, and she didn’t show any bias, be it the girl next door, or a celebrity that she was working on. Athena was a ball of energy and some people weren’t quite sure what to make of her. She would sometimes sport outrageous nails that had cut outs in them that had been fashioned with hole punches. She was never frightened to experiment with a new design or try something that might have seemed totally crazy. She had an unbelievably inventive and creative mind coupled with passion and determination to get others on board with whatever project she became involved in.
With a contagious zest for life, Athena was one of those people who lived life at 100 miles an hour, and for those who couldn’t keep up with her, it was simply their loss. Those lucky enough to be in her circle of friends found it energizing and motivating to know her. Her enthusiasm could best be described as infectious. She was also a warehouse of ideas, marketing tips and business knowledge, but most of all she was a visionary talent. Her quest for knowledge and self-improvement meant that she was always willing to learn. She maintained momentum by asking for advice, taking notes in others’ classes, looking for those additional things that would take her to the next level.
Athena was not afraid of a challenge and usually wouldn’t even hold her nose before she jumped into a project or idea. One of the sayings that had stuck with her was one that her high school teachers had used – "If you want to learn to swim, the best way is just to dive in.”
If she saw a goal, she used the laws of attraction and the power of positive thinking, and like a dog with a bone didn’t let go until she had achieved what she set out to do. This was how she was able to land work with celebrities. It was not simply by accident or good fortune. Celebrities usually only dealt with the people who were at the top of their trade – after all they could afford to be picky about who they did business with and Athena knew that. What was Athena’s secret to landing celebrity clients? Her theory involved offering a product like Glitzy Tips that put her ahead of the competition.