Beauty Shop

Whoo! Hotlanta, home of the Hawks, the Atlanta Stomp,

and that fine-ass Michael Vick!

Michael, if you out there listening, come on over to WJLM

and touch down on a sister's backside.

Your girl Helen's got an end zone you wouldn't believe, baby!

Holler at your girl!

- Darnelle, you see my blue sweater? - Leave me alone.

I know you been dipping in my closet, and I'm not going anywhere until...

- Leave me alone. - You missed.

Hey, Nana.

Oh, look at you! Come on, sit down, baby.

No, thanks. I'm late. Have you seen my blue sweater?

- No, I ain't seen it. Go ask your mama. - Mama!

Stop screaming. I'm back here.

- You almost ready? - I can't find my blue sweater.

That's because it's in the truck where you left it.

- OK, I guess I'm ready. - Not with that pimp hat on.

Mom, it's not a pimp hat, it's fashion.

- Alicia Keys has the same one. - Good for her. Lose the hat.

Why send me to a performing arts school if I can't be creative or express myself?

Sounds like a contradiction to me.

"Sounds like a contradiction to me." Lose the hat and the attitude.

I'll meet you in the car. Go ahead.

- Vanessa! - Yeah?

Do these pants make my butt look big?

- Yeah, they do. - Perfect.

I'm out of here. I'll mess with it at the shop.

- I see my blue sweater. - Yep.

Hi!

- Told you. - Go ahead, get out.

Wait. Fly me some fingers.

- All right, have a good day. Love you. - Love you, too.

Can't believe it. She was right.

Hotlanta, how y'all is?

I hope y'all feeling something like me.

I reckon y'all checking my good mood,

'cause your girl Helen is doing quite well, thank you.

One of my many mens-es came through last night and got crunk with my trunk.

He got a sister smiling like she just got a $1,000-credit increase on her gas card

and ready to get pumped!

Y'all know I ain't lying to you. Just keeping it real, for real, for real.

Holler at your girl Helen. I'll holler.

Don't even worry about it. I'll get the hair.

Yeah, Wednesday at ten. All right, bye-bye.

No, no, I can't go.

I have my consultation later. Finally getting those implants.

Yeah. Dr Kopelin says it'll take a week or so to recover,

but I'll be so doped up on Vicodin, who cares?

OK, I'll talk to you later.

Joanne, Joanne, Joanne, girl, I'm telling you, don't do it.

You'll be with your boyfriend, he squeeze too hard, that thing fly out your mouth.

You don't need that. You know why?

- Why? - Because you are beautiful.

- Oh, my God, Gina! It's amazing. - Well, you know.

You have to give me that conditioner you make.

You gotta keep that on the low, because Jorge only likes us using Jorge products.

Forget Jorge. You're the best thing that ever happened to him.

I thought the best thing to ever happen to Jorge's was Jorge.

My God, Joanne, you look fantastic. You look incredible.

- Wow. So, when you getting the implants? - Soon.

Jorge, you have a gem on your hands. Gina is a miracle worker.

Yeah. She's a... worker.

OK.

Sweetie, I gotta run. I've got crow's-feet screaming for some Botox, so, next week?

- I'll be here. - OK.

- Jorge. - Mwa! Great to see you, baby.

- So, Gina, nice work. - Thanks. Just doing what I do.

Yeah, well, just remember that in doing what you do,

you're doing what I do, the person whose name is on the moniker, ja ?

"My nigga"? What?

Gina. Moniker. As in the name on the building.

OK? So, that being said, you just have a marvellous day, ja ?

You need to learn how to pronounce that.

Jorge's time of the month again? Let's go get some lunch.

I could use some air. You got a dictionary? I gotta look up "ma-nigga".

- Moniker? - Ma-nigga.

- Ma-nigger? - That's what I thought he said.

- My nigger? - Don't say that. Whites can't say that.

But that's what I thought Jorge said!

The guy can do some hair. Well, he can work a flip. But he's a idiot to work for.

You got a chair. I'm stuck in shampoo hell.

- Girl, you'll get out. - Oh, dear God, let it be soon!

I been dyin' to show you something.

Pictures from a hair show I worked last weekend. Those are my models.

What?

- Wow! You did this? - Uh-huh.

Girl, this is good. Jorge is trippin' not giving you a chair.

- Well, you always got a chair in my shop. - Why, thank you!

Well, when I get a shop.

What do you want a shop for?

I always wanted my own shop. Sell my own products.

Vanessa getting into that music school just... moved it from Chicago to here.

- But it'll happen. - It will.

Until then, I'm just gonna kick back, stack my chips at Jorge's...

And try not to kill him.

- She can play, can't she? - Yeah, just like her daddy.

Rest his soul.

She don't have the same passion for it since he died, though.

But all I got to do is hear her play, to know why I put up with Jorge's nonsense.

I want my daughter to have the best.

Hell, all I want from my daughter is some common sense and some clothes that fit.

Gina, the girl put on a pair of pants that came down to the top of her burning bush.

That girl make me mad enough to chew bricks.

Don't mess your dental work up over it.

- I don't know. - She gonna be all right.

You look fantastic. We going to make another appointment, ja ?

- Ja . Thank you, Jorge. - Great to see you.

Don't be afraid to hop on top. A man like a lady in the streets, a freak in the bedroom.

You got seven kids? I'm telling you...

Terri is here. I must go to Pilates. Please make sure that she's taken care of.

- OK, soon as I square away Mrs Dexter. - Pronto, Gina.

Fine, Jorge. Right away.

You might want to find a frame for your memories. Preferably not one from K-Mart.

Jorge's was not Best Designed Salon for having Scottish tape on some mirrors.

OK, I go now.

- Gina! - Hey, Terri. How you doing?

Come on, get comfortable.

I'm having this major party for Steven and a few of his clients.

I just have to look remarkable. I have to.

So, I was hoping you would do a little magic on me.

I think I can conjure up something. You know what? Lynn, I got this.

Why don't you go finish setting Mrs Dexter for me?

I don't know. I was just supposed to shampoo till an available chair opens.

- Well, do you see me at my chair? - No.

Then it's open. Go ahead, girl, do your thing.

OK.

Come on back. Tell me about this dinner party.

Big party. But I've got everything under control.

I have caterers, um... the kids all have play dates...

- That's good to hear. - Life is really good.

- You having problems with Steven again? - Oh, yeah, I am. I am.

He just looks at me like he hates me.

- He does. - Come on, now.

Don't even worry about it. I got my special conditioner for that, so...

I don't know. I try to please him.

- I've bought sex toys. - Did you get them Chinese balls?

- Do you think that'll work? - Oh, man. That's the move right there.

I hear they make men go crazy. You just sneak 'em up in there and then go "Brrrr!"

I don't know about that!

- Ow! - Shampooer.

I guess.

So, drink a lot of water, take those vitamins and come on back next week, OK?

Thank you, Gina. Your cream has just saved my hair.

Take care now. Have fun! Don't stress!

Hello, shampooing girl. I didn't say you could leave the shampooing area.

You should be shampooing, no?

Lynn! Girl, you got some skills on you! Look at this. This is great!

Gina.

- I hope I didn't get her in trouble. - I hope not.

This is not the way we do things here, ja ?

Look, it wasn't proper protocol, but you were gone, and I was busy and Lynn...

Lynn has her licence. So I told her to take a shot.

Oh. So you told her to take a shot.

Yeah. And she dunked it.

Gina. I don't care if she touchdowned it, or any of your little street colloquialisms.

You don't get to give shots here, OK? I give the shots, unless you're diabetic.

The stylists here work for me, they don't work for you.

So, if you wish to work here, I suggest you give me some proper respect, ja ?

I showed you respect when I took care of your client while you took a Pilates class.

So, you wish to altercate with me?

You have no idea what I wish to do with you. You act like you own me.

Gina. Gina, Gina, of course I do.

Without me, you would be back in Chicago washing hair in your mama's kitchen.

- You wanna talk about my mama? - Do I own you?

- Have papers on you? No. - Get your fingers out my face.

- I've given you this lifestyle. - Get your fingers out my face.

And, like all things, what Jorge giveth, Jorge can also taketh away.

You know what? I don't need a damn thing from you.

And you cannot "taketh" anything away from me. You know, I giveth it back. I quit.

- You quit? - Yeah, I don't need this. Shoot. I quit.

Out of here. Snatch my picture off the wall! Everybody knows I am the shit at Jorge's.

And what's up with the K-Mart thing? Is it 'cause I'm black? 'Cause I'm black?

You're nothing without me. You're going to fall flat on your ass, I promise you that.

Well, I got a little cushion. You wanna kiss it? I didn't think so!

- What you doing up? - Can't sleep.

I miss him.

So do I.

Does this mean I'm gonna have to leave music school now?

- No. Why would you say that, Vanessa? - Because, Mom, you got fired.

No. I quit. There's a difference.

If I wanted to go get a job at a shop, I could. But that's not where my heart is.

It's time I owned something.

I can't approve this.

But didn't you read my letters of recommendation?

All very impressive, but, uh...

But, uh... Miss Norris, see,

you're missing what Southern Mutual and Savings like to call the three C's.

- Credit, collateral... - Colour.

No. Capital, something you could earn by acquiring one of our secured credit cards,

as opposed to you throwing around your race one.

Oh! And that's my lunch calling me,

but, uh...nature's calling me first.

So, Miss Norris, good day to you.

Don't kill me.

Ow-ow-ow! Ow!

Stay still, now, or I'm gonna mess around and take your eye out. Last one.

- Ow! - OK, OK. Let me get a look at you.

There, a new face at the bank.

- You like it? - Oh, you...

Is that "yes" or is that the way you fight?