The shock of black hair framing Layla’s white face is her most powerful tool of subtle seduction. The keratin weapon combines with the soldier fingers’ strategies and carefully calculated head movements to execute Operation Flirt. Phase one of the attack begins; Layla is talking to a man that attracts her. Her first tactic is to tilt her head slightly to the right and let her hair slowly fall unto the left side of her face. This slight movement is vital. The straight short black hair, which almost always smells like a bunch of diverse berries, tantalizes the male victim as it caresses the creamy velvet smooth cheek. Some men wave their white flags immediately at this point, while at other times some men although shaken are resilient. The battle is getting more aggressive. Her long thin fingers that are so gentle when she plays on her piano are now transformed into warriors eager for combat. With her head still tilted she lets a small smile calculatedly escape onto her red glossed lips. Layla’s left hand deliberately yet in a nonchalant manner moves towards her hair. Her long fingernails etch lines on the hair that fell upon her face. This maneuver momentarily exposes portions of her white skin from beneath the darkness of her hair. At this point most men proclaim their defeat and a minority don’t, however all of them wince internally. They know they have come across a worthy opponent. Layla’s last resort is of mass destruction and that is why she uses it sparingly. If a man still stands undefeated Layla will straighten her head a short period of time. Without warning she tilts her head forward so that both sides of her face are covered with her hair she then lifts both her hands and simultaneously runs her determined fingers across both sides. The effect is similar to a nuclear bomb. For the six years I have known her no one was able to survive this technique. The resilient man who had previously withstood the earlier attacks, at the end of the battle turns into a stuttering fool with a goofy grin splitting his face.
Mariah also has the habit of playing with her hair, however her motives are more innocent and her methods are much simpler. Her wavy hair falls for a good amount under her shoulders in a sea of golden brown that is always styled to perfection. When faced with one of life’s more thought provoking questions Mariah pulls the left side of her hair to the front of her shoulder. Immediately her frenzied fingers attack the innocent strands. Her middle and index fingers twist, pull and turn the hair in a vicious cycle as a frown stays plastered on her face. Sometimes she would stare into space and sometimes she would look at the strands as she strangles them. From far away a person could mistake her as a women staring in fury at her split ends and trying to rip them out. But the truth is the pulling on the strands helps her coax her thoughts out. This mechanism unlike Layla’s is short and abrupt but happens frequently within the day. Just as fast as it began it stops. The hair prisoners are let free and the strands are pushed back behind her shoulder. A smile creeps onto her face and she is now ready to state her opinion.