Marta ~ May 16

 

"I like your coat!" I hear someone call from behind us, and I turn. It's the young woman we just passed, standing in front of a small boutique where she clearly works. We are uptown on Madison, everything very chic. The young woman gestures to my friend.

 

"She's saying she likes your coat," I say to Celeste who turns.

 

"Where did you get it?" calls the woman.

 

Celeste stops and walks back to the woman outside the shop. "I got it in Madrid," I hear her say as I walk back to join them. 

 

"Oh, I love European things," the young woman is saying. She is dressed in a short skirt and a blazer-like top. Her reddish hair is straight and long. She speaks with an accent.

 

"I want to give you both something," she says, pops inside the shop, and returns with two little sample packets of moisturizer or somesuch. A little more back and forth, and soon we are inside the shop because Alexandra, that's her name, wants to give us even more. 

 

We are sitting at a table in this chic little boutique. Alexandra is explaining the miraculous cream that they sell -- no surgery, better than botox, here, I want to let you try a little, and with a long Q-tip she dabs a little under each of Celeste's eyes. 

 

"Wow," I say, "it really does seem to be doing something!" The lines are smoothing out dramatically. 

 

"Isn't it incredible?" Alexandra says. "You just need to use it once a week for six months, and then the change is permanent for two years."

 

I make note of the phrase "permanent for two years." 

 

She hands Celeste a tiny white utensil that turns out to be a fan and asks her to hold it near her eyes to dry the cream. Then she dabs some on me. 

 

"So one tube is normally $1,300," Alexandra is saying, and swiftly brings up a screen on her iPad to prove her point, "but in celebration of the company's 8-year anniversary it is only $500 this week." 

 

"What are the ingredients?" I ask.

 

"Collagen," says Alexandra. "And magnesium." I have strong doubts that these are the only two ingredients, but I like the way I look in the mirror. Where there were bumps and creases and puffs, there is smoothness. I would love to take this cream home with me. 

 

"I really like you two," Alexandra is saying. "I want you to have something really special. If you want to treat the rest of your face you can make an appointment to see our specialist and he can assess what you need. Normally, an appointment with him costs $700, with this card you can see him at no cost."

 

She puts a small card in each of our hands as well as a box of the eye cream. I turn it over to read the ingredients, which are written in silver on a white background -- clearly, someone is not going to make it easy for me to read them, and there are many of them, and they are not all herbs and grasses and nice little plants from the field. 

 

"Alexandra," I say gently. "I won't be purchasing anything today, but thank you." Without a flicker she takes back the card from my fingers and turns her attention back to Celeste who has already pulled out her wallet. 

 

I wait outside. Another young girl is out there now. "I like your sunglasses!" I hear her say to a passing couple. They walk on. A few minutes later: "Oh, what a lovely sweater!" That one walks on too. She doesn't quite have the je ne sais quoi that Alexandra has.