MIAMI – A woman who was front and center throughout the Elian Gonzalez affair is putting herself back in the spotlight today as she opens her very own salon.
Marisleysis Gonzalez who became something of a maternal figure to Elian Gonzalez during his South Florida stay, admits that her notoriety may attract a few first-time customers, but she says it will take more than her controversial celebrity to get repeat business.
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"I think that yea, a lot of people might come in because of who I am, but I guess how I work, and what I do to them and how satisfied they are, that all depends on whether they'll come back or not," said Marisleysis as she colored hair for her first customer.
Gonzalez says she has been putting in long hours launching her new business, "Marisleysis Hair Design," sometimes working until midnight.
She also says that Elian will always be with her, but she does not allow memories of the international custody dispute to consume her.
"You put that aside, you keep it in your heart, but you do have to move on in life. And at least he's alive, and I thank God for that, and I also thank God that I know that he remembers me," she said.
Marisleysis also remarked that the Elian ordeal made her more mature and better able to deal with people, which she thinks will come in handy in her new venture.