Almost

Samantha was sitting in waiting room of Brett’s tattoo shop.

Her mother became friends with Brett and his family soon after they moved to Elkhart lake.

Her mother was getting work done on her chest piece, as Samantha looked at flash on the wall.

Samantha was freshman in Plymouth high school.

Elkhart lake didn’t have their own high school.

Her mother decide to get the house in Elkhart lake over some houses that better suited there needs, based on how good the schools in Plymouth were.

Unfortunately, Samantha was more interested in boys than her school work.

As she looked at flash art on the wall, she wonder what her boyfriend would think of getting a tattoo.

Her mother had did a total 180, when they moved from Brookfield to Elkhart lake.

She was no longer the strict mother, she once was.

Samantha believed the complete 180 centered around her mother falling in love with a much younger woman.

Her mother chest was covered, when her mother and Brett walked out the room he was tattooing her in.

She couldn’t see how much more he got done on her piece.

As they walked close to her, she remembered how upset her mother got when she found out that her older brother got a tattoo.

When her mother was a few feet away from her, her mother said “do you see anything you want”.

Samantha laughed, and then said “you would never let me get tattooed”.

Her mother looked over at Brett, and then said “you have a 2pm appointment with Brett, today”.

Samantha did not get excited when she heard that.

She began to wonder what the catch was.

There was always a “catch”.

With out even thinking about it, Samantha said “what is the catch”.

Her mother laughed, and then said “if you sit, well, for a proper haircut, I will let you get a tattoo. I’ll even pay for it”.

Samantha rolled her eyes, and then said “can I assume a proper haircut is a shaved head”.

About a year ago, her mother traded her long bob cut in for shaved head.

Her girlfriend, Kim, shaves her head two to three times a week with a straight razor.

The only time her mother isn’t wearing her wig is when they are at home.

As her mother walked the exit door of his shop, she said “it’s going to be hot in those attic bedrooms this summer”.

Samantha and brother slept in bedrooms in the attic.

Her mother and Kim slept in a bedroom in the basement.

Samantha began to walk towards the door, as she said “we should have got that ranch house on the Sheboygan river”.

As the door opened, Brett said “Samantha, just seat good for the haircut”.

He took a brief pause, and then said “I’m not excited to be tattooing a 15 year old. I’ll be even less excited if your all bruised up”.

When they were both out of the building they were in, her mother said “the school district in this county sucks”.

After she said that, she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her purse.

Prior to them moving out there, Samantha was not aware of her mother being a smoker.

They began walking towards the barbershop on Fremont street, when her mother said “we made a lot of sacrifices, so you could go to Plymouth. Stop blowing all your opportunities on boys and partying”.

After her mother exhaled the hit she had in lungs, she said “Kimberly should given you a tonsure, when we saw the marks you got last semester”.

Their were a few moments of silence, and then her mother said “It was Kimberly that convinced me not to have her do it too”.

Samantha believed that Kim was not a positive influence in any of their lives.

Her mother took a brief pause, and then said “she transferred in mid semester. She is adjusting to a new setting”.

After her mother said that, she took another of her cigarette.

Before her mother could say anything else, Samantha said “do you plan to beat me up, if I don’t just accept my fate”.

Her mother stopped walking, and looked in Samantha’s direct.

When they had eye to eye contact, her mother said “why would you say that”.

With out even thinking about it, Samantha said “Brett said he didn’t want me coming back bruised up”.

Tears began to run down Samantha’s face, as her mother said “he was joking around”.

Sarah walked up to her daughter, and began to hug her.

As they shared a wonderful hug, she said “the barber Kimberly works for used to box in Navy. His shop is boxing themed”.

Right after Sarah said that, Samantha said “I don’t want to do this, mom”.

Her mother separated from the hug, and then said “it’s all for the best, right now”.

Sarah took a hit of the cigarette, as Samantha tried to dry her face with her sleeve.

After her mother exhaled the hit, she said “I have no problem with you wearing a wig in public”.

As she handed Samantha the cigarette, she said “I think this experience will be the wake up call you need”.

Samantha took a hit of cigarette, as her mother said “you were a straight A student when at your old school”.

After Samantha exhaled the hit, she said “alot has changed, mom”.

Her mother didn’t disagree with that statement.

In an effort to get this over with, she said “smoke and walk”.

As Samantha began to walk, her mother said “we will get thought this”.

Samantha took a few hits of cigarette, and flicked it into the road.

When her mother saw her do that, she said “you flicked that like it you have done that before”.

They continued to walk, as Samantha said “do you want to that conversation, now. As you walk me to the army barber to have my head shaved”.

Sarah laughed, and then said “Navy”.

She took a brief pause, and then said “he was a barber in the Navy”.

With out even thinking about it, Samantha said “same thing”.

They were in front of the shop, when her mother said “it two completely different branches of the military”.

When they got into the shop, they saw their neighbors seating in the waiting area.

They lived directly next to them in a very similar cape code style house.

Sarah looked over Rachel, and said “it’s fancy meeting you guys here”.

Rachel made eye to eye contact with Sarah, and then said “I’m here for my summer cut”.

She took a brief pause, and then “our summer bedroom is filled with model train stuff, so we use the attic bedrooms year round”.

In their area, the summer bedroom is a bedroom in basement of a house.

Sarah looked at her daughter, and then said “Samantha and Ryan are going to use the attic bedrooms, this summer”.

Rachel looked at Samantha, and then said “do your self a favor, and have them give you an induction cut”.

She took a brief pause, and then said “that’s what I’m getting”.

The barber and his customer walked to the counter.

After the customer paid, he walked out the door of Bruce’s shop.

After the customer left, Bruce said “Kim isn’t back from her break. I will cut Samantha hair, when I’m finished with Rachel”.

He looked over at Rachel, and then said “train freak’s wife is in one chair, D list is the other”.

Both woman walked to back of the shop.

When Bruce walked past the chair Samantha was sitting in, he said “keep looking forward, D list”.

Samantha did as she told, and focused on one of Bruce’s boxing pictures.

As Samantha focused on pic, Bruce picked up a cape that hung on the wall.

He tossed it over Rachel’s, but didn’t secure it.

Rachel was about to loss her lob with the cape not secured around her neck.

Once the clippers were on, Bruce made his way to the chair that Rachel was sitting in.

Bruce positioned the clippers in front of her forehead, and then titled her head back.

When he was ready to go, he said “your already fighting backs the tears, so I’m going to assume your here for your summer cut”.

With out even thinking about it, Rachel said “yes”.

As Bruce ran the clippers down the center of her head, he said “you ready got to stop spending the air conditioning money on worthless trains”.

He was making his second pass down the top of her head, when Phil said “mind your business”.

As Bruce turned the chair, in an effort to make it easier for him to get her right side, he said “a woman crying in my chair is my business”.

Bruce drove clippers up the right side of head, as Phil said “I’ll take her somewhere else, next year”.

He pushed her ear forward, as he said “why do you stay with his man”.

The hairs behind her ear were reduced to stubble, as Phil said “I will walk around this half wall, old man, and knock you out. If you don’t shut your trap”.

As he made his final pass on the right side of her head, Bruce said “those photos on the walls aren’t photo shopped”.

Bruce turned the chair to get the left side of head, when Phil said “they are old as dirt. Your like 78 years old, now”.

A pass got made on top of her head, as Bruce said “I work out, eat right, and live an active live style”.

He secretly hoped Phil would walk back into the cutting area of the shop, as he continued to work.

In reality, Bruce knew he was not in the best shape of his life, but he knew he could take Phil.

As Bruce pushed her ear forward, he said “my wife died”.

The hair behind her ear was being reduced to stubble, as Rachel said “I know, Sir”.

When Bruce released her ear, he said “the kid better say sir, but you don’t have to”.

He titled her head toward, and then said “I have air conditioning in bedroom, if you ever get to hot over at your place”.

As Bruce made the first pass up her nape, she said “stay over there, Phil”.

Bruce laughed, and then said “listen to woman, Philly”.

He was making second pass up her nape, when he said “I could really go for a Philly cheese steak, right now. To bad there, so high in fat”.

There were a few moments of silence, and then he made his final pass up her nape.

As he pulled the cape off her, he said “dump this loser, and I’ll secure it, next time”.

When Rachel got out of the chair, she said “thanks for taking care of me all these years”.

They walked to the counter, as Bruce said “your welcome”.

By the time Bruce got to the counter, there was a twenty dollar bill sitting on it.

Phil put it on the counter before he walked out.

Rachel made eye to eye contact with Bruce, and said “I hope that covers it”.

Bruce nodded, and then Rachel walked out.

Right after the door closed, Bruce said “she is getting the same thing as Rachel, right”.

Sarah made eye to eye contact with Bruce, and then said “I don’t think we have time for a haircut. If you need something for her seating there, I understand”.

Bruce looked over at Samantha, and then said “no”.

At this point, Samantha didn’t know to think.

When Samantha didn’t immediately get up, her mother said “Samantha, come on. We don’t want to be late for your tattoo appointment”.