The Shopkeeper
My name is Saoirse and I am in my last year of teaching English at The Crown Elite Girls Academy outside of Hyperabad, India. I was given a four year contract while still in my Junior year of college, and like I had seen both my sister and her roommate do, I jumped at the offer. The school was paying all my expenses plus they paid off my student loans, and a generous salary on top of that. While it was scary to get on the plane on my own I at least knew that my sister had loved her time there.
While my sister taught the younger students I had chosen to teach students in higher grades, so for my time her I have been teaching English for the equivalent of levels 7-9. The students had been chosen from among the best in the area, and there work certainly showed it. My only regret was that I didn’t explore more of the country during my time here.
Each one of the students wears a uniform to classes. A jumper with a white dress shirt and a neck tie, finished with white tights and black shoes. The only exceptions ever to this rule is when one of the girls will be going to the nearby temple to offer her hair. A good number of them do this when the turn 14 or 15, but some wait until they are married before having their heads shaved.
Every time one of my students showed up in their colorful outfits I would find it a little hard to concentrate on teaching as I thought about what would happen to them in just a few short hours and what that would mean for the next part of her life. Then they would arrive the next day with their shiny bald head, looking even more beautiful than they had the day before.
That brings us to March 5th. That was the day that would change my life for years to come. That day classes started as normal but then, just before lunch, there was a knock on my classroom door. The Head Mistress of the school came inside and told me that the school had been visited by the Ministry of Health and that there was a severe outbreak of lice in the elementary level classes and that we have been ordered to report to the gymnasium for inspection and would be given necessary treatment.
This wasn’t the first time that there was a lice scare in the school, so I told my students that we all knew the drill as we lined up for me to lead them to the gym. When we got to the door we were met by a member of the Heath Ministry. “You will all step in to the gym and remove your uniforms, putting them in the hampers when you are finished.” I felt bad for the girls as I was sure some of them would find it embarrassing to stand naked in front of everyone.
We waited our turn and then they called us inside. I stood off to the side, still feeling sorry for my girls as the shed everything they wore. The door opened again and as the woman came over to us she saw me standing there…”Miss Welker why are you still clothed?” I looked at her in disbelief as I froze in place. She came right up to me, this time speaking in a softer tone so only I could hear…”Everyone in the school will be inspected, so you need to undress like your students and lead them thru this Miss Welker.”
I could hardly bring myself to undress in front of my students. As embarrassing as it was for them I had a secret that I have kept since 10th grade. You see when my custom ordered bra comes off, so do my breasts. Being of Irish descent having bright red hair and completely pale skin is something I could deal with, but the ridicule I had received when I never grew breasts was another. Thankfully my mother helped me to find a place to get custom fitted bras that gave me the look of someone with small B-cup breasts. A secret that I have kept for almost 11 years know, but unfortunately looked like it was about to end.
I went as slow as I could, but the Health official stood right there pushing me to hurry the whole time. I had removed everything else and was about in tears as I reached for the hooks on my bra. Removing it, I heard some muffled gasps as my secret was revealed to my students, everyone of them a lot more developed than was. I watched as my clothes were tossed into the hamper and with it any chance of concealing myself to anyone else.
The gym had been divided with temporary partitions and as we walked thru the opening I saw a group of 12 women, all dressed in colorful dresses, sitting against the wall. The official was still right next to us…”These ladies from the temple are here to help us out today. Miss Welker you can go to the far lady and the first 11 girls can follow you to be inspected.”
This seemed odd that they would choose these women, but had no choice but to follow the schools rules. I walked over to the 1st lady who instructed me to sit on the floor with my legs crossed and lean my head forward. I found the position to be uncomfortable at first, but as I shifted to find a good spot the woman spoke out…You need to keep very still why I work.” I couldn’t understand what the problem was but sat as still as I could. To my surprise she poured some warm water on my head and started to work it thru with her strong fingers. I tried to ask what she was doing but was quickly told …”Please keep quiet.” I then felt a strange rubbing at the crown of my head, but I assumed they were using one of the very fine toothed combs I had seen used to detect eggs in someones hair, so I let her continue her work.
It only took her a few seconds to inspect the back of my head and the she began working her way to the front. I was surprised that she hadn’t hit any tangles while using that tiny comb as I hardly felt a thing as she worked her way along the top and sides. She was quickly past my ears, so just a little bit more towards the front and I would be done. I assumed that if she would have found anything I would have heard by now.
As I sat there I saw something confusing out of the corner of my eye. A person had walked in between the girls and the ladies, pushing a broom with what looks like a big pile of black hair. They stopped fight next to me then suddenly I see a mass of red hair hit the floor. I look forward at the woman across from me then raise my hands to my head, only to find a totally bald scalp….”What did you do?” I screamed at her. The Ministry official was again by my side…”Mis Welker, act like a professional and take charge of your students.”
I was gasping to catch my breath as I stood up. My eyes completely watering I tried to compose myself as I moved the first 11 girls towards the next section. Seeing me standing on shaky legs the official, somewhat disappointed in my unprofessional behavior, took over…”You twelve wait her while I bring the last of your students into position.” I stood and looked at the 11 girls who had already been shaved, surprised that none of them were even shedding tears over the loss of all their hair. As I looked at them I actually thought that they looked even more beautiful than they had before, but still had my doubts about how I must look.
I took my 11 students thru the opening to the next section. There before us were a dozen heavy wooden tables all lined up in rows of 3. The official running this sector then approached me…”Ah Miss Welker. Have you calmed yourself done sufficiently enough to lead your charges thru the next phase?” I tried to compose myself in a professional manner then directed my girls to each go to one of the tables which I then did myself.
As I walked to the last empty table I could see the two women smiling as the looked over my skinny, pale white body. They directed me to lay flat on the table so they could finish the ‘inspection’. It was then when I became even more worried, you see I tend to get quite wet down below once I become excited, and I was sure that even though I was not aroused in any way over what has transpired here so far I was sure that I was already quite wet.
I had followed what is the local custom since I have been here, forgoing shaving of any part of my body for the past three years. As thin as the hair was, I had gotten so used to my pretty cute red bush and what I felt were cute fluffy armpits. I didn’t figure I would be in any hurry to go back to the ritual of maintaining a hairless body just because someone things that what women should do. Now, as I lay on the table, I start to realize that the ‘inspection’ I am about to receive will probably result in the removal of my cute little fluffs of hair.
I laid back oh the table, my bald head feeling alien to me as it hit the small cushion and started to get all wound up as the two women, on each side of the table, chatted to each other as they began their work. They were speaking in one of the local dialects that I wasn’t familiar with but assumed my thin red hair and pale skin were what the conversation was all about. As I had figured they each had a large sponge and wet down an area they were about to shave. Starting at the top their straight razors made quick work of my eyebrows before taking off the hair under my arms and the fine hairs on my arms.
The two worked their way down my body and I knew, by what I was feeling, that I was going to be soaking wet with grool. I closed my eyes and bit my lip as one of them moved towards my bush. It only took a few swipes and she had taken my pretty orange triangle from me, then as she moved between my legs, she said something to the other woman, who handed her a small towel. I wanted to run away and hide when she spoke to me as she wiped me off with the well used towel…”You like it when women touch you.” I saw several of the other women and even a couple of my students look my way and smile at my embarrassment.
Once they made their way down my legs I figured they were done and I could get up, but then another woman walked over pushing a small cart with a large pot on it. The women wiped off my skin then pulled a brush out of the pot. As the touched me with it I felt a hot liquid on my skin. They started to paint the amber colored liquid all over my body. I asked the woman what they were doing now and she told me it was a blend of botanical oils and natural waxes that would prevent any eggs from being laid on my body. She handed the brush to the other woman who insured that my entire body received a complete coating of the hot liquid.
We all had to lay on the tables for an additional 5 minutes presumably for the liquid to do its job. The two women then rubbed any of the excess off my skin and I was helped off the table. As much as I knew I looked like a ghost compared to all the caramel skinned girls in my class, I actually thought my skin never looked better as it now had a nice shine to it. We were all led to the final section where we were given pair of basic gym shorts and t-shirts
We were then told that all of our clothing would be sent away to be treated to insure any eggs that happened to be in them were killed. They would also be steam cleaning all of our rooms before we would be permitted to return to them. That meant that my secret would be out to everyone as they saw me without my padded bras. It took a full week before they returned our clothes to us. Unfortunately the padding in all of my bras fell apart in the sanitizing process, but that forced me to be myself now and not worry about what people thought about my looks anymore.
Eight weeks later, the school year came to an end. Most of the girls by now had 1/4″ of fuzz on their heads but I was still completely hairless. The school doctor examined me and determined that because my pores were so much smaller than those of my students that the waxes they used hadn’t released yet which blocked any regrowth. I had kind of gotten used to being bald but figured I would at least have a little hair before I returned home.
I had been offered a 2 year extension to my contract, which I came very close to accepting. I loved teaching here and thought that after another 2 years I would at least have some nice regrowth before I went home, but I decided I missed my home and family too much so a week later I was on my way home.
I told my parents about my hair, making sure to tell my mother that I was okay and would be going wig shopping once I got back. The only thing I asked was that my mother didn’t have one of her, over the top welcome home parties, like she had when my sister returned home. I told them I just wanted to ease back home without a lot of fanfare hoping that I would have time to at least make myself look like my normal self.
My summer was all planned out as my first priority was to get a wig to wear, then get a replacement well-padded bra. I had already ordered 2 of the replacement bras, which I hoped would be the last ones I would ever need. I had saved enough money from teaching that I had decided that I was going to get breast implants over the summer so I wouldn’t have to hide my secret anymore. I had hoped that by the start of the next school year I would be a whole new person.
The flight home to Chicago was long and tiring, thankfully I had no problems sleeping on the plane. Even though I wore a hat the whole time, I repeatedly noticed people staring at me both on the plane and during my layover in Japan. I just couldn’t wait for that day to be over.
My parents picked me up at the airport and even though I had told them about it I could tell that they were shocked by my appearance. On the ride home my mother made repeated offers to stop and try to find a wig right away, but I kept telling her that it could wait for now. Of course as we pulled up to the house I see the street is full of cars and then I started to get nervous…”Mom, I specifically asked for no party.” My mother, playing the innocent part…”Oh, that’s just your sister having some friends over.” I looked down at the t-shirt I was wearing, not even the slightest bit of definition on my chest, other than my now hardening nipples. Next my hand went up to the side of my head, the baseball cap leaving most of my baldness exposed to everyone.
I was getting more and more embarrassed as my sister and a bunch of other relatives came out to the car to meet us. Like had happened when I was being shaved, the anxiety of the situation was causing my panties to become quite wet, and my two puffy nipples to be at full attention. It was then that I wished I had stayed in India for another two years.
Once I got out of the car everyone was shocked by my bald head. The questions kept coming and I was able to deflect what had happened by telling everyone it would grow right back. The thing I had no way of deflecting is when everyone saw my completely flat chest. All of my friends and family had assumed that I developed like everyone else having never seen me without my custom bra. Now my secret was out to everyone, so there was almost no point in even wearing a bra let alone all the money I was going to spend for implants.
After the party wound down my sister and her friend, who had also spent 4 years teaching at the same school as me, sat and talked with me…”So, the school had a lice problem again. How long ago was it?” I looked at them in kind of confused way…”What do you two know about the lice problem?” I asked. The had a bit of a laugh before telling me that they went thru the same thing twice while they were teaching at the school, and both times they thru the exact same hair removal process. I saw that they both had nice full heads of hair now, so I wasn’t worried about mine.
I then asked them why it wasn’t growing out like it did for all of my students, and again they had a laugh at my expense…”Your pores are very small and your red hair is very fine, so it can’t easily push thru the wax that sealed your pores.” My nervousness about my hair was returning…”How long did it take your hair to grow back?” I couldn’t believe when my sister told me that it took almost a year before her hair started coming in even. “It just kept growing in patches so both of us just kept shaving it smooth until we saw it was growing on our full scalp.”
The tears began to flow…”What, you mean I’m going to be bald for a year?” They both shook their heads in unison…”Hey, at least you don’t have it as bad as we did. Ours had only gotten to a couple inches when we went thru it a second time, so it was like 2 full years for us.” I was devastated by what they said, how was I going to go a whole year without hair? I again wished I never came home and had everyone see me.
What my sister told me was the absolute truth. A month later, the first signs of hair started showing up on my body with little patches of fuzz on my head and in my panties. As much as it killed me to do it, I took my razor to the spots on my head where hairs were popping out, shaving them away like they never existed. Eventually I bought a tube of depilatory cream and just covered my whole head whenever I saw growth.
After about 8 months, I now had a full, albeit thin, triangle of beautiful red hair in my panties. I had gotten so used to using the cream on my head that I wasn’t even waiting to look for any growth before smearing it on my head again. I had been teaching middle school in a nearby district and nobody knew who I was, or questioned the above the shoulders hair on my head. It was about that time that I realized that I was never going to let my hair grow out and actually thought about using the money I had saved for the implants to instead get what hair did come back permanently removed. I liked who I was now and neither a full head of hair or a pair of big boobs was ever going to change that.
