After school cuts

The bell rang out and the hallway flooded with students escaping school for summer break.
It was the end of 8th grade and I had two glorious months before highschool started. I intended to make the best of it.
My best friends mother was picking us up and had mentioned earlier she had a surprise for us that afternoon. What a great way to kick off the break.
Tommy and I imagined out loud as we waited what could be in store for us……ice cream, some new summer threads, or maybe a trip to the pool.
Either way we were pumped.
” Tommy, Eric….hurry hop in!” She called out from her black mercedes.
We jumped in the car and headed away from the school.
” So what’s the surprise mom?” Tommy kept asking.
” Oh boys, don’t worry, you’ll be squared away in no time.”
Eager with excitement we joked and laughed all the way through town and it seemed the trip,would never end until we slowed down and parked.
” Are we here?” Tommy asked.
” Yes dear.”
” I don’t see anything special.” I commented as I looked around for something spectacular.
She pointed up to the building in front if us, it had a spinning barber pole.
” Mom , what is this?” Tommy asked.
” You boys are getting summer cuts”
” I don’t really need a haircut mam.” I bravely offered up.
As she ushered us from behind she said. ” No one thinks they need a haircut until they do”
Tommy began to pout as we approached the barber shop door and then the unthinkable happened.
His mother popped him right across the face and looked at me as if to motion if I needed one as well.
I got in line fast and headed towards the door, behind a teary eyed Tommy.
She opened the door and we walked in, it was happening and we couldn’t stop it.
This wouldn’t be just any haircut for me, it was going to be devastating. I had managed to dodge the barber chair for the last couple months and had hair below my ears. The girls loved it and it made me feel older.
The last thing I expected was to be tricked into getting under the cape.
A bell rang as we entered the shop and the smell of the atmosphere overwhelmed me.
The City barbershop had 3 big red leather chairs with clients all getting haircuts.
Two male barbers worked furiously on their clients with clippers as they sat caped under pin striped capes. Hair fell down over their faces and into their laps as the barbers worked intently.
The sound of the clippers filled the barbershop with a frightening hum.
These two clients obviously were there for the same reason as tommy and I, to get scalped.
I had been standing and staring at the scene in front of me when Tommy’s mother said, ” sit down boys, you have appointments.”
As I hesitantly sat into the soft leather sofa in the waiting area I noticed the third barber was not a stern looking male like the other two.
To my surprise it was a beautiful female. How could this be….I had never seen a female cutting hair outside of a beauty shop like the one my mother and sister had made me wait in before while they got their hair done.
I had even imagined what it would be like to have a barberette cape me and gently cut my hair as opposed to the clipper cuts I had been given all my life.
This barberette didn’t seem to play by the rules of a normal barbershop either, her outfit made her stand out like a goddess.
She had long legs wrapped in tight pink latex leggings and black high heels. A black leather cutting apron fitted tightly around her waste and her long black hair was in a high pony tail. She couldn’t of looked more out of place.
Tommy and I sat back into the deep sofa and awaited our fate.
I imagined myself in her chair as we watched the haircuts in front of us unfolding, the piles of hair gathering under the barber chairs were growing taller and it seemed we were soon to be chaired and caped.
But who were our appointments with, I wondered.
” Hello fellas” one of the male barbers called out .
” Won’t be long” he said as he brushed off his young clients face.
I turned my attention back to the barberette and she was finishing her client too, it was teenage girl who was getting the finishing touches on a bob cut.
This also surprised me, I had never seen a girl in a barbers chair.
It crossed my mind that if this barberette would hurry and finish maybe her chair would be free and I could end up in it under her black vinyl cape which looked way more enticing than the boring pin stripe capes.
The sound of the hydraulic hissing as the barber lowered his client to the floor woke me from my haze and startled me.
He swiped the cape off the young boy and pushed him up from the large chair.
” Who wants to go first ?” Tommy’s mom asked as the barber turned the chair towards us and patted the back of it.
Tommy began to fidget in his seat and said” ” please mom, not today”
” Not another word young man” and she pushed him up from the sofa and directed him to the barbers chair.
The barber snapped the cape in the air shaking any loose hairs from it and held it open as tommy walked slowly to the chair.
The whole scene had me shaking, I could already feel the clippers on my neck, mowing away my precious hair.
Tommy turned and sat back into the chair nervously and immediately the barber spun the chair to face the mirror.
He threw the cape out infront of him and it settled onto his body.
Before closing it shut the barber wrapped a tissue around his neck and looked over at his mother asking” what are we doing today mam?”
” Something short to last through the summer”
The barber snapped the huge cape shut tightly around his neck and said” I got just the thing for him”
Tommy looked helpless as the fate of his hair was decided before him.
I peered back over to the barberettes station and saw that she was finishing up, she used her hairdryer to blow away the loose hairs from the girls face and neck.
It occurred to me that her chair was about to be free and my appointment might be with her, how could I be so lucky?
Tommy’s barber suddenly stomped down on the chairs pedal and up he went. The large red chair carried him upwards with every boost and Tommy really began to look upset. He was shaking as the barber pumped down on the lever until he was plenty high up.
I couldn’t watch anymore, the scene was too much. And now he was pulling his shears from his tunic pocket and holding Tommy’s hair between his fingers. I stopped watching but I heard the loud snips and I knew what was happening.
The barberette on the other side of the shop pulled the cape from the young girl and lowered the chair.
My heart started to race as I prayed she would look at me and call out next.
But she did just the opposite, she sat into her own chair and crossed her pink legs as if she was in no hurry.
” damnit” I thought to myself,” can’t she see there is a client waiting?”
I looked over to the second male barber and he was getting close to finishing the crew cut he was administering on his unwilling victim.
My small chance of her cutting my hair was fleeting.
I looked back to see the barber working hard to remove Tommy’s bulk with the shears, holding his hair in his fingers snipping at the base.
Tommy’s hair fell to the cape clump after clump, gathering in piles.
He had stopped sniffling and just stared at himself in the mirror in disappointment.
The barber was getting his length out of the way so he could make easy work with the clippers. It looked like torture.
The barberette who seemed to be in no hurry pulled a cigarette from her apron and placed it in her lips. Her eyes caught me staring at her as she lit it and she turned in the chair away from me as she exhaled.
It was official, not only had I been caught drooling over her, but she had no interest in caping me and cutting my hair.
I gave in to the reality of it all and excepted that I would be getting a clipper cut from one of the male barbers today.
She played with her ponytail with her free hand as she smoked and filled the barbershop with a cloud. It was such a sexy sight I couldn’t take my eyes away. The latex leggings squeeked on the leather chair as she uncrossed her legs and recrossed them. How lucky any man would be to have his haircut by her.
She took one more long drag and snubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray on the barberchairs armrest.
She slowly turned herself in the chair to face the waiting area and stood from it calling out ” who’s next?”
I was taken back, could it be me?
Tommy’s mom looked at me and said, ” that’s you, get in the chair”
It all happened so fast I couldn’t believe it.
I pulled myself out from the deep sofa and walked towards her chair. As I approached she swiped the black shiny cape off the back of it and shook it out. She patted the back of the chair as I got closer saying” up you go”
My legs were jello, I turned my back to the big chair and sat back into it.
She placed her fingers on my shoulders and spun the chair to face the mirror where I could see myself now with the gorgeous barberette behind me.
She billowed the large cape out over my body and allowed it to fall over me slowly and then snapped it shut around my neck.
It was happening so fast, I wanted to treasure it.
” How are we cutting it today mam?” She asked Tommy’s mom as she ran her fingers through my long hair.
Her nails scraped against my scalp and sent tingles though my body.
” Something short for the summer” she replied.
She patted my caped shoulders as she responded, ” not a problem”
I didn’t even care that I was about to be shorn to the wood.
The jolt of the chair being pumped upwards startled me as she pressed down on the lever. Her latex leggings rubbed against each other as her thighs moved up and down, inching me up with every boost.
I hadn’t said a word, I was hypnotized by what was happening.
The barberette ran her fingers up the back of my neck and pulled my hair out from behind my ears so it hung freely.
She walked to the counter and picked up her water bottle and began to spray my hair until it was soaked.
Water ran down my cheek and she took her slim finger and wiped it away . I turned my head to look back over at Tommy and could see the barber running the clippers right over his bangs.
The barberette grabbed my chin and turned my head back forwards with authority. She then pulled her scissors from her leather apron and pulled my bangs straight up into the air. She slid her fingers to the base of them and snipped just above her fingers. I could smell the cigarette smoke on her hands as my hair fell over my face and into my lap. The sound of the scissors opening and closing continued as she worked all over the top of my head. Her latex hips nudged the barberchair and I spun around from side to side as she cut away at my long hair. At one point her thigh grazed my hand on the arm rest and the touch of the latex on my skin felt like nothing before.
She brushed away the hair on my shoulders with her hands and went to cutting the hair on the back of my head. I stared at her through the mirror as she reduced my length to something the clippers could buzz away easily.
Her heels clacked on the floor as she walked to the counter and started preparing the clippers with a guard. I stared at her round bottom, the pink pants glistened in the light of the shop.
The barberette turned around and placed her self in front of me. She put her hands on my forehead and pushed my head back with me looking straight up.
Then she placed the clippers above my eyes and when they turned on I jumped a little.
” Hold still” she demanded.
I felt them hit what was left of my bangs and buzz across my head to the upper back portion.
She made several passes from front to back with the spiky hairs jumping down to my lap and floor.
Little hairs covered my damp face and itched but I didn’t care.
Then she walked behind me and I heard her heel click on the chairs lever before I felt it drop suddenly.
And right after it hit the floor she began pumping again and back up I went. My body shaking with every jolt of the barber chair as she pumped me higher.
The sound of the hydraulic filled the room that had become silent now that Tommy’s clipper cut was finished and he was being touched up with shears.
The barber chair stopped moving upwards and the barberette pushed my head forward with my chin touching the vinyl cape.
She turned the clippers back on and ran them up my neck to the top of my head. I felt the cool air in the barber shop on my neckline now. The smell of perfume and cigarette smoke lingered in my nose as she pulled my ear down and buzzed up the side of my head.
She held my head in a tight grip as she moved it around with the hand not clipping and her nails digging into my scalp.
Under the cape I gripped the leather armrest tightly trying to control the sensation of her hands all over my head.
The clippers turned off and she placed them on the counter. She turned to face me and started running her hands over the top of my newly buzzed haircut, looking for any missed hairs.
She used the palm of her hand to wipe my face of the itchy hairs and also used her fingers to wipe inside my ears.
Then the barberette blew me clean of any more stray hairs with the hair dryer. The warm air rippled the shiny cape as it rid my lap of the pile she made cutting.
She was back behind me now squirting something into the palm of her hand, it was gel.
She raked it into my bangs and began spiking them up with her nails.
I knew well enough tommy wasn’t getting this kind of treatment.
She smoothed my hair down on the sides and continued working the top, combing it over slightly to the side. I would let her shave my head smooth if it meant five more minutes in her chair under her cape.
” All done ” she said as kicked down on the lever and lowered the barberchair.
I savored the feeling of her sharp nails as they unfastened the cape from my now smooth neck.
She whisked it from my body and I got one last whif of her perfume.
I stood from the chair and turned and thanked her.
” My pleasure sweetie” she replied without even smiling.
She shook the cape out and hung it off the back of the chair. It’s shiny material that covered me minutes ago now hung freely on the barberchair that she was sitting back into and crossing one leg back over the other. As I walked back over to the front of the shop I could see that Tommy’s mother was not happy with the length of his hair.
” I want it shorter” she demanded.
Tommy looked defeated, he had escaped the chair finally and was now headed back to it.
I sat into the sofa as tommy lowered himself back into the barbers chair.
The barber, who was a little angry at this point swiftly spun him to face the mirror and violently threw the cape around his body.
My barberette watched all of it as she lit another cigarette and casually smoked while leaning back in the comfy barber chair she had just buzzed me in.
Tommy’s barber stomped down on the hydraulic lever and sent tommy into the air, higher than the last time he was chaired.
Tommy was sniffling again and made one last plea for a reprieve but the begging was drowned out by the sound of the clippers turning on.
The barber pushed his head sideways and worked up from under his ears first this time, going straight up to the crown. It looked like only a 1 guard. He wasn’t leaving much hair on his head. His lap and shoulders again being covered with tiny hairs and the floor under him as well.
The barber spun his chair around and clipped up from the bottom to top all around his already short hair.
” That’s more like it” Tommy’s mom added as she watched on approvingly.
Sufficiently buzzed, the barber brushed Tommy’s face insensitively and ripped the cape off him.
He pushed down on the lever and the chair dropped with tommy in it.
I felt like I had just watched a horror movie compared to the treatment of my barberette.
Tommy slinked from the chair nearly looking bald and his mother rubbed the top of his head.
She looked at me and said ” Yours is still a little long too, and what is that gunk in your hair?”
She ran her fingers through it with disappointment and then said, ” I want his shorter too.”
Tommy’s barber pulled the cape off the back of the chair and turned it to face me. My heart stopped, I felt good about my trim and didn’t want to be in his chair.
He slapped the back of the barber chair and said” I haven’t got all day, hop up”
I stood still in disbelief. Please no , I thought to myself.
The barber shook the cape motioning me to hurry and Tommy’s mom pushed me to the waiting barber chair.
I was in motion now headed to it, I walked as slow as possible .
I heard the barber shaking the cape out again as I turned to lower myself into it and then a voice called out.
” I ll take him”
My barberette spoke up and saved me. I turned around to see Tommy’s barber somewhat upset that he wouldn’t get to finish me off.
” I don’t care who does it, just shorten it” Tommy’s mom called out.
I changed direction and headed to the barberette.
She stood from the chair and took another drag from her cigarette before snubbing in the tray on the counter. I walked through a cloud of smoke and sat back into the soft chair. I didn’t even care that I was about to say goodbye to what little hair I had left.
She pushed me forward and pulled the thick cape out from behind me.
It was thrown out over me and again I was held down by the thick shiny material.
The chair suddenly spun around to face the mirror and I felt the jolt of it going upwards. The barberette also a little angry a Tommy’s mom worked aggressively. She kicked down on the lever vigorously over and over until the barber chair was feet off the ground.
Again I looked helpless in the mirror all caped up and held still by her cape.
She snatched the clippers off the counter and put a 1 guard on them.
She stood behind me and said ” look down” as she pushed my head forward.
The hum of the clippers ran up my head from bottom to top. Again she maneuvered my head with her nails as she buzzed what was left of the haircut she had just worked on minutes earlier.
Her latex pants brushed my hand another time as she stood beside me and wiped the hair from my covered face. I took a long smell of her fingers, the scent of smoke and her perfume would have to last until the next time I ended up in her chair .
Once there was nothing left to cut with the 1 guard, she blew me off again with the dryer and took the cape off me. She pushed me up from the chair after lowering it and sat back into it.
I thanked her again and could see the jealousy on Tommy’s face. Tommy’s mother paid and we headed out the door, I turned and took one more look at my barberette. She was rising from the chair to greet another young client. As she shook the cape out again and patted the back of the chair, I thought to myself,”
see you soon”

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