Family Portrait

Gazing into the mirror in the well-lit salon, Agnes couldn’t believe that it was her own reflection looking back. Shoulder-length hair flowed in loose golden blonde curls in a crossed half updo that she had only seen in celebrity magazines. 

Just that morning, her mother called her – interrupting her as she hunched over her art table sketching her newest idea for an anime adaptation of her favorite chick lit romance novel. She usually did her best work in the morning, before she headed off to her graphic design classes. She was a senior at the Artistic Revelations Institute and dreamed of being an animator.

“Agnes, I have exciting news. We have an appointment this afternoon to have a professional photographer create a formal family portrait,” Sonia Norris announced a little too shrilly for the early hour.

Rolling her eyes, Agnes recalled the excruciating details of the last family portrait. The whole awful afternoon was spent being nitpicked to death by her overbearing mother, arguing with her pretentious older sister, and being positioned in the most ridiculous poses by the photographer. Agnes hated having her picture taken, even during fun times with friends. 

Sonia prattled on, “The portrait poses are going to be included in your father’s campaign materials, so it’s really important that we all look our best.”

Agnes’ father was running for election as a county commissioner. He was trying to show off his “perfect traditional family” to impress the voters of his affluent community. Uptight, judgmental values-voters were such a turn-off to Agnes. She was embarrassed to be included on the flyers, print ads, and commercials for his campaign. She didn’t have the nerve to tell her parents that she would never in a million years even vote for her dad!

“We need you to look a little more polished and pulled together instead of your usual chaotic style,” Sonia continued. 

This was her mother’s way of criticizing Agnes’ artistic lifestyle. She hated Agnes’ unconventional fashion choices, her hair, pretty much everything she did or said. She would love for Agnes to be more like her sister, Kirsten. Kirsten just graduated from medical school and always had her act together.

“Agnes, are you listening? I have made an appointment for you at my salon with my stylist, Tracie. Be there at 1:00. Our appointment at the Cherished Expressions Portrait Studio is at 3:30. I have an outfit picked out for you,” Sonia said. 

Sighing deeply, Agnes wondered when her mother would stop treating her like a kid. She had just turned 23, and she was still being told what to wear and how to fix her hair. Once she was out of art school, she would definitely try to get her career going away from Detroit, Michigan.

Getting off the DDOT bus, Agnes crossed the street and entered the Divine Design Salon. At the reception desk she gave her name.

“Welcome Agnes! Tracie will be right with you, would you like something to drink?” 

Before Agnes could respond, a middle-aged woman that could’ve been her mom’s twin sister walked out of the styling area.

Extending her hand to Agnes, she introduced herself and led Agnes into the next room. Agnes followed her across the gleaming room with tall mirrors, pale pink colored styling chairs, and busy stylists bustling about. Tracie’s station was right next to the window that faced the busy street outside.

“I love the natural light I get here! So your mom explained to me about the family portrait and how important it is to look poised. So let’s get started!” Tracie smiled, but didn’t really ask Agnes how she wanted her hair done.

Tracie grabbed a white cape and placed it over Agnes’s front, fastening it at the nape of her neck. Going right to work, she started working her comb through Agnes’ hair to remove all of the knots and tangles.

Once her hair was all brushed out, Tracie started curling from midway down. Hairspray was spritzed all around. Tracie combed her hair at the top and front of Agnes’ head backward. She teased it a bit to give it some height.

Combing the hair at the front backward, Tracie deftly pinned it at the crown. She picked hair from the sides of Agnes’ head, crossed it over the pin, and tucked it underneath the pinned hair. She secured it in place with bobby pins. She finished arranging it with her comb and fingers, giving it a flourishing shot of hairspray.

Agnes sat in disbelief at her image. She didn’t feel like herself at all. Tracie took a picture of her with her phone. And then she called her mother, putting her on speakerphone.

“Oh Tracie, you’ve performed an absolute miracle!” her mom gushed, “I didn’t think we’d be able to get her to look like a decent, hardworking, capable young woman!”

Agnes’ stomach lurched as she turned in her chair and stared out the window. She was fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Next to the coffee shop where she was supposed to wait for her mom to pick her up to go to the photography studio, she noticed a red and blue barber pole. The place was called The Barber Chair. She could see a little bit into the plate glass window, people getting haircuts. 

As Tracie finished her conversation with her mom, she put her phone away and took the cape off Agnes.

“Your mom already paid, so you can just go on across the street to Perk Palace and get a coffee. Your mom will pick you up there in an hour,” Tracie said.

Tracie took one more look in the mirror, thinking about her mom’s snarky comments. She looked across the street, and then she got an idea that made her grin. Thanking Tracie, she headed out.

There was a break in traffic, so she ran across the street. Impulsively, Agnes entered the barbershop, a little bell jingling as she pulled the door open. 

She stood in the entryway a moment, taking it all in. She had never been in a barbershop before. There were three barber chairs, all occupied by men. One was having his faced shaved, one was having a clipper cut, and the other was having a scissor and comb haircut. 

The woman shaving a middle-aged man’s face said, “Have a seat, honey. You’ll be the next up!”

Agnes sat on a long bench and waited. Nervous, but determined not to lose her nerve. 

The barber working the chair by the window swept up after his customer paid and walked out. He had an athletic build and salt and pepper graying hair that was trimmed neatly to match a well-groomed mustache and beard. There was a name plate above his mirror that said “Randy Cobb – Senior Barber Stylist/Owner”.

He smiled and said, “Welcome to my shop. You’re up! Come on over and have a seat!”

Timidly, Agnes walked over and sat down in the brown leather barber chair. She wasn’t sure what Randy would say when she told him what she wanted.

“I’m a little confused. Your hair looks amazing in this formal arrangement. Did you just come across the street from that salon? What can I do for you?” Randy was gently fingering her arranged tresses.

Agnes introduced herself and explained about her upcoming family portrait, her dad’s political campaign, and her mother’s unbearable attitude. 

“My mother picked this hairstyle for our “family values” portrait and I have decided I want something completely different! In fact I want NO HAIR! I want it completely shaved,” Agnes couldn’t believe she was actually saying this. 

“Are you sure?” Randy asked gently.

“This is something I have always wanted to do. And I can’t wait to see Mom’s face when she picks up her bald daughter fifteen minutes before our photography session!” Agnes smiled boldly.

Nodding and grinning, Randy grabbed a strip of tissue and wrapped it around Agnes’ neck. He pulled a black cutting cape around the front of her and secured it, folding the tissue down. He pulled all of the bobby pins out of her hair. The hairspray made it all pretty stiff.

Picking up a pair of scissors, Randy started cutting off the length of her hair so that it came to around the nape of her neck. Agnes gasped a little as she saw her hair tumbling onto the cape and the floor. 

“Here we go…”she thought to herself. She held on tightly to the arms of the chair.

“Just relax, Agnes,” Randy’s calm pleasant voice reassured her, “I want you to enjoy this experience.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently to encourage her. Her grip on the chair loosened a bit and she leaned back in the chair.

Picking up a pair of clippers, Randy snapped the #1 attachment on and clicked the on switch. The loud buzzing startled Agnes. Getting louder as he approached, Agnes felt the clippers at the base of her neck. Goose bumps erupted on her arms as the clippers moved up the back of her head, shaving a strip up to her occipital bone. The hair was still falling as he started another path up the back of her head and another until he was all the way over by her left ear. The tickling buzz and the feeling of her scalp in the cool air was making her feel tingly all over.

He started clipping passes to the right of the original strip. Before long he was clipping around her right ear. In the mirror she could see that she had no hair on the sides of her head. 

Randy placed the clippers on top of her head at the hairline and moved them backwards to the occipital area. He made pass after pass until all of her hair was gone. She watched herself in the mirror and liked what she saw as Randy continued working. She smiled as he took the guard off the clippers altogether and made more passes, removing all the hair down to the skin. He bent each ear down gently and got all of the stray hairs that were hiding.

Randy picked up a soft brush and swept it all over Agnes’ head. She loved the way the gentle strokes felt on her newly exposed skin. Randy rubbed his hands across her scalp, feeling for any hairs he missed. 

Agnes heard the whine of the shaving foam dispenser. Soon the warm cream was being applied to her head, all over. She got a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It was unreal. 

Randy brought a warm towel over and wrapped it around Agnes’ head on top of the shaving cream. With both hands he pressed it gently onto her scalp, moistening and softening the stubble. He removed the towel and applied a fresh layer of the shaving cream.

“Don’t move. Hold still,” Randy whispered. 

With a straight razor in one hand and his other hand holding Agnes’ head, he removed what ever bits of stubble were left. Pass after pass, until finally there was only smooth skin left. It was done.

Randy placed another warm, moist towel over Agnes’ head and washed away the bits of shaving cream that were still there. He picked up the hair dryer and blew away any debris that was left. He took off the cape, laying it on the arm of the chair. Agnes’ hands automatically reached up and she was shocked by how strange her head felt.

“Wow!” was all she could say as she thought about what her family’s reaction would be. 

Her mom was going to be waiting outside in her car any minute. She reached into her purse to get money out. 

“You know what, this one’s on me. Keep the money as a campaign contribution! I for one can’t wait to see the campaign ads role out with my handiwork on them. This will be great advertising for me, if you tell people where you got your shave!” Randy laughed.

“Thanks! I will definitely be back!” Agnes said as she hugged Randy.

She looked out the window and saw her mom’s car pull up to the curb in front of the coffee shop. 

“Here I go! So much for the Perfect Family Portrait!” Agnes shouted as she squared her shoulders and walked out the door.

Randy smiled and shook his head. He watched as she opened the car door and got in. They zoomed off down the street and he could only guess how this would turn out. He would definitely be paying attention to the political ads for the rest of the campaign season!