Finding a Barber

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Since I left the military after 4 years of duty I’ve let my hear grow a bit longer than the white side walls and 1/2″ on top.  Not long, but a business man’s cut that I kept trimmed every six weeks as much as I possibly could.  I understand the need for discipline in the military for short hair, but it’s not an appealing look for me, I don’t believe.  I’ve always taken a few minutes after showering in the morning to blow-dry my hair and keep it neat and disciplined.

I’ve moved around a bit for 8 years after the military to a position that took me to 4 different cities.  So maintaining a good rapport with a barber has been difficult.  First I moved to Phoenix and there were plenty of barber shops in the metro area that were classy looking and rather than ask my coligues at work, I chose to find a person who had good appearance and I hoped that would make a judgement call in the right direction.  I wasn’t with any one particular lady, so I different ask a female for her thoughts or advice.

I started with a cutter who was in his 50s and I thought he had a good appearance and could listen to my request for a scissor trim and not the “military” side wall look and bald fade in the back.  Bob, was OK, but I felt he was just a guy.  Not really too interested in maintaining the look I liked.  After 3 or 4 haircuts, every 6 weeks, I found he asked on the 5 haircut, “Now how do you like to have your haircut.”  At that point I realized, he was just another business who was interested in a 10 or 15 minute cut and “See Ya Next Time.”  I came to realize I needed to find a person I could establish a good rapport and get a good cut.

I went out that night after the cut and met some of my worker friend for drinks.  I walked in to the bar and heard the words I always despised when I got a haircut.  Murelia, our receptions at work said, “Wow! You got a haircut”.  I knew after that affirmation, I would have to wait 10 weeks and then find a new barber.  My response to Murelia was, “Yeah, he butchered me, didn’t he?”  Her response was the second sentence you never want to hear.  She said, “It’s look fine in a couple of weeks.”  She was right of course and now I just had to wait and let it grow.

She asked me where I got it cut and I told her it was shop just 3 blocks away from the office on Maple.  She suggested I visit her stylist and I asked her where she got her hair cut.  It was Beauty Salon and I was immediately skeptical on going to a women’s salon.  I told her I’d keep it in mind before my next cut.  Things went along slowly and my hair grows slow, so it looked like I was back in the service for about 3 weeks.  After about 5 weeks, I walked into work and Murelia said to me, “Your hair is starting to look better now!”  She was right.  It took 5 weeks to grow back to look half decent.  She asked if I wanted to try her stylist but I didn’t answer.  I walked away thinking this was not going to be easy.

Finally after 8 weeks I decided I needed to get serious about finding a new barber.  I was over in a different part of town and saw place that looked a bit upscale and new.  I walked up and looked in the window and saw 2 chairs and no one in the place.  I opened the door and out from the back came a lady with short hair and a barber smock on.  My response to her was, “Oh! I thought this was a barbershop!”  She smiled very wryly and said, “It is.  We both are barbers not beauticians.”  The second woman came out and equally as prim and well kept as, Janet, the woman I was talking to.  She politely invited me to come in and have a seat at one to big red leather barber chairs, not salon seats.  I agreed and I said in the big red leather chair and we talked.  I explained what happened and she listened intently as I told her me routine.  She turned me sideways in the chair and looked over my head and said she thought she could do a good job for me.  Being a bit nervous, she put a neck strip around my neck and grabbed a cape and snapped in around my neck tightly.  These actions are times that try men’s souls.  You are putting your head in the hands of person who liked to cut hair.  You never know how you are going to look afterword.  She finally said, “I’m Janet.  I know I can cut your hair the way you want. Don’t get uptight.  You’ll look great when I’m finished.”  That eased my tension a bit for a minute.  She spun the chair around where I couldn’t see what was being done.

The first thing she did was grab a clippers and I heard them click on and the knot in my stomach got tight.  She pushed my head forward and now I really feared the worse.  She explained she was just going to clean up my neck a bit first.  And she trimmed the back of my neck in about 15 seconds.  She then instructed me to relax, she was going to wash my hair.  The bowl was directly behind the chair and she lowered my head into the bowl and used a shampoo and gave me a very relaxing shampoo and rinse.  When she finished she raised the chair and dried my hair partially with a towel.  In was never turned to the mirror to see what was happening, but I enjoyed the effort so far.  After my hair was partially dry she began scissoring my back and the sides.  She simply snipped hairs on both sides to where it came over the top of my ears on both sides.  The top was not that long, since the barber before had taken so much off.  She asked if I liked the length on top.  I remarked that I like it a bit longer and she said that she thought I had to right idea.  She barely touched the top, but cut some off to even out the haircut.  After 35 minutes she was almost finished but didn’t turn me around until she had clipped a bit on both sides and used a razor a bit on the sides to make it lay down, she explained.

When she finally turned me to the mirror, I was astounded.  I was very grateful and it showed on my faced.  I grinned from ear-to-ear.  Her response was, “I guess that means you’re please?”  I said, “Very professional job. Thanks.”  She unsnapped the cape and pulled it away and I got up and walked over to the register and gave her a huge tip and said, “I’ll be back in six weeks, if not sooner.”  She said I may want to come back in 5 to keep it so you don’t look like you’ve been scalped.  I took her advice and came back in 5 weeks because she paid such attention to details.

This routine continued and I never heard from anyone and work, “You got your haircut!”  For over a year this continued and we Janet and I struck up a good rapport.  She was easy to talk to and knew about sports, movies, people and more.

Then my boss, Al, from New York called on a Monday morning and asked if I could be in the home office at the end of the week in New York.  He was a bit coptic about way.  I didn’t press the issue and arranged to be in New York for Friday morning, departing Thursday night late in order to be in the home office early that Friday.

When I arrived at 8:00 A.M., I knew New Yorkers are usually at work by 9.  Al found me in the office and directed me to his office.  We exchanged pleasantries and he told me he had a great opportunity for me.  I asked what he had in mind and he said they needed an office manager in Milwaukee.  I asked if I was being considered and he said that’s why he wanted me to come in.  To discuss my transition to the Milwaukee office.  He spelled out what was a great opportunity and a huge pay increase with bonus and ownership possibilities down the road.  I could hardly contain myself.  All the hard work.  Bringing new clients and making good connection for the past year had not been for naught.  I like Phoenix, but it was not my favorite spot.  When he finally asked if I wanted to go, I said, “Of course, if it can help the firm.”  The deal was struck and I went back to Arizona and proceeded to figure the particulars of moving to cold, snowy Milwaukee.  A bit of a culture shock.  Before I left I went to barbershop and thanked Janet for the great job she did for me.

When I went in she asked what I was doing I was 3 weeks early for my usual cut.  We talked a bit and she said, “You know Leslie, the other barber, has a bit of a crush on you.”  I was surprised.  Leslie made no ovations toward me what so ever and I never would have guessed.  Janet said, “You know when you get your haircut, she sits in the chair next to you and watches.”  I said, “I’m not good at those kind of signals.  I’m, at times, a bit naive.”  Janet asked, “Would you two like to get together before you leave, for one fling?”  I was dumb founded.  I said, “Sure, but it could be a bit awkward.”  Janet said, “I don’t think so.  I think it could be the perfect send off.”  Of course we went out not once but every nigh for a week and enjoyed everything the evenings and nights had to offer.  No strings.  No attachments.  Just a fling.

When I arranged for everything to be shipped to Milwaukee and put in storage until I could find a place to live, I said in an extended stay Hotel for a month or so.  Milwaukee is nothing like Phoenix and a sort of good thing.  I could concentrate on work.  If knew no one in the area.  But, I was the office manager and I had 12 people under me.  I also had a generous expense account to take them out for dinner and drinks to get to know them better.  I was much younger, in my late 20s and some the employees were well into their 50s.  I had to make myself out as a fair, disciplined and even tempered manager.  It came as second nature to me having been a Captain in the military in command of of 180 enlistees of different backgrounds.  I found that there was a bar down from the office where most of the employees would gather several times a week for drinks.  I would go as time permitted and did not want to become a regular, but wanted to join in with the repartee when it happened.

One night I walked in and a lady I had never seen before was talking to one of my employees.  I didn’t interrupt, but after they were finished talking I went over and asked him who that was.  Jimmy Teasdale said, “That’s Kathy Baue!  She works at a competing firm. She is the syndicate coordinator for them.  I’m surprised you haven’t met her.”  I had only gone to 2 syndicate meeting so far, so it wasn’t that hard to believe I hadn’t met her.  She was blond with a petite frame and an engaging smile. She had shoulder length hair that was just formed in a bob.  I walked over and introduced myself and she said, “I’m Kathy Saint.”  Another drinker, who she undoubtedly knew, walked over and they began talking.  I went back over to my fellow employees and talked to them for an hour.  When I was done, I looked to see where this beauty, Kathy, had gone to.  She evidently had left.

Several weeks passed and I went to the same bar about 3 times, but no sign of Kathy.  Time passed and one of members of my crew announced he was buying a new home and needed help moving.  I volunteered to assist him with his relocation.  It was on a Saturday and about 6 of us were helping Tommy move into his new digs.  While we were working one of the guys in the group announced that most of my fellow workers from Phoenix were coming to town next weekend for the syndicate meeting I had been working on for the financing of a project that was a nice feather for me and my efforts at my new job. Tommy asked if we were all going out together.  I said when are they coming in and the plan was.  Tommy said everybody has a date and were going out after the meeting.  I said, “I don’t have a date.”  Tommy asked if I would like to go out with Kathy Saint.  I didn’t hesitate a second and said yes.  So the next week I could hardly contain my nervousness.

It was all arranged the three guys from Phoenix and I were going out and we grabbed a limo to not have to worry about who was driving and drinking.  I went downtown to the Excellisor Hotel were they were staying and the lime was waiting.  Their dates were with them and I jumped in and asked where my date was.  Tommy piped up and said we were going to pick her up at her high rise on the edge of town.  I sat in the limo until we arrived and got out when we arrived at her apartment building. I went to the security desk and it listed all the occupants and the phone system show her name and I pressed the key that rang in her unit.  I said, “Kathy, it’s Tim from here to pick you up.”  She responded, “I’ll be right down.”  She lived on the 12 floor of the building.  When a blonde short-haired female came out of the elevator, I wasn’t sure if it was her.  Her hair was cut in a short pixie and didn’t look past all like I remembered her from the bar.  She saw all of the guys in the limo outside waiting she walked right pass me.  I got somewhat of a stink-eyed look as she walked pass me.  She didn’t remember me.  She jumped in the limo and they left.  I could see them all laughing as they went and I waved bye.  The limo went around the block and they returned to pick me up.  I got in and Kathy was laughing with the rest of them.

We all went out and got hammered until about 3 AM.  The discussion before we departed was let’s have brunch tomorrow at the hotel where they were staying.  Kathy and I had a wonderful time and agreed to meet at the hotel.  There was quite a surprise when we showed up wearing the same clothes as the night before.

Kathy and I were inseparable for months.  I really enjoyed her company and the relationship grew in the next few months.  We talked about many things, but hair was not a big part of our relationship.  She was letting her pixie grow out and it was just a natural progression.  She explained she had gone on a trip to a Mexican resort and it was so hot, she chopped off her hair, because it was so hot just before we met.

Nine months later we were married and married and I thought I had my soulmate.  Then, about 6 months had gone by and my boss, Al, had called and asked me to come to New York for a meeting.  I told him I’d be there directly.  I arrived early and he told me about another promotion the firm had in mind for me.  This time it was the district manager in my home town of Tulsa.  I would be charge of the 4 midwest offices. Of course it meant a lot more money and greater opportunity.  This time, I could not respond immediately and explained I would have to talk it over with my new bride. Al completely understood and told me to call him the next week with my decision.  He knew what the answer would be and said, he’d wait to hear from me.

Kathy and I were engaged in all the issues of the move and it’s possibilities.  She was concerned about returning home to see her mother and father on a timely basis.  But I insured her we could make time for that and we accepted to new position.

l felt that being in my hometown was a huge advantage and I could prosper from.  We found a nice starter home that was in a family oriented neighborhood not too far from my downtown office.  We settled in and began our adventure together.  But as with every move, there is always issues of doctors, dentists, lawyers, churches and of course barbers and beauticians.  I knew of a barbershop about a mile from the office that had a reputation in the area as a good place for guys.  It was run by an Italian guy named Gino.  He had three chairs with 3 barbers.  There were two women barberettes, Lynn-1 and Lynn-2 and Gino in the chair  between them.  I think that was to keep them from killing each other.  The shop was open Tuesday thru Saturday until 5:30 except on Saturdays when it was open 9 to 4.  On Saturdays it was first come, first serve.  I decided to arrive on a Saturday and wait.  I wait about 30 minutes because there were so many clients.  It was a typical barbershop and I watched as ever client got into a respective chair and was groomed.  It came time for me and I jumped into the next available opening with Lynn-1.  She had a brown bowl cut and seemed to be very serious about her work.  I sat down and she caped me and put a strip around my neck.  She asked, “What are we doing today?”  I responded thet I liked to have my haircut every 5 or 6 weeks and would be a regular client.  She stopped me half way through the explanation and asked what my numbers were.  I was dumb-founded and before I could explain any further I felt my head being pushed down to my chest and a clippers going up the back of my head.  I was turned away from the mirror and felt the clippers about my temple, first on the left and then on the right side.  I was back in Phoenix with the old guy who was simply interested in getting a client in and out in record time.  Lynn-1 was done in about 15 minutes and when she turned me toward the mirror, I was back in the military.  She finished with a warm neck shave and evened my sideburns in the same manner.  I got up paid her and started walking out.  I saw a friend, Jerry Osborn, as I was leaving the shop.  He was coming in.  We hadn’t seen each other in years and we struck up a conversation outside.  His first remark to was, “You went to Lynn-1?”  I responded I had and I asked him how he knew.  He said, “She has an attitude.  And it’s not good.”  He recommended if I came back to go the petite blond, Lynn-2.  He said, “She will listen and cut your hair the way you want. I’ve been going to her for years and she’s good.”

I went home and Kathy just started laughing when I walked in the back door.  She poked at me, “Where did you go for that haircut?”  I told her the whole story and she said what every person says to a buy who gets buzzed, “It’ll grow back.”

For Kathy, she was not fastidious about every hair being in place, but no matter how she had it cut, she always looked good.  She had a face that could let her get away with almost any style and look awesome.  I hated her for it.  She was always looking good.  Short hair, long hair, a bob, a bowl cut made her look like a starlet.  She had gone to several different stylist until to settled on a woman who made her look great.  After my experience with Lynn-1, I went back 8 weeks later and had Lynn-2 cut my hair.   Jerry was right she knew what she was doing and would listen.

On one Saturday, Lynn-2 and I were talking on a particular crowded Saturday and she offered that she could spend a few more minutes and not rush the haircut if I made an appointment during the week, because they accepted reservations during the week.  I figured I could sneak away at lunch time and get my haircut when possible to let her be a bit more precise with the cut.  This worked out well for about 4 months.  One Wednesday at noon, she was cutting my hair and said she was pregnant with her second child and would be taking an extended maternity leave…..6 months.  And when she came back, she would only be working 3 days a week.  I was now faced with a new obstacle.  Do I fight with Lynn-1 or find another place to get my haircut.  I opted for the later and decided in the next 5 weeks to find a new shop.  One day after work I stopped in the local watering hole and ran into Jerry again.  We exchanged pleasantries and the subject came up about Lynn-2 and her extended maternity leave.  Jimmy said he was not going back and recommended a shop in a hotel downtown where he was told it was a first class place with all women in the shop.  I asked if he had gone there yet and he said later that week he had an appointment.  He gave me their website and said you can only book online.  I looked at the website but didn’t book an appointment since I wasn’t sure if I’d go there.  I was hoping I would run into Jerry after he went and see what he thought of the place before making a decision.

I decided after 5 weeks to take a chance on the Hotel Barbershop and I just picked a time, 5:20, and picked a barberette, Mia.  I had no idea what to expect.  It was Tuesday and I picked Thursday for the cut.  I told Kathy about Lynn quitting for maternity and said I was going to try this new place that Jerry had recommended. She politely asked if I would want to try her stylist, but I politely declined.  I said I knew she always looked great, but I had always had an aversion to Beauty Salons because of the atmosphere was so much different than a barbershop.  She didn’t insist but said if I changed lay mind, she’s tell her gal to do a good job for me.

When I arrived at the barbershop, I was surprised how busy they were.  There were four women all working and they were all very attractive and dressed nicely in black button up smocks.  Mia was a tall blond with short well kept hair who I judged to be in her late 40s.  She had an foreign accent but was not difficult to communicate with.  She had me come back to her station and chair where she had me sit down and proceed to ask questions about what I wanted to do.  She spent about 5 minutes asking me questions and then turned me around in the chair twice to look at my head of hair.  I felt like a lamb being lead to the slaughter, but soon found out she was just being thorough in her evaluation.  She turned me away from the mirror and put a neck strip around my neck and then caped me tight with a striped barber’s cape.  She pushed my head forward and again I feared the worse.  But she assured me she was just going to clipper the back to make it even.  She then activated a unique barber chair that raised up and the back went back and I found myself in the shampoo bowl to wash my hair.  She gently but firmly shampooed my hair and towel dried it after raising the back to the upright position.  She kept me turned away from the mirror and I couldn’t see anything she was doing.  She took a pair of scissors and proceeded to grab lengths of hair with her fingers and snipped small amounts hair.  First in the back, then moving to the left side of my head and then over to the right side.  She would the chair with her hips to the right and left as she clipped my hair.  When she started to clip the top of my head, she lowered the chair to its lowest point and stood over me her ample breasts right in my eyesight.  We started to talk about her past and she explained she came from the Ukraine and her husband had been a diplomat but left to work for an oil company in Oklahoma.  She asked about my past and I told her about my military, business moves and return to my home town.  She was easy to talk with even given her cute accent.  I quickly learned to trust her and felt very comfortable.  In about 30 minutes she had finished and took a hair dryer to comb my hair into place and then turned me around to see myself in the mirror for the first time.  I was pleased to say the least.  She understood that I was interested in making appointments every 5 weeks and the look I wanted.  I got up from the chair and we walked to the desk where I paid her and gave her a generous tip.  I told her I would make another appointment in 5 weeks and she said, “I’m looking forward to you as a regular client.”

When I got home Kathy was all smiles.  She said, “I think you’ve found a winner!”  I agreed and that night we made passionate love, which had become a hallmark of what we did when she got her hair done.  She always surprised me and got her hair cut in the evening and we would go out to diner and go home and have fun.  She wasn’t the type of woman who minded getting sloppy to have a good time.

Five weeks went by quickly and I found myself back in Mia’s chair for what I hoped would be a repeat of the last cut.  I walked in again about 5:20 and Mia said hello and I didn’t have to remind her of how to cut my hair.  Her memory was good and she emphasized what I told her from the last visit.  The shop was not as busy but another client was just being finished by one of the barrette.  A lady with a very close crop came in and announced she was Kelli and she had an appointment at 5:40 with Ella, the manager.  Two of the barberettes walked over to her and explained they did not cut women’s hair in the shop.  Since her name was non-gender it was under stable the confusion.  They ladies said they had an agreement with the Salon in the hotel not to cut women’s hair and the salon would not cut mens’ hair.  The ruckus lasted a few minutes as Mia and I listened in to the melee.  Mia said if she had been selected, she would have told Kelli to come back for the last appointment of the day at 7:40 and she could have cut her hair.  Kelli explained she was in town on business and needed it trimmed for a morning meeting.  Mia told me she used to cut women’s hair went she owned her own shop in the Ukraine.  She said the problem is basically it just takes more time.  When she told me about the last appointment at 7:40, it gave me a good idea for the next appointment.

Again when I went home Kathy was all smiles about the cut.  We had another great evening that lasted until late into the morning hours.

In 5 weeks I made another appointment and this time made it for 7:40.  I thought Mia would spend more time and do an even better job if that was possible.  She was very easy to talk to and certainly easy on the eyes.  Our conversations went from classical music to politics to even women’s fashion.  She not only gave me a great haircut, but took out a hand massager and used it on my neck and back after the cut was over.  I figured correctly about that last appointment time.

Kathy asked how it was later and I explained that was the only time she had left for the five week interval.  Again we had a glorious time in the playroom, our bedroom, that night.

Five week went by and I found myself back in Mia’s chair at 7:40.  No one else was in the shop and I asked if business was slow or if she planned this beforehand.  She said, “No.  Everyone was gone for the day.  I was the last appointment.”  The routine started as all the others.  She walked me back to her station and put a neck strip around my neck and caped me tightly.  She raised to chair and it automatically had me with my head in the shampoo bowl.  She stood the chair up straight and instead of towel drying my hair, she used a hair dryer to completely dry my locks.  She said before she got started that she had been thinking about me for the past two weeks.  I felt a bit uneasy about the statement.  The next thing I knew she had me turned away from the mirror and pushed my head forward to my chest, but this time she took a clippers that weren’t just for trimming.  She grabbed the top of head firmly and pushed to clippers quickly from my nape up to the top of my head, followed by another pass.  She said in low voice, “I’ve got something I think you’ve really like this time.”

It was too late now.  I had a huge fade in the back and she started in the sides with the same idea in mind.  The whole she was firmly grasping my head so it would not move.  I realized something was up and there was nothing I could do about it.  The cut took well over an hour and she kept me away from my reflection the whole time and she kept clipping, scissoring and clipping.  Nothing I could do but wait until I saw the finished cut.  When it was over the turned me toward the mirror and said positively, “I think you look better this way!”  I was in utter shock.  It was shorter than when I was in the military.  I didn’t look bad, just very different.  All I could utter was, “That’s really short!  Why didn’t you ask me first”?  She responded that I knew you would fight me, so I decided to surprise you. What do you think?”  I responded again, “That’s really short!”  I got up from the chair to go to the desk to pay her.  She looked at me very oddly when we got to the desk, she said, “I didn’t get all the hair off your head from the cut.  Let me shampoo you again and I’ll get all those hairs off your neck and back.”  My response was, “You’re not going to cut more off are you?”  She said, “No.  I’ll just clean you up!”   I agreed because she seemed so sincere.  She went over to the door and locked it and pulled down the shade.  I thought this odd, but went along with what she was doing.  We got back to her station and a new neck strip and cape was in place in a flash.  The chair went up and came to perfect place for shampooing.  She shampooed me and I was momentarily left with my head in the sink.  The next thing I felt shocked me beyond belief.  She reached under the cape and started to undo my pants.  The next thing I new she was kneeling on the step of the chair serving me for the greatest pleasure I’d ever felt.  It was over in about 15 minutes because I climaxed rather quickly.  I couldn’t say a thing.  She sat me up and dried my hair and asked, “Now, wasn’t that worth the haircut?”  I could hardly respond.  My mind was swimming from what just happened.  We didn’t say much.  I went to the front and paid her huge tip and started for the door that Mia had to unlock.  When we both arrived at the door, she grabbed me and put a huge kiss on me and said, “I’m looking forward to 5 weeks from tonight when you get the 7:40 appointment again.”

I realized I had to find a new place to get my hair cut for two serious reasons.

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