Enzo
Julia had always loved to cook. She dreamed of one day becoming a chef, and when she turned 18, she came one step closer when she was accepted to the Culinary Institute of Paris. She was very excited, for it was a 2 year course that would have her leaving America and living in Paris on the culinary campus.
On her first day, she met her roommate Becky. Becky was also American and was her age. She was a plus size girl with a short, jet black bob hairstyle, which was a sharp contrast from Julia’s small frame with a shoulder length blonde hair. Although they were different, they got along from the start.
The following day, the girls reported to the first day of class. The instructor introduced herself and gave the girls an overview of what they would learn and what would be expected of them to pass the course. She explained the kitchen must be sanitary at all times. She then gave them hair ties and explained how hair is the biggest contaminant in the kitchen, so when in the kitchen, their hair must be secured in a tight bun at all times. No hair can be hanging out.
The instructor noticed Becky and another girl had short hair. She immediately took the girls out of the room, while telling the others to make their buns.
Julia and the other girls began making their buns. However, Julia struggled, as she never made a bun, and her hair kept falling out. When the instructor came back, she checked Julia’s bun and asked, “Is the best you can do?” As Julia nodded, the instructor then told Julia to come with her.
She walked down a hallway. As she reached a room, she could hear a humming sound. Upon entering the room, she saw Becky sitting in a chair quietly sobbing, as her hair was getting buzzed down to a number 4 buzzcut by a barber. The other girl, who was sitting in a nearby chair, looked worried as she awaited her fate. As the instructor walked in, she said, “I got one more for you”, then motioned Julia to sit next to the girl.
As Julia sat, the humming stopped and the cape was being taken off of Becky as the cape came off it littered the floor with Becky’s jet back hair. When Becky got out of the chair, the barber motioned to the other girl to take a seat.
The other girl nervously got up and made her way to the chair. The girl’s hair was a little bit longer than Becky’s bob, but not as long as Julia’s hair. The barber tied his cape around her neck and picked up the clippers.
Just then, the girl jumped up out of the chair and screamed “NO!” She ripped off the cape and declared “I quit! This isn’t worth it”, then ran out of the room.
The barber, looking confused, then turned to Julia and said, “I guess you’re next, come on up”.
She slowly walked towards the barber and sat in the chair. As the barber tied his cape around her, he could see Julia was scared. He said “Don’t be nervous, it’s just a haircut”. He then ran his fingers through her hair and asked, “You weren’t able to put this in a bun?” Julia nodded her head. The barber then said, “it’s OK, sooner or later, someone looses a hair in the kitchen, then they come to me.”
With that, the barber then picked up his shears and began cutting the bulk of Julia’s hair off. Julia’s eyes began to well up with tears, as she watched tufts of hair slide down the cape. With the bulk removed, he then pushed her head down, until her chin hit her chest. Suddenly, she heard the snap of the clippers come to life. She felt a strange vibration on her neck, and felt it run up the back of her head. With each pass of the clippers, she saw the hair fall down the cape and onto the floor. The barber then pushed her forehead up. Steadying her head with his hand, he ran the clippers down the center of Julia’s head. He continued running them across the top of her head, and down to the sides of her head to her ears. He gave one final pass all over Julia’s head cleaning up any stray hairs and leaving her with a golden velvet buzzcut.
When she was done, Julia walked back to the class and took her seat next to Becky. Some of the other girls in class with their hair in a bun were snickering at the sight of them with her buzzed hair. But it was Julia and Becky who would have the last laugh, for within a few weeks, one by one, the instructor would find a stray hair in the kitchen and send a girl down to the barbershop. At the six month mark of the course, all of the girls in class had buzzcuts, and some, like Julia and Becky, were already getting regular trims, for hair is the biggest contaminant in the kitchen and they needed to practice safety in the kitchen.
