barbers friend
Laura – The Business Model
(translated with Google)
(Some of you already know Laura. The stories: Selina, Laura, Laura – The Beginning)
Laura arrives at the library on time, as usual.
Miss Worsley isn’t there, but her deputy, Mrs. Cohn, is.
“Where’s Miss Worsley?” Laura asks with an innocent expression.
“Miss Worsley is unfortunately out sick indefinitely.”
“What’s wrong with her?” “Her nerves.”
“Her nerves? Poor thing. What happened?”
“Apparently, she suddenly stormed into a hair salon and had her head shaved.”
Mrs. Cohn looks away to hide her gleeful grin.
But a week later, Miss Worsley is back in the library.
Instead of a black bun, she is wearing a black wig—medium-length with bangs. “That really suits you,” Mrs. Cohn remarks as well.
Two days later, the old woman reappears. Laura follows her.
“My dear, that was practically a masterstroke. Congratulations.”
“Who are you?” “Me? I’m just an old witch; I do good and I do evil.”
She smiles. “And now you’re a witch, too.”
Another three weeks later.
Melly writes:
“I absolutely have to see you! Something incredible has happened.”
The two of them meet at their favorite café.
“That Sarah—Marc’s boss—came into the salon and had Marc give her a buzz cut.” “A buzz cut?” Melly nods.
“Can you imagine? All her hair shaved down to 3 mm!”
“And she loudly ordered Marc to do it when he initially refused.”
Laura just grins. “Why are you grinning?”
“Oh, I think that’s just like her. The way she messed up my mother’s hair.”
Laura quickly changes the subject.
“Marc really ought to cut your bangs again. You can barely see a thing.”
“Your bangs could use a trim just as much, though.
And while he’s at it, he might as well shorten the length all around.”
As Marc cuts her hair, Laura asks:
“How did you actually do it?” “Do what?”
“Shave your boss’s hair.” Marc grins.
“It’s simple: brush everything back, then run the clippers from front to back—strip by strip. But you need a heavy-duty clipper, not some cheap model.
The good ones go through hair like a knife through butter. Then do the sides, working back to behind the ears. For the back of the head, tilt the head well forward, lift the hair at the nape of the neck, and clip upwards from the neck. After that, go over the head repeatedly in all directions until everything is trimmed to the same length. It’s actually pretty easy. And with a good clipper, you’re done in fifteen minutes.”
It’s Laura’s turn to cut. Marc has just thought of something else.
“If you want a really clean finish, you’ll need a small trimmer for the outlines. You can use it to go around the ears and get a straight line at the nape of the neck. It’ll look like a shave.”
At home, Laura opens her laptop.
After an hour of research, she places her order.
A few days later, a woman rings her doorbell and hands over a package.
Laura carefully checks the contents on the kitchen table.
“A courier? Not a bad idea,” she murmurs.
A woman in blue overalls, with shoulder-length black hair and large dark glasses, rings the doorbell of a bungalow.
She is holding a large, apparently heavy package with both hands.
A woman with a magnificent mane of red curls opens the door.
“I have a package here for Mr. Thornton.”
“That’s my husband, but he’s still at the office.”
“It’s heavy; I’ll carry it into the kitchen for you.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“Ouch, I’ve just trapped my finger. Take a look.”
Half an hour later, Mrs. Thornton is sitting on her kitchen chair with a 3mm buzz cut. The floor around her is barely visible; a mountain of red curls is piled up all around her. Next, the trimmer is used to clear the area generously around her large ears and to shave the hairline at the nape of her neck up to the level of the mid-ear. A sheet of black paper is held up in front of Mrs. Thornton’s eyes, and she subsequently signs a letter.
“I am sorry; the last rent increase was incorrect.
Naturally, I will immediately refund the excess rent you have paid so far.”
Melly writes:
“I absolutely have to meet you. Tomorrow at 6:30 PM, Jack’s Bar!”
Not at the café. No question mark—an exclamation mark instead.
When Laura arrives, Melly is already sitting at a small table with two glasses of beer in front of her. “What’s so important?” “Sit down!”
“Miss Worthley is getting her head shaved bald!
She forced you to have your hair cut off.
Sarah is getting a 3mm buzz cut!
She’s the one who made your mother get that awful haircut.”
“And look here!” Melly places a newspaper on the table.
Headline: Successful Real Estate Entrepreneur Almost Shaved Bald!
Accompanying it are two photos: before and after.
“That’s your landlady! What do you have to do with this? Don’t lie to me!”
Laura looks down, embarrassed.
“I have a special gift,” she says quietly.
“What kind of gift?” A deep swig of beer.
“I could go over to the bank and tell the woman at the counter,
‘I’d like $25,000.’ She’d do it.”
“And why don’t you?”
“The woman would lose her job and wouldn’t even know why.”
Melly leans back. The waiter is just passing by.
“Is everything okay, ladies?”
“Please bring us two whiskies.”
“And what about Marc back then? I told you I would never dare to tell him.
And you were with me just before that.”
Laura grins now and shrugs, feigning innocence.
“You brat!” Melly picks up her glass and clinks it with Laura’s.
“Thanks.”
“Two whiskies—make them doubles,” Melly orders.
Several minutes of silence.
“Do you know the darknet?” Melly asks.
Laura shakes her head. Melly briefly explains it to her.
“We could set up a website. You’d get paid assignments.
And only you decide which ones to accept or turn down.”
“A business plan?” Melly nods.
“Marc and I would handle that and get 20% of the earnings.”
Now Laura orders two double whiskies.
“And next time, I’m in.”
A business idea is born!
