Dman
The gravel driveway crunched under the tires of Eunice’s old sedan as she pulled up to Just Hair, the small beauty salon Jackie Gable operated from a converted room off her double-wide trailer. The salon sat nestled in the countryside, a worn-out wooden sign with the words Just Hair painted in faded pink letters hanging from a post near the porch. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows as Eunice cut the engine and turned to her daughter.
Gayle sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her fingers gripping the hem of her sweater. Her waist-length brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends brushing against her lap. She knew why they were here, though she had begged her mother all morning not to go through with it.
“Get out,” Eunice said, flicking the butt of her cigarette out the window. “I don’t wanna hear no more whining.”
Gayle swallowed hard and stepped out of the car, the pit in her stomach growing heavier.
Inside the salon, the smell of perm solution, hair spray, and cigarette smoke clung to the air. A single barber chair sat in the center of the room, its worn-out leather seat cracked from years of use. Large windows allowed a golden glow to stream in, but the lighting inside was dim, casting long shadows along the walls. A well-used workstation stood against one wall, with combs, scissors, clippers, and other tools laid out in a haphazard arrangement.
Jackie Gable, a tall, lean woman with short, dark brown hair, stood behind another teenage girl in the chair. The girl’s shoulders were swallowed by a shiny, rose-colored cape, her head tilted down as Jackie snipped away the last remnants of her once-long locks. The floor around the chair was covered in an inch-thick layer of severed hair—long strands of brown and blonde mixed together, the clear evidence of previous clients’ transformations.
“Be just a minute,” Jackie said around her cigarette, a grin tugging at the corner of her lips as she glanced at Eunice and Gayle. “Why don’t y’all grab a seat and get comfortable?”
Eunice nudged Gayle toward the waiting area, taking a seat herself and immediately lighting another cigarette. Gayle sat with her arms crossed, her heart pounding as she watched Jackie’s hands move with practiced ease, snipping and shaping the other girl’s newly short hair. The girl in the chair remained silent, staring at her own reflection with a mix of shock and resignation.
After a few more finishing touches, Jackie dusted the girl’s neck with a soft brush, unfastened the cape, and gave her a playful slap on the back. “All done, sweetheart. Looks much better.”
The girl slid out of the chair, glancing at the floor where so much of her hair now lay. She hesitated for a moment, swallowing hard before mumbling a quiet “thank you” and leaving with her mother.
Jackie grabbed a worn-out broom from the corner and began sweeping up the massive pile of discarded hair. She took her time, chatting with Eunice as she did.
“So, this the girl you been telling me about?” Jackie asked, gesturing toward Gayle with her broom.
Eunice nodded, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Yep. She’s been runnin’ around with that mess for way too long. It’s time for a change.”
Gayle shrank in her seat, her face heating with humiliation.
Jackie dumped the last of the hair into a bin and propped the broom against the wall. “Well, let’s not waste any time. Come on up here, honey.”
Gayle didn’t move.
Jackie raised a brow and looked at Eunice.
Eunice exhaled sharply. “Get. In. The. Chair.”
Tears stung at Gayle’s eyes as she forced herself to stand. Her legs felt weak as she stepped up to the big, imposing chair and slowly lowered herself onto the seat.
Jackie reached for a fresh paper neck strip and snapped it between her fingers before wrapping it tightly around Gayle’s slender neck. She pulled the large cape from a nearby hook—the same blue one with streaks of white, purple, and yellow. It billowed as she draped it over Gayle, securing it snugly at the back of her neck.
“There we go,” Jackie said, giving the cape a firm tug. She flicked a bit of ash from her cigarette into an old glass ashtray nearby before placing her hands on her hips. “Now, how short we takin’ her, Eunice?”
Gayle’s breath hitched, but her mother didn’t hesitate. “Short. Real short. I want it all gone.”
Jackie grinned and ran a comb through Gayle’s thick hair, separating it into sections. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Gayle let out a strangled whimper as Jackie grabbed a pair of shears and lifted a large section of her hair. Without a second thought, she sliced through it, the heavy lock falling into Gayle’s lap before slipping down the cape onto the floor. The sound of the scissors crunching through her hair sent a shiver down her spine.
“Aw, don’t look so sad,” Jackie teased, cutting another long section and letting it drop. “You’re gonna feel so much lighter.”
Eunice chuckled, exhaling another cloud of smoke. “She’s been hidin’ behind all that hair for too long.”
Gayle bit her lip to keep from crying as more and more of her precious locks tumbled down the cape. Jackie worked efficiently, chopping away until Gayle’s once-waist-length hair was reduced to jagged, uneven layers framing her face.
Then Jackie reached for the clippers.
With a flick of her wrist, the machine roared to life. Gayle’s entire body tensed.
“Head down,” Jackie instructed, pressing a firm hand to the back of Gayle’s head.
Gayle hesitated, but Jackie pushed her chin down anyway and placed the clippers at the nape of her neck.
The first pass sent long strands cascading to the floor.
Eunice grinned, watching as Jackie ran the clippers higher and higher, shearing away every remaining bit of length. Smoke curled from her lips as she shook her head. “Now that’s a proper haircut.”
By the time Jackie finished, Gayle’s hair was reduced to a short pixie cut. Her bare neck felt exposed, her shoulders oddly light. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at her reflection.
Jackie dusted her off, then unclipped the cape with a flourish. “Alright, you’re all set.”
Gayle slowly slid out of the chair, her knees wobbling beneath her. She barely noticed the thick pile of her own hair now littering the floor.
Eunice stood and stretched. “Might as well clean me up while we’re here.”
Jackie smirked. “Take a seat.”
Eunice sat down, and Jackie wrapped a fresh neck strip around her before draping the same blue cape over her shoulders.
“Just a trim?” Jackie asked.
Eunice nodded, tapping her cigarette into the ashtray. “Yeah, just clean it up. Maybe a little shorter in the back.”
Jackie combed through Eunice’s dark hair before taking her shears and snipping a few inches away, shaping the back so it tapered neatly at her nape. She worked quickly, her movements precise, only stopping occasionally to flick ash from her cigarette. Once she was satisfied, she ran a razor along the edges for a crisp finish before dusting Eunice’s neck with a soft brush.
“There. Nice and sharp.” Jackie unfastened the cape and shook it out before helping Eunice up.
Eunice ran a hand through her newly trimmed hair and smirked at Gayle. “See? It ain’t so bad.”
But Gayle didn’t respond. She just stared at the floor where her long locks used to be, knowing she’d never be the same again.
