Los Robles, TX: A town gone bald

3^rd of July and the heat in Southern USA was already unbearable. Temperatures reached 113 F (45º C), worsened by the hot wind. Going out during daytime felt like a suicide mission, and the crops of that summer seemed lost without any remedy. One of the towns that suffered such scorching heat was the small town of Los Robles, in the west of Texas. One of the main families in Los Robles was the Cobb family, formed by William and Emily Cobb and their children, Fred (age 21) and Sarah (age 18). In the morning of said 3^rd of July, Emily and Sarah were at home, preparing food for the 4^th of July celebrations. Meanwhile, William and Fred had gone out, along with other men, to prepare the fireworks for that special night. At noon, both mom and daughter took a rest: the torrid weather was exhausting them.

“Summer has just started and I’m sick of it already. It’s damn hot!” said a visibly upset Sarah.

“I’m done too, honey, but complaining won’t make it cooler”, replied Emily, distressed.

“Shall we have another ice cream cone?”

“No more ice cream for the day, Sarah, or we’ll get fat”. Emily noticed that her daughter wouldn’t stop pulling her hair away from her face. “Maybe a haircut would make you feel better”.

“Nice joke, mom”, said Sarah in an ironic tone.

“I’m dead serious, darling. You’re touching it every minute, it’s clearly a bother for you. You might like a short haircut…”

Sarah’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe her mom had just suggested her to cut off her beloved mane.

“It’s definitely a joke. It’s true that it’s very hot, and dry because of the heat, but you know I love my hair”.

Apart from her beautiful face and her pretty hazel eyes, the Cobbs’ youngest member had been blessed with luscious, wavy red hair that reached her navel. She took great pride on her mane and obsessively took care of it. That red hair was a genetic inheritance from her mom.

At age 46, Emily was a real mature hottie with sweet facial features and pretty hazel eyes, similar to her daughter, and a well-shaped body with curves in the right places, despite the two pregnancies. Those curves included her round breasts, a feature that young Sarah had also inherited. As opposed to her daughter’s wild mane, Emily kept her red locks to her armpits, adorned with some bangs.

“I know you love it, honey, but it’s a good idea. It actually could be good for me as well, if I’m going to spend lotta time in the kitchen”, said Emily, trying to comfort Sarah. The Cobb mom suddenly snapped her fingers. “Honey, we’ll have haircuts together”.

“I don’t agree, but I don’t think I can get out of it”, said a resigned Sarah. “Do you think Rosie could fit us in this afternoon?”. Rosie was the town’s only hairdresser and barber.

“Rosie’s gone on holiday to Florida. The salon is closed”.

“FUCKING SHIT. When will it be open?”, asked Sarah, furious.

“Watch your language, missy. Rosie will be back in August”, said Emily.

“That’s awful. What are the women in town doing with her hair?”, asked Sarah.

“They do their hair or cut it by themselves. Some of them, such as Mrs. Hertford, have cut it all off”.

Sarah’s jaw dropped again. “WHAT? You’re telling me Jennifer’s mom has cut off her hair?”.

“Yes, and so have done your friend Jennifer and her sister. They have buzzcuts now”. Emily took her cellphone and showed her daughter a photo of Barbara Hertford, Jennifer and Talia (Jennifer’s younger sister): the three smiley women sported #3 buzzcuts. Sarah was impacted by the sight of the Hertford women stripped of their brown manes.

“I admit they look great and they must feel really cool, but it’s nuts”.

Sarah’s phone rang. She almost fainted after seeing the message.

“Good lord, mum. Look what Colleen and her mom have done!”. Emily smiled at the sight: Colleen Hager and her mom, a woman the age of Emily, had a flat top haircut: that is, sides and back completely shaved and the top buzzed down to a #2, just like a freshly shorn soldier. Another photo showed the remnants of her beautiful blonde manes, formerly reaching their mid-backs and now forming a mound on the floor. Like the Hertfords, the Hager women were smiling.

“See it, honey? They’re all getting haircuts. And we’ll do it too. Actually, we’ll go a step further. We’re gonna get zero buzzcuts”.

Sarah sighed. “You win, mom. Who goes first?”

“I think we’d better start with you”.

They entered the bathroom and Emily took a pair of clippers out of a drawer. A pair of big, black old clippers.

“Here it is, your dad’s old clippers. I think they still work just as fine”. Emily took a stool and put it in front of the mirror. “Sit down, honey”.

A trembling Sarah sat down on the stool, her face full of doubt about her mom’s wacky idea. The oldest Cobb woman tried to calm her with a tight hug and a maternal kiss on the cheek.

“Relax, my girl. You’ll look gorgeous, and you’ll be cool at once. Two birds with a rock!”, said Emily while caping her.

“If we need to do it to get away from the damn heat, do it.”. She took some locks with her fingers and looked at them with melancholy, as if it was a farewell.

Emily turned on the guardless clippers and made a first pass right down the middle of her daughter’s head. The clippers worked their way through Sarah’s hair without a single hitch, mercilessly severing her red waves and leaving behind a stark white line that reached all the way to the crown of her head. Emily repeated the process several times until the top of Sarah’s head was completely void of hair (except for fine stubble), revealing skin of an intense white color. Sarah couldn’t take her eyes off the mirror, and gentle tears began to well up in her eyes, which her mother took care to dry. She turned off the clippers and gave her a big hug.

“My hair, my beautiful hair… I’m going to look fugly. What will people say when they see me bald?”

“Don’t say that, sweetie. You’ll look fantastic. And besides, every woman in town is doing this. We won’t be freaks”.

After a few minutes, a much calmer Sarah told her mother to continue. Emily turned the clippers back on and ran them along the right side of her head. Long, ginger strands of hair piled up on the cape and on the floor. As her hair disappeared from her scalp, Sarah’s serious expression gave way to a small smile.

After she had sheared her daughter’s last locks, Emily turned off the clippers. Little Sarah had been buzzed down to a #0: only a faint reddish stubble separated her from complete baldness. Sarah smiled as she stroked her freshly shaved head. Her new look accentuated her sweet features and beautiful eyes, making her a truly beautiful girl. She wasn’t any more or less pretty— it was just a different kind of beauty.

“Mmmmh, it feels great… You were right, mommy, I look gorgeous! I feel like a brand new woman, and I’m not so hot anymore”, Sarah said with great delight.

“Of course you do, sweetheart. It looks amazing on you, and you’ll be so much more comfortable without all that hair.”

Emily kissed her daughter on the cheek, after which she proceeded to take some selfies, showing off her new look. She took off the cape, and all her former locks fell to the bathroom floor, forming a huge red carpet.

“My friends are going to be SHOOK. Thanks for this, mommy. I love you.”

“I love you too, my girl”. Mother and daughter embraced each other tightly. “Sweetie, it’s my turn”. Emily sat down and Sarah caped her.

“Well mom, are you ready to be an egghead?”, said a smiley Sarah.

“Ready as fuck”, answered her mother.

“Watch that potty mouth”, Sarah said, making them laugh.

Sarah turned on the clippers, their humming filling the entire bathroom. Just as her mother had done before, she lifted her bangs away from her face and began running the clippers from the center of her forehead to her crown. The young lady continued to run the clippers over her mother’s head, whose pale scalp was gradually being revealed. Emily was breathing heavily, visibly nervous.

“Everything OK, mom?”

“It’s okay, honey. It’s just that this is so crazy, I still can’t believe it.”

“Remember, it was your idea. Don’t worry, Mom, you’re going to look FA-BU-LOUS.”

Meanwhile, Sarah kept shearing her mommy’s long, red waves, blending in with the remnants of Sarah’s former crowning glory. The smiley girls couldn’t take their eyes off the mirror.

After a few minutes, even though there was no hair left to buzz, Sarah ran the clippers over her mother’s head one last time. Once she was done, she turned off the clippers, and they both burst out laughing. Just like her daughter, Emily now only had a tiny reddish shadow where her enviable hair had once been. The absence of hair accentuated her Southern beauty and exposed a perfectly round skull, ideal for a shaved head. After she took off the cape and stood up, long strands fell to the floor, which was completely dyed red.

“WOW. I FREAKING LOVE IT,” Emily said in excitement as she examined her freshly buzzed scalp. “We look spectacular, it looks fucking awesome. And like you said, it feels great to touch.”

“Of course, mommy. You had the best idea!” Sarah walked towards her mother and gave her a tight hug. “I’m already starting to feel cooler, ya know.”

“Me too, sweetie pie. Come on, grab the broom and sweep up this stupid hair.”

The youngest of the Cobbs obeyed her mother and swept up what had once been her manes in several passes. When she gathered all the hair together, the pile reached past her ankles. Once gathered, Sarah threw all the hair in the trash without even looking at it, as if mother and daughter hadn’t spent years growing and pampering those radiant mops of red hair that attracted so many admiring glances and that, in a matter of minutes, had been severed.

“Dear hair: FUCK OFF. You belong to the trash now”, said Sarah with a chuckle.

“Missy, watch your language! I agree though, that’s a good place for hair. I think we found the perfect summer cut.”

“You’re goddamn right. Come on, we have to capture this moment.” Mother and daughter took all sorts of photos, from selfies to photos posing like models, proudly showing off their freshly shaved heads. Next, they brushed a few stray hairs off their heads, bodies, and clothes: a flowery sundress in Emily’s case, and in Sarah’s case, a low-cut white tank top and tiny denim shorts that didn’t even fully cover her ass.

“My friends are going to freak out. Hey, should we send some photos to Dad and Fred?” Sarah said with a giggle.

“No, sweetie. It’s better if it’s a surprise,” her mother said with a mischievous smile. “Let’s take a shower first—these tiny hairs are so annoying. Get everything ready while I turn off the stove.”

“Kay, mom”.

Before getting undressed, Sarah put the razor away in the closet and something caught her eye. It was her father’s shaving kit: a can of shaving cream and a brand-new Gillette Fusion, still in its packaging, along with some other razors An idea crossed her mind. She looked at herself in the mirror and stood there for a few seconds, lost in thought, examining her shaved head. Her mother walked in and interrupted her thoughts.

“Sarah, what are you doing? Why haven’t you turned on the hot water?”

“Mom, I’ve got an idea,” said her daughter, showing her the Gillette razor and the can of shaving cream. “What do you think about us shaving our heads completely? You know, completely bald, like eggs.”

“Are you for real? You, that didn’t want to do this? I don’t know… Well, looks like a plan. I don’t think it’ll make that much of a difference. We’ll do it in the shower. Turn on the water, honey.”

Sarah turned on the water, and both Cobb women took off their clothes, which they put in the laundry basket. Sarah was surprised to see her mother undressing at the same time as she did.

“Mom, why are you getting naked? I was supposed to go first…”

“I think we’ll take a shower together and help each other shave. And we’ll save water, right?” Sarah nodded.

Mother and daughter stepped into the bathtub, razor and bottle of shaving cream in hand, and stood under the running shower. The hot water fell on their heads and their sculptural bodies, making hundreds of tiny hairs fall onto the tile floor. They turned off the shower, and Emily poured a generous amount of lather onto Sarah’s head, which she spread with her hand. The young lady did the same to her mother’s head.

“OK mom, you’ll go first. Ready?”

“Let’s fucking do this”, Emily answered.

Sarah took the Gillette razor and made a first pass from her mother’s crown to her forehead, against the grain. She repeated this several times, rinsing the blade between passes. The Gillette razor removed the foam and the stubble from Emily’s head, leaving only smooth, white skin in its wake. Emily kept her eyes closed and smiled as her teenage daughter glided the blade over her scalp. When Sarah was done with the frontal part, Emily turned around, allowing her daughter to shave the back and the sides of her head.

After a few minutes, Sarah put down the razor and admired her work: a flawless shave, with no cuts at all. Emily, who was now completely bald, brought her hands to her freshly shaved head and gently stroked it.

“Mmmmm, so smooth… There’s no hair at all.”

“That’s right, mom. You’re as bald as a baby’s butt.” They both laughed. “But you look gorgeous.”

“Thank you, honey. Come here, it’s your turn.”

It was time for Emily to take the razor. She gripped it firmly and repeated the steps her daughter had taken earlier: shaving against the grain on the top, sides and back of the head, in that order. The two of them were giggling uncontrollably during the shaving process.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this. How do you think Dad will react? You know he loves your hair,” Sarah asked.

“I know, honey. He’ll be shocked, but he’ll have to get used to it,” Emily replied with a chuckle.

Emily set the razor aside and rinsed Sarah’s head. She was now just as bald as her mother, who had given her a perfect shave. Sarah brought her hands to her head and stroked it tenderly.

“Mommy, I really love this, it’s so smooth and silky…”

Emily put down the razor, and both Cobb women washed their bodies. Afterward, they stepped out of the shower and looked at themselves in the mirror. They couldn’t help but laugh at what they saw: where their long hair had once been, there was now only pale skin. Not a single strand of hair remained to hide the gleaming whiteness of their smooth scalps. And the truth was, being bald suited them perfectly.

“Woooow, Mom. We’re absolutely bald. But I love it—we look gorgeous,” Sarah said, amazed.

“Of course we do. Especially you, sweetheart,” Emily said, placing an affectionate kiss on her freshly shaved head. Sarah returned the kiss.

Before getting dressed, they rubbed moisturizing lotion all over their bodies, including their shiny chrome-domes. They put on clean clothes and went back to their chores in the kitchen, feeling cooler and happier. Their phones wouldn’t stop ringing: the people they’d sent photos of their new look to were blown away. Everyone had the same thing to say: that they were both brave and that baldness suited them perfectly.

Around lunchtime, the door opened: William and Fred had already finished the job. Mother and daughter exchanged playful smiles and waited for them in the kitchen.

“Come here, boys, we have a surprise,” Emily said in a sing-song voice.

As soon as they stepped into the room, both Cobb men were left speechless and dumbfounded at the sight of Emily and Sarah’s bare, pale scalps. The most stunned of the two was William, who had always been a great admirer of his wife’s red mane. The two baldies looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

“What the hell? Where did your hair go?” Fred Cobb managed to say, almost stuttering.

“We were hot, dear brother. And since Rosie’s on vacation, we sent our hair on vacation too,” her sister said with a laugh. “If you’re looking for it, it’s in the bathroom trash can.”

“Let’s just say we’re not the only women in town who’ve had a big haircut. However, we’re the ones who’ve come the farthest,” said Emily, trying to comfort her husband and her eldest son.

William still couldn’t believe it. “Emily, this is insane. What are you going to do until it grows back? Besides, you know I love your gorgeous hair…”

“I know you adored it, but it’s my hair, and I was sick of it,” his wife cut him off in a serious tone. “Will, get used to it because we plan on staying bald all summer. Once the heat goes away, we’ll let it grow out… or maybe not,” Emily said with a mischievous smile.

“Mom, it’s a shocker. But to be honest, you both look gorgeous,” said Fred. His mother and sister hugged him and placed his hands on their bald heads. The boy was amazed. “Wow, they’re really smooth.”

“You’re absolutely right, Fred. They look gorgeous.” The Cobb’s father joined in the hug and kissed his wife effusively. “I love you, my little baldies. The fireworks aren’t going to be the brightest thing around tomorrow,” he said before affectionately kissing the bald heads of his wife and daughter.

Sarah checked her phone and let out a giggle. “Mom, Jennifer just called me. She asked if we could give her, Talia, and her mom a bald shave. They say we’ve made them jealous.”

Emily laughed out loud. “Tell them we’re heading over there this very afternoon. Looks like we won’t be the only cue balls in Los Robles.”

During lunch, the Cobb women described the entire process of buzzing and shaving their hair to the men, who listened closely. Little by little, William came to terms with the idea that his wife would be bald for quite some time, and he recovered from the initial shock. That very afternoon, Emily and Sarah went over to the Hertfords’ house. Mother and daughter, armed with a pair of clippers and a razor, made the three Hertford women completely bald.

That night, both of them went to bed early: it had been a very intense day, and the next day was the 4th of July.

The night of the 4th of July arrived, and the Cobb women put on their best dresses. Before getting dressed, they decided to shave again, this time with the help of the men of the house. That night, the whole town expressed their admiration for the Cobb women’s courage and for how much their new look suited them. That was the final motivation for Emily and Sarah Cobb to keep their heads shaved to the skin throughout that sweltering summer. They weren’t the only ones to opt for a full headshave: several women in town, following the Hertfords’ lead, asked the Cobbs to shave their heads—or shaved them themselves.

That was the case with Rosie, the town hairdresser. When she returned from holidays at the end of July, she couldn’t believe her eyes: almost all the women in Los Robles were as bald as a dozen of eggs!. This turned out to be quite profitable for her, since many women went to her salon to have their buzzcuts or shaves touched up. One good day, Rosie herself decided to get rid of her signature bob haircut and emulate the look that most of the women in town sported now.

Word of mouth did its job, and the curious trend that had emerged in Los Robles made it onto state television. In mid-August, a news crew went there to cover the phenomenon. During the news report, the local women explained the reasons behind their decision and all the benefits and conveniences of being bald. The report included two live headshaves: first, Emily Cobb re-shaved Jennifer Hertford’s head. And then, the reporter—a beautiful woman in her thirties with long, well-groomed blonde highlights—asked a surprised Rosie to shave her head as well. The hairdresser didn’t refuse, and the reporter left town with a completely smooth dome, but also a fond memory.

Summer passed by and the women of Los Robles went different ways: some of them grew their hair out again, while some others, like Emily and Sarah Cobb, had decided to keep buzzed or fully shaved.

One thing is for sure: no one in Los Robles will ever forget that summer. The summer that the town —or its women, at least— went bald.

THE END