Scissors01
“What are you doing this morning?” Megan’s mother asked as she sat down at the breakfast table on the first Saturday morning of her summer break, wearing a tank top and short shorts.
“Samantha is coming over,” Megan responded. “She texted that she will be over soon after eating her breakfast.”
“I need you to stick around for a bit and not run off. I called Molly our mobile barberette yesterday, and I booked a last minute appointment because your father is in dire need of a haircut and I could use a trim-up as well. It’s also time for your summer haircut as well,” her mother explained.
“But Mom! Do I really have to?” Megan whined while pulling at the ends of her chin length blonde hair. “I’m 14 years old now and besides, Samantha is coming over. I don’t want her to see me getting a short haircut!”
“You know how hot it gets around here in the summertime. It’s why I’ve always instructed the barberette to cut it short. It’s also why I have maintained my short hair style for many years. I will call for you when she gets here.”
Megan pouted and ate her cereal glumly. Her mother could be very strict and at the beginning of every summer for as long as she could remember, had made her get a short summer haircut courtesy of the barberette. Her mother was old-fashioned and always instructed Molly to cut a simple, no-frills style that poor Megan had to live with all summer long. She had really hoped that this year would be different and her mother would let her hair grow out since she was now attending high school. No such luck apparently.
Just as Megan was finishing up her breakfast, her father came into the kitchen to make his first cup of coffee. Megan began one last ditch effort to thwart the upcoming haircut by pleading with her father over the situation, thinking that he could reason with her mother or the barberette on her upcoming haircut.
“Leave me out of it please. You know what your mother is like. There is no sense in trying to change her mind once it is made up. Besides, it will probably be only be a few more years until you can choose your own hair stylist,” her father said.
“This isn’t fair, you always side with her,” Megan whined.
“Megan, just do as you are told for now and your life will be much easier.”
Megan got up quickly and stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs in the direction of her bedroom. She slammed the door and sat down on her bed, tugging at her doomed hair.
A short time later, she heard a car pulling up outside the window. Hoping that it was Samantha’s mom coming to drop her off, she jumped up and peered out the window. Instead it was Molly the barberette, climbing out of the driver’s seat after parking her car in the driveway. She glanced up, saw Megan at the second story window and waved.
Megan turned away and stared at her reflection in the wall mirror. Her pretty blonde hair had finally grown back to her chin after last summer’s chopping. It would soon be sheared away again, leaving her looking like a boy for the entire summer. I hate my mother, she thought sadly. Megan stood there as she raked her fingers through the soft blonde silky locks.
Megan heard the front door slam downstairs and her mother’s excited voice as she welcomed Molly. Megan slowly sat down in front of her dressing table, picked up her brush and began to daydream as she combed through the golden silk. She dreamed that she was a princess in a faraway land and that her hair reached down to her waist. Megan stood on a hillside outside the castle wall, gazing into the sunshine as a gentle breeze ruffled through her long hair. She reached up and touched her sparkling crown, feeling as rich and beautiful as the countryside surrounding her. Her gorgeous hair was basking in the sunlight, cascading down her back, the envy of everyone who knew her.
Suddenly, there was a rapping at the bedroom door that made her jump and her mother’s stern voice commanded, “Megan let’s go, it’s time for your haircut!”
“I will be there soon,” Megan cried out, startled and trying to buy some time.
“No come right now, Molly is finished with both your dad and I and she doesn’t have time to wait!”
“Just a minute,” Megan pleaded nervously.
“You are pushing your luck young lady, if you don’t come now, you might as well be grounded for an entire week! No playing with Samantha and no fun for you. Let’s go right now, I’m not telling you again!” her mother added crossly.
“Fine, I’m coming right now,” Megan pouted as she stomped over to the door and threw it opened to find her mother standing with her hands on her hips with a fresh and tidy haircut. The dirty blonde hair was cut cleanly around her ears and shaved around the hairline. The back and sides were tapered, and the top was only few inches long and parted to the side with some gel. Megan thought she always looked very masculine with the hairstyle but was afraid to speak up about it, for fear of causing more trouble for herself in the process.
“I don’t know why you have to be stubborn about this every single year. You act like it’s the end of the world and in the end you always find out that I’m right, it’s much cooler indeed,” Megan’s mother explained as she pulled her ahead and set her marching down the stairs.
As they approached the kitchen, Megan could hear Molly deep in conversation with her father. She entered and both looked in her direction.
“Ahhhh here she is now,” Molly exclaimed as strolled over behind the lone chair in the center of the kitchen and picked up her cape. “I hope you are ready for your haircut, darling,” Molly smiled genuinely. Molly looked as gorgeous as ever. In her mid 30’s, she wore a beautiful floral dress, cut a few inches above the knee to show off her shapely legs.
Molly’s jet black hair was pulled back tightly and tied into a ponytail that shimmered down her back, almost touching her waist. Her Hawaiian ancestry had gifted her a deep copper skintone and her makeup was prestine, right down to the carefully applied eye-liner and lipstick. Molly had plenty of jewelry on including large hoop earings, a necklace and bracklets that added to her exotic nature.
Megan looked around nervously and she slowly took one hesitant step after the other toward Molly and the chair. Meanwhile, her mother took a seat at the kitchen table to watch the unfolding drama. Her father was already occupying another chair while reading the morning newspaper and drinking his cup of coffee.
Megan slowly sank down into the chair, which was surrounded by fine clippings of her mother’s and father’s hair. Molly grasped her shoulder blades and helped her slid back against the backrest as Megan’s hands fidgeted nervously in her lap. Molly quickly threw the cape over Megan and began to tie it around her neck. Molly’s arm jewelry jingled and jangled as she went about her business.
“So am I giving her the usual short pixie cut with a half inch fade around the back and sides and cleaning up the hairline?”
“Yes of course, the usual. Make sure you gel it up nicely and part it on top,” Megan’s mother stated.
“I hate that haircut,” Megan pouted in the chair. Why can’t I get a trim like all the girls my age?”
“Because you still live under our roof,” Megan’s mother said. “And you will abide by our rules. If you cause a scene, I will have Molly cut it even shorter, maybe even shave it off.” That got Megan’s attention for a moment as she sat up straight and glared at her mother.
Molly decided to steer the conversation in a different direction to ease the tension.
“So how is your summer going so far?” Molly asked Megan matter-of-factly, as she stepped over to the counter to select a brush from her bag of supplies.
“It was great, until now,” Megan stated glumly while glaring at her parents. Her parents both shook their heads.
“Now dear, you already know that I will fix you up here in a jiffy and then your hair will be all set for the summer. Your mother does a very smart thing for you with this terrible heat and you look so terrific in short hair. I wish I was able to have short hair, but I have to maintain a good image for my job. I keep my hair long, but I always tie it back in the ponytail for comfort,” Molly explained as she brushed through Megan’s hair making it glisten even more in the kitchen light.
Megan just stared forward, not knowing quite how to respond. Molly had been cutting her hair short for as long as she could remember, and she knew her mother never changed her mind once Megan was seated in the chair. She was starting to get the usual nervous butterflies as the brushing continued.
Megan’s mother crossed her arms and let out a hurumpf as she furrowed her brows and cast a dark glare at Molly, prompting her to move along with the proceedings.
“You have such nice soft hair that I could brush all day and it is a pity to cut it off. But, time is wasting and I better get started,” Molly stated as she gave Megan’s mother a patronizing smile.
Molly set down her brush and picked up her handy scissors and comb. Megan’s heart began racing like it always did before the first snip. Her hands were clenched together under the cape and her fingers were fidgeting nervously as Molly approached the chair facing her.
Molly combed up a nice golden lock right at her forehead, held it tight between her fingers and snipped it off with the sharp hungry scissors. Megan watched helplessly as the lock slid down the cape onto her lap. Molly smiled down at Megan and continued by snipping off another lock and laying it to waste on the cape.
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the front door. “I will get it,” Megan’s mother said as she stood up and disappeared from the room.
The combing and snipping continued in the kitchen as Molly worked on shortening Megan’s hair to about 2 inches in length across the top. Megan sat there glumly as piece after piece of her pretty blonde hair rained down in front of her eyes.
Amid the slicing, a distant conversation from the hallway could be heard. Very soon after the front door was shut, Megan’s mother re-appeared in the kitchen doorway along with her friend Samantha. Samantha gasped as soon as she spotted Megan in the chair recieving her haircut. Her jaw dropped open and a genuine look of pure shock appeared on her face.
Megan’s heart began to beat even faster in her chest as her embarrassment was taking hold. Her friend was witnessing her trapped under the cape while recieving this dreadful haircut. Megan immediately dropped her eyes to the floor in shame and her face turned a bright shade of red.
Molly paused momentarily and turned to see who had come in. The young girl had very long mid-back brown hair that was obviously well cared for and glistened in the kitchen light. She looked very casual in her pink t-shirt and denim cut-off shorts. Molly wondered if she could persuade her to at least get a trim.
“Don’t mind us, Molly,” Megan’s mother insisted as she motioned for Samantha to take a seat at the table. Samantha looked like she wanted to turn around and run out of the house, possibly afraid that the scissors might come after her too.
“Sit dear, it won’t be too much longer,” Megan’s mother patted the seat of the chair next to her.
Samantha inched forward and slowly sat down, still watching with her jaw open as the haircut continued. Now things began to make sense and she understand why Megan had shorter hair when they had first met six months before. For weeks she had pestered Megan about this to no avail.
“Megan is receiving her summer haircut. You should really consider getting yours cut as well,” Megan’s mother stated as she stared at Samantha’s shimmering long brown hair.
“My mother would never allow it, besides I like my hair long,” Samantha explained as she tugged at the ends nervously. She watched Megan reluctantly and could feel her friend’s anxiety churning inside.
Section after section of hair was released as Molly combed and cut around Megan’s head, now working on the back and sides. The pile of discarded hair on the cape continued to grow. Several locks tumbled further to the floor, joining their severed comrades around the chair and blending in with others that were gray and brown.
Megan’s cute ears and pale neck became visible as the hair was sheared off. In due time, the final strand was lopped off at the back and the snipping scissors fell silent. Megan sucked in a deep breath and sighed. She already looked like a boy again and she knew that Molly wasn’t quite finished yet.
Megan dared a glance at her friend, instead seeing her mother’s stern glare. She quickly reverted her eyes back toward her lap, looking at the pile of golden hair. She sadly played with the cape, flipping it up and knocking the pile to the floor.
Molly approached the chair again, this time wielding a pair of hair clippers without a guard and a small comb. Starting at the left side in front of Megan’s exposed ear, she began to create a fade using the comb as a guide.
The loud buzzing of the clippers in her ears and clickity clack against the comb brought Megan to attention as Molly worked carefully. The clippers mowed away at her hair, buzzing the hairline down to almost nothing around the ears.
The angry buzzing continued as Molly drove the clippers up through the nape, like an angry swarm of bees on the loose. She worked away until the fade was complete all the way around. The clippers traced the hairline to create a edge, removing any faint traces of baby hair on Megan’s pale neck.
The clippers were shut off and returned to the kitchen counter as Megan breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that this ordeal was almost over.
Molly returned to the chair with a spray bottle and comb. She began spritzing the shortened locks on top, combing the hair back and forth to ensure that it was wet down to her liking. Megan created a parting on the left side of Megan’s head and combed the hair properly into place.
After selecting another smaller pair of scissors from the counter, Molly began finetuning the hair on top to a proper length. The shortened blonde hair was combed, snipped and recombed back into position as Molly worked her way across Megan’s scalp until she was satisfied that her mother would be pleased.
“How does this look?” Molly asked glancing over toward the table.
“That looks fantastic, can you add the hair gel and sleek it down?” Megan’s mother inquired as she glanced over at her husband for his reaction. Megan’s father seemed totally uninterested in his daughter’s haircut, as he was absorbed in the newspaper. Occasionally he would glance up to observed the progress for a few seconds and then return to the paper.
“Of course,” Molly announced enthusiastically.
Afte retreating to the counter once again, Molly located a bottle of hair gel in her bag. She squirted a nice amount into her palm and rubbed her hands together. Slowly running her hands through Megan’s shortened hair, she massaged the gel in thoroughly.
After the top hair was sleek with gel, Molly took her comb and ran it through, reforming the part on the left side and combing the hair into proper order. Megan just stared straight ahead, knowing that her mother and Samantha were watching and feeling her face growing hot with anxiety. Samantha hadn’t said much since she had arrived and Megan wondered what was going through her friend’s mind.
“It’s perfect,” Megan’s mother said all of a sudden, standing up and inspecting the new haircut. “You always do a wonderful job and Megan looks so tidy with this hairstyle. I wish we could get you more often to touch up throughout the year but this is all we can afford right now.”
“It’s quite alright, I’m a busy one person show,” Molly stated as she began to untie the cape and brush Megan off.
Megan was truly embarrassed and just wanted to disappear quickly from the kitchen. She glanced over at Samantha and saw that her face was filled with pity. Megan wished that she had instead come over an hour later and didn’t have to witness this ordeal. Samantha tugged nervously at her own hair as she watched from a short distance away.
As Megan was standing up from the chair on her wobbly legs, her mother turned and saw Samantha playing with strands of her hair. “Well Samantha, what do you think of Megan’s haircut?”
“Well…..its…..uhhh…..it looks ok,” Samantha stammered nervously.
“Great, because you are next in the chair!” Megan’s mother said sternly. “It’s time to finally get rid off all of that long hair you have.”
“No….no way. I told you that my mother would never allow that,” Samantha cried as she stood up suddenly looking for an escape route out of the kitchen. Megan’s mother was already moving quickly to thwart any possible attempts. She wrapped her arms around Samantha and spun her around to march her toward the chair in the center of the kitchen.
“It’s too bad young lady, I already called your mother before you came over to explain the situation and she said it would be fine, you needed your split ends trimmed off. The trouble is, we are going to take advantage of this opportunity right here and give you more of a haircut instead,” Megan’s mother insisted as she forcefully pushed Samantha into the chair and held her down.
Megan stood off to the side, wanting to help her poor friend in need but afraid to intervene. She could see that her mother’s determination would not be thwarted.
As Samantha struggled, Molly gripped her shoulders tightly and told her to stop fighting and to relax, that things would go much smoother. Finally after a short time, Samantha seemed to relax and admit defeat so Molly threw the cape over her as Megan’s mother stepped back.
Megan felt pity for her poor friend as the roles were now suddenly reversed. She stood there nervously waiting to see what would happen to Samantha, her friend for the past six months.
“So what are we going to do?” Molly asked as she pulled the long shiny brown hair out and tied the cape around Samantha’s slender neck.
“Get ready, we are going to give her a no-guard buzzcut with the clippers, right down the middle and get rid of all that hair!” Megan’s mother exclaimed, causing Samantha to burst into tears in the chair.
“No….I don’t want to look like a boy!” Samantha cried out angrily.
“You won’t. In fact, you will look like a very stylish young lady when Molly is done. I will bet anything that you will have boys drooling all over you and you will have to fight them off with a stick!” Megan’s mother explained. “And by the looks of it, Molly certainly has her work cut out for her. You have enough hair for two girls your age.”
Samantha just dropped her head and continued to cry as Molly smiled and began oiling up the clippers to prepare for the upcoming hair massacre.
