My aunt’s husband

My name is Rick. I was going to barber school, and we were home because of the quarantine. I have a sister. That evening, my aunt came to visit us, and she had two boys.

She kept saying her children’s hair was getting too long and that they were sweating profusely in the summer heat. She asked me if I could cut their hair.

I said, “Of course, I can,” because it would be a good experience for me.

I said, “Let them come tomorrow morning and I’ll cut all their hair.”

My aunt was happy and said, “It’s up to you to decide what style you choose; I’m not interfering.”

We lived in the same building as my aunts, and they were right downstairs from us.

When the morning came, I woke up early, went to the bathroom, and started getting things ready: a haircut kit, towels, shampoo, and so on. Then the kids arrived. They were in a bad mood, obviously reluctant to come; their mother had forced them to leave.

I asked who would sit first. The older one pushed the younger one away and said, “You go first.”

He forced himself to sit in the chair and asked how I was going to cut it. I said I’d handle it and dismissed it.

I picked up the hair clipper, put on the size 3 attachment, and turned it on. The boy was frightened by the noise of the clipper and was starting to understand what was about to happen.

I ignored it and started running the clipper upwards, moving from the boy’s ears to the side and making the same cut there. Then I put on the size 5 attachment and trimmed the top of his head. Finally, I shaved the nape of his neck completely, and that was it.

There was a lot of noise. My sister and mother woke up. When my mother saw us cutting, she said, “Cut your sister too, we haven’t been able to take care of her since we’re quarantined at home.”

My brother objected, saying I didn’t want to, but my mother was firm in her decision.

I said okay, but my aunt’s oldest child had priority. He sat in the chair. I didn’t like him at all and because he was a naughty child, I turned the machine on without the guard and started running it all over his head. When the process was over, I took shaving cream and applied it to his head, then shaved him with a razor. Not a single hair remained on his head.

The two sisters went home, crying bitterly, so I turned to my sister and said, “Come, it’s your turn.” She started begging, “Don’t cut me like them,” so I calmed her down and sat her down.

I unclipped her hair tie, and her hair started to wave. It reached her butt.

I told her to stay still and cut her a chin-length bob. Then, when I looked back, her hair still seemed too long. I cut her a bob above the ears, applied shaving cream to the nape of her neck and the sides, and shaved her with a razor.

When I was done, she got up crying and went to her room, and I went to the living room. Two or three hours later, my aunt and her husband arrived. They said they liked our children’s haircuts so much. My aunt’s husband turned to her and said, “You should get your hair cut too.” My aunt objected.

Her husband said, “This is an order. You have to get your hair cut. Your hair falls into the food when you cook.” My aunt began begging her husband, “Please don’t make me shave.” Her husband grabbed her and took her to the bathroom. He called me, pointed to my aunt, and said, “This dog is all yours. You can do whatever you want.” I knew my aunt’s husband was tough, but I didn’t expect this. When her husband went to the room, we started talking to my aunt. Her husband had gotten very angry last night and sent his children to get a haircut for her.

She also seemed to be able to do whatever she wanted at home, and she held the power. She tortured both my aunt and the children terribly. Sometimes, when the children misbehaved, she’d undress them completely, take them out onto the balcony, and beat them with a greasy belt. This, combined with the cold and greasy heat, caused even more pain.

Her husband then came over and asked, “Why does this dog still have hair?” I said, “I’ll start right away.” I grabbed a pair of scissors and stopped him. “You’re supposed to cut all your hair off with a wax strip, not scissors.” I was shocked. This had never happened before; it would be incredibly painful.

My aunt was crying. He slapped her and told her to be quiet, dog. He turned to me and said, “You heard me.” Apply wax to her entire head and pull it out at once, so it’ll all come out from the roots. Your aunt’s hair was down to her waist at the time. I bought the wax and reluctantly started applying it. When the wax hardened, I was about to carefully remove it. Her husband came again and pulled it all at once. My aunt’s hair, which reached her waist, was now in her husband’s hands as a whole. This pulling was so severe that many parts of my aunt’s head peeled off and it started bleeding. I applied mercury to her head. Her husband must have been dissatisfied again because he had the same procedure done on her eyebrows. My aunt was very upset and crying. She was devastated. Every part of her head was red, peeled off and bleeding. She had lost her hair follicles. It was impossible for her hair to grow back for many years. I felt sorry for her but there was nothing I could do.

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