JimB
“OUR CHOICE BARBER SHOP – The next day that afternoon”
By JimB (c) copyright January 2018
The bell rang.
Doris turned and saw Betty and Opal walking it.
“Here are your “new” deposits slips”, Betty said to Doris as she hand them to her.
“Sorry, about the change. But, I had to switch with Monica”.
“How is her dad doing”, Constance inquired as she walked from the back room. “Was it something serious”!
“He is doing well”, Betty replied as she motioned Opal to Constance’s barber chair. “He had a small lump on the back of his left hand. It turned out to be dry skin”.
“So, what will it be”, Constance asked Opal as she pulled the cape in place and pinned it.
“MOM”, Opal said as she looked at her mom.
“Okay”, her mom replied. “But, remember what I told you. If anyone says anything, don’t come to me”.
“You sure about this, Opal”, Constance inquired.
“Yes ma’am”, she answered with a smile. “I am extremely sure.
“I might ever want to go shorter.”
Her mom looked up at her daughter sitting in Constance’s barber chair, all caped and ready to get her hair cut shorter than she thought.
“The Crew Cut” will be short enough”, her mom answered, with a look that would knock you out.
She looked at her mom, “Maybe ……”.
“For a twelve year old you are ……”, her mom replied. “Just do not come running to me”.
“How short of a Crew Cut”, Constance asked her mom.
“How short”, Betty asked. “I thought a Crew Cut was one length”!
“Yes”, Constance told her. “But, it can either be an inch, half inch, even a quarter of an inch”.
Betty looked at Opal, with her beggaring eyes.
“IT’s up to her”, Betty told Constance.
Constance looked at Opal. Opal looked at her mom, then Constance.
“Let’s start with the half inch”, she told Constance. “IF I think it is too long ……”.
Her mom looked at her, then Constance.
“Don’t worry Betty”, Constance told her as she reached for the clippers and put the half inch attachment on.
“Hair grows a half inch a month.
“So, her hair will grow back faster than you think”.
CLICK ……
With that sound Betty jumped then looked at Opal sitting in Constance barber chair. She shook her head, as Constance pushed Opal’s head down.
The sound changed to a cutting sound as she pushed the clippers up the back of Opal’s neck and head.
Betty watched as Opal’s hair came sliding down into her lap.
Constance saw the look on Betty’s face.
“It won’t take long”, she told Betty. “She has fine hair and the clippers will cut it easy and fast.”
Constance stepped back. Without saying any thing, she began pushing the clippers over Opal head fast.
Her hair came off easy and was floating on the cape and on the floor.
After a few minutes Constance turned the clippers off.
“There”, she told Opal, and Betty who was looking at her daughter’s new hair cut.
Opal took her hands from under the cape and began combing her fingers through the half inch cut.
She looked at her self in the mirror. She turned her head one way then the other way,
“Well”, her mom asked her. “You wanted a Crew Cut, you got a Crew Cut”.
“Can I go shorter”, she inquired of Constance, who looked at Betty.
“Like I told your mom”, she began telling Opal, “One inch, half an inch, and quarter of an inch.
“Any thing shorter and you will get a “Buzz Cut”, even a shaved head”.
“Shaved head”, Betty’s voice sang out.
She looked at Opal smiling, “NO way are you getting your head shaved.
“NO WAY ….. And, that is final. You are lucky your dad and I are letting you, our twelve year old daughter, get a Crew Cut.
“NO WAY …… FINAL …..”.
“Quarter an inch”, Betty said. “QUARTER OF AN INCH and no shorter.
“Specially shaved”.
“QUARTER of an inch”. Constance said as she removed the half inch attachment and put the quarter of an inch attachment on.
CLICK …..
Constance did not ask Opal, nor Betty, she just placed the clippers in the center of Opal’s head and slowly moved it back over her head.
When the clippers reached the back, the hair it pushed fell to the floor.
“THAT, is too short”, Betty chimed out.
“TOO late mom”, Opal said to her mom.
Constance continued making pass after pass after pass over Opal’s head until she had her hair to a quarter of an inch all over.
Constance turned the clippers off and hung them under the shelf.
Betty got up and walked to the barber chair. She brushed her fingers through Opal’s quarter an inch hair cut.
“My that is soft and brushy”, she told Constance, who just smiled.
“Well, young lady”, she asked her daughter, “what do you think”!
Opal looked at her self in the mirror as she brushed finger through the cut.
She smiled at her mom and shook her head.
Her mom looked at her, “NO WAY”.
“WHY not”, she asked her mom.
Her mom looked at Constance but she only looked at both of them.
“She is your daughter and she is my customer”, Constance said.
“And, the customer gets what they want”, she said to Constance and her mom.
“Next think I know you will be talking me into getting my hair cut …..”, Betty said.
Constance looked at her and bushed her fingers through her short hair.
She walked back to the shelf, as Betty walked back to where she way sitting.
Constance looked at Doris, who was smiling and mouth, “you think so”!
“Maybe”, Constance said to her.
She took hold of the .00000 clippers and walked back to the barber chair.
CLICK …..
With Betty watching she place the .00000 clippers, again, in the center of Opal’s head.
She looked at Betty. Betty looked at Opal sitting there, with the .00000 clippers sitting in the middle of her head, then at Constance.
She closed her eyes and said, “IF she wants too”.
Constance looked at Opal, “.00000 Clippers”.
“After them it’s the razor”!
Opal looked at her mom, who was still looking at her.
“The razor sound great”.
Constance turned the clippers off and placed it on the shelf. She pulled a few facial tissues and walked to and sat next to Betty.
She hand the tissues to Betty. Who wiped her eyes.
“You know Betty”, Constance began, as she ran her fingers through Betty’s hair. “They grow up fast these days.
“They like taking charge. They do not like “NO” and “CAN’T”, like we did.
“And, who knows what will happen ……
“Maybe it will be the best thing for her do, to learn”.
“I know”, Betty told Constance, then looking at Opal. “She is only twelve.
“If she was older, I would understand.
“But, she is twelve ……”.
Constance stood up, turned to walk back to her barber chair.
She stopped and brushed Betty hair again, “You never know …… You never know ……
“You never know what we will do, our selves”.
“Opal”, her mom asked, “you sure”!
“The razor”, she told her and Constance.
Constance picked up the clippers.
Without saying anything she began moving, fastly moving, the .00000 clippers over Opal’s head, leaving behind only skin. Skin to be shaved smooth.
Betty sat there watching this. She watched her daughter’s face, the smile. She noticed as Constance moved the clippers over her head, her smile got bigger and wider.
She only smiled like this went she was doing something she wanted to, not matter what it was.
Betty took a breath and sat back and kept watching as Constance began the last few movement with the .00000 clippers.
Hanging the clippers under the shelf, Constance tossed a towel in the sink with the warm water running.
She looked in the mirror and notice Betty was how fingering her hair. Brushing her fingers through her hair.
Her eyes were watching, looking at, for, every movement she would be doing, to shave her daughter’s head smooth.
Constance looked at Doris, who was smiling. She stepped next to Constance, “Might be a daughter – mother hair cuts”!
Constance whispered back, “I hope so. I have been wanting to shave Betty for years”.
“THE SPECIAL”, Doris inquired.
“NO”, Constance replied. “Maybe when she comes back for another shaving”.
“And, Opal”, Doris asked.
“Maybe after she sees mom”, Constance replied.
Constance began lathering Opal’s head, as she watched mom. Who began slowly moving her hand over her own head.
With Opal’s head lathered, Constance stood by the right side of the barber chair.
Taking hold of the leather strap and pulling it tight, she looked at mom, and began slowly stropping the open straight razor’s blade.
Letting the strap go, she looked at mom, as she raised the sharpened straight razor to Opal’s head.
Another glance at mom, who was now sitting on the edge of the chair, seeing the smile on her face.
She began shaving Opal’s head slowly.
With each stoke of the straight razor Opal smiled and winked at her mom.
Her mom’s eyes followed each movement of the straight razor.
With half her head shaved and the other half lathered, Constance made her move.
She motioned to Betty to come to the barber chair.
Slowly Betty stood up and walked to the barber chair.
Constance took her left hand and put the finger tips on daughter’s shaven head.
Betty stood there and began moving her finger tips. She glanced at Opal, who smiled back.
“Nice and smooth”, asked Opal.
“YES”, she replied, “Nice and smooth”.
She slowly walked back the chair and sat watching as Constance continued shaving Opal’s head.
As Constance was ready to make the last few stokes with the straight razor ……
“What time do you close today”, Betty asked.
Constance and Doris looked at each other. They winked.
“After your hair cut”, Constance told her and finished shaving Opal’s head.
While Constance was wiping her head of excess shaving lather, Opal realized what her mom asked.
“MOM”, she inquired.
“Yes, sweetheart”, Betty replied quickly, “I am going to get my hair cut, too.
“I am going to let Constance give me the same hair cut.”
No sooner had Constance cleaned up Opal’s hair cut and she was sliding out the barber chair ……
Betty was standing waiting for her to get out the barber chair.
She looked a Constance …..
“I do not know how, nor why”, she began, “But you convinced me to letting you shave my head.”
Constance smiled, “Maybe to keep your head shaved”.
Betty settled into the barber chair, as Opal sat in a waiting chair.
Grabbing the .00000 clippers ……
She did not ask, nor want to know.
Constance began moving the .00000 clippers over Betty’s head sending what hair she had to the floor around the chair.
She looked at Betty; she was smiling. With each pass of the .00000 clippers her smiles got bigger.
“You will enjoy the straight razor, more than Opal”, Constance whispered in her ear.
With all her hair on the floor, Constance placed a warm towel over her head.
The sound of the hot lather dispenser filled the barber shop.
Quickly Constance lathered Betty’s head. Rubbing it in and over what hair was still showing.
As Constance raised the straight razor to her head, Betty closed her eyes.
“NO’, Constance whispered to her. “Open your eyes and enjoy the shaving”.
Betty opened her eyes just as Constance place the straight razor on her head and shave the first section.
She smiled.
“You are right”, she told Constance who continued shaving her head.
“I do enjoy the shaving more”.
Betty looked at Opal who was smiling at her. She blew her mom a kiss.
Doris looked at Constance.
She saw something in her eyes she had never seen. It was as if she was enjoying shaving Betty’s head, more than she did other women.
Finally, as they say, it must come to an end.
Constance finished shaving Betty.
Removing the towel, dusting her off, lowering the barber chair, Betty stepped out the barber chair and into the open arms of “smiling” Opal.
“You look great, mom”, Opal told her mom as they gave each other a kiss on the cheek.
“How about we go to De Mars for dinner”, her mom asked her. Opal shook her head “yes”.
Betty was paying for their hair cuts, as Opal was standing with the door open.
“See you Tuesday morning, say around nine”, Constance told her.
Betty looked at her ……
“I think you will enjoy THE SPECIAL hair cut, I will give you”.
Betty looked at her, puzzled, but she said, “Okay”.
“If you enjoy THE SPECIAL hair cut, I might give you THE EXTRA SPECIAL hair cut.
“I haven’t done one of those in years. And, I am sure you will enjoy it, too”.
Betty turned and walked to the door and she and Opal walked out into the mall.
“Alright”, Doris asked Constance. “What’s all this “THE EXTRA SPECIAL hair cut”?
“It got her wanting to come back”, Constance answered.
“Then, again. I have until nine Tuesday to come up with THE EXTRA SPECIAL hair cut”.
“How about we close for the day”, Constance said to Doris. “My treat for pizza and beer”!
“Sounds great”, Doris answered. “You clean up the hair and I’ll put the towels in the back”.
“Forget that”, Constance told her. “We can do that tomorrow morning.
“Something tells me Saturday will be a slow day”.
Doris walked to the back and got their purses, as Constance turned the sign to CLOSED – See you tomorrow at 8am.
“Didn’t I tell you”, Doris said, “Might be a daughter – mother hair cuts”!
Constance locked the door and they head for pizza and beer.
The END Maybe ……
By JimB (c) copyright January 2018
