Surprise

Dreams. So ethereal, so real. They are the only thing that still keeps our society standing. They are the ones that push man to do anything to achieve them. They manage to scare us, they manage to reassure us, they even manage… to make us have other dreams. The fact that we throw ourselves into bed every night is not because we are dead tired from the day, but it is because we can’t wait to know what our mind will make us dream about tonight.

 

Dreams are fundamental for human beings. In some cases they even manage to let us know the future. Some predictions come true, others don’t. But this is precisely why we live, that we move forward. To see if that dream will come true.

 

And that’s exactly how I did it. Those dreams had excited me like never before. I had never had certain types of dreams in my life. They were so heartbreakingly realistic that I could almost touch the shaved heads of the brothel girls and the daughter. I was exactly there, in the front row, watching that show. Could it be that those dreams were among those that allowed us to predict a future event? On the one hand I sincerely hoped not, because otherwise I would have played the part of the bad hairdresser who enjoys shaving the heads of poor defenseless girls, on the other hand I sincerely hoped to be the one to shave the head of some poor defenseless girl.

 

The thought of having to shave someone overwhelmed me. Perhaps, by shaving my head, as I have wanted to do for a long time, I would have calmed my hot spirits. Or maybe I would just feed them.

 

That was a “dream” day.

 

The heat was my regular customer. On that Wednesday it showed up around 9:00am and stayed until closing time. It had almost become my roommate, my better half, my reason for living. It was thanks to it that I now had the desire to shave completely. I should have thanked him somehow. If it hadn’t been for him, the option of having a smooth, hairless head wouldn’t have even crossed my mind, and I would have continued to cut my hair in the same boring ways. In life you also need to have the courage to renew yourself sometimes. It also helps the individual’s self-esteem a lot if this change is appropriate and logical. But I’m digressing.

 

That morning there were the usual regulars, plus a few newcomers. The day was very calm. In the brief free moments I had, I kept thinking about what I would look like after the cut. In the long busy moments when I worked, I kept thinking about how the clients would look with my new cut (that is bald). It had become an obsession. My every movement inevitably led towards the direction of the razors. I had to hold back so as not to give in to those temptations. Sooner or later they would all come out suddenly, without warning, uncontrollable. I had to be very careful not to let go.

 

The morning passed quickly and it soon became afternoon. 3.45pm.

 

A mother holding her 17-year-old daughter’s arm entered the lounge. Oh My God! The dream scene was repeating itself exactly!

 

The woman was very hasty and from the severe ways in which she treated her daughter, it was clear what kind of mother she was.

 

“Listen to me carefully. I’m going to run errands now. If when I get back I don’t find you with hair of 1 cm or less, I’ll take care of cutting it at home as I say! Did you understand miss?!”

 

“Yes, mother.”

 

“Very good.”

 

The door slammed shut and an air of unease remained in the air. The girl was standing in the middle of the room with her arms outstretched and her hands clasped on her thighs. Her low head and her hair covering it prevented me from seeing her face clearly. I made the first move.

 

“Hi. Are you OK?”

 

“Yes, I think so.”

 

“Come, have a seat.”

 

Walking over to the chair at one of the stations, I turned to her and invited her to sit down.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Did you and your mother argue?”

 

“No, she’s always like this. She always expects the best from me.”

 

“The way you said it doesn’t sound like she makes you very happy.”

 

“No, I’m fine like this. After all, I’ve lived with her all my life. After a while you get used to it.”

 

“Yes, but some things seem impossible to cope with. No offense, but I don’t envy you at all.”

 

I put the cape around her neck and tied it. The girl’s face was very melancholy. Her matte blonde hair that reached below her shoulders allowed me to trace her back to the girl of my dream.

 

“How do you want me to cut it?”

 

“You heard my mother, right? She wants it to be no longer than 1 cm and if possible even shorter. She wants me to not waste time taking care of my hair and focus more on studying and exercising.”

 

She was the girl of the dream and at the same time her complete opposite. For a moment I felt responsible for creating that girl. If I hadn’t dreamed of her, would she be her in front of me now? I felt so guilty for giving her such a bad life. I had to fix my mistake.

 

“You know… even if it have to be very short, that doesn’t mean it will be necessarily ugly to look at. Take it as an opportunity to renew yourself, think about the advantages you would have with this new cut. You will waste much less shampoo and time washing it. All the time you save you can use to improve yourself in another way. Trust me. You will have the best short cut of all.”

 

Now the idea of a very short cut didn’t seem so bad to the girl. At those words she found new confidence in herself.

 

“Maybe you’re right. I will be able to improve myself in something else more important. Let’s get started.”

 

My feet headed towards the electric razor which could finally let off steam now. But I noticed a problem. There was no guard on it. I absolutely had to find one. Cutting hair of that length, even if quite short, with scissors would have been too much of a waste of energy and time. I tried to look in the drawer where I first found it. Luckily for me I found some in different sizes. I took the most suitable one for cutting. I inserted it on the blades and a click indicated that it was securely fastened.

 

I turned it on and placed it on the girl’s forehead.

 

“I’m going” were the last words that her hair heard in that long form. If it weren’t for…

 

We didn’t even have time to start when the door bell immediately rang.

 

A girl the same age as the one before entered the shop. She was wearing a school uniform and was holding a book folder in her hands. Evidently some students had to go to school even on summer for summer courses, like all students who have to catch up on some subjects. Her long, faded brown hair was tied in a braid that began between the end of her neck and the beginning of her back. This ended just above the butt. The glasses she wore prevented any direct contact with the gazes of others. The entirety of these was impossible to scrutinize due to her long fringe cut perfectly so it covered her eyes and exactly half of the lenses. She couldn’t hide the fact that she didn’t want to come to the salon. She was brought here by another girl, same age, fairly slim and curvy build, average height. Her well-groomed and voluminous hair reached halfway down her back. Two pigtails held on by two yellow ribbons were on the sides of her head. They made the contrast on her head with that particular color of hers even better. They were a very deep, bright pink.

 

The pink one introduced both.

 

“Hi, we would like a cut.”

 

“Of course, come have a seat.”

 

The waiting chairs were now occupied by the two strange girls. The pink one looked around a bit while the bangs kept minding her business.

 

“Sorry for the interruption.”

“Nevermind. Come on, let’s get started.”

The electric razor turned on again. It was ready to do its duty. And me too. I pushed the head towards me and placed the blades on her forehead. I could feel the back of her neck touching my breast.

 

From the 30 cm of hair that previously reached below the shoulders, it was now barely 1 cm. Her mother’s orders were implemented. The long 1 cm strip dominated all the other strands, but not for long. The now hot vibrating blades passed all over her head. The neck could now be seen perfectly. I took off the guard. I left it naked, as it had always been. It started again on the back of the girl’s neck. Now her length could no longer be calculated in centimeters. The same fate befell the sides. It came out as a sort of crew cut but with longer hair at the top. With the scissors I shortened the top slightly but you almost didn’t notice the difference, giving her a sort of ‘brush’. The pink girl on the chair behind me watched in amazement as the cut was being made. Had I perhaps given inspiration to someone? With more scissors I gave the client’s ‘brush’ an upward bend.

 

“Finished. How does that look to you?”

 

The sides and back of her neck were practically shaved away. Her hand passed over the new surface. Her mouth was strictly open.

 

“Wow. That’s great! You were absolutely right. Thank you!”

 

A faint smile appeared on my mouth.

 

“In the end, I think your mother isn’t as bad as you think. You just have to look at yourself to understand it. By giving you this opportunity to come to me to have your hair cut, she has shown you her deep affection for you. She wants you to learn not to give much importance to certain things. And she’s right.”

 

Silence…

 

“I think so too.”

 

At that moment the girl’s mother returned. She immediately commented on the new cut.

 

“Well. I see that you have finally decided to do what I told you. You saved yourself a clean shave, young lady.”

 

“Thank you, mother.”

 

After paying, the two hurriedly left to go for the car.

 

“Well, whose turn is it now?”

 

“Here we are!”

 

The enthusiasm of the pink contrasted with that of the fringe girl, completely closed on herself.

 

She took her hand and led her to the chair where I was waiting for them. The pink girl placed her hands on her friend’s shoulders and pushed her down, forcing her to sit down.

 

“Come on, now you’ll become beautiful, don’t make that face.”

 

The pink excitement didn’t seem to work on the poor girl. For the first time I didn’t say anything. I simply stood and listened to their requests. I wanted to see how it would end.

 

After putting a blue cape on her, I began to untie the long braid of her bangs. When it was down, her hair was even longer than before. They also exceeded the seating capacity of the chair. Her ends were all wavy as a result of keeping them tied in the braid but overall the rest was in good condition. The glasses she was wearing were placed on the shelf where I kept the cutting tools from the other girl. Her eyes were still completely hidden by her long bangs. I listened to the pink’s vague directions as she sat down in the nearby chair.

 

“Please, let’s get it all cut off! For her I want them nice and short!”

 

At those words, a shiver ran down my spine and my stomach closed, as did my throat. It was a very pleasant sensation, not at all as unpleasant as it sounds. I took a pair of scissors and cut off the girl’s different locks here and there. With every cut made, it seemed that they grew back endlessly. I seemed to see them cut, then I moved on to another lock, returned to the cut one and it had already grown back. Of course it was only an illusion. Cut after cut, her hair advanced further and further towards its point of origin. A bob suddenly formed on her head. I decided they weren’t short enough yet. With more scissors I could have given a rounder shape to her head, giving her a fuller and prettier face. I cut all the way around the back of her neck, giving the hair a spherical shape. I liked it. I continued in this way. Then I moved on to her face. I layered the locks at the temples towards the cheekbones. The impression they would have given was that of a bob like mine that ends just under her eyes, giving an air of sensuality and mystery. Her head now had a more harmonious shape. The hair I did for her was a kind of bob that followed the features of her head, a bowl cut if you will. There was still one thing left to do. Cut her bangs. I prepared for the execution. That fringe had to be as short as possible. My choice fell on the mid-forehead, in the middle between the hairline and the eyebrows. It was decided. I carefully placed the scissors on the position I wanted. Small, precise cuts finished the cutting. The girl’s gray eyes were finally visible.

 

“This… this is me? I don’t believe it!” The girl’s voice was scared and amazed.

 

“How beautiful you are like that!” The pink one expressed her opinion.

 

“But the back of my neck is a little hot.”

 

Still without saying a word, I took a clip and pulled the hair up at the nape of her neck. I picked up the clippers and turned it on. I started shaving the hair behind her, but only the hair underneath. The cut would have remained unchanged in appearance and her head would have been lighter and fresher. The buzz that the blades made distributed a moment of general pleasure to everyone. It worked especially well on the pink gal.

 

“Yawn! What a great feeling…”

 

With that sentence, her eyes closed to make room for a deep sleep.

 

I didn’t notice at first and kept shaving.

 

End of cutting. In a very low voice I asked her what she thought.

 

“So. What do you think?”

 

“It’s much better now. I feel fresher and lighter. Thank you!”

 

“And all without altering the structure of the cut.”

 

I took the cape off her and put it on the other sleeping customer.

 

“How do you want it…?”

 

“She fell asleep!”

 

“I’m afraid to wake her up. Well, that means that I’ll give her the least expensive cut, which is also my favorite.”

 

“And which one would it be?”

 

The girl’s sweet and delicate voice had finally come out.

 

“Now you’ll see.”

 

I delicately untied the large pigtails on the sides. The bobbed girl remained sitting in her place next to that of the pink one. Meanwhile I took the electric razor in my hands again and turned it on. I slowly passed it over the girl’s forehead. A small involuntary smile appeared on her sleeping face. That buzz continued to relax her unnaturally. This allowed me to finish cutting her without her waking up. I calmed down and continued the work at normal speed and without any problems or complaints of any kind. More and more strands that looked like cotton candy fell to the ground and more and more stubble appeared, left by the clippers on her head. On the sides I folded her ears very carefully, but there was no danger of her waking up. Once the shave was complete, I turned off the electric razor and went to get the shaving cream. The curious eyes of the bobbed lady followed me in my every action. I spread some foam all over her head and still no sign of life. She had definitively entered the REM phase. I took the razor from the shelf and opened it. A long hairless stripe now crossed the entire head of the pink one. Each pass removed part of the foam, and part of the hair that was on the verge of no longer being there. After a few minutes I finished.

 

“Look how good she looks! She looks like an angel!”

 

The bobbed one gave a closed-lipped laugh with her hand covering her mouth.

 

I removed the cape from the former pink’s neck. The rubbing of it with her clothes woke her up. The face she made when she saw herself in the mirror.

 

“WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAIR?”

 

“Well you came in saying you were here for some cuts and as you sat down on the chair you also said you needed to cut everything off and turning to her you told me as short as possible. So I gave you a full shave and I gave her the shortest cut possible. I did everything you told me to do.”

 

“BUT I WAS ONLY REFERRING TO HER! WHERE DID MY HAIR GO?”

 

“Take a look at the ground.”

 

The girl’s long hair lay helpless under her eyes and several tears fell under them.

 

“How will I do at school now? Everyone will make fun of me!”

 

“It doesn’t seem like a big tragedy to me. It’s just hair, it will grow back. And then, you looks pretty good as well.”

 

“It’s true, you look very good with a completely shaved head!”

 

The bobbed also expressed her opinion on the cut. The shaved girl looked at herself in the mirror and between sobs and sniffles she examined herself better.

 

“Actually… it brings a touch of class to my personality.”

 

“You see? It’s not that bad. You just have to get used to it and then it will seem like the most comfortable and beautiful cut in the world. Maybe you’ll even start a new trend at school, right?”

 

The tears dried on the girl’s face.

 

“Yeah. I feel better now. I’m already starting to get used to it. BUT DON’T EVER DO IT AGAIN, OK?”

 

“All right. It’s just that, not knowing exactly what cut you wanted, I opted for the cheapest one. I also have a promotion for this type of cut.”

 

With a sullen but funny face the girl said “Thank goodness you got it right.”

 

I gave a small smile to both girls.

 

The bald girl ran a hand over her head.

 

“Hey, it’s super smooth! You were really good! Maybe I will recommend someone to come here and get a haircut!”

 

“I’ll wait for them with trepidation!”

 

“I’ll tell them to tell you who’s sending them.”

 

“Very good!”

 

Satisfied with that new hair they had never tried, they left with a smile on their faces.

 

 

Two other lives had been changed by yours truly.

 

 

I finally came to a conclusion to the dilemma of how I could use the razor. Suddenly that person came back to me. I remembered what she had left me, what she would have wanted me to do. I took it out of my pocket and dialed the number written on it.

 

Next part — Decision