The Shopkeeper
The move had been an awakening for Yael. Her family had lived in northern California since just before she was born, but she had just started her career after graduating near the top of her class in college. Her first real job has brought her to just outside San Diego where the company she worked for had their headquarters. The biggest thing she noticed since the move was that everyone she worked with was in great physical shape. Yael, while definitely not what anyone would call obese, rather she was more a product of her upbringing.
Having been raised in a large family, with both sets of grandparents living with her family, meant that meals had always been a major event, so like every other woman in her family, she carried around a good amount of extra weight. What her mother and grandmother would always call “healthy weight.” With the summer months only a few months away she decided she would use her spare time to work her body into shape. She began going to the gym in her apartment building every day after work, but with the limited equipment, and to many people waiting to use it, she wasn’t making much progress she felt she needed to do more. She had become aware of the large number of people in her building that had bicycles, which was one exercise she used to love doing before college.
Always an early riser, Yael took advantage of the quieter time to start her daily bike rides. Starting slowly at first, Yael had worked up to riding almost 10 miles every morning before she needed to make her way to work. In just one short month the ‘baby-fat’ was beginning turn in to a lean, slightly muscular physique, and for Yael, she was hooked on pushing her body to higher and higher levels.
The farthest point of her daily route saw her ride all the way to the quiet, uptown part of the suburb she lived in. There were few, if any businesses opened during the hours of her ride, except for a small barbershop at the end of town. Mitchell’s Barbershop was owned by Martin ‘Gunny’ Mitchell. A retired Marine, ‘Gunny’ was well known in the town for being a throwback guy, who didn’t like change. Open early because most of his clientele were former military men, who were used to starting their days at 5 am, and always insisted on looking good enough for a military inspection. The only younger customers the gunny ever got was right at the beginning of summer when he would offer summer cuts for young ‘recruits’ for just $5. None of them would leave his shop with much, if any hair, but occasionally he would give a ‘young Marine’ a horseshoe flattop like he has worn for 40 years. Most of the mothers who brought their sons knew what they would end up with, but they couldn’t resist the discounted price, but sometimes there would be a first timer. They would always be stunned with the finished look, but Gunny would just laugh…”That’s what a summer cut is. It will make a man out of him.”
Most mornings the shop would be slow enough for Gunny to see Yael riding by on her bicycle. Her changing physique hadn’t gone unnoticed to him. Speaking out loud, usually to an empty shop…”Why on earth do these girls insist on trying to look like men? Women should be soft and beautiful and not dress like they are in the Olympics.” In fact, this attitude was part of the reason he left the Marines. He believed the only place for women in the Corps was as a secretary or a nurse, certainly not using a weapon.
Gunny decided he needed to do something to straighten the young woman out…”She wants to look like a man I can help her with that.” He made a few calls to some old Marine buddies and his son, who ran a fitness center that Guuny and a few friends owned. They all of which shared his thoughts that a woman should be at home taking care of the family. By the end of the day Gunny had his plan in place, and all he needed was to get the girl into his shop. He had began to sit out in front of the shop whenever he didn’t have a customer that morning and even began to wave at Yael when she would ride by. Yael was surprised to even see another person around that early, but something about him being there made her feel safer as she rode by.
It was a couple weeks later that Gunny noticed her riding a little different than normal. As what had been the new normal, he gave her a wave and then headed inside his shop. A few minutes later the door opened and very nervous looking girl was standing there…”Hi, excuse me.” Gunny looked up and smiled at who stood before him…”What can I do for you young lady?” Yael, still looking around the first barbershop she had ever been inside of, answered…”My name is Yael and I wondered if by any chance you had an air pump here. My tire is flat and the place down the street doesn’t open for another hour.” Gunny was elated that he had his first opportunity to put his plan in place…”A Marine would never let a lady down. Let me get my tools out of the back room.” He reached into the small refrigerator in the shop and pulled out an ice cold bottle of water..”Here, you look like you could use a cold one.” Yael cracked the bottle open and took several large sips from the bottle. enjoying how refreshing it felt.
Gunny quickly had her bike fixed and like a gentleman invited his guest to stop by every morning for a bottle of cold water…”There’s always plenty of cold ones in the fridge, and I don’t mind a little company in the morning.” Yael thanked him for his expert help…”You’re a lifesaver. If I have the time I’ll certainly stop by for a cold one.” The rest of the ride Yael felt energized. She finished her ride and rather than feeling tired, she felt like she go another 10 miles.
It was just two days later when she rode up to Gunny’s shop…”Good morning Mr Mitchell. Is that offer for a bottle of water still on?” Gunny smiled as he stood from his chair…”My friends call me Gunny, and a Marine never goes back on his word. Come on in and I’ll get you a nice cold one.” He reached into the back of the mini fridge, pulling another of his special waters…”Here you go. Nice and cold.” Yael didn’t hesitate to crack the bottle open and take several large swallows of the delicious drink. The two started talking about Yael’s fitness routine, with her telling Gunny that her apartment only has a few machines, so there is always a long wait to get on them. It was another opening that he was looking for. He went over to a bulletin board by the door and pulled off a card…”My son runs a fitness center not far from here with everything you could want. They’ll get you into Marine Corps shape in no time. I’ll tell him you’re a friend and he’ll take special care of you.”
Another week went by and Yael stopped again to grab another cold water from Gunny. As she walked in Gunny was quick to ask her about it…”Why haven’t you stopped by the gym yet? My son has put together a whole regiment for you that will really get things moving for you, so make sure you stop by this week.” Gunny had been the closest thing to a friend Yael had since moving to San Diego, so she didn’t want to let him down…”I have the afternoon off tomorrow, so I was planning on going then.” Gunny doubted what he heard, but really thought he should take her on her word.
Yael had certainly had enough of her apartment’s gym, so she kept her word and found herself at “The Corp Gym”. She was quickly met by Gunny’s son Jason, who greeted her and made her feel welcomed. Jason offered her one of his specially mixed protein drinks, which as soon as Jael took a sip was delighted by them. Jason went on to say he would be happy to work with her personally so she could get a quick boost in learning all the different equipment and the fitness program he had developed just for her. As they toured the large facility, Jael couldn’t help but notice a couple of glaring things. First of all, everyone working out there already had an incredible body, unlike her slightly doughy physic. Secondly, the few women she had seen were all very muscular and all had shorter hair. She quickly assumed they were all in the Marines and were required to keep their hair short. By the end of her tour Jason had convinced her that, with his help, she could achieve all her goals by the end of the year. She finished her drink and agreed to the schedule Jason had made for her. She knew that Gunny would be more than happy the next time she stopped in.
Jael jumped right in to the training program. On every one of the 4 days per week that she went to the gym Jason was always ready for her, first with a drink to give her energy, then pushing her deeply into the intense program. Once he decided she had gone as far as she could for the day he would reward her with a specially blended recovery smoothie. Jael was instantly hooked and surprised that as hard as she worked she seemed to have more energy after the intense workouts.
Of course cardio was also Jason wanted her also ramp up, so Jael kept up her early morning bike rides. Gunny quickly noticed how much the girl with the baby fat started to change. Within a few weeks the changes in her became noticeable. Gunny could already see her thick thighs were beginning to have less bulging from being fat and now starting to show some definition. The same could be seen with her stomach. It no longer pushed out tightly against the stretchy fabric of her bike shorts, but now seemed to be tighter all the way around. Gunny was happy with the changes happening and made sure to pump up Jaels confidence in how things were going.
After a few months of workouts Jael was totally hooked on them. The only thing holding her back now was time. She then saw the perfect opportunity to take her training to the next level. The company she worked for had international clients which required the company to have staff in the office 24 hours a day. An opening in her department for the overnight shift became available, and while this had always been a position that they usually had to force someone to take, this time Jael was quick to jump at the chance.
Once on her new shift Jael began to workout 6 days per week, only taking off on Saturday’s as she promised her mother she would continue to observe her faith, and the results of the added workouts quickly showed. She had started to see more and more definition in her arms and legs, but the real thing that kept driving her was the roll she used to see in her belly was now gone as it became tighter and more defined. This only made her want to work harder until she saw herself with “six-pack” abs.
The other change that had happened was she kept up her habit of riding her bike before her shift. This, of course, meant the barbershop was closed when she rode by now, but like always, she would take a break in front of the shop only now she would supply her own drink. This would not do for Gunny. Her could see her on the cameras in front of the shop, but he wanted to keep a closer eye on his project. After Gunny made him aware of this, Jason made a change to Jael’s cardio routine. He now wanted her to ride before and after her shift which again had her on her bike early in the morning and stopping daily to see Gunny.
As Jael pushed her workouts even farther than before, the supplements that Jason had been loading her drinks with every day were doing their part in super-charging her transformation. Any and all of the softness that used to be spread across her somewhat chubby body were now a distant memory. The only part of her that hadn’t improved was her long hair. The once full, wavy head of hair was quickly becoming nothing more than a long mess that Jael barely cared about, instead she would just pull it into a ponytail just to try and get it out of the way while she worked out. This did not go unnoticed by her supervisor at work, or even a few of the girls she worked out with at the gym, all of whom wore there hair in a very short style.
Jael had stopped going to her regular stylist months ago, not wanting to lose any time in the gym, plus working the overnight shift meant she worked from home most nights unseen to anyone else. Instead she would find one of the chain salons that were open on Sunday, taking whoever was working to trim the ends into nothing more than a basic cut. To her her hair had just become a burden, always seeming to be in her way at the gym.
As a few more weeks passed Gunny had decided that Jael was now at the stage where the changes had become permanent. It was a Friday morning when Jael rode up to his shop. Gunny was quick with the compliments, as usual, and Jael started showing him some more of the results of her work. Gunny was so pleased to see the former chubby girl now stood in his shop with bulging thighs, and muscular arms now hung off her broad shoulders. She showed him her stomach was now a full six-pack, rippled with muscle. He also couldn’t help but notice her chest had gotten much bigger, though it no longer looked feminine at all. Jael laughed with him when he commented on it…”Ya, I guess I traded my boobs for muscles, but I like this so much better.” Gunny then responded…”The only thing you haven’t improved is your hair.” Jael, somewhat upset by his comment, stroked her hair…”I know, but I just don’t have time to do anything with it.” That’s when Gunny told her to sit in his chair.
Jael nervously sat in the big chair. Gunny went thru all the motions of putting a paper around her neck, then the cape was fastened tighter than she was used too. Gunny smiled as he looked at her reflection in the huge mirror…”There’s going to be a lot of hair falling so can’t be too careful.” Jael than nervously asked if he could cut her hair like some of the other girls at the gym. She had become to be envious of them because they never had the problems that she had. Gunny, getting his tools ready…”They were all Marines and when they started out they were given a Marine haircut so, since you’ve done such a good job at training like a Marine, it’s time you looked like one.”
Jael was happy that she was about to be given the same haircut as the other girls at the gym had. She started to think about how much more efficient she could be during her workouts without the mass of her ponytail being in the way. Having never witnessed a haircut in a barbershop before she was somewhat worried as she saw Gunny take the big round pair of clippers of their hook and snapping the very ominous looking blade onto the end. As he turned the clippers on she began to bite her bottom lip as her eyes zeroed in on the scary looking machine.
Gunny gave her a smile that Jael had never seen on him before as he reached to turn the chair…” I’ll have you looking good in no time at all.” As he pushed her head down towards her chest, Jael had a feeling that he had a while different idea about how she wanted cut. Before she could get up the nerves to stop him Gunny ran the clippers straight up the back of her head. The well used 00000 blades were always keep fully sharpened and didn’t hesitate as they made a clear path from bottom to top. Jael was about to ask what he was doing, but with years of giving regulation cuts the clippers had already finished their second pass to the top before Jael could even get her mouth open. Unaware of how short her was making it, she just sat quietly as Gunny continued to clear all the hair off the back of her head. As he straightened her head back up he started on the sides…”Your going to look just like you’re in the Corps.” A gasp came out of Jaels mouth as she could now see all of her dark hair falling as the clippers passed thru it, but then as more and more of the side became visible she felt a change go thru her. No longer worried about losing the last of her femininity, instead she would be much better off with her new look. As Gunny moved to the other side he glanced at her in the mirror across from the chair. The growing smile on her face was all the evidence he needed to see so he knew he would have a new regular in his shop every 2 weeks.
The top was last to go, and rather than take her down to the skin on top, Gunny instead opted for his favorite Marine corps haircut. He started by taking it all down to a little less than an inch, and the smile on Jael’s face kept getting bigger. Gunny hung his clipper back on its hook then reached for a spray bottle and a stiff hairbrush…”Okay, lets see if we can get this to stand up.” After spraying the top of her head he brushed her hair back from her forehead until he got it all standing at attention…”Just what I wanted to see.” He then stood in front of her and held his comb horizontally at the front. Gunny then made repeated passes towards the back, leaving a perfectly flat plane of hair. Jael kept staring at her reflection in the mirror and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The center of her head was nearly bald while the hair was longer near each side. Gunny, seeing he face light up…”I knew you’d look best with my favorite cut.” He then blended the sides where they met the top and when he got to the back he, instead, went back to the small blade, taking the middle right down to the skin.
A coating of warm shaving cream was then smeared around her head. Inserting a fresh blade into his straight razor, Gunny pulled her skin taught as he began to scrape away the small amount of shadow that Jael had left on her head. A quick brush of her shoulders and the cape was carefully removed from her shoulders. Jael stood from the chair and walked up close to the mirror…”Oh, Gunny, you don’t know what this means to me.” Gunny could only smile at the knowledge he had, but that was a secret he wouldn’t be telling to anyone…”You know girl you’d make one hell of a Marine.”
Once back at the gym, all the other girls came over to congratulate Jael on her new haircut. Each one of them admitting that they took were given one of Gunny’s special haircuts soon after joining the gym. Jael didn’t care about how it happen, only that her workouts would be a whole lot easier. She also knew her stops would take a little longer every couple weeks while she let Gunny work his magic for her again.
