I was cutting a small boy's hair when I saw a guy entering the cutting room. He sat down right in the chair next to me. As you know, people who are not going to get a haircut is not allowed in this room but this time, Jorge came in with his girlfriend, a girl who looked a bit older than him.

Jorge, about 18, sat in the chair and when the barber asked what kind of haircut was he going to get, was the girl who answered: “pass the clippers all over”.

You would die to see his face. He said: “what? all over, no!!”. And she repeated, yes all over, looking at him to the face. He started to beg like a child: “ no please, I would look ugly!” and she said “no, you will look just fine”. Once again he replied “bald, no please no!”

The barber didn’t know what to do, so he asked, “well, what is it going to be?”. Jorge’s hair was black, about 3 inches on top and 1 on the sides and back. He saw a draw in the wall called #2 (it is a tapered haircut made with a #2 on the sides and back and longer on top). Desperately, he said “let’s try that one”: His girlfriend merciful agreed to use the #1 guard but all over.

She was so firm so everybody could see she was the boss. The barber turned on the clippers with the #1 attachment. Jorge kept begging out loud, “no, please not all over”.

I couldn’t keep working on my customer. I was hypnotized by this guy. I was so sorry he was not in my chair, I really would have enjoyed being his barber.

Anyway, the barber didn’t wait any longer, while this guy kept asking her girlfriend to change her mind, the barber started to pass the clippers on the right side. Bangs of black hair started to fall over the cape. I didn’t understand why he just didn’t take control of the situation. He was so nervous. He was not angry, but scared. He never attempted to talk to the barber directly, only to his girlfriend.

Clippers kept running, now in the back and all the way to the crown. I could see the change. His nice hair was now disappearing. The head started to look rounder now. Surprisingly, Jorge was not watching the mirror all this time, he was so nervous of what was happening and the only thing he did was talking to his girlfriend saying “no, please”

When the barber cut the left side, he didn’t stop the clippers when getting to the top. Instead, he kept cutting a little bit on top. At that time, I new there was nothing to do.

When Jorge felt the clippers running over the top of his head, and saw long bangs falling down, he finally looked at the mirror. His claims were over. He finally understood it was not a game any more. He was looking almost bald now and he shut up. There was a new guy in the mirror. Some one asked the girlfriend to leave and wait in the sitting area: Jorge didn’t even see her leaving. There was almost no hair in his head. The barber kept running the clippers all over again to make sure it was even. Then, he took the razor and took of his sideburns and clean the hair in the neck and over the ears. Jorge was quiet, watching his new look. He forgot where he was.

To be honest, I think he looked much better with longer hair. And I am sure he did too. Now he was not nervous anymore. He was resigned. There was nothing to do now. When he was done, he just stood up and went out to meet his girlfriend. She looked at him. There was a gaze of triumph. She made it, she made him to do it. I think she thought he was hers now and since he was not that handsome anymore, he will be only hers.

THE END