Taking Bobby to the Barbershop by Anon (recovered)

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Taking Bobby to the Barbershop

Introduction:

Friday, last day of school. Jim was very happy, he has finally finished high school and summer was about to start. In a couple of months he will be heading to a new life, college.

After school, Jim planed to see his two best friends and hang out with them that afternoon. When he was getting ready to leave home, his mother entered in his room

- Are you leaving?

- Yeah, I’ll see Mark and Tom. We are celebrating today.

- Great!! Your brother needs a haircut, why don’t you take him to the barbershop in your way out? You should get a haircut too.

- But mom, I have plans. Besides, I am a college guy now and I’m planning to leave my hair the way it is. I’ll take him tomorrow ok?

- Jim, I have asked you a favor. You are a member of this family and therefore you have responsibilities too. Do as I said.

Jim was disappointed. Bobby, his younger brother was 14 and was a pain in the ass. One of the best things about going to college was getting rid of him for a while. Besides that, Bobby hated going to the barbershop. Every time his parents wanted to him to get a haircut, he looked for a way to escape, managing to keep away from the barbershop for two or three months. When they finally get him to the barbershop, he always handled to get just a trim.

Since he got his driver license he had become the handy boy of this family, and now this. Jim called up his friends and told them he had to take Bobby to the barbershop, trying to see them afterwards.

- Come on Jim, we have planned to go bowling for a week. Tell your mum you are busy today

- I’d tried but she insisted. I’m sorry.

- Ok, let’s take him all together, I know a great barbershop, and we can have some fun today.
Bobby was in his room standing in front of the mirror, trying to get his thick blond hair to form some sort of a curl over his forehead. How he envied his big brother's thick brown hair that had natural waves now that it was longer, sweeping over his ears and landing in a mass of perfect locks just past his collar.

He glanced at the pile of photos and videos he had been working on as part of his new photography hobby. Bobby sighed," What's the use?"; he had already been informed by his mother in no uncertain terms that he was getting his hair cut TODAY and that his brother was going to take him to the barber to make sure it was done!

What was worse was overhearing Jim laughing with his friends about having some "fun" at the barbershop.Bobby could not get out of this one; he had been particularly defiant about his hair this summer, growing it out to 6 inches at the top, to the point that his usually patient dad had recently threatened to go buy a home haircut set!Yet !

Bobby was usually the easy going one, but he had been bothered all spring at how his big brother ( whom he really loved and looked up to) had been acting: smoking, drinking and driving recklessly with his buddies Tom and Mark.If their parents ever found out....


Bobby picked up the phone; he was still in the midst of conversation, when Jim burst into the room and loudly announced: " It's Haircut day, buster! " Blushing red with embarrasment, Bobby quickly said goodbye to his friend, grabbed his backpack and silently walked to the car. Jim smirked and mercilessly tugged at Bobby's long locks saying, " Don't worry, we'll just give you a 'trim',but we have to pick up my buddies first so they can help me decide what style is best for you!"


All too soon the car filled with Jim and his two friends came to an old building in town, where an old fashioned barber pole proudly hung." This is the barbershop I was telling you about", said Mark, "I can still remember my dad calling the barber to make sure my haircut was short enough!" The sign in the corner of the large front window confirmed Bobby's fears; it read "crewcuts/flattops a specialty "! " Well sport, it's time to take it all off! ", laughed Jim.


Before Bobby could reply, the barbershop door opened and out stepped Greg and Jeff, Bobby's best friends and brothers to Mark and Tom. " What took you so long?", they asked. " What the hell are YOU doing here?", yelled Tom." We just thought you'd like an audience when you & your friends get your summer haircuts, big brother!!"

Now Bobby started pulling out a video casette and said with a smile, " Wait, I can explain: This video is the fruit of our efforts to show you 3 big brothers the error of your ways; We all took turns video taping the past three weeks' worth of your parties. You remember, the smoking, the drinking, the crazy & dangerous driving; it's all here for Mom & Dad to see!" "There's even the time you mouthed off about how gullible Dad is in believing your stories!", said Mark's brother Greg. " We thought that we would spare you our dads' wrath if we got you to tow the line this summer and start acting more like the young adults we're supposed to be ! looking up to", continued Bobby, " And the first stop is the barbershop where WE will decide your summer haircuts!"Jim grabbed the video roughly from Bobby's hand. " Oh no need to grab, there are PLENTY of copies for all of you,plus the master copy is safely hidden outside of our house.", laughed Bobby.

The older lads looked at each other in confusion and shock. This couldn't be happening! Yet they knew what would happen if their fathers found out: Jim would lose all car privileges for the summer and even for college if his dad was angry enough; Mark's father the police officer might just carry out his threat of withholding college tuition money and forcing Mark to join the arned forces in order to pay for college;

Tom's father would insist on him staying at home instead of the dorms for closer supervision if he found out. Their anger at their clever little brothers quickly changed to pleas, bribes, and offers of money and favors if they would let them off the hook. " No dice, you have all been acting like three overgrown brats in need of a good spanking, so consider this your entrance to the woodshed", yelled Greg as he opened the barbershop door and motioned them in.

Jim felt his knees were going to give out as he slowly walked in, realizing there was no other choice; There stood the barber smiling at the procession. He wore a starched white jacket covering his shirt; his salt & pepper short pompadour giving the unmistakable scent of Vitalis.He took the striped cape off the chair and made it snap loudly, while he asked," Well which one of the smart alecks is getting sheared first?" Jim and his friends turned crimson with shame; the barber knew what was going on!


Jim gave one last pleading look to his brother, but Bobby just took a seat and announced, " Mr. Smith, this is my wayward brother Jim. Would you be able to give him a real low maintenance haircut, so that those bothersome waves are gone? He's going to need something very short so that he's comfortable doing all the yardwork which he promised to do for my parents but seems to have forgotten about!"

" No problem,son; I've got just the thing", came the reply.With that the barber took scissors and started rhythmically, snipping off locks of hair on the back and sides of Jim's head. Bewildered, all Jim could do is sit there dumbfounded, his face was turned away from the mirror so that his audience could see his clipping. Locks of wavy brown hair soon rested on his shoulders. Then the barber ceremoniously lifted the forelock of hair and cut it off with one stroke, dropping it into Jim's lap and leaving Jim with 1/2 inch stubble on top. He turned Jim to face the mirror! or momentarily,and Jim saw that the hair he loved running his fingers through was now on the barber cape; all that was left was an uneven patchwork.

He coked back his tears as he was swung around to face his buddies once more and heard the barber snapping on the clippers.Jim's head was tilted forward with authority as the clippers hummed up the back of his head, sending shivers down his spine.His head was tilted to the right, then left; " He's taking the clippers all the way up the sides!",Jim thought in panic.

Indeed, the barber stepped back for a moment to make sure the sides and back were all an even 1/8 inch; he rubbed the back of Jim's head, and chuckled," Just like sandpaper!" Then the barber brandished a long comb and started the clippers up again, working deftly on the remaining hair on top,creating a perfect 3/8 inch flattop. The clippers were turned off and Mr. Smith,asked "How's that?" Jim started to stammer, but was abruptly cut off: " I wasn't speaking to you, son, but to your brother Bobby!"

Jim shot a glance at Bobby ,only to realize Bobby had been videotaping the entire haircut!! Bobby came up to admire the barber's handiwork and took time to run his hand over the bristles of hair on top that one would never suspect were one time waves of hair. Smiling, he said," It's great Mr. Smith, but isn't there supposed to be something called a 'landing strip?'" " Why, you're absolutely right, my boy,thanks for reminding me"And with that the clippers came to life once more and were run mercilessly over the center top until gleaming scalp was revealed.


" Next!!", shouted the barber. Greg pointed to the chair and told Mark to get in. Defeated, Mark slid into the chair glancing at Jim's shorn locks that lay on the floor." Why Mark, I remember you" said the barber,;" Let's see, it's been a while but I think I remember how your father wanted your hair cut when he used to call here!" The caped was snug around his neck as Mark broke out in a sweat of fear and disbelief; he was so proud of his naturally curly chestnut red hair.

And now after a lapse of 12 years he was getting a crewcut again!! as the clippers' buzzing came closer to him for the initial sweep, he suddenly realized his college ID photos were being taken next week! At that moment he felt his head vibrating ;it was a strange sensation, he found it relaxing as his scalp was in a way massaged as the clippers were being forced along the top of his head;on the other hand he realized that the consequence was a soon to be shorn scalp!Indeed the barber kept flinging off clumps of thick curls after each sweep, leaving an evergrowing landscape of 1/8 inch hair. The sides and back were methodically cleared away, after which Mr. Smith picked up another set of clippers and proceeded to clean up the back and sides 1/2 way up Mark's head leaving shaved scalp which gradually blended into the upper stubble.The barber then turned to get something from a glass jar, which he rubbed into the front of Mark's hair.


The smell and texture brought memories back; it was butch wax!!
Mark hardly had time to recover from this when he was spun around to face the mirror: he blinked several times, but the image didn't change; he was devoid of hair except for a 1/2 inch high fringe at the very front, which was standing at attention from the wax; he had an ultrashort crewcut with a bumper just as he had years ago as a boy. " No!, I look like a little kid, no one will ever sell me cigarettes or beer now!!", he thought as his eyes welled with tears.


"Next!" proclaimed the barber,at which point Tom shouted," I don't care what happens, I'm outta here!" As he ran to the door he was stopped by his clipped buddies Jim and Mark who lifted Tom up under the arms and carried him,with his feet still kicking the air, back to the chair , where they sat him and held him."Take what's coming to you like a man", snarled Jim." If your parents see that video, they'll be on the phone with our folks in minutes!"; we've got to face the music together,buddy!" said Mark.

Tom groaned as he finally gave up resisting;he did not want to tell his friends the real reason he was trying to escape his fate. He only hoped the barber wouldn't recognize him as the one who....The Barbers broke in as if reading Tom's mind," Don't worry lads, Tommy and I are ' old acquaintances';how could I forget the drunken fool who ran up onto my lawn and wiped out so many of my prize roses?!And how can I forget the foul language and gestures he used as he sped away that night!?" Tom grew crimson as the barber snapped the barber cape around his neck," OHH NOOO!! He recognized me!", Tom thought in panic. " Son, you did over $150 worth of damage to my gardens..", said the barber in a stern tone. " Mr. Smith,"


Jeff broke in, "I just happened to have discovered my brother Tom's secret stash of money; here's $175; I'm sure Tom would like to take this time to reimburse you!" Jeff smiled as he handed the money to the grateful barber over Tom's tearful gaze.


But the barber soon returned to his lecture and task;" Tom, not only did you ruin my gardens, but more importantly you could have seriously injured someone, including yourself. That's why I saved the best haircut for last". All this while the barber had been running a brush though the incredibly thick mop of blonde hair that took Tom so long to comb back and mousse each morning.Suddenly he grabbed the back of Tom's neck and firmly positioned Tom's head so he was staring straight ahead with head upright.Mr. Smith produced a gleaming chrome clipper and spoke slowly and deliberately as he clicked the shears on:"These are special clippers that I use only for a few of the reservists, former marines, and of course 'VIPs' like you; this is a triple Zero blade, which will give you the closest shave you've ever had!"


With that said ,and before Tom could even try to flinch the angry buzzing clippers were in view ; the barber paused as he place them almost to Tom's forehead;then he plunged then into his hair plowing them straight through the center;Tom winced and tears started to flow;he had never had even a short regular haircut in his life! Gleaming scalp shone more and more as Mr. Smith continued effortlessly, much as if he was mowing a lawn.A few minutes later Tom was bald, completely bald!!


The three shorn young men stood near the door trying to avoid their refections in the mirror; Bobby went up to pay the barber, but Mr. Smith just smiled and shook his hand," This day is on the house!I'm proud of you three boys and I hope your older brothers have begun to learn something!" " Why thank-you, Mr. Smith, and don't worry: those three will be back EVERY TWO weeks to maintain these oustanding haircuts!!" The older brothers' jaws dropped. " I'm sure they won't miss their haircuts" said the barber as he waved the copy of the video Bobby had given him!!


Bobby and his buddies walked outside to the glares of their older brothers. Jim, Mark and Tom were stunned at how the wind blew on their bared scalps.
Finaaly the silence broke with the older brothers smiling and giving their younger brothers, much to their suprise, a tight hug. " We don't know whether to laugh or cry, but thanks guys: you made us realize how spoiled we were and what a rotten example we were giving. Here's to a new start and the best summer ever; how about all of us going off to the amusement park for the day!" That sounds great big brother!", smiled Bobby, " but there's just one thing we have to do first".

Bobby opened the barbershop door and called," Hey Mr. Smith, do you have time to do 3 more crewcuts??" " At your service", laughed the barber. "You're kidding?! gasped Mark. " Not at all", replied Bobby, " When will you three older knuckleheads realize that your younger brothers look up to you and want to be like you, haircuts and all!!" And with that three pairs of brothers had the best of summers!!

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