From Shoulder Length

It was Nineteen seventy's something and long hair was the style. It had been several years since I had been to the local barber. I was in Junior High and had escaped many visits to the local barbershop with my dad. Although there were plenty of arguments that my hair was too long and he was tired of me looking like a girl. The length of my golden brown hair extended firmly on my shoulders and occasionally I would make a trip to the beauty salon with my mom for a trim (no more than a mere ¼ was ever trimmed.)

It was the summer between seventh and eighth grade and my mom was away for the week visiting with her dad. My dad worked swing shift and was getting ready to leave for work that afternoon. When I had come in from outside mowing the grass he said " I'm leaving for work and I made an appointment for you at the barbershop to get your haircut. " I said "It's Ok I don't need it cut and was going about my business hoping he would forget but there was nothing doing this time. Mom was gone and he had me right where he wanted me. Before leaving he replied" I told you I made an appointment for you and you better get that haircut before I get home tonight or I'll cut it! And if you know what's best, you'll choose the barbershop." I new he meant it, and I would end up bald if he cut it. It had been several years since I sat in the barber chair myself, most of my friends had shorter hair and I had been with them on several occasions when they got a generous white wall from the barber.

However, this time it would be me sitting in the chair and there was no way for me to escape this time. The thing that made it worse was that the timing was terrible. The next door neighbors had company and that was the embarrassment I didn't know how to face Kathy. See, Kathy and I had a crush for several years and I looked forward to the summer when she would come spend time with her aunt and uncle. It just so happened that Kathy was arriving today, and I was afraid if I got my haircut she would not like me anymore. It was something about the long golden brown hair that girls liked. It was 2:00 PM and I saw Kathy arrive and I went over to greet her and just talk. We discussed what had happened over the past months and talked about things in general. It was Wednesday and the barbershop didn't close until 7:00 PM so I was in no hurry to get there. Kathy could tell something was bothering me and she asked," what's the matter". I told here " that my dad told me he had made an appointment at the barbershop for me." She knew how much I liked my hair long and was sympathetic to the cause. It was now after 5:00 PM and I knew that time was nearing for my golden brown locks to become victim to the local barbershop. I asked Kathy if she would like to come and she replied "sure" in an inquisitive manner. I knew now that she to was anxious to see the transition take place.

The barbershop was only two blocks from our house so we began to walk slowly towards town. About half way there I stopped and asked Kathy " Will you still like me after I get my haircut? Won't you?" Kathy pushed her right hand threw my hair and said it's only hair and it doesn't matter to me how long or short your hair is I'll still like you. At that time she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. This was comforting to know, as I was concerned that she would not like me and the whole summer would be ruined. It wasn't long and we were standing in the doorway to Al's Barbershop. When I got to the door I froze for a minute and Kathy pushed me through the door.

Once inside the shop it was clear that Al the barber had been waiting for my arrival. Being the end of a long day the floor was swept and no one was in the barbershop other than Al, Kathy and myself. Al quickly got up out of the chair and put one hand on the back of the chair and the other was holding the cape that he would soon drape over me. I now knew that there was no way to back out. I cautiously sat done on the front of the barber chair, with the hand that was holding the back of the chair Al firmly guided my body until it came to rest with the back of the chair. I looked over at Kathy helplessly, as Al shook the cape out and it soon settled over me. Pushing my hair to the one side Al took a white cotton towel and firmly tucked it in to my shirt, he then grabbed a single white tissue and placed it firmly around my neck and tightly fastened the cape. It was at that time I got a big lump in my throat. He pumped up the chair to make sure that he did not need to bend over to get to my long golden brown locks. He took a visual of my hair and said, "It's been a long while since you sat in this chair I think the last time was third grade." He turned me towards the mirror and said" Do you remember that Ivy League cut you got back then, well that's the order that your Dad gave." At this point I saw Kathy look up with amazement because she knew that I was not just getting a haircut, but a real short one.

Just at that moment my best friend Frank who was a regular at Al's walked in the door. He said," Mike are you really going to get your haircut?" I replied," My Dad had enough of the long hair and made the appointment for me." Frank sat in the barber chair next to me there was only Al in the shop and the chair was used as on deck "next in line" type of deal. Frank was there because his mom sent him to get his hair cut and as usual he waited like me to the last minute. On a couple occasions when I had been with Frank he would dare me to sit Al's chair and ask him to cut my hair but I would have none of that. But suddenly Frank remembered a bet he had made with me that if I ever got my haircut that he would get a Burr Haircut. Frank then reminded me of the bet and I said, "it was OK he did not need to go through with the bet." Frank said, " it was a bet and I'm going to keep my end." At that point Al swung the chair around towards the mirror again, and now I could see myself in the mirror. He gave me one last opportunity to gaze at my golden brown locks that stretched well onto the cape. Al handed me a comb and let me comb through it one last time. As I began to comb my hair I got sick to my stomach knowing I was going to lose the majority of my beautiful locks. At that same moment my eyes locked with Kathy and I asked her " would you please finish combing my hair." She got up and came over and began to comb my hair one last time.

Soon she finished combing and I noticed she pulled out a pink ponytail band from her long blonde hair. She gathered my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail with the pink band she took from her hair. She asked me if it was ok if she cut it off and kept it. With a hesitation in my voice I said "sure". Al had now repositioned the barber chair so that I was facing away from the mirror as he always did when he cut anyone's hair. Kathy had grabbed the shears off the counter in the meantime. She asked, "Are you sure" I wasn't sure, I couldn't speak so I nodded accepting the reality that I was going to soon lose my long golden brown locks. She placed the shears in front of the pink band and with the sound of scrunch, scrunch, scrunch and with one final scrunch a thick golden ponytail about 7" long fell limp into her hand and my hair no longer was able to touch the cape. She began to go sit down and I told her she was not done. If someone was going to enjoy cutting my hair it might as well be she. I asked Al to provide her with a pair of clippers. I told her that I wanted her to clear the hair that was covering my ears. With the pop of the clippers coming to life and buzz becoming louder there was no turning back. With her left hand on the side of my head she guided the clipper around the top of my right ear freeing mass amounts of hair, which fell onto my shoulders and eventually freely slid down to the front of the cape. The cape was light and due to the amount of hair most of the hair stuck on the cape in the midst of my lap. Then she moved to the left side doing the same. I then asked Al if Frank could help too. Knowing that Al would have to make multiple passes due to the long hair Al would have several opportunities to get to the appropriate length on the sides. Frank jumped out of the other chair and Al handed him a pair of clippers with a number two guard on them. Frank has had his hair cut short and knew the routine well. Frank turned the clippers on and they whirled to life. Frank wasted no time as he pushed my head forward into my chest and laid the clippers at the base of my neck and began slowly pushing them up to the crown of my head. He passed the clippers from the back to the top of my crown at least four times. By this time I could feel air hitting the back of my neck, As Al usually did Frank then moved to the right side and pushed the clippers from the back to the front. By this time the vast majority of my golden brown locks lay limp in the middle of the cape. He then swung the chair around and I was facing Kathy directly as he began to work on the left side. Placing his hand on my forehead he pushed the clippers back to front several times until the hair on the left side of my head was reduced to stubble. He then turned off the clippers and handed them to Al. Now that the cape was almost invisible from all the golden brown locks accumulating on the cape and floor surrounding the chair it was time for Al to take over. Al grabbed another pair of clippers that had no guard and like Frank he pushed my head into my chest and held a firm grip on the crown of my head. Like Frank did he made several passes on the back, then the right side and then again swinging the chair before working on the left side. I locked eyes with Kathy as he finished the left side I could tell that she was filled with enjoyment as my hair was being sheared. It was now timed to move to the top. With the same clippers and now a comb in his left hand he began to use the comb over the clippers to put the finishing touches on the top of my new Ivy League cut. He stopped briefly to brush hair from my face that had stuck to it. I was trying to blow it off but due the long golden locks it was not enough to move them. He turned the clippers back on and finished the top. He then unfastened the cape and more hair fell to the center of the cape. He folded the cape over to where it laid on the arms of the chair still cover the majority of the front of me. He then brushed off my head and I thought I was done. However he lathered the back and sides of my head and move very precisely with the straight razor cleaning up the stubble hair on the back and sides. He turned on the vacuum and suction the inside of my shirt to remove any little hair left. He then turned me towards Kathy who was tightly holding my 7" of locks and said now he looks like a man. He then turned me toward the mirror for approval. He then removed the cape from my lap and solidly covering the floor within a two-foot radius of the barber chair were all my golden brown locks. I grabbed the broom from the corner of the shop and swept them up to keep. I then looked in the mirror for the second time and felt the side of my head for the first time it felt like sandpaper. It was something I was not used to as I could only remember the soft touch of my golden brown locks that were now gone. Kathy also felt the side and smiled as if my new look got her full approval.

While I was still stunned I had almost forgot about Frank and what was about to begin. He was already in the chair and Al had already placed the towel neatly in the back of his collared shirt and a tissue tight around his neck and was finishing fastening the cape. Al swung Frank towards the mirror to ask what it was going to be. Frank replied," I made a bet and I'm going to keep it" Give me a burr.

Again, I told Frank that he did not need to go through with it. He asked Al to hand me the same pair of clippers that he had pushed over my head several times before severing my golden brown locks. Frank looked at me and said," what are you waiting for?" Frank had thick dark brown hair that touched his collar and just came in contact with the top of his ears. That was the gauge Franks Mom used as to when it was time for a haircut. Frank parted his hair to the side and his bangs always were very short on the left and hanging at his eye on the left. As I combed his hair out for the last time I grabbed the shears and evened his bangs and then I swung him towards the mirror so he could see. I told him he looked better this way instead of parting to the side. With a large pile of dark brown hair on the cape, I turned towards Kathy and asked," If I could have the other ponytail she had." She got up and came over and handed it to me. Because Franks hair was thick and long on top I was able to make a small ponytail on the top of his head. I grabbed the clippers and turned them on and firmly placing my hand on his forehead I carefully began to severe his hair from the back of the crown forward. Near the front of his forehead the hair that was cut had flopped over into his face and was being held with the pink ponytail. With one last pass at the front of his forehead the 3-inch ponytail fell directly into his lap. His hair was so thick I made several more passes until the hair on the top of his head was reduced to stubble. I then moved to the back and as he had done so kindly to me I pushed his head forward into his chest. I began to move from the base of his neck to the very top of his crown. Because his hair was so thick it too accumulated on his shoulders and slowly slid into his lap. I then moved to the right side and holding the top of his ear out of the way I pushed the clippers from the back to the front. I then swung the chair around and worked on the left side of his head until it was complete. I turned off the clippers and handed them back to Al. Al then took the clippers without the guard and repeated the same process I had done reducing Franks hair to a fine stubble. Due to the thick dark hair once Al had finished Frank looked liked someone had smeared brown shoe polish over his head. Just as Al did with me he lathered up Frank's neck and sides and precisely removed any hair on the sides and back. He turned Frank toward the mirror to show him his new cut. Frank nodded with acceptance and Al removed the cape and Frank was free to go.

As we left the shop Al told me not to wait another seven years to come back. Both Frank and I returned every couple of weeks that summer to keep our hair short. Kathy departed latter that summer and with her she carried the 7 inched of golden brown locks that she severed from my head, It would be several years before I would grow my hair to be that shoulder length hair again.