Surprise

I'm James. I'm 17, about 6 feet tall and pretty lean. I don't know why but I've always wanted to cut my fathers hair. He has a high and tight and I've always liked the look of it. And the feel of it. I can remember when I was smaller touching the sides and loving the feel of the stubble. The stubble that appears a few hours after shaving just isn't the same. I like to watch my mother cutting his hair. So when my father asked my mother to cut his hair for him one weekend I decided to take a chance. "Dad, could I cut your hair?" I said while sitting eating breakfast. My father quickly turned to face me with a look of supreme confusion on his face. "Why?" he asked slowly. "Um, well, I thought……I might like to be a barber when I grow up…and I thought… you know." I said, thinking I have come up with a valid answer. "A barber….but I thought you wanted to be a lawyer" my dad said gently. I went red in the face. "Oh come off it George, keeping your options open is a good idea. I don't really see the problem in it" my mother said. "Well it's not your hair" my father replied in the direction of my mother and went back to reading the newspaper. I continue to eat but after 5 minutes I'm getting annoyed so I said "Well?". My father looks at me strangely and says "maybe".

I'm ecstatic, but try to keep my face neutral. I leave the table happy and head to the computer really hoping that it will happen. A little while later I hear someone walk in to my room and turn around to see my father. He looks a little grave. "Okay. You can cut my hair if you do one thing. You have to get a haircut yourself. In fact you have to get a haircut from me." He says, his thumb pointing to his chest. I'm shocked. My hair is blonde and isn't particularly long but it is definitely not short. It touches my collar and hangs in my eyes most of the time. My parents don't particularly mind the length of my hair, with only the occasional 'Get a haircut'. I like my hair this long, but I really want to cut dad's hair.

I think for a few seconds and then go "Okay". My father looks surprised but says "Well, I'll meet you in the bathroom in five minutes". I hang about in my room for a few minutes, slightly worried but excited. I then head off to the bathroom. A chair is in the middle of the floor, with clippers, guards and a cape on the bathroom cabinet. My father walks in a few seconds after me and takes a seat. "Better get started. I think you know how I want it" he says reservedly.

I wrap the cape around his neck and manage to feel the short bristles and the back of his neck. I then plug in the clippers and turn them on. They make a loud buzzing sound. I place my hand on top of his head and tip his head forward gently. I place the clippers at the base of his neck and push up gently. The sound of the clippers change and a small clump of hair comes off and leaves a patch of white on the back of his head. I keep on pushing up until I reach the crown. I see a look of content on my fathers face in the mirror. I'm enjoying seeing the whitish skin of the back of his head uncovered. I continue push the clippers up the back of his head until there is only a small sprinkling of dark stubble on the back of his white head. I move over to the right side of his head and start at the base of his short sideburns. I push the clippers up and a cascade of hair fall on his shoulder. I gently buzz around his ear, clearing the right side of his head. The dark stubble on the side of his head is easier to see in this light .I move around to the left side of his head and place my other hand around of the right side, feeling the sprinkling of stubble as a put my hand down. I quickly peel the left side of his head with the buzzing clippers.

"Now I want you to take the top down to a number two" my father states. I grab the attachment and put it on. I place my left hand at the back of his head and feel the soft sand paper of hair the remains, and place the buzzing clippers and the front of his head. I push back and a swath of hair is missing, leaving quarter inch lengths of hair remaining. I do it again and again. After I'm done with the top, I say that the back is not even and remove the guard. I again place my hand on the top of his head, now feeling the much shorter brush and rego over the back. After I finish I turn of the clippers and am disappointed it has finished so quickly. I grab a brush and wipe some of the cut hair off his head and remove the cape. My father stands up and rubs the back of his head and says "much better". He then gives the top of his head a little stroke. "You did a good job. Maybe you can do it again" he says, raising my hopes. "Your turn now" he says, now with a broad smile on his face.

I take a seat and the cape is put around my neck. "Now, I think a haircut like mine is in order" he says. "No. Please dad, I'll be laughed out of school" I said, shocked at the thought. "Oh I don't think so. I think it will look great on you. And we did make a deal" he says turning on the clippers. He places a hand on my head and pushes it firmly forward. I don't know what to do! I feel the clippers being placed at the base of my neck, vibrating softly. Suddenly they're pushed up and I feel a cold patch suddenly on the back of my head. The clippers are raced up my head many times and the back is done, but I still can't see any effect other then the large amount of hair that has fallen down. Dad moves on to the left side and I can now see what he is doing. He pushes the clippers up and I see the white path that they leave behind for the first time on my head. He quickly shears the rest of the hair off that side and moves on to the right side. With the buzzing clippers that side is cleared in 20 seconds. He turns the clippers off. I'm in shock. It looks as if there is no hair on the sides of my head. "Relax" he says, putting a guard on the clippers. He turns them back on and grips the back of my head. The clippers buzz through, cutting 3 to 4 inch hair down to short bristles. With each stroke more hair comes off, until his repeated strokes don't cut anymore hair. He turns the clippers off and places them on the bench.

I'm stunned, I've never wanted my hair this short. "Much better don't you think" my father said. He removes the cape and then gently massages the sides and back of my head. He takes my right hand and places it at the base of my neck and then pushes it up. I feel the gentle sprinkling of stubble the covers the back of my head. My head looks so pale. "Why don't I grab my razor and shave the sides and back for you" my father says "It would really finish it off nicely. "NO. I didn't want this haircut and I definitely don't want it any shorter than it is!" I reach up and feel the top of my head. It feels a bit like my fathers. Though I like the feel, I hate the look. It just doesn't suit me. I stand up to go, but my father grabs my shoulder so I turn around to face him. "Wait. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I thought you asking to be able to cut my hair because you actually wanted to have your hair shorter. I guess I'm wrong. But it does look good on you. Also, I'd forgotten but for awhile I've wanted to cut the top shorter but your mother won't let be. Says it would look to sever. Maybe you might like to cut it for me."

I think for a second. I just want to get away from here but the chance of cutting my fathers hair shorter causes me to say "Yeah, Okay". "Great" my father says smiling and sits back down in the chair. I grab the cape and wrap it around again. I look up and I see my reflection. It's not as bad as it looked at first, but is still doesn't look good. I grab the clippers and put the No. 1 guard on and turn them on. I place my hand on the back of my fathers head again, before placing the clippers at my father's forehead. I push back and the hair on the top of his head becomes even shorter. Small bits of hair come trailing of the back of his head and falling on the floor. As I push the clippers back I can see the small bits of hair getting cut. I finally stop and turn off the clippers and put them on the counter. You can now really see the skin through the bristles of hair. "I think it looks better. What do you think" says my father turning his head back and forth. I put my hands on the top of his head and give it a good rub. The tight brush of bristles feels great and I think it makes him look even better, so I say so.

"Well that's great" he says. I remove the cape and put everything in the box it is normally stored in and put it in the bathroom cabinet. "You know I am really sorry about what happened. I really thought you were just to embarrassed to ask for a short haircut. It does look good though. Maybe, and I'm not implying anything, it might grow on you. I better get a broom to sweep up all this hair" my father says just as he leaves "Maybe" I say starring into the mirror.