Too young!

I am quite intimidating to most people, with my shaved smooth head and long, waist-length braided goatee.

I didn't always shave my head. Back in high school, I had hair almost as long as my goatee is now. Right around the end of sophomore year, just as I was starting to grow my first 'stache, my hair began to thin. At first it was just more in the brush or in the shower drain. By mid summer, it seemed that every time I ran my hands through my hair, long strands of hair came out. I thought that maybe it was just my body's reaction to the heat. My hair was still nice and thick. It was around this time that my body hair started coming in, also nice and thick. By the end of the summer I had a nice thick moustache, and had to shave the rest of my face every day... otherwise I would have grown a beard like my dad.

When school started that fall, I went for my annual checkup; I asked my doctor about my hair, since it was still coming out more than I had thought was normal. The doctor told me to take off my shirt, and then he smiled. He said, "see all that chest hair", and then he tweaked the end of my thick stache and said "it's hormones boy". The doctor continued to explain that it is not uncommon for guys my age to start thinning, especially with the very thick facial and body hair I started to grow. I groaned. He said he would run some tests, and to come back in a week.

A very stressful week passed, and I went back to the doctor. He told me that my hormone tests are slightly high normal, and that there was nothing to worry about. Oh, and the hairloss... yeah MPB. I freaked, I was 16 and going bald. I went home crushed. I spoke with mom and dad, and dad started to laugh and say... well, you are just like me son, I was lost all of my hair by freshman year of college. I looked up at him, with his shiny completely bald head and huge beard... and started to cry. My parents tried to comfort me, and my dad said that at least you are allowed to grow facial hair in school, and that when he was in high school he had to shave. Wow, big consolation I thought.

As the months passed, I tried to ignore my thinning hair. By the end of junior year, I had a small bald spot on my crow, concealed by wearing my hair back in a ponytail, but it showed the receding front. I did manage to grow a really nice, thick beard that was the envy of all the guys. My parents complemented me on my beard, and dad suggested that maybe I cut my hair. No way, I said, I am hanging onto this hair as long as I can.

Summer came, and one morning early July I awoke to find long strands of hair on my pillow. I went into the bathroom to take a shower, and looked in the mirror to see that my front hairline had really started to recede. I started to brush my hair, and to my horror, it started to come out in long, thick clumps. I yelled for my dad. He was sympathetic. He said the same thing happened to him, but during the first week of college. He suggested that I shave my head like he did, and I said no way. I put on my cap and left for work. Over the next two weeks, the same scene was repeated every morning. By the end of August, what was left on the top of my head was short wispy strands of hair. There was no way that I could show myself at school looking like this.

I called my best friend Bill. Bill, tall, blond hair in a flattop, gorgeous blue eyes. Man I had the hots for him. He showed up and said hey man what's with the hat? I took off my cap, and Bill gasped, "what the hell happened to you", I explained to him what the doctor said, and he just kept repeating damn. He told hold of my once thick ponytail, now less than half it's original thickness, and said "maybe you should cut it, or shave it like you dad". He said, I think you would look great with short hair. He said come home with me, I can cut your hair.

I followed Bill on my bike. No one was home, and he led me down into the basement of his family's house. In a corner was a stool, and next to it an old dresser with mirror and a whole bunch of barber tools on it. I sat down on the stool, and he took off my hat, rubbed the top of my balding head and took my hair out of the ponytail. I asked him what he was going to do. Bill said that maybe we should leave a long braided rat tail, but as he started to brush my hair, even more stared to come out. I said that maybe it should all go, and he agreed.

Bill gently brushed out the long fringe that remained of my hair, and deftly braided into two separate braids, each almost three feet long, but now very thin. Bill took the big scissors and asked if I was ready, I said now or never, and he leaned over, pull the right braid taut as I heard the shears crunch into my hair. "One for me" he said, and then continued onto the next braid, slicing it off, and saying "one for you".

Before I had a chance to turn around and look in the mirror, I heard a clack of the clippers coming to life. Slowly Bill began to run the clippers up the back of my head, tearing off what remained of my hair. Then he moved to the front and mowed down the thin hair on the top of my head. When he was done he asked "what about the beard"? Well I am not going to loose that, I said. Bill said, no, of course not, I love your beard, just didn't think you wanted to look like your dad, shaved head and big full beard and all. "Shaved head" I gasped. "Sure, what did you think". I answered that I wasn't sure, maybe a buzz. Bill said, "sorry, it has to go" you are way too bald for a buzz, shaved head is the only way to go. I suggested a goatee, and felt Bill moving the clippers up the side of my face, mowing down four inches of thick beard. He suggested that I leave the goatee long, to make up for what I lost up top.

Finally the shave, Bill went upstairs and I turned to the mirror. I gasped, who the hell was that looking back at me? I sure didn't look seventeen anymore, actually I thought I looked kinda handsome. Bill came down with a bowl of hot water and a few towels. He took one of the hot wet ones and wrapped my head in it. A few minutes passed, and Bill lathered up my head and face and proceeded to shave me. What a feeling, it was so weird.

After it was done, I had a look in the mirror. I was in awe. I looked very cool. No more balding boy, I looked like a man.

The first day of school was a blast, everyone was amazed at my new look. Bill beamed, and became my boyfriend until I left for college the next year. If you look in my yearbook, you will see I look almost the same, shaved smooth head and my goatee, never trimmed, braided and about 10" long.