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    Danielle would never forget her graduation or her eighteenth birthday.

    For, you see, more than anything else, Danielle wanted to get a car to be able to go out to the beach etc. She had an uncle who had a convertible Corvette, and she loved the feel of the rushing wind, etc. That set her mind up.

    Now, Danielle wasn't a wild child or anything. She was quite the opposite. She studied hard and listened to her parents. She had never really asked for anything like a car before. She knew it wasn't cheap.

    The first thing she did when she was old enough was to go out and get a part-time job. She saved the money in a bank account so that she'd have some money. All the summer before her senior year she worked full-time in one place and carried a second job to put more away. Of course, when she had to go back to school she had to ease back. Now she was entering her senior year and she was going to have to lay the bombshell down sometime.

    Danielle was quite attractive; she had a long, luxurious mane of red hair. Ever since she had been little it had been growing out. She did have it trimmed occasionally, but it still ran almost halfway down her back. And, although she sometimes tied it back in a long ponytail, or occasionally into an enormous French braid, she most of the time wore it just off her shoulders and hanging down her back like a crimson waterfall reaching out to kiss the ground.

    Her father never really seemed to care what she did with her hair, but sometimes he would watch her brushing it and talk to her about school, life, and work, whatever was current. Her mother however was coming to like the long tangled mess of hair less and less. It wasn't like she wanted have her cut it to be mean or punish her, she was a great kid. She listened to them about life matters; she studied hard and was an exemplary team leader in school.

    She was working her tail off the summer before her senior year and Danielle's parents thought that was fine. She would probably be offered a scholarship. She played softball and soccer in school as well as being in the drama club and the science club. She was almost always a straight-A student. She was ranked third in her class.

    Her mom once or twice tried to convince her that getting her hair cut shorter would be a benefit. "Wouldn't it be nice," she would sometimes say, "to get some of that long stuff cut off? Here it is getting to be nice weather. You might think about it."

    Danielle would always shake her head. She drew the line and getting it trimmed. She was mortified, however, on the inside with the idea itself. What would her friends think if she had, say 6 inches cut off? She would always tell her mom she would think about it.

    She actually liked going to the salon, the woman there, Rachel, who did her hair was always very nice and they talked about school, boys, proms, the whole thing that young women like to discuss. Rachel was 24 and just out of hairdressing school. Danielle toyed with the idea of becoming a hairdresser, since she liked to sit sometimes and talk to Rachel and watch other customers getting haircuts.

    The boy's cuts fascinated her the most. She liked to look at and feel the crisp sharp edges of her hair after Rachel trimmed it. The sudden break elated her inner senses, though she was not sure why. But the boys, well they would come in and their mothers would ask for a "crew cut". Once right as Rachel was finishing another trim of Danielle's hair, a boy sat next to her and his mom asked the other lady to give the boy a crew cut.

    "But mom," the boy started to wail. "No buts young man," the mother snapped back. "It's summertime. I am not having that mop anymore."

    The cape went around the boys head and the lady produced a set of electric clippers. Danielle asked Rachel if she could just watch. "Sure," Rachel said in a low voice, a smile pulling the corners of her lips. "It'll be over in a second. You'll see."

    The lady put on a plastic attachment and began mowing through the boy's hair in no time. The boy was visibly upset. Danielle told him he looked fine. He just sort of gave her a funny look. She could see he was tearing up. "I like my hair...Ow! I don't want to get it cut. It hurts!"

    "Hold your head still, honey and it won't," the lady told him, grabbing his head and turning it forward. Danielle smiled. She used to feel the same way, until Rachel started cutting it.

    The haircut was soon over with a bristly cap of very short hair replacing the unkempt mop that was there before. Danielle got up and rubbed his head. It was the first time she ever recalled feeling a freshly shorn head of hair. A quarter of an inch of hair felt sharp and weird. She shuddered to think how it would look on her.
    So, she continued to get it trimmed every four or five weeks or so. And the pattern went on. Until one day.

    As winter rolled in and the New Year passed, Danielle took the plunge. She decided to tell her parents what she wanted as a gift for her 18th birthday. And since she was going to graduate a few weeks before, they could be combined into one. A convertible, that's what she most wanted.

    Her parents were surprised. She had been driving now for nearly a year and was, by all accounts, a pretty good driver. She watched her speed, obeyed the laws and kept heed of her parent's instructions where to go and when to be home.

    They told her they would discuss it and think about it. It was not an easy step. It was more like a large leap. One they would be happy to make for her since she was so obviously a good kid. 18 was a big age. She would be off to college next year. She had received a full scholarship to Brown University. She wanted to go north and enjoy the cool falls and snow-driven winters. Maybe a convertible wasn't the best idea in those conditions, but Danielle rationalized that some of the time it would make a difference and that's what she most wanted to have.

    As spring came in, the days started to become appreciably longer and warmer, her parents came to their decision. They started shopping for a reasonable car for her to drive, but to make sure it was a convertible ready for her to drive on her birthday. All too soon graduation was on them. They had her car picked out, a maroon car with an automatic roof mechanism. Quite the fancy looking machine and red was Danielle's favorite color.

    They held a graduation party for her and most of her friends came. But they held off three weeks until her 18th birthday was upon her to give her the real gift.

    Danielle got up that morning and her parents kissed her and wished her a happy eighteenth. Then they led her out to the driveway and she saw the car, replete with a bow on the top. It was perfect!

    Her father hugged her and kissed her. He told her he loved her very much. Then he went inside to make the coffee. Danielle stood staring at the car, in as much disbelief as anything else.

    "Now," her mother said, wrapping her hands around her daughter's shoulders. "There are some rules. You have to pay for gas and your insurance. We'll pay for regular maintenance. If you should get into an accident, you will have to take responsibility."

    Her mother took a breath. "One more thing. Your hair. You need a haircut. All that long stuff flying around in the breeze will obscure your sight. About time you got it cut shorter."

    Danielle cringed. She loved the car, but was it worth that? "But, mom."

    "No buts, young lady. About time you got it cut shorter. It's summer now, perfect time to get it snipped."

    What could she say? She swallowed, hard, and nodded meekly. "When," she asked.

    "Why not today? I can get you into where I go."

    "Can I go and have Rachel cut it?"

    "If you like, but I have to go with you. I want to make sure it's done right."

    Danielle nodded. "OK," was all she could say.
    
    Throughout the day, Danielle played with her hair. Until she got her haircut, her mom would not let her drive the car. She tied up the long strands into a ponytail and tied it with a ribbon. Her mom just smiled and said "a couple of hours now and you'll be shorn of all that hair!"

    She sighed and appealed to her father. He shrugged. "Your mother made the rule up before we decided to get you the car. That was her firm rule. I can't go back on that."

    Danielle knew it was a losing cause. She then retreated and tied it up in the tightest French braid she could stand. If they were going to cut her hair, she was going to make them work for it. Even if it was Rachel doing the cutting. Rachel would stand up for her and tell her mother it ought to stay just as it is. No changes, other than a light trim. Danielle's usual haircut, par for the course.

    Eventually there came a time when they needed to go. Danielle slipped into the shower, to enjoy one last time the feeling of washing her long hair and how it felt. Her mother felt sympathy for her, but was adamant that she loose those long straggling locks. After all, it was for the girl's own good!

    Danielle blew dry her hair and tied it back into the tightest French braid she could muster. She was going to maker her own mother think again!

    They arrived at the salon about 10 minutes before Danielle's mother had made her appointment. Danielle caught Rachel's eye and they exchanged a smile. Danielle was confident that Rachel would shoot down her mother's proposal and let her keep her hair long.

    When it came time, Danielle sat in the chair and felt the plastic cape wrap around her neck. She saw Rachel lean in to ask her how she wanted it cut.

    "Just a minute," Danielle's mother said. "I am here to tell you what I want on my daughter's behalf."

    Rachel nodded and looked at her. "What'll it be, madam," she asked.

    Her mom looked at her. "Something more dramatic than just a `trim' I think."

    Danielle thought, here comes the bombshell where Rachel tells my mother off!

    Rachel smiled. "Yes, I thought that too. What do you want? A couple of feet taken off?"

    Traitor!! Danielle's mind was screaming. Feet? Surely she must be joking! Rachel was always content and happy to give her a trim. Why was she now betraying her. Tears started welling up in Danielle's eyes.

    "Let's start with a foot," Danielle's mother said. "For a start."

    Danielle felt that the braid would distract her. Rachel eyed an approximate measure and began to crunch the scissors across the braid. It started to fray and come loose of the rest. "Sorry," Rachel whispered to her. "I've wanted to cut your hair short for such a long time!"

    Danielle still felt betrayed. Her best haircutter, best friend outside of school, her confidant about other matters, how could she do this sort of thing? It was pure betrayal.

    Instead of being deterred by the braid, Rachel started cutting across it. She didn't seem perturbed by it in the least. She just started sawing through the long intertwined red hair until; with a final plop it detached itself from the rest of her hair and dropped to the floor. Rachel bent down and picked it up. After all, she considered, for Danielle this was a long time coming. The freedom from all that hair.

    Danielle's eyes began to tear up. Rachel felt sorry for the girl, but if only she had listened to the few times Rachel had tried to persuade her that going shorter was a good thing. Now it was Rachel's turn to call the shots.

    "What do you think," her mother asked. "I'd go shorter, ma'am," Rachel replied. "Time she was shorn of all that hair."

    "What about a bob?" her mother asked.

    Rachel nodded. "Let's give it a whirl."

    The tears were making Danielle's eyes blurry. She blinked to try and clear her sight. Rachel was trying to make it as dramatic as possible. That was just great, Danielle thought.

    Rachel brought the scissors to the bottom of Danielle's left earlobe and started to mercilessly crunch into more of her beautiful hair. It wasted no time dropping away and landing on the cape or continuing down to the tiled floor. As Rachel worked around her head cutting more off, Danielle's mother intervened.

    "No, dear," she said. Danielle didn't know who she was talking to. "It's cute like that, but I sense it can still get in her eyes while she is driving."

    Rachel stopped snipping; about half of Danielle's head was now bobbed. "I kind of agree with you, ma'am. I was thinking something a little more modern for her anyway. She's got a great head shape for short hair."

    Danielle's mother asked her, "What are you thinking of?"

    "I kind of call it my `modern girl' look," Rachel said. She started describing how she would cut the hair. "I cut the back very short and layer it out as I go up. The hair on top is kept just above the eyebrows so it won't be in her eyes when she drives. The hair in the back will be so short it won't be able to do much. It's a lot like a boy's haircut, but with some feminine twists to it."

    Danielle's mom sounded uncertain. "I'd like you to cut it much shorter, but won't that be a little too short?"

    Rachel shrugged. She had a lengthy bob herself, parted vaguely on the right. "I used to have it like that myself. When I turned 16 my hairdresser suggested it as it was so hot that summer. I agreed and she cut it perfectly. Sure, it was different, but I always had pretty short hair growing up. This," here she ran her fingers through her own hair, "is as long as I have ever had it."

    "You mean it's time for you to get a haircut too," Danielle said weakly.

    Rachel nodded. "I need one desperately. I think I'm going to go for one of those boy's crew cuts."    

    Danielle's mom shuddered. "You want to get a crew cut?"

    Rachel nodded. "It's perfect for this kind of weather."

    "As long as Danielle can get what you suggest," Danielle's mom said, "go for it."

    Rachel nodded and grinned. "I promise that it won't hurt a bit."

    She pulled Danielle's hair out and began snipping close to the scalp. Danielle could feel the cold metal blades brushing over her skin. Scissors had never been so close before.

    As angry as Danielle was with both Rachel and her mother, she wondered what Rachel would look like in a crew cut.

    As the scissors kept working, Danielle asked her in a low whisper. "Are you serious? I mean about getting a crew cut?"

    Rachel, a comb in her mouth, just grunted her assent. Then, as she started to comb out the longer strands, she said, "I've always wanted one."

    "Why?"

    Rachel shrugged. "I had two brothers growing up. They got them. When I decided to become a hairdresser I started cutting their hair. My dad liked their hair short."

    "Yours too?" Danielle asked.

    Rachel nodded. "Yup, he did. Thank goodness my mom stopped him from getting me in the queue for a crew cut."

    "Interesting," Danielle said. "It's been the opposite for me."

    "I know. As I said, I've always wanted to cut your hair. Not a crew cut, for sure. I actually think you'd look good in a crew cut. I got all my haircuts at a barber. He wasn't much into girl's haircuts."

    "Are you kidding?" Danielle almost squealed. "My friends will laugh me off the face of the earth for what you're doing to me now!"

    Rachel shook her head. "I don't think so. Having hair that long, well, it's a sign of young girls. Girls who don't know any better. Girl's under mom's protective wing and stern gaze. I think you'll find that your friends will be surprised, but come to accept you. Tell them it was your decision. Now that you have a new car and are about to go off to college, you need some time to try new things out and become the mature young woman you've been developing into."

    Rachel's pep talk certainly soothed Danielle's nerves a bit. "I am going to miss you," Danielle said. "You're the best."

    Rachel smiled. "Oh, I'll miss you too. All those years of `just a trim' from you. When I wanted to do so much more, really wanted to cut your hair like I am doing."

    Danielle smiled, the tears had stopped. "I still think you're a traitor for taking my mother's side on this. But I forgive you."

    Rachel paused to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks," Rachel said. "That means a lot."

    Rachel worked around Danielle's head, cutting more and more of Danielle's long red locks off. Now Danielle didn't feel so bad about it. Maybe her friends would not laugh her out of the room when she showed up. She got an idea of getting a bandana and wrapping it around her head. Then when they asked her about it, she would nod, reach up and pull it off, showing them what the new Danielle looked like. Whip-smart and now looking more like a full grown adult woman. She even had to admit it to herself; she did look more grown up.

    Rachel continued cutting the back and sides in layers. She let her fingers guide her as to the length. Danielle reflected that she picked a good career. She was a natural at this. As Rachel got to the top, she lengthened the amount of hair remaining. Danielle was sure she'd have some sort of brutally short pixie cut at the end. Her mother had retreated and was starting to look at a magazine, so she must have been content with the design Rachel was cutting into her daughter's head. Danielle figured the first chance she got she'd let it grow out. Back to `just a trim' time.

    Then, as she watched Rachel work around her left side and behind her again, she reconsidered. She rather liked getting her hair cut. She was sure this was too short, but perhaps letting it grow into the bob that Rachel had would be a better choice. Or something off the shoulders perhaps?

    Rachel was coming around to Danielle's right side now, more and more hair fluttering down off of her head. Her head even felt lighter. Then Rachel put a light sprits of hair spray on the top. Then she picked up a pair of small electric trimmers. She turned them on with a buzz. The sound was not alien to Danielle, but being used on her. Rachel told her she was going to neaten the neckline and began running the clippers over her neck, the cold steel plate felt both weird and, in a way, divine to her. Her neck had never been exposed like this before that she was ever aware of.

    Danielle distinctly heard the hairs getting chewed up in the teeth of the clippers. She gasped. Rachel smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to give you a crew cut. Unless you ask for one, of course."

    Danielle laughed. "No, not today, thank you. I'd like to see you when you get yours, though."

    "Come by tonight. I've been putting it off too long."

    Danielle smiled. "OK," she said, "I will do that."

    Rachel nodded. "I guess I have to go through with it now." Then she laughed too.

    Danielle just grinned an almost pixie grin. "You bet you do. After all, I had to go through with it."

    Rachel turned off the trimmers and stood back. "There," she said. "You look much more modern." She picked up a mirror and showed Danielle the back. Oh, all that pale skin of her neck was standing out!

    "A little time on the beach will let that paleness fade away."

    Danielle's mom came over. "Oh, Rachel, you did a fantastic job with her!"

    She gave Rachel extra money for doing such a good job. As Danielle waved goodbye, Rachel called out to her, "tonight! Don't forget."

    "I won't!"

    They went outside. As they got into the car, Danielle could not help but keep feeling the hair that was so brutally shorn away. It felt odd, rather like that little boy's crew cut all that long time ago. It felt good too, somehow.

    Her mother leaned over and gave her a kiss and a hug. "Thank you for being so understanding. I do hope you like it. I just wanted you to be safe and have something a bit more grown up. I might have let Rachel get a little carried away."

    "Rachel got herself carried away," Danielle said, kissing her mother back. "Thanks for the car and the chance to grow up a little more."

    "What did she mean about coming back tonight?"

    "She's going to get her hair cut much shorter too. She invited me back to see her do it."

    "Sounds like fun," Danielle's mother said, putting the car in gear and backing out.


    Her friends thought her haircut was awesome and so was her new car. She put the top down right away as soon as she got home and her mother now gave her the keys and told her to have fun.

    She was tempted to go to the beach, but it was an almost two hour drive and two hours back. She visited some friends, took them for a spin and they oohed and aahed over both her haircut and her beautiful new car.

    But, tonight there was an appointment Danielle meant to keep. She had to go back and see Rachel again. This time, it would be Rachel in the chair and she would be watching.

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