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Melissa, her husband Bob and son Brian had moved from the suburbs of Chicago to Upper Michigan about two months ago.  Bob had accepted a position with a small company and moved the family to what Melissa considered a rural oasis.  She had grown up in a rural town and had always liked small town life.  Melissa was glad that her 10-year old son was getting a chance to experience the kind of life she had enjoyed as a child.

The move had been fairly easy.  And since Melissa worked as a technical writer from home, she didn’t have to change jobs to make the move.  They all were adjusting pretty well to their new situation.  However Melissa had one small problem.  What to do about her hair.  She had always worn it short, in whatever style was popular at the time.  But two months ago, Melissa got it cut a little shorter than usual because she figured it would be awhile before she could find a suitable stylist in the north woods.

And she was right. In the little town where she lived with her husband and son, there were only two places to get your hair cut.  One was Walter’s Barber Shop, a one-man operation where men in the area not only went for haircuts, but also to discuss the problems of the world and how to solve them.  The other place offering haircuts was Millie’s Beauty Nook.  It was located right next door to Walter’s and like the Barber Shop; it was a one woman salon.

Unfortunately, Millie was out-of-town taking care of a sick relative and Melissa was not sure how long she would be gone.  Since she was sporting a short, bowl-style haircut, she figured Walter might be able to give her a light trim to tie her over until Millie returned.
How hard could it be?  It wasn’t like she would be asking for a complete change in style.  Just some trimming around the ears, along the neck line in back, and cutting her bangs so they were out of her eyes.  Melissa hated it when her hair fell into her eyes when she was working.

So Melissa had decided that today after she dropped Brian at school, she would stop by Walter’s for a quick trim.  Taking Brian to school everyday, she noticed that the shop was not very busy early in the morning.  And because she didn’t relish the idea of having a crew of men watch her get her hair cut, Melissa thought it best to stop as early as possible.

But on this particular morning Melissa was running late.  She had forgotten to set the alarm.  Brian was up and already for school, so Melissa threw some clothes on so she could get him to school on time.  In dressing she had grabbed an old pair of jeans and one of Bob’s old, oversized University of Chicago sweat shirts.  She was far from glamorous, but the outfit would do to take Brian to school.  Besides if she was getting her haircut, she would probably be changing when she got home anyway.

Melissa and Brian jumped in her SUV and raced across town to the school.  As Brian was getting out of her SUV, Melissa saw a glimpse of herself in the mirror and was appalled by her look.  Because she had been late, she had neglected to apply any makeup or even comb her hair.  Melissa thought she looked hideous.  Because of this she thought maybe she would skip the haircut today and go tomorrow.  But as she approached Walter’s she saw that there were no cars in his parking lot and no one in the waiting area.  Melissa figured there was no time better than the present and swung the SUV into the lot.

As Melissa entered the shop, little bells above the door tinkled.  Walter, who had been reading a newspaper in the Barber chair, looked up over the paper and greeted his first customer of the day!

“Mornin.  Great day for haircut eh?”

“Yes,” Melissa replied and took off the light windbreaker she had been wearing.

“This is your lucky day – no waiting!”

Melissa smiled and approached the big leather barber chair without the slightest apprehension.  As she sat down, Walter placed a white, pin-stripped cape around her.  Next he placed a ring of tissue around her neck and fastened it all together with a metal clip in back.

“So.  What are we doin’ today?”

“I’d just like a regular haircut.  The same basic style, just a little shorter.  Can you do that for me?”

“So you want a regular trim?”

“Yes – A regular trim.”

And here was the problem.  The statement “regular trim” meant something different to each.  To Melissa, “regular trim” meant just a light trim of her present style.  But for Walter, a regular trim was a popular boy’s haircut.  It featured shaved sides and back, tapered into a short top with bangs cut well above the eyebrows.

“Sideburns off, right?” Walter inquired.

Melissa unsure what he meant stammered, “Er…yea.  I guess.”

With that Walter quickly combed through Melissa hair and turned to retrieve something off the back counter.  Because Melissa was sitting with her back to the mirror and toward the waiting area of the shop, she would be unable to see the haircut.  But she was totally relaxed.  The big chair she was sitting in was extremely comfortable and she had total confidence Walter could do the job.

Melissa then heard the pop and hum of a pair of clippers as Walter moved to the right side of her head.  He gently tilted her head left and brought the clippers into the hair in front of Melissa’s right ear.  As Walter moved the clippers up the side of her head, Melissa saw a large chunk of her auburn hair tumble into her lap.  She was not surprised at the amount of hair, because she knew her hair had gotten quite long.  She thought it was a reasonable amount of hair given how far over due she was for a haircut.

But what she couldn’t see was Walter had no guard on the clippers, and as a result he had cut her hair right down to the skin.  It had been shaved clean.  If she had seen this, Melissa might have said something.  But even then, what could she have done?  With that one quick stroke, Walter had taken her down the road of no return.

Walter brought the clippers up over Melissa’s ear and then moved behind her.  He pressed her head forward until her chin was squarely embedded in her chest and swiftly brought the clippers up the back of her neck and head.  First the right side, middle and finally left side.  Walter then turned the chair so he could finish cutting the left side of Melissa’s head.  When he was finished, he snapped the clippers off and replaced it under the counter by the back mirror.

This was the first chance Melissa had to catch a peak of the cut so far.  It was only a side look, but she at least could see how the cut was progressing.  As Walter turned away, she caught her first look of what he had done.  She was both shocked and alarmed at the severity of the cut.  Though it was only a momentary glance, Melissa thought she was looking at someone else.  Perhaps a boy of 10 or 12, but certainly not her.  She gasped for words but nothing would come.  Instead she sat staring straight ahead, unable to speak or move.

Walter returned to the left side of Melissa’s hair, this time with a smaller set of clippers and comb.  He started attacking the hair above the area he had previously shaved skin close.  Now we was tapering the top hair into the shaved bottom section.  When he was finished with the left side, Walter turned the chair so Melissa was again facing the front waiting area and he could work on the back of her hair.  He then moved to her right side and finished up tapering the cut to his liking.

It was just then; two men came into the shop laughing.  Probably from a joke one of them had told before entering. Walter greeted them and nodded for them to take seats in the waiting area.  Both men looked in Melissa’s general direction, but neither seemed to take much notice of her haircut.  It must not be as bad as she was thinking it looked.  Perhaps when Walter was done, the style wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.

Walter returned with a pair of scissors and comb and began to systematically cut hair on the top of her head.  As Melissa sat looking at the enormous pile of auburn hair in her lap, it was hard to believe it could get any larger.  But it did get larger.  Walter was cutting a good two inches off the top and the hair rained down onto the cape and floor around the chair.  When he got to the front of Melissa’s head, he combed her bangs straight forward so they hung in her eyes.  He then began cutting her bangs a good inch and a half above her eyebrows.  She of course couldn’t see this, but based on what she was feeling as he moved the scissors straight across her forehead, Walter was cutting her bangs much, much shorter than she would’ve liked.

When he finished cutting her bangs, Melissa thought Walter would be turning the chair so she could see the finished job in the back mirror.  But instead, she heard an unfamiliar humming sound.  Next Walter was back at the right side of her head, placing warm foam in front of and around her ear.  As he moved and applied the foam to the back of her head, Melissa realized it was probably shaving cream.  This man was going to using a straight edge razor to shave any remaining hair from the sides, back of her head and neck.

Melissa sat frozen, unable to speak or move.  She couldn’t believe this was happening.  It was just supposed to be a trim.  A regular haircut.  How could things have gone so wrong?  Melissa looked at the two men in the waiting area to see if they were shocked at all by what they were seeing.  Both were heavily engaged in conversation and only occasionally glanced over to see the progress of her haircut.  Neither seemed shocked by what they were seeing.

Walter used a leather strap on the side of the barber chair to sharpen his straight edge razor.  Once he was satisfied, he brought the blade high on the right side of Melissa’s head and eased it straight down.  Walter then continued up around her right ear and along the back of her head and neck.  Once again he turned the chair and finished shaving the left side of Melissa’s head.  When he was finished, Walter took a warm towel and wiped away any remaining shaving cream.  Even though she was a little alarmed at first, Melissa had actually started to like the sensation of the shave and was a little disappointed it was over.

When he finished wiping away the excess shaving cream, Walter brought the chair all the way around so Melissa was now looking at her reflection in the back mirror.

“So how does that look?  Think it’ll pass inspection?”

Inspection?  Melissa thought.  What inspection was he talking about?  She sat staring at an image that didn’t look anything like her.  The reflection looked more like that of a 10-year old boy – like her own son Brian, who wore his hair only a little shorter than this.  It was hard for Melissa to believe she was actually looking at herself.

She couldn’t find words so speak, only nodded her head meekly in response to Walter’s question.  He quickly produced a small hand brush and began brushing any stray hairs from her face and along her neck in back.  Next he unclipped the tissue and cape in back and pulled it gently away from Melissa.  She watched as a load of hair fell off the cape to the floor below. 

As Melissa stood, her first instinct was to move her hand to the side and back of her head to feel the haircut.  Walter noticed and smiled, “Feels nice doesn’t it?  That’s a good cut for a you.  I still give a few of these, mostly to young boys.  Not many men like the look”

Melissa realized this kind of explained everything.  Walter thought she was a young man.  And with the way she was dressed, who could blame him.  She had come in here wanting him to give her a “regular haircut,” and he did that.  Melissa should be angry he mistook her for a man, but she the haircut was her own fault.  What was she thinking having her hair cut in a small town barber shop?  She should have waited until Millie got back

As she pulled money from the pocket of her jeans to pay for the haircut, she stood transfixed, looking at her image in a small mirror situated near the front door of the shop.  Melissa pulled at her hair, somehow thinking it would appear longer.  But nothing she tried changed the short haircut she was doomed to live with.

What was Bob going to say?  What would people in town think?  But when she finished paying for the cut and putting her old windbreaker back on, she couldn’t keep from looking at herself in the mirror.  Melissa found that she was starting to like the look.  She had always liked the look of her hair cut short.  And though this style was much shorter than anything she had ever tried before, she found that Walter was indeed right – It did look good on her. 

As Melissa opened the door to the small shop and stepped out into the sunshine, a big smile lit up her face.  The crossed the parking lot to her SUV and got in.  Before starting the engine she turned to the rear view mirror to look at her reflection again.  Yes!  She was liking this new look more and more!

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