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The bus pulled up before the gates. A guard held up his hand and ordered the driver to stop in front of him. He grabbed his clipboard and walked to the bus. The driver opened the doors to the bus and the guard stepped inside. He barked out orders: ?You are entered a high risk detention center. Here you have no rights. You will answer only when you are spoken to. You will obey every order given or your sentence will be increased. We tolerate no fighting and there are no exceptions to the rules. Once this bus goes through the gates, you will get off the bus, one at a time and you will form an orderly line. You will be taken inside where you will meet the prison captain and the prison chaplain. Every one of you will be expected to attend Sunday services and you will be permitted one phone call a week but that is a privilege that you will have to prove you deserve. That is it for now.? He looked at the driver and pointed to an area where he would allow the inmates to get off the bus.

The bus pulled forward another 50 feet and as it rolled in the gates closed and the guard got into his booth and made a call to the front desk. The prison captain and superintendent got up and left their respective offices, heading out doors to meet the bus and the new inmates. The bus pulled up to a full stop and the doors opened. The driver disembarked and he handed a second clipboard to the captain. The captain stood at the side of the door and he barked out: ?As I call your name, you have two minutes to get your stuff, get out of the bus and form an orderly line beside the bus.?. The captain started calling out names and one by one, fifty inmates exited the bus.

The prison was one of the first co-inmate facilities. Both males and females were housed there but in separate barracks. And only serious cases came to this facility. Cases where sentences were imposed to the maximum.

And I work here in the prison. Not only do I do maintenance but I also double as the prison barber. I have done some haircutting in the past. I even owned a barbershop but after a period of time, I sold it and when the prison moved to our town, I applied for work there. I got on as maintenance/grounds keeper and I was happy. I was really looking for a change and now I had security.

When the state deemed it necessary to change the environment of the institution and use it to house the more hardened criminals, I was delighted because it meant, not only more money but more security. The seriousness of the criminal?s crimes also meant that the state would not take them into the city to get their hair cut. So it became a mad rush to find someone who would be willing to come to the institution at the drop of a coin and take care of the inmates. The call went out to all the barbers in the city but no one was willing to take up the challenge. .

The day of this particular bus drop-off, I was working outside, in front of the office. On this particular day, I was NOT the institution barber but I became it on that day. I watched as 50 youths were ushered off the bus and ordered to line up in front of the bus. The superintendent and the captain walked through the line of inmates, ordering them to spit out gum, drop cigarettes, open bags and dump books and makeup. ?You won?t need these things here anymore,? the captain said. The inmates were then split up into smaller groups and they were led off to barracks; the young males with three male sergeants and the young females with two women guards. I marveled at how so many youths could end up in a place like this. I looked hard at one particular female and she must have noticed me because she hung her head, almost in shame.

The superintendent and the captain walked back to the office and as they passed me, the superintendent said to the captain: ?We don?t have a barber for the inmates. We can?t get one for at least a week.?

?No one will come out and do them?? the captain said. The superintendent shook his head. ?Oh! That is not good. We have to find someone.?

?I did find someone but he lives 50 miles away and he wants more then what the state is willing to pay,? the superintendent said.

?I wonder if it would be worth it to invest in our own personal barber. It is too bad no one on the compound has never used a pair of scissors and clippers, like Brad used to,? the captain said.

?Brad?? the superintendent said. ?Who do you mean? The grounds keeper??

?He used to be a barber. He used to have a small shop in the city until he sold it. I used to take my boy?s to his shop,? the captain said. ?I wonder if he still has his tools.? The captain pointed to me as I was trimming the grass. ?Hey, Brad, how has your day been going??

We talked for a few minutes and after ten minutes, I said: ?I heard your conversation and yes, I still have my tools.?

?Would you be willing to help us out, at least today and then we will petition the state and see if we can hire you as our full-time barber. What do you say?? the superintendent asked.

?I have not cut hair for about 10 years,? I answered.

?There is nothing special here. All clipper cuts, short backs and sides and even shorter if they are trouble- makers from the get-go,? the captain answered. ?What do you say, Brad? We would be very grateful,?

?How soon?? I asked. ?After lunch? I have to go and find the tools and get set up somewhere.? The superintendent nodded his head. ?Okay, how about the hallway in front of the gym? I only need a chair.?

I went back to my lodging, found my tools and went to the cafeteria for lunch. After I finished lunch, I went to the employee lounge and sat down to relax until the inmates were brought to me after their lunch. I was especially looking forward to seeing some length hit the floor. Clipper cuts for everyone, including the females? Yes, my kind of pleasure.

The first lot of inmates were brought to me at 1:30; ten young males. It took me exactly 40 minutes to do them. Nothing fancy, no guards, blades right down the middle and using the biggest pair of clippers I had. As soon as the first lot was done, the second lot was brought in. Then the third lot. Thirty young males. Done.

The fourth lot and the fifth lot I was especially looking forward to because it was the females. But I also wanted to find out why she was here. I knew she recognized me and I surely recognized her. The first lot of females came into the hallway area. I saw tears very quickly and as I pushed the first female?s head down and ran the clippers up her neck, the tears really started to flow on the remaining nine girls. Hair started to fall and the pile grew quickly as I went through each young girl with my clippers on fire and my heart racing.

She was not in the first lot of females so I continued to think about what I was going to ask her. I finished the first ten females in an hour and the guard dismissed them, rushing them back to their dorm where they would be assigned to a work detail. I grabbed a broom and swept the floor as the guard came down the hallway with the last ten girls. Again she saw me and she saw the tools on the table as did the other girls. Again tears started to fall. I walked to the guard and asked if I was allowed to talk to the inmates. ?I personally know one of these girls. I have known her family for years,? I said.

?Which one?? the guard asked. ?Don?t point. Tell me the number.?

?The second to last girl,? I answered. The guard nodded her head. ?Make it fast though,? she said.

I got through the first eight girls in less then thirty minutes. My hand was firm and steady. I finished the 8th girl and I looked at her. She approached the chair and she sat down. ?Why?? I asked her as I pushed her head down.

?I got in with the wrong people. I did not do it on purpose. It went off by accident,? she mumbled.

?You are here for murder?? I asked.

:?No. He is alive. But I still got charged,? she said.

?Do you parents know you are here?? I asked. She mumbled something that I did not understand. I placed my hand on the back of her head and I pushed her head down. I flicked the switch on the clippers and they came to life.

?When was the last time you spoke to your dad?? I asked her.

?I ran away from home six years ago. I saw them last about two and a half years ago but they did not recognize me,? she said. I continued shearing the back of her head. Her brown hair fell to the floor in front of my feet.

I had half her head sheared when I decided I needed a break. I had one more girl to do but I wanted some more time with her. I walked to the guard. ?I am going to do the last girl and I promise to walk this one back to the dorm.?

I told her to get off the chair and I pointed to the last female. She walked to the chair and I shaved the final inmate. ?Call the superintendent and tell him I am with the last inmate. I will drop by his office as soon as I am done. I will explain ?Why? when I get there. Don?t worry. She won?t do anything to me. Trust me. You have my word,? I said to the guard.

Having finished the last inmate, the female guard took the other nine girls to the dorm. I was alone with her. ?Tell me why did it come to this??

We talked for a good half an hour before I realized I had to get her back to the dorm. ?I have to finish you and get you back to the dorm. Look, do you want me to contact anyone for you?? I asked her. ?Do you want me to talk to your Dad? I don?t think you hate him that much. I still see him every once in a while. Of course, I would have to ask the superintendent if I could do it and you would have to make me a promise that as long as you are here, you will stay out of trouble. I might even be able to help with that. But you would have to prove yourself trustworthy. Do you think I could trust you?? She nodded her head. I stood to the side and I ran the clippers up the side of her head and finished her cut.

?Okay. Let?s get you back to the dorm. You will possible be brought to the superintendent?s office after I talk to him and tell him what I would like to do for you. But I promise you this much, if you make me regret what I am going to do and suggest for you, I will not contact your father. I will give you one month to prove your worth and after that I will contact your father and set up a visit. But if you screw up, even once, you will have no friend here. And you will get no help from me. I am doing this because I respect your father. I have known the family for a long time,? I told her. She nodded her head.

I walked her back to the dorm, dropped her off with the rest of her group and told her to sit tight and do as she was told. From there I went to the superintendent?s office and make my pitch. Telling him the conditions I had told her.

The superintendent listened to my proposal. When I told him who her father was, he was intrigued with why she had runaway from home. ?Would I be allowed to tell her father that she is here?? I asked. ?She has not seen her parents in 2.5 years. I think they deserve to know.?

He offered to make a phone call and speak to her father, himself. ?But I will not do it for a month. She has to prove she deserves it.? the superintendent said. I nodded my head.

?I know the inmates will be put on work detail. I know last year we put some of the inmates on grounds. Could I have her on grounds detail? I will keep an eye on her.? I asked.

?Let me talk to her personally and I will give you an answer later this evening,? the superintendent told me. With that I got up and walked to the door. ?Oh, Brad, one last thing. Thanks for stepping in and I hope you will be ready in the future if we call on you. I need to call the state board and talk to them about this further and talk to them about getting you re-classified and getting you a raise.?

Author: clippedandsnipped Copyright protected ? 2004 Registered to JCWP Design Services ? 2000 This story is not to be downloaded or sent to any other board without the authorized written permission of the author. Nor is it to be removed from this site, even for personal use and keeping.

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