She looked at her contract and read it over. She nodded her head in agreement with the terms. ?You have no problem with the contract?? her agent said.
?No, not at all. I can make this work,? she said.
?You realize what you will have to do?? the agent said. :I need to know you are going to be okay with this? It is a major part of the contract that you show up without hair.?
?I have no problem with it. I know where I can get it done. I have someone in mind who I think who will do it for me,? she answered. ?How soon do we start shooting??
?They are looking at the middle of next week,? the agent said. ?You have to be in Chicago by Tuesday morning and be on the set Wednesday morning.?
?No problem. That gives me the weekend,? she answered. ?Thanks very much for helping me get this part. I am really happy.?
?We will see you when you get back,? her agent said.
She got up, shook the hand of her agent and she placed her portfolio back in her briefcase. She turned and walked out the door. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that this could really be her big break. Imagine!!! Her! With no real acting experience with the exception of a few commercials, now with a chance to be a major star on the big screen. Well, not really a major star but with the chance to have her name up there with some big names. And not just a small part with a chance of ending up on the cutting room floor. No a major part with speaking and action.
She got into her car and drove straight home. She got into her apartment and sat down to make a few calls. First to her landlord to make arrangements to cover her rent while she was away, next to the animal shelter to take care of her cat while she was gone and finally to the local barbershop, where her friend worked. But she was soon to be disappointed.
?Hello, may I speak to Michelle?? she asked.
?I am sorry. Michelle no longer works here. She was dismissed yesterday evening,? she was told.
?What? Why?? she asked.
?I cannot tell you that. Do you want to speak to Manuel?? the answer came back.
?Please; yes!? she answered.
Manuel came to the phone. ?Hello, this is Manuel. How can I help you?? he asked.
?I was just told Michelle was terminated yesterday?? she asked.
?Yes, she refused to give a customer exactly what she wanted. She imposed too much of her own opinion on the customer. The customer was disappointed with the cut and complained to me. Since Michelle was renting a chair, I terminated her on the spot,? Manuel said.
?Shit! Michelle was a good cutter and she always did good by me. I have been her customer from the day she started in your shop. Damn. I needed to get a special cut this weekend and I needed her to do it for me,? she answered. ?Michelle was the only lady barber in your shop and I won?t give myself over to any one of the male barbers.?
?Well if it makes you feel any better, I did put Michelle?s chair up for rent this morning and I did interview a couple of potential candidates. I plan to be making a decision this evening. I do want to get the chair used as soon as possible. There was a lady who asked about the chair and she does have good credentials. Call back tomorrow and maybe you can come and watch her work for a few minutes,? he said.
She hung up the phone and sat back on the couch. Shit! Her personal barber had been dismissed. Could she even find the same understand in a new barber? Would she trust this new person? She knew it had to be done and if she wanted the movie part, she would have to get it done.
The next morning she called Manuel at 10:00. ?Yes I did hire a new barber and yes it is a lady. Her name is Christine. Would you like to talk to her? She is in the salon right now. I want to see her work, in person, before I decide if I put her on ?closing duty?,? he told her.
?No, that is okay but you said if I needed to, I could come down and watch her work? Would it be okay if I watch her do a cut or two?? she asked.
?No problem,? Manuel said.
She told him what time she would get to the mall and she told him she would just sit outside the salon and look inside to see how the new barber worked. She was somewhat apprehensive about asking a new barber to shave her head but she knew that if she asked Michelle, her last barber, to shave her head, she would do it without any reservations. She got into her car and drove to the mall. She went and got a coffee and then walked to a seating area in front of the barbershop. She looked inside and saw a blonde lady dressed in a red dress cutting the hair of a young youth. She had a pair of clippers in her hand and she was doing an amazing job as the youth?s mother stood beside the barber?s chair, holding the youth?s hand.
She got up and walked closer to the door of the shop, looking in and keeping her eyes focused on the blonde barber. The blonde barber caught her eye and she turned to her and smiled. Her smile was inviting but she continued seated in the resting area. The female barber finally finished with the youth and she undid a blue cape, gathered the ends together and pulled the cape off. She flicked the cape to the floor and collected her fee from the parent.
The lady barber disappeared off the floor. She got up to leave but to her surprise, the female barber was standing in front of her. The lady barber said: ?Hello.? She just nodded her head. ?I saw you resting here. You look a little disappointed. Is there something I can do for you??
?I used to be one of Michelle?s clients. Michelle was the previous barberette. I don?t think you know her,? she said.
?No, I don?t,? the barberette said.
?I know today is your first day but Manuel said I could come and watch you cut if I needed to. I don?t know if I am ready to put myself in the hands of a new barber. Michelle would do anything I asked her to do. No reservations,? she told the barberette. ?I understand,? she said. ?It is hard to trust a new person, especially when someone tries to talk you out of a desired thing. Look, my name is Christine. So you obviously are in need of a particular style. Why don?t you come inside? I can take you to the back room and we can figure it out. I know I will never compare to Michelle but I am willing to help anyway I can.?
Christine invited her to follow her into the salon. She got up and followed. They walked to the back room and Christine pointed to the chair. She walked to it and sat down in it. Christine wrapped a blue vinyl cape around her neck and she pulled it down over her body. She then bend forward placing her hands on her knees. Her red dress was very tight to her body and as she bent forward, her new customer got a good sight of her cleavage. But her trusting smile seemed to capture her new customer?s attention. ?So tell me about Michelle,? Christine said. ?How long did she do you hair??
They talked for a few minutes and finally then Christine walked to the counter, picked up a pair of scissors and a comb. ?You have very good hair but I can see you need a major trim. Too many split-ends,? Christine said.
But that was not what she needed to have done. Would Christine understand if she told her or would she find herself going to find a real barber and getting it done in a old shop? She cleared her throat. Christine stepped back. ?Is something wrong?? she asked.
?I need you to do a very special haircut for me and I am afraid to ask you to do it,? she answered.
?Okay,? Christine said. ?Talk to me. I won?t talk you out of it.?
Her hand came out from under the cape. ?I need you to use those, right there,? she said as she pointed to the outlets in the wall.
Christine looked to the outlet. ?My clippers? Sure no problem. I can clipper your neck and sides,? Christine answered.
?No. I need more then that. I said a special haircut and Michelle would have no problem with it if I told her what was going on. I am an actress. I am on the way to a major shooting. I need you to use those on my head, right down the center of my head! Everything has to fall to the floor,? she said as she forced a smile.
?You need your head shaved? Is that what you are asking me to do?? Christine said. She nodded her head. ?Wow. You are brave if you are willing to do that. I would be honored to do it for you. I have never shaved a female but I have always wanted to do it.? She looked up at Christine and she had a smile on her face. ?And no, I would not consider talking you out of it.?
Christine put down the scissors and the comb. She did pick up the wide-toothed comb and she pulled it through her customer?s blonde locks. She stroked through her customer?s hair, de-tangling her locks. ?Your hair is really bad, even as it is right now,? Christine said. ?Maybe this will be a new start for you. So how long are you going to be bald?? She finally put the comb down. She stepped back and reached under the counter. She took off the guard and placed the guard on the counter. She flicked the switch of the orange clippers. She placed her hand under her client?s chin and lifted it up. Christine stood at the side of the chair.
?For as long as I am on the set,? she answered.
?Well, are you ready?? Christine asked. She nodded her head. ?Okay, let?s do it.? Christine held the clippers in her hand and she walked behind the chair. She held the clippers to her client?s forehead and placed them into her bangs. She pushed the clippers through her mass of blonde hair and she stopped at the crown. A swatch of blonde hair fell to the floor and some of the blonde hair settled on her shoulders. ?I think you are going to look fantastic with a sheared head.? With that a second swatch of hair fell to the floor.
She finally started to smile as Christine continued pulling the clippers over her crown area. ?You said you have always wanted to shave a woman?s head?? she asked.
?The salon I used to work at; it was not unusual to have a woman come into the shop and be seated in the chair of one of the male barbers and ask to have her head clippered but I was never asked to participate in that part of the cutting. Usually the men did it. They were really fast with the clippers and the women really did not want to be kept waiting. They wanted it done and done fast,? Christine said. ?But my chair was in the middle of the floor and I got to witness quite a bit.? Christine placed her hand at the side of her customer?s head and pulled the hair back from the ears. She placed the clippers at her sides and she shaved through the sides, bringing the baldness to the crown.
The two of them continued talking and she found herself falling in love with her new look. She even managed to sneak a peek at the floor and the amount of hair that was falling. It seemed like forever but before too long, Christine placed the clippers on the counter. She picked up a smaller white pair and ran them over her customer?s bare scalp. ?Now, did you want a hot shave as well?? Christine asked.
?Sure. I might as well go all the way. They did not say I had to shave it all down. But sure, why not?? she said. Christine carefully shaved her head, down to the skin. She rubbed her head down with some oil and then dusted her off. She unclipped the blue cape, gathered the ends and pulled the ends together. She dropped the ends to the floor and a huge clump of blonde hair spilled to the floor. Her customer placed both her hands on her scalp and rubbed it. ?Oh my god! That feels so sexy and so cool. I love it. Thanks so much,? she said as she got up out of the chair. ?How much do I owe you for this?? she asked.
Christine answered: ?I really don?t think we have a scale for that but I know the guys where I used to work asked $30.00 for the full treatment.?
?Well that was the best $30.00 I have spent on a haircut,? she said as she gave Christine the money and gave her an additional $10.00 as a tip. ?Thanks so much, Christine. You can be sure I will come back and see you again.? With that Christine led her out of the back room right out into the main shop. Christine walked her to the door and she gave Christine a hug. ?Thanks again,? she said. Christine nodded and returned to her place in the main shop.
She grabbed her cape, flicked it open and looked at the waiting area. She smiled as the customers all looked at her. She looked at the number board on the wall and called out the next number. The next customer got up and walked to her chair. She flicked the cape open, fanned it out, threw it up and let it float down to settle on the child?s shoulders. The parent got up, walked to the side of the chair, pulled back the child?s long hair. ?Clipper it, really short,? she was told by the parent. Christine picked up the second orange pair of clippers, placed a number 2 guard on the teeth and placed her hands in the child?s forehead.
Author: hairman001 Copyright protected ? 2005 Copyright legal and registered to JCWP DESIGN SERVICES ? 2000
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