When I started high school, short hair was pretty common on girls. I didn't mind at all having a pixie haircut; I even liked it. But as high school wore on, more and more girls started to grow their hair out, and by the end of my sophomore year, only a few girls had short hair anymore. I, of course, was one of them. I desperately wanted to have long hair again, but wouldn't dare ask Aunt Ingrid, and knew she would have nothing to do with long hair on me. Luck turned out to be on my side though, because before I left for another summer with my parents in Africa, she told me this: "Pauline, you'll be sixteen this summer, so I think that's old enough to decide how to wear your own hair. When you return from Africa, your hairstyle will be up to you. You may grow it long, if you so wish, but just know that it would please me very much if you continue to have it short like a proper young lady should." I spent the summer dreaming about all the things I would be able to do with my long hair, and how great I would look when I went back to school. My hair seemed to grow even faster than it had the last time I was in Africa, 4 inches probably, and was well past my ears by the time I headed home.
When I returned from Africa, Aunt Ingrid picked me up at the airport and informed me that we were headed to the barber shop so that I could get a haircut. She said, "Now I'm not sure what you decided to do about your hair, but in any event, it's in dire need of a trim of some sort, so I made an appointment for you with Pam." I agreed, and was excited to get a new style. She parked in front of Pam's Barber Shop and said, "Now I'll be just down the way getting my nails done, but will probably finish before you, so I'll come back to the barber shop to wait for you when I'm done. I already told Pam that you were allowed to choose your hairstyle, so she's all set for you." The we got out of the car and headed our seperate ways. I walked into the barber shop and Pam spotted me before I could even sit down. "Hi Polly, I'm all set for you, so come on back and let's get started on your haircut!" I walked back to her station and she said, "Hop in the chair and we'll get you back to your usual great looking self, cut and buzzed nice and neat." I climbed into the big leather barber's chair and scooted back. Pam combed my hair and clipped it up then tied a tissue around my neck, then threw a big heavy cape over me and secured it tightly at my nape. She let my hair down and said, "My goodness your hair grew even more than it did last time!" I nodded and said, "It was really hot in Africa." "I bet it was. You probably couldn't wait to get back and get all that shaggy hair cut off could you?" She said. I shrugged and said, "Um, mhm." I started to get butterflies as she combed my hair. I wanted to tell her I wanted to grow my hair out, but the words wouldn't come out. Pam said, "Well I've got my clippers oiled and ready to get rid of that hair for you, so you'll have a pixie again in no time." I finally blurted out, "I, um, I don't want a pixie this time." I said. I let out a sigh of relief, proud that I had said something. Pam responded, "Oh that's right, your aunt told me that you didn't have to have a pixie anymore. So what did you want to do today?" "Um, I don't really know. Just a little shorter, and more uniform. I kinda want something softer, more feminine." I said. Pam nodded then said, "I think I know just what you want." She pulled her clippers off the hanger and switched the plastic guard on them. I heard a loud POP hummmm and saw the clippers inching towards my forehead. I quickly said, "Wait, I don't want my hair THAT short." Pam patted my shoulder and said, "Oh don't worry sweetie, it'll only be a little bit shorter than your pixie, just like you said." Before I could respond, I felt the clippers moving over the top of my head. Soon long strands of my chestnut colored hair were sliding down from my head. I felt a knot start to form in my throat as Pam went over the top of my head again. 3 months of growing my hair out were wasted now. I was trapped. All I could do at this point was hope for the best. I sat frozen and in a daze as Pam clippered more and more of my hair off. She worked very quickly, buzzing off all the hair on top of my head, then she did the back, then the sides. I glanced down at the floor and my hair was covering the tile around the chair. I wanted to cry, but knew it wouldn't make the situation any better. Pam turned the clippers off and said, "There, that's much better, don't you think?" I shrugged and asked, "Are you finished already?" "Oh no dear, I was just getting rid of the bulk of your hair. It was too long for the shorter clipper guards I'm using for the final cut." Pam told me, as she switched the clipper guard. "Oh, ok." I said. As she got ready to clipper me some more, Pam said, "I know you're anxious about your new haircut, but at least that shaggy mop is off your head now. You must be relieved to have a lighter head. I know how much you hate letting your hair grow out and look sloppy. You're always so dilligent about getting trims to stay looking good." I shrugged and sighed. "Well don't worry sweetie, you'll be looking great again with your new short haircut in no time. Just sit back and relax while I buzz your hair nice and short. It'll only be a few moments before you feel that cool breeze on your neck again." Pam told me. Then she popped the clippers to life again and I felt them on my neck. "Head down Polly." She instructed. Her firm hand pushed my head into my chest and soon I felt the clippers rising. Tufts of my chestnut hair tumbled into my lap as the clippers moved up to the top of my head. I could feel the cold air on my skin immediately after the clippers passed over an area, as they buzzed my hair very short. Pam made another pass, slowly clippering my hair from my nape to my crown. The pile of hair in my lap grew quickly as more hair was buzzed off. As Pam clippered off the last patch of hair on the back of my head, she said, "You sure like your hair good and short, don't you Polly." It seemed like a rhetorical question, since I couldn't say no, so I kept my mouth shut. My head was down anyways. Pam jerked my head upright and said, "Now for the sides." She started on the left side, and clippered all of the hair very short like the back. The clippers buzzed loudly in my ear as they sheared away my chestnut hair. I stared blankly into the mirror as Pam's clippers peeled off all the hair on the right side of my head. I hardly noticed when she turned the clippers off. Pam put them on the counter then opened a drawer. As she searched for something, she said to me, "You sure do look great with short hair Polly. You're really going to like this new haircut." I said, "Um, are you going to use scissors now?" She pulled a weird looking comb out of the drawer and put it on the counter, then stood up and said, "Nope. I'm using clippers for the whole cut. That way everything will be nice and uniform for you." I didn't say anything as she switched the clipper guard and prepared to continue buzzing more of my hair off. She positioned herself in front of me and said, "I'm going to clipper the top shorter, then I'll take the guard off and use a special comb to get the top flat across." With that, she turned the clippers on again and put them on my forehead. I held my breath and shut my eyes tightly as she pushed them back. The clippers moved over the top of my head, then pushed the freshly clippered hair off of my head at the back. Pam ran the clippers over my head several times, and each time I felt more hair tumble down from my head. It felt like all of the longer hair was gone when Pam paused for a moment. I finally opened my eyes and looked in the mirror, and saw a stranger who looked kind of like me, but with what looked like a buzzcut. Before I could examine closer, Pam stood in front of me, blocking the mirror, with the guardless clippers and special comb. She placed it on top of my head, then said, "Ok, now sit really still sweetie, so I can get the top nice and even for you." I froze as she began working on the top. The clippers made a funny clicking noise as they buzzed over the comb. Little hairs started to fly everywhere, and floated into my lap or into the floor as Pam ran the clippers over the comb on top of my head several times. She worked very slowly and carefully. As I sat still, the thought occurred to me that I was going to go back to school with extremely short hair. Now only would I be one of the very few girls with short hair, but my hair would be just as short, if not shorter, than most of the boys I went to school with. My hair, for a girl, was going to be pretty extreme. For the first time since Pam had begun shearing me, I got worried. I don't know if I was pretending it wasn't happening or what, but the reality of my new, super short haircut, suddenly started to sink in. 'How did this happen to me?' I thought. 'How was I going to explain my new look to my friends? Would kids at school tease me? Would boys ignore me? Would I be able to grow my hair out, or would I get stuck in the same position again?' My thoughts were soon interrupted by Pam turning the clippers off. "Are you all finished?" I asked. She shook her head as she started fiddling with the clippers and said, "Not quite yet sweetie. I'm just oiling up my clippers again. I still need to taper the back and sides before I shave your hairline and around your ears." Seconds later Pam pushed my head down into my chest and I felt the clipper blades on my neck. She used another comb as she buzzed my hair even shorter in the back, then again on the sides. Little clippings floated down as Pam tapered my very short hair. I sat still and tried to think about other things as she buzzed and buzzed. By the time she turned the clippers off and hung them up, my head felt numb from so much of the vibrating clippers. She got a towel wet with very hot water, then wiped my nape and around my ears with it. I heard a loud whining noise and watched as a machine filled Pam's hand with steaming hot white foam. She spread it around my ears and along my hairline, then washed her hands. She took a straight razor out of her pocket and started to strop it on the leather belt attached to the chair. As she did so, she said, "I'm almost done now Polly. I'm just going to clean up the edges with a close shave, then you'll be all set." I wasn't really listening to her, I was just staring at the weird girl in the mirror, and Pam saw this, so she patted my shoulder and said, "Just relax while I give you a good shave honey. I'll shave it really close so it's soft and smooth for you." I bent my head down and Pam started. She shaved in little upward strokes along my nape, and wiping the blade after each. Then she picked my head up and folded my ear over as she shaved off my sideburn, then around my ear. She repeated this of the other side of my head, shaving off the stubble and leaving behind smooth skin. It felt kinda good, but I was too nervous to enjoy it. The butterflies in my stomach got worse as she finished up. Pam got another hot towel and wiped off the excess shaving cream, then used a small brush to dust off my head and neck, getting rid of stray hairs. She put a few drops of some strong smelling men's aftershave into her hand, and rubbed it into the skin where she had just shaved, then uncaped me and said, "There you go Polly, a fresh new flattop, buzzed and shaved nice and cool and short, just how you like it!" I looked at myself in the mirror, stunned. I couldn't believe that this actually happened. I didn't know what to think. Part of me thought I should cry, and part of me thought I should be looking forward to rubbing my newly clippered and shaven head, which I knew would be very soft and velvety. Pam interrupted my thoughts and said, "So, what do you think?" I shrugged and turned my head from side to side. Pam handed me a small mirror and spun the chair around so I could see the back. I could see the skin on my head from every angle I looked, even through the longest hairs on top. It was a man's haircut, and it was terribly short. I had only seen women with hair that short a few times before. And certainly none of the girls I went to school with had hair that short. Pam repeated the question and asked, "What do you think of your new haircut?" "Um, it seems really short." I stuttered. Pam smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, it does seem pretty short compared to the mop you came in here with today, but it's not too much shorter than your pixie. You said you wanted it a little shorter, so I took off half an inch more than usual. The top is half an inch at the longest, and the back and sides are tapered from an quarter of an inch to shaved smooth at the bottom. Most of the back is about an eighth of an inch though. It's probably a tad bit shorter than you expected, but I know how much you like your hair clippered short, so I went ahead and did it this way. The length really works on you. You look teriffic Polly." I just nodded politely and said, "Thank you." Before I could say anything else, she added, "This is definitely a softer, more feminine style than your pixie was. It's all clippered so it doesn't have the choppy-ness and harsh lines that the pixie had. It's a really simple and sophisticated look with the uniform blending on the back and sides and the longer length and defined edges on top that add just enough difference to give it some style. The clean shaven edges really made the fade look great." I was about to reply when Aunt Ingrid walked into the barber shop and saw me. As she headed to Pam's station, she called out, "Oooh, my laaaand! Just look at all that hair on the floor!" She and Pam laughed as she came over to inspect my haircut. "Well Ingrid, she decided to keep her hair short after all!" Pam said. "I can see that! And I can't believe my eyes. I never would have thought she'd go this short. But she looks fantastic Pam." my aunt said. "I completely agree. A nice short flattop was definitely the best way to go. It's a much better look for her than that pixie was. I can't believe you didn't think of doing this before." Pam said. "Well truth be told, I did contemplate something shorter like this for her, but I didn't know if she'd be comfortable with something so short. But now that I know she likes it so short, I regret keeping her hair in a pixie for so long!" Aunt Ingrid said. Then she added, "But now that she's decided to wear her hair like this, I'll make sure she's always looking her best." Pam said, "Flattops are a bit more upkeep, but I don't think it should be a problem for you two. She'll just need to come in quite often if she wants to maintain this look." "Ok, what should we plan on?" Aunt Ingrid asked. "Typically flattops like hers should be trimmed every other week, with weekly shaves. However, her hair grows considerably faster than most people's so she should probably get a trim every 9 or 10 days, and come in to get shaved every 3 or 4 days, to stay looking really sharp." Pam explained. Aunt Ingrid responded, "Well I think we can handle that, don't you Polly?" I shrugged and nodded, then sat quietly while Aunt Ingrid and Pam started making several appointments for me. All I could think was, how the heck did this happen?
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