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CHRISTINE'S FRIEND SUSAN (A Sequel to Christine's Graduation) 

The next day, Susan and her Mum were seen off at the station by Christine and her mum. Christine had been more careful in the shower, and her curls were still as immaculate as the day before. Susan's hair, being shorter, tighter and permed as well as set, had retained its shape even better, if possible. The two young ladies were boh dressed as they had been the day before, Susan because she was attending Tim's graduation, and Christine partly because she couldn't really imagine dressing down with her hair looking so smart and so formal, and partly because she knew that the smart blouse and suit, like the neat lacquered curls, would make her mum feel happy and proud. Having waved Susan and her mum off, Christine and her mum headed back to college to pack up Christine's things.

The previous evening had been both enjoyable and interesting. After Andrea had had some photos taken the three girls and their mothers had chatted for a while, before Christine, Susan and Andrea had headed back to their halls. They had spent most of the evening together, chatting about their new looks, and the implications for their wardrobes, and the rest of their lives. They had also attracted a fair bit of attention from other girls, and mums, and had had to answer more than a few questions from some of them who were surprised, to say the least, to see three students looking so smart, tidy and conservative. Several of their contemporaries had walked away fingering their own long locks, and the three girls had a suspicion that Audrey might be giving few more young ladies the benefit of a good old fashioned haircut over the next few days.

Susan mentioned this to her mother, as they sat on the train heading south.

"Well I certainly hope so." she replied. "You know very well how I feel about long fussy hair, and I'm quite sure that most mothers feel the same. It would be lovely to think that a few more mums will be taking their daughters along to have Audrey smarten them up with a good cut and perm."

"Yes, I'm sure they will." Susan agreed.

"I have to tell you again, just how pleased I am to see you with nice presentable hairstyle. Perhaps now I'll be able to persuade your sisters to follow your example, and get themselves smartend up with a nice sensible haircut."

Susan smiled at the thought of her two trendy sisters sat in an old fasioned salon, while her bossy mum told the hairdresser exactly what to do to their long hair. "Yes, perhaps we will." she replied.

Susan and her mum were met at the station by Tim, who was smartly dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and neatly tied tie, but whose hair was rather longer that they had both been hoping for. In fact, despite being more neatly combed than usual, it didn't look much, if any, shorter than when Susan had last seen him before the summer term started. Susan frowned.

"Hello," Time greeted them "Gosh, your hair looks even shorter in person, but it's lovely. You look very smart and very respectable. The perfect young lady. I'm sure my mum will really like it too."

"Hello yourself," she began, looking at Tim severely. "I'm glad you like my hair, but what happened to that haircut you were supposed to be getting? I have to say that you don't look very smart or respectable, and I don't think your mum will be very pleased with you either."

"Well I did have it cut," explained Tim, "But I just couldn't face going to a barbers and asking for a short back and sides, so I went to a salon. I told them that I wanted a neat and tidy short haircut, to look smart for graduation, and this is what they did. It is quite a bit shorter, because I hadn't had it cut all term, but I did wonder what you would think of it."

"Well I don't know about Susan, but I think it's a scruffy mess!" Susan's mum told him. "I don't know what your hairdresser was thinking, becauses it's neither short, nor neat and tidy. I'm certainly very disappointed with you, and I can't imagine your mother will feel any differently."

"I have to agree with mum." added Susan. "I'm very disappointed too. You already knew just how presentable I had made myself. I've gone from straight hair halfway down my back to a short, tight perm. I'm going to be looking like a prim and proper, respectable young lady for the forseeable future, and I think the least you could have done is to have a decent short haircut yourself. Now, how long do we have before your mum's train arrives."

"About an hour." replied Tim. "Why?"

"Plenty of time to sort that mop out then." said Susan's mum, smiling grimly. "Where's the nearest barbers?"

Tim slumped, realising that not only was he going to get a short haircut, but judging from Susan's hair, that with her mum in charge, it would be much shorter and much smarter than anything he would have got if he had gone on his own.

"Just around the corner." he replied meekly, consoling himself with the thought that Susan seemed to want to see him looking smart and respectable, and that his mum would certainly be pleased with whatever Susan and her mum had done to him.

"Come on then, quick march." ordered Susan's mum, and off they went. The walk wasn't long, but Susan's mum spent most of it discussing with Susan why it was that young men today seemed incapable of keeping their hair short and neat, and instead insisted on running around with long scruffy mops. In her opinion, there was only one haircut that was suitable for a young man, and that was a proper short back and sides. Susan agreed, adding that that was exactly how she intended Tim to have his hair cut now. They also had a good chuckle when Susan pointed out to Tim that his hair was considerably longer than hers now, and gave a sharp, but amused tug on the back of his untidy locks.

Tim endured this with good humour, having resigned himself to his fate, and quickly they were outside an old fashioned barbers.

"In you go then." prompted Susan's mum, as Tim hesitated at the door.

Susan encouraged him further, with a very gentle push. Tim reluctantly opened the door. He hadn't realised quite how old fashioned this particular barbers was, especially compared to the modern salons he was used to. It was quite dark inside, and sparsely furnished. Two old black leather chairs, a counter holding combs, clippers and jars, a padded bench for waiting customers and some faded pictures of old-fashioned looking haircuts completed the contents. The haircuts in the pictures all looked very short to Tim, and also very smart and rather conservative looking. There were no customers in the shop, and only one barber who looked up as they walked in. He looked to be in his sixties, with white hair that was cut very short at the sides, with the top neatly combed. He wore a dark blue coat over a shirt and tie, with the top pocket well stocked with the tools of his trade.

He quickly sized up the situation, and turned slightly to face Susan and her mum, ignoring Tim.

"Yes ladies, what can I do for you?"

Susan got in before her mum. "This young man is graduating today, and so he needs to look smart. Please can you give him a good old-fashioned short back and sides, with a nice straight side parting."

"Of course, madam." he replied, and gestured Tim towards the chair. Tim reluctantly moved forward. Again he realised that the presence of Susan and her mum, both looking so incredibly smart and respectable with their short tight perms, would undoubtedly result in the barber cuting his hair in a much shorter and more conservative style than he would have got otherwise. Still, it was his own fault for trying to get away with a litle tidy up to his scruffy locks when he knew he should have opted for a proper haircut.

By the time Tim had considered all this, the barber had him securely caped up in the chair, and was pulling at his thick, unruly hair with a comb.

"Been a good long time since you got him into a barbers," he observed to Susan's mum. "But it won't take long to get rid of all this mess, and have him looking smart and respectable again."

He proceeded to spray Tim's hair thoroughly from a bottle, and combed Tim's hair into a perfect side parting, leaving the rest of the hair wet, flat and sleek against his head. "Parting on the left alright for you madam?" he asked Susan's mum, who just nodded.

The barber then picked up a large pair of electric clippers, and turned them on. Tim heard the loud buzzing noise and swallowed. He hadn't had his hair cut with clippers since he was a young boy with his haircuts dictated by his mother. He had been expecting them once he saw the barber shop, but it was still a shock. He turned his head in an attempt to see what guard was on the clippers, and hence how short his hair would end up. He was puzzled as it looked like there was no guard, but he didn't have time for a proper look.

"Head down please." said the barber firmly, giving Tim no choice as he put on hand on top of his head and pushed down until Tim's chin met his chest.

Tim's head was then released, and he felt the barber's comb run up the back of his head, followed closely by the buzzing clippers. Tim realised that he would be left with some hair at the back, but he had no idea how much. The barber quickly moved around Tim's head, removing the bulk of his long trendy hair and leaving short bristles in its place. The clippers were run high over Tim's ears, making sure that the hair would not be touching them for some time. The hair was then sharply tapered into the longer hair remaining on top of Tim's head.

"He's looking a lot better already Susan." remarked her mum. Susan nodded her assent.

The barber paused to brush hair from the clippers, and then made another pass around Tim's hairline, without the benefit of the comb this time. The result was that Tim now had a new perfectly defined hairline, which just happenned to be an inch or so higher than his natural one. This was most evident around his ears, where white skin showed clearly just how short his hair had been cut.

The barber now put the clippers down, and picked up his comb and scissors. He combed Tim's hair forward, in a finge, which still came down well into his eyes. With a few quick snips the fringe was consigned to the floor, having been cut at a sharp angle across Tim's forehead.

"The angle makes it much easier to keep the side parting in." the barber explained to Susan's mum, who nodded approvingly.

"Now his hair's very thick. It will need to be thinned out considerably in order to lie down neatly." he added, and picked up a pair of thinning scissors. He the proceeded to attack the mass of hair left on Tim's head. Sure enough the scissors did their job, and great clumps of hair were combed out of Tims hair, onto the shop floor. The barber sprayed Tim's hair again, and re-combed it into the perfect side parting. One more quick pass with the clippers blended the short sides neatly into the long top, and Tim's ordeal was nearly done.

"How's that ladies?" the barber asked. "Short enough for you?" Susan and her mum cam forward to examine Tim's perfect short back and sides, and decided that they were happy.

"Yes, that's so much better! A proper haircut for a young man." replied Susan's mum. "Don't you think so Susan?"

"Yes, I certainly do," replied her daughter "You look so much more handsome when I can actually see your face."

"Do you want any dressing on it?" enquired the barber. Susan didn't understand, and turned to her mum with a puzzled look. She however, understood perfectly and replied firmly.

"Yes please. We'd like him well slicked down so that he stays looking neat and tidy all day."

The barber needed no further encouragement, and scooped a handful of thick white Brylcreem from a red tub on the counter. He rubbed his hands together, and then firmly massaged the cream into Tim's hair, to leave every strand thoroughly coated. He then picked up his comb and re-combed Tim's hair for the final time. Once again the hair was parted on the left hand side, and the rest of the hair was combed firmly away to each side. The thorough greasing made Tim's hair appear darker, as well as very shiny, and so the sharp side parting stood out even more.

The barber removed the cape, and Tim finally looked at himself in the shop mirror. He certainly looked very different from the trendy young man who had walked in. His hair was shorter than he could ever remember it being, and with the clean white line of the side parting he looked incredibly smart and respectable. It also looked a great deal better than he had been fearing. He certainly looked older, but not ridiculously old, and whilst he would never have chosen to have his hair cut this short, or in such a conservative style, he could see that whilst before his long trendy hair simply looked out of place with his smart suit, shirt and tie, he now had a haircut that perfectly complemented his smart clothes. He was sure that this haircut would meet with his mum's approval, and Susan seemed to like it as well. It couldn't hurt his chances at upcoming job interviews either.

Tim paid the barber, and the three of them left the shop and started to walk back up to the station. Tim kept nervously running his hands over the very short hair at the back of his head, and around his ears. He didn't dare to touch the top. He didn't think he would mess it up, but he didn't want to get Brylcreem on his hands! Susan couldn't keep herself from looking at Tim's smart new haircut. She had really rather enjoyed watching as the barber sheared Tim's long locks away to leave him looking just as smart and conservative as she had wanted, and the sight of the clean white skin around his hairline and ears was one that she was relishing.

"It's so lovely to see you looking all smart, with your hair cut so nice and short." she told him, "I was very disappointed when I first saw you at the station, but I couldn't be more pleased with how it's turned out. I hope you're pleased with it too, because I've no intention of letting your hair get long and scruffy again!"

"Well," replied Tim, "it's a bit of a shock, and I don't think I would have ended up so short or so smart without you and your mum being here. In the end though, it really was about time that I got a proper haircut. I know mum would have been really disappointed to see me graduate looking scruffy, and I'm sure she'll be very happy with how I look now."

"Yes, I'm sure she will too." put in Susan's Mum. "And won't her train be along soon?"

"Yes, we'd better hurry." replied Tim.

They got to the station with a few minutes to spare, which just gave them all time to compose themselves before Tim's mum arrived. She made her way down the platform towards them, with the smile on her face growing as she got closer and realised just how smart Tim and Susan were both looking. Susan was pleased, but not surprised to note that Tim's mum had obviously been to the hairdresser's that morning, and had her short permed hair shampooed and set into a smart, formal style. Susan felt sure that her and Tim's efforts would be appreciated. Sure enough, as soon as Tim's mum was close enough she voiced her approval. Her first comments were, naturally, directed to her son.

"Goodness me! I can't remember seeing you looking this smart. I was looking forward to seeing your hair shorter, but I didn't think that it would be this short. It really is a proper short back and sides. And as for you, Susan, well Timothy said that your hair was short and curly, but again, I wasn't expecting such a dramatic transformation. That's the smartest haircut I've seen on a young lady for a very long time indeed. You must be very proud of her."

The last comment was directed towards Susan's mum, who smiled at this. "Yes, I am very proud of her indeed. There aren't many girls of Susan's age who'd be willing to make themselves look so presentable, with a short perm and a well scrubbed face, though heaven knows most of them would look a great deal better if they did."

"Oh I couldn't agree more," Tim's mum replied. "I can't stand seeing all these young girls strutting around with their long hair hanging all over their faces, skirts that hardly cover anything, and faces platered with makeup. And most of the boys aren't much better. That's why I'm so pleased to see Susan and Timothy both looking so very smart. They make a lovely couple now, don't you think?"

"I certainly do. Very respectable indeed."

Susan and Tim smiled at each other, pleased that both their mothers appreciated their efforts to present themselves as smart and respectable young people, and realised that a new chapter in their lives had just begun.

THE END.

Author's note: This is the end of this story, though there will hopefully be more about Christine and Susan. Please put feedback on the 1hss forums, especially if you like the story.

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