My Wife's Horseshoe by Ken

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I've been bald since middle school and my wife's never seen me with even a trace of hair. We'd been married almost ten year when she began asking if I'd ever thought of growing my hair back.

"No, not really. Why?”

"Just wondering. You've been bald since like forever, I was just wondering if you ever regretted not having hair.”

"No, it's just that this is how my hair is. Why brings this up all of a sudden?”

"I've been thinking about getting my hair cut short lately.”

"Lately? How long have has this been going on?”

"A couple of years.”

"How short have thought of going? Not bald, surly.”

"Well, like a crew cut, maybe a flat top, or something like that.”

"I've seen women with short cuts sort of like that, it's not that odd, is this what you're really thinking about?”

"I just want to try it out. With the summer here, and they're predicting a hot one, maybe now would be the time,” she said. Her light blond hair was down past her shoulders, so this would be a big step.

"When do you want to do this? Now?” I asked.

"Now, would be fine.” It was 8am on a Saturday, we were both off for the weekend.

"Well, if you're thinking of a flat top or crew cut, you should probably go to a barbershop,” I said.

"Can you shorten up my hair before we go?” she asked. "Cut it to like maybe 3 inches, so there isn't so much of deal at the barbers?”

I got the scissors and carefully cut her hair. It was tough for me, as I've always thought she had amazing hair. I'd hold the hair out, and at about 3 inches, cut the rest off. It didn't take that long and to my amazement, my wife never gave a hint at crying. I'd ask her if she was okay, but she was fine. When I was done, she kind of looked more like a guy than my wife. She looked at herself in the mirror and brushed the loose hairs away.

"Not bad,” she said. "Kind of manly, don't you think?”

"I was thinking it, but I certainly wasn't going to say it.”

She changed into a tee-shirt and pair of jeans and we left. There was a traditional barbershop not far from our house. It was a nice day and she suggested we walk and enjoy the weather. We saw our neighbor and for a second she didn't recognize her, but liked the shorter look. The barbershop was about a 40 minute walk from our home. It was 11 o'clock when we got there and the shop was deserted except for the old barber who was sitting in a the chair.

"Missed the Saturday morning rush,” he said. He looked at me and said, "I'm assuming there's nothing I can do for you,” then he looked at my wife.

"Can I help you?”

"Yes,” she said and took in his big leather chair.

He caped her and fluffed up her hair a bit. "I have a few women who come in here. Now, I only use the clippers so what can I do for you?”

"I want it short, like a flat top.”

"Have you had it short before?”

"Not really, but I'm very anxious to go short. I was thinking of a crew cut or maybe a flat top.”

"Flat tops are my specialty. I do a great horseshoe, do a lot of them.”

"What's a horseshoe?” she asked. I could tell my wife was nervous but committed to this.

"It's a type of flattop, where the hair in the front and the sides forms a horseshoe, like a big U. The rest it taken right down, real short.”

"Okay,” she said, "that sounds worth a try.”

"Now, everything but the shoe part is gone, you understand that?”

She slowly nodded, looking at herself in the mirror. "What? Oh, I'm sorry, I was distracted, just thinking about something. I don't mind short, that's why I'm here.”

"Okay.” He took a pair of silver clippers and stood behind her. She was facing away from the mirror so she couldn't see anything. He placed the clippers at the top of her head, about 2 inches behind her hairline and started cutting it back. I was a little concerned about what I saw as he left white scalp in its path. He continued this way, going from top to back and from back to the front, until only white scalp and a horseshoe of 3 inch hair remained at the front of her head. Then he trimmed that some, put some cream in it and combed it to stand up on edge. Then he worked on it with clippers and a comb, making it flat across the top. It was, at the most, 1 inch high at its longest point, around the front. Then he took he clippers and worked at blending the little hair that was left into a defined, but blended horseshoe of hair.

Then he took another pair of clippers and ran them over the white scalp that was the rest of her head. He worked it over and over the scalp and when he was done, my wife was essentially bald, except for the flattop horseshoe of hair. Then, he took another clipper looking thing, and took the stubble down to bald. It took very little effort to blend the bald into the short hair that transitioned to the horseshoe.
When he was done, the rubbed her scalp with a soft cloth, powdered her neck and took the cape off. He turned her around to look at herself. I got up and went over. Except for the horseshoe, my wife was bald.

She was more than a bit surprised, but smiled. "Well, I did want to try it short, and this is short, right?”

"What do you think,” he asked, using a mirror to show her the back of her bald head.

"Well, it's very different, and it'll take a bit getting use to, but it's not bad.” She looked over at me. "What do you think?”

"It's different, but I think you look pretty good with it.”

"Flattop's a great summer time haircut. You can get it touched up every Saturday for half price. Only takes a minute,” the barber said.

My wife kept rubbing the side of her head. "I like the feel, I must admit.”

We paid the barber and left. "What do you really think,” she asked again as we started our walk back home.

"I could get used it, but I really can't say anything, I'm bald.”

She laughed. She kept rubbing the sides and back. "I'm going to keep it, you know, just for the summer. I think I'll take him up on his half-price offer for the summer.”

"Well, get some sun on it, a little color and it'll look fine.”

She never wore a hat and used sun screen all summer and developed a nice tan. I stopped going with her to the barbershop for her weekly touchups. When September came around, she kept going for her touchups. I asked her if she was going to keep her hair that way.

"Well, it's easier than the shampoo, condition, blow-dry, curling iron routine. Even with the weekly touchups, it's still cheaper than going to my hair done. Between highlights and everything else they do, it's gotten crazy. So, yeah, I'm going to keep it. Maybe then, I'll give the complete shave a try, but we'll have to wait until then.”

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