Th Bully that was and the three haircuts by Thebarbered1

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(If you haven't already – read "The Bully” by Mike/Originally told by Greg – This is a story I've written to follow on from it….)

Jason had just had his haircut. Originally, he'd had long brown hair parted in the middle, long enough to fall over his eyes, which he loved and thought, made him look really cool, like a rock star. Tim on the other hand, was smaller than Jason and slight of build, had somewhat shorter hair, not covering his ears, and this made him an easy target for Jason, who loved to ridicule him and call him a nerd.
Mike, was the local barber, and had found he had an unusual power which allowed him to control and influence people. He'd decided never use it though, feeling this ability could be very dangerous and easy to abuse. However, after one day seeing Jason picking on Tim, and pushing him around, decided to teach him a lesson by "persuading” him to have a haircut. Jason, after having been drawn to the barber shop and to sit in the chair, which seemed to have taken a hold on him, was having to hold back tears as he ended up like someone stepping out of 1956 with a slicked perfectly combed back short haircut.
Mike followed this up by saying to him afterwards, using his controlling and influencing ability, "From now on you will be a courteous, polite, sensitive young man and respect others. Do you understand?”. "Yes" said Jason. "Yes what?" stated Mike. With that strange feeling he'd had as he entered the shop, he stammered a bit, then said "Yes sir". "That's better. Now, look in the mirror Jason. You really like your new haircut, don't you?" Jason "realized” that he did and thought to himself I'm keeping it like this forever. He stuttered out "Yes sir, I do like my new haircut. Can I come back again to have you cut it?" "Of course son, see you in 2 weeks for a trim…. and you'll need this." Having used some on him during his haircut, Mike handed Jason a jar of Royal Crown pomade. "Thank you sir, I'll see you in 2 weeks!"
Jason left the shop and started walking home to start his "new" life. After a few blocks he saw Tim, but now felt no bullying impulse and went over to apologize to him for his past actions. Before he could say anything however Tim laughed and said "nice haircut nerd!". Being the sensitive young man he now was, Jason couldn't hold them back this time, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Tim was a compassionate and thoughtful lad, and on seeing this, smiled, shook his hand and said gently "Hey, come on”. They went to a burger bar together and went on to became good friends.
Two weeks had passed. Jason was continuing to be courteous, polite, sensitive and respectful towards others as Mark had instructed him to be, and he was still good friends with Tim. He also still liked his haircut, but maybe Mark's influence was fading a little though, because with it beginning to grow out a bit, he was having thoughts of perhaps letting it grow slightly longer again – even if only to like his friend Tim's still short, but longer than his, style.
However, when it got to the same time he'd been to that barber shop two weeks before, he found himself once again, crossing the street and looking in the window. Mike came to the door and said "Hello again, time for your trim isn't it?. Much as he still loved that haircut Mark had given him, he felt he didn't need it cut again just yet and did want it to grow a little more. It was like a conflict in his mind, however, he once again found himself going inside. "Take a seat” Mark said. As before, Jason found himself being drawn to the chair and after sitting down, felt again the hold it was having on him, holding him down and not letting him get up.
At that moment, Tim walked in and sat down. Mark turned to him and said "Hello Tim, time for your trim is it?”. "yes please” he replied. "I'm just doing Jason first, will be with you shortly” Mike said as he threw a pinstriped cape around him and put a piece of tissue paper around his neck. Jason felt that churning feeling in his stomach. "It's happening again" he thought, but was powerless to resist. . "Don't worry son, you know what I'm going to do. I'm just going to give you that trim, to give you that nice haircut I gave you two weeks ago". Jason wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out. He heard that familiar click, followed by the whirring of the Oster clippers as they came to life, and he felt the cold blades touch in turn, each side of his face and move upwards. They were making light work of the little bit of growth that had returned from two weeks earlier.
Going over and around his ears, they were cleaning up the few hairs that were now just beginning to grow back towards the top of them. Mike then put on a new blade and cleaned up his taper at the back, making it neat once again. After he finished with the clippers, he picked up scissors and comb and started to tidy up the top. He then combed down Jason's slowly re-emerging bangs, and with that snip snip snip, they were back again to where they were two weeks earlier. After that, he combed Jason's hair straight down and, as he'd done before, made that perfectly straight part on the left and combed his hair over. At the front, he then combed Jason's hair back into that neat quiff.
"There you go son, you look a nice clean cut young man once again" said Mike. Jason looked exactly as he did two weeks earlier with his slicked perfectly combed back short haircut. He continued "Look in the mirror Jason. You really do like this haircut, don't you?, You do want to keep like this don't you?" He did want to let it grow a little, but felt that strange feeling again, telling him he did like this haircut, and he did want to keep it like this forever. "Yes sir, I do like this haircut, and I want to keep it like this, so can I come back for you to cut it again?". "Of course son, see again you in 2 weeks for another trim”. "Thank you sir" Jason replied. Mark smiled appreciatively and said "That's OK. If you want to go and sit out down there now, I'll just do Tim. This won't take long”
Tim got up and sat in the chair. "Just the usual trim for you?” – "Yes please” Tim replied. Mike threw that pinstriped cape around him, put a piece of tissue paper around his neck, and got to work. Again, there was that familiar click, followed by the whirring of those clippers as they came to life once again. This is however where things were different. There was none of this efficiently mowing down of the hair on the side of his head, going over and around the ear, short angled bangs, or hot lather and shaving around his neck and around his ears. It was just a quick trim leaving a degree of length, and just tidy around the ears. As Jason sat there however, he couldn't help but sense, there was something on Tim's mind and he felt uneasy.. Mark soon finished, brushed him off and removed the cape. Tim thanked him, and they both left.
He was that gentle kid, who wouldn't harm a fly, and was sensitive. He was also compassionate. A few minutes later, as they were walking along, he suddenly stopped, turned to Jason and said "I'm going back to Marks. Come on….” Jason looked confused. "Come on, you'll see” Tim then said.
They ran back, and few minutes later, were once again outside Mark's barber shop. As they got there and went in, slightly breathless, Mark stood up, looking a bit surprised and, and with Jason looking equally puzzled, asked "What are you doing back here”
Tim caught his breath and said "I want you to give me the same haircut as Jason here”. "What? Really, this is what you'd like me to do? You only just had it cut” Mark replied.. Tim answered "I know - yes please, if you could, if that's alright with you”. Mark said "Now?” Jason looked really shocked, and actually humble as Tim responded "Yes please Sir” .
Tim got back on the chair, and for the second time in the space of an hour, Mike threw that pinstriped cape around him, and put a piece of tissue paper around his neck. There was once again, that familiar click, and the whirring of the clippers. Mark had not used any of his influencing powers this time of course, and hesitated. He said "Are you really sure about this?”. Enthusiastically, and without hesitation, Tim replied "Yes please. I love the way you've cut Jason's hair, it's great, and actually, I've been thinking about it a little while”. "OK then” Mark said slowly.
This time, it wasn't just a trim and tidy up around the ears. The clippers were, as they did with Jason, eating away the hair on the side of his head, going over and around his ear too. Tim eyed Jason in the mirror in front of him, grinned broadly and smiled. Mike then put on a new blade and went over the original neat neckline he'd done just a short time ago, making a shorter taper. When Jason first got this, he was feeling ill, his head screaming "This can't be happening!!!". This time however, with Tim in the chair, he looked visibly calmer. The clippers then felt silent, and Mike picked up some scissors and a comb and went to work on the top. Obviously, there wasn't as much to cut as there was with Jason that first time. Not much at all in fact, and in no time at all, he was applying that hot lather on Tim and shaving his neck and around his ears. He then combed Tim's now shorter hair straight down and made a perfectly straight part on the left and combed his hair over, combing it back into that neat quiff, just like he had with Jason's.
"There you go son, another nice clean cut young man" said Mike. Tim had joined Jason in looked like he'd just stepped out of 1956 with his slicked perfectly combed back short haircut. He looked in the mirror, and loved what he saw. Again, without having to use his persuasive powers, he asked "You really like this haircut, don't you?"
"Yes sir, I do, very much . When you do Jason's again, can I come back again to have you cut mine too?" "Of course son, see you again in 2 weeks for your trim…. and you'll also need this now." Mike said, handing him another jar of Royal Crown pomade. Tim smiled, and said "Thank you sir, we'll see you in 2 weeks!"
After leaving the shop, Jason asked "What made you do that?”. Tim replied "I think it's really unfair the way he's done this to you. You were really upset and it was very harsh”. Grinning, he then said "I'll tell you something though, I really love this haircut. That basic short back and sides I had made me the one that looked the nerd. Now, we both look really good”. Jason, this time, not needing any persuasion, replied "Actually, you know. We do”
They became firm friends after that ….. and did return to Marks 2 weeks later for their trim, and 2 weeks after that, and 2 weeks after that – It became a regular thing, and never needing to be persuaded. Mark, that I'm aware of, never had to use his unusual ability to control and influence people again. He'd taught a bully a lesson, and at the same time, given two boys haircuts they loved, and created a lasting friendship that continues to this day.

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