Surprise at Work (Translation) by El Pelao

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This is a true story, which happened to me about 10 years ago.

Back then, I was 26 years old, having just graduated from the university. I was ready to take the world by storm and become something in life.

My only problem was my look. I was short, fat, and long-haired, and in all my job interviews I was rejected for this reason.

One day, I saw an ad in the newspaper of a nearby city, and I went to have an interview and see if I had any luck finding a job.

When I got there, I found a large warehouse, with lots of employees. It was a food warehouse, and they were looking for a computer specialist to be systems administrator over the network.

When I went through the warehouse, I noticed that all the employees were male, and all of them had buzz cuts. They looked totally bald, which sort of surprised me. They also were looking at me when I came in (I had very long hair).

When I got to the offices, I realized that all the workers there were also clipper-shaved, which surprised me even more.

They told me to wait, and after a few moments, the personnel director would come out.

After a while a 50-year-old man came out. He was big, strong, and had a shaved head. He took a good look at me and invited me in.

He then interviewed me, and at the end said that I was very qualified, and if I wanted it, the job was mine. I didn't hesitate -- the job was very well paid, my look didn't seem to bother him, it was a perfect job.

Monday was my first day at work, and when I arrived, the personnel director received me again and took me to the office, where he explained my responsibilities. Then he told me to put on my uniform and shave my head.

When he said to shave my head, I didn't understand, so I asked what he meant. Then he told me that all the workers buzzed their hair off for hygiene, since they were working with food, and they couldn't have hair falling in food products.

Surprised, I said that I wasn't going to work with food, but rather work with computers. He told me that for solidarity, all the workers in the firm, whether they work with food or not, were required to cut their hair. That way there are no distinctions, and everybody is equal.

At that point I kind of wanted to just quit and go home, but I couldn't afford to give up a job like this, so I accepted and went into a room where there was a chair and a set of hair clippers.

The director told me that I could buzz myself, or he could send someone to do it for me. I asked him to send a barber, because I would never have the courage to do it myself.

The barber came in, and without a second thought started running the clippers over the middle of my head toward the back. I saw that hair was falling on the ground, but since there was no mirror, I had no idea how it was turning out.

I was noticing that my head was getting lighter, and air currents were running over my scalp, which I hadn't felt in a very long time.

When he finished, he told me I was done, but that I`d have to come back every two days to keep it good and shaved.

I still hadn't seen my reflection when I went to the dressing room to put on my new uniform that the director had given me. There I found a mirror, but at first I was afraid to even look. Finally, I steeled my courage and went to see myself in the mirror.

When I looked, I didn't even recognize the guy in the mirror. It wasn't me -- this was impossible! My head was completely round and didn't have a single hair on it. It looked like a ball with eyes. I put my hands on my head and felt a strange sensation. My hand slid along easily and I could feel my fingers.

From that time on, I felt that my future was with that company, and that my future was going to always be shaved.

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