Adam gets a proper haircut this time by Thebarbered1

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It was 2008 in Maryland. Adam was 17 and lived with his mom, dad and his younger, 12 year old brother, Peter. Peter normally had short, neat hair, whereas, being older, Adam's was a lot longer. For a while, his mom and dad had been fairly relaxed about it, but more recently, it had started to become the cause of more and more arguments, as it seemed to be getting longer and longer and more and more untidy. A lot of these arguments seemed to be with his mom. His dad, when there had been a few sharp comments made by his mom, just saying "it doesn't matter, leave the lad alone”. "No (She used to reply), he looks a mess and is an embarrassment”. Adam knew where all this had started from. His Uncle Michael was a barber. He owned a "traditional” barber shop in the neighbouring town, a few miles up the road, and it was him that gave Peter his haircuts.
As time went by, these comments and arguments were getting worse.
It was a Thursday, and while out that afternoon, he'd been talking about it to his girlfriend, Mary. She said to him "You're 17 now. She can't treat you like that, and dictate how long you have your hair”. "I know” he replied. Anyway, before going off they agreed to meet up again. "Come to my place, Saturday afternoon at about 2.00. We'll go out somewhere”. She agreed and went off
On getting home, Adam went in, and his mom approached him "Right, enough is enough. You‘re going out and getting your hair cut tomorrow!!”. There was a short argument once again, which this time really, his mom was determined, he wasn't going to win - and it ended up with him relenting, saying in a somewhat annoyed way "Okay, I'll go somewhere tomorrow and get it cut”. His mom retorted "You'd better, or I'll make sure you do!”
The next day, on the way home from college, he thought about this, and thought he had better. "I'm not getting anything drastic though”. He found a hairdresser, and once in the chair, said "Can you trim it. Just tidy it up a bit”. This is what happened, and he left and proceeded home – on the way, thinking to himself "Hopefully, she'll leave me alone now”.
He walked in. His mom saw him as he entered. "I thought you were getting a haircut?”
"I have”
"Call that a haircut? He's barely tickled you with his scissors”
"What do you mean?”
"You know exactly what I mean. Right, this has gone on long enough….. Go now and get out of my sight” she said in a loud annoyed voice.
There were stern faces all evening.
The next day, Saturday, Mary was due to call in about 10 minutes time, and Adam was upstairs.
"Adam (he heard being called from downstairs), come down here, now”.
"I'm getting ready to go out” he called out . "NOW!!” was the very firm reply.
He came down the stairs, and slowly walked into the main lounge. He looked round, and there was a large wooden chair in the part near the kitchen with newspaper spread out underneath. To his horror, Uncle Michael was standing there, with a large case on the table next to him, looking towards him.
Peter had just had his hair cut by him, Adam noticing the short fragments of his hair on the newspaper, and was now sitting on the sofa, watching TV,
His mom looked towards Uncle Michael and said "Michael. This has gone on long enough, Adam needs a proper haircut”
"I had one yesterday” Adam said loudly
"As I said before (she said, turning back to Adam), call that a haircut? He barely tickled you with his scissors”.
"I'm not having it short”
"You will do as you are told. SIT DOWN THERE, NOW!”
Adam knew he was in a no-win situation, and slowly went towards the chair and sat down. Uncle Michael produced some neck tissue from his case, which he tucked into Adam's collar behind him. This was followed by a white, pinstriped cape, which, with a flourish, Uncle Michael shrouded him in. This was followed my 3 snaps, as the poppers at the back were closed, securing it firmly in place.
Uncle Michael stepped back and looked at Adam's mom.
"Right (she said, in a rather pleased voice). About time. A proper haircut this time. A short back and sides, like Peter's”
Adam looked horrified. "Nooooo, I'm 17”.
"You still live here and will do as you're told. We'll have no more of this long messy hair for a while, looking like a hippie…”
Uncle Michael picked up his clippers, which he had on the table beside him and snapped on the guard.
At that moment, the there was a knock at the front door. Adam's Mom went out to see who it was.
"Oh my God!!!!” Adam thought to himself. It suddenly dawned on him who it was. He was meeting Mary this afternoon. "Please don't bring her in here and let her see me like this”
"Right, head down” Uncle Michael ordered. Adam then felt a hand push his head forward, so it was bowed right down.
He could just see the door in the corner of his eye. Literally the same moment, he felt the clippers touch the back of his neck, it opened.
His mom walked in accompanied by Mary.
Mary looked towards him. Adam wished to himself, that the ground would just open up and swallow him. She was looking at this helpless figure sitting there in his own lounge, shrouded in this white cape.
"This is Mary, come to see Adam (Adam's mom said). As you can see Mary, because he's been insisting for so long on going round looking a mess, we now feel it's time something was done about it. If you want to sit over there (pointing to where Peter was), he'll be with you shortly”.
She went and sat down.
Uncle Michael said to Adam, "We'll soon have you looking like a man” and the clippers he had in his hand, burst in to life. Adam felt him run them up the back of his neck, purring as they proceeded - making four or five sweeps upwards, before continuing all around, and going up the sides.
After this, Uncle Michael turned the clippers off again and picked up his scissors. Then, holding a bit of Adam's hair on top between his fingers, said to his mom "That much off about right?”. His mom nodded approval, and he started cutting, taking it down to about an inch or so. Bits of his hair, drifted down on to his cape in front of him. As went on to he cut Adam's fringe away, hair fell down on to his face, which Uncle Michael brushed away. Then after taking the guard off again, the clippers burst back into life once again, and he pressed them against the back of Adams neck, creating a neat taper. He then went back to the sides, and each in turn, and seeming to take his time, trimmed neatly around Adams ears and then down towards the back. With his head tilted in Mary's direction, he could see her watching intently. He was expecting a sympathetic look, but instead, she was smiling.
Uncle Michael then started the final tidy up – including the sideburns, which he faded out neatly.
On turning the clippers off, and without even looking at Adam himself, Uncle Michael asked his mom "How's that then?” "Oh, Much better (she replied smilingly). He doesn't look like a girl now”. Uncle Michael then said "I'll just clean him up a bit then” - and, after applying a little shaving cream, got out a cut throat razor and cleaned up his neck, and around the perimeter of his hair, now neatly taken off his ears.
Adam was so angry, and was expecting a bit of sympathy from Mary, but when his mom turned to her and asked her what she thought, she considered for a moment, smiled, and said "He looks a lot better now. You should keep it short like this Adam”. He didn't know what to say. He was lost for words. His mom was smiling even more broadly now.
Adam now had an identical haircut to his younger brother.
Uncle Michael then said to them all "I'll tell you what, I'll come back and do the pair of them every few weeks if you like?”
"Here?” his mom asked.
"Yes, why not?”
"That's a good idea, if you're sure you don't mind doing that?”
"No problem at all”
…and that's what happened from then on, every four weeks.
Outside, Adam said to Mary "Why did you say that, I thought you might at least back me up?”
Mary replied in a soft gentle voice "I like it like this. Do you know what? It makes you look so handsome”
Adam blushed and they walked off.
His hair did stay short like that from then on, and Uncle Michael's haircuts never seemed quite as bad after that ……… and there were no more arguments

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