Finally, sort of!! by Ken

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I've always wanted to get my hair buzzed short, but never had the nerve. I went to the same Supercuts, got the same girl and the shortest I could get it cut in an inch and a half. This time, though, I asked for it shorter.

"You don't want it too much shorter," she said. "But I can do a little shorter."

And she did, this time, she cut it to just over one inch long. I left very disappointed. I took a different route home and saw a barbershop, Chuck's Barbershop, just to give credit where credit is due. I pulled in and parked. I took a deep breath, a sip from my water bottle and went in. It was Saturday afternoon and no one else was in the shop. He was sitting in the chair reading a newspaper.

I walked in but wanted to walk out. I was losing my nerve, but thought I would look stupid if I just walked back out. So I kept going in.

"Hey, how are you today?"

"Fine, want a hair cut," I said.

He looked around. "Well, you've come to the right place," he laughed. "You're hair's not very long, though."

"Well, it's long for me," I said. I took a seat in his big red leather chair. He put the cape around me and pumped the chair and it rose up some.

"So, what will it be?" he asked. "Just a trim?"

I shook my head. "I just want it cut short all over. Nothing fancy."

"Okay, how long's it been since your last hair cut?"

"Two months," I said.

"Okay..." he brushed his hand over my hair. "And this is long hair for you?"

I just nodded.

"Short all over, I'm guessing that's what you got last time, right?"

"Yes. Got busy, and couldn't keep up with it, so I need to get it done again.

"Well, I do a good 'short all over', don't you worry about that. Where have you gone before?"

"Supercuts, but I never get it the way I really want," I said.

"Well, we can fix that."

My heart was pounding. I was finally going to get a short hair cut. He reached around and picked up one of his clippers. He tilted my head forward and slowly started at the back. I could feel the steel of the clippers on my scalp. He slowly cut up a strip up the back, all the way to the top of my head. He seemed to be going very slowly for just using clippers. The next strip was just as slow, and he would go over the areas he clipped a few extra times as he cut the back of my head. I was facing the mirror but couldn't see what he was doing. He worked to the sides and when I finally saw what was happening, he was taking my hair right down to the scalp. All I saw was white skin. He made pass after pass as my hair seemed to disappear.

Then he went to the top. My heart was pounding as he held my short bangs back with his hand and started shaving the top of my head. What I was seeing and feeling...dread, but excitement. Pass after pass revealed not stubble, but white skin. He went slowly with each pass but would go over each pass several times. Before long, it was all gone, just white skin. Still, he kept at it. Then he rubbed my scalp with a wet towel, felt around it and worked some more at it.

"What kind of clipper are those," I asked.

"They're my balding clippers. They take it right down to nothing."

"They sure do," I was able to say through my dry mouth.

Finally, he was done, or so I though. He placed a wet towel over my head and rubbed for a few minutes. Then he filled his hand with lather and covered my head with cream. I wanted to say something, but couldn't. Then he started to shave my head. I though it was all gone already, but heard the razor scrape the last remaining hair from my head. He worked slowly but steady. When he wiped the razor on the towel he placed at my shoulder, I could see small bits of black hair in the cream. I was going to be bald when he was done. Smooth bald.

I watched with fascination as he shaved my head bald. At the end, he wiped it all down, rubbed some lotion on. It felt smooth as he rubbed it down. Then he showed my my bald head with a mirror so I could see the back. When he took the cape off, I felt my head and it was as smooth as could be, I couldn't feel hair anywhere at all.

"Now, try to keep up with it, but if you get busy again and don't, stop by and we can do it again."

I nodded. "Thanks." I just wanted it short, like a number one at the most and now I'm bald. I paid him and left. I looked at myself in the mirror in car. I felt it over and over again. I liked it. But the experience at Chuck's was so great, I had a decision to make, keep it shaved, or go back in a few weeks. Time would tell.

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