Bob Gets Bobbed by Deke Cutter (recovered)

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Bob gets bobbed

By Deke Cutter

Bob sat nervously as the plane touched down on the tarmac. So much had happened since he had left this town, running away from all of the rules and judgements of his parents home. And now he was coming back. Things hadn`t gone well for him since he left home and this last screw up had been particularly bad. Had his folks not bailed him out (figuratively and literally), he could have been in big trouble. So, now he was home, on suffrence and having agreed to live by the rules his folks had lain down. His shoulder length brown hair, highlighted by years in the sun had been worn down during the flight, the flight attendants had made a fuss over it as women usually did. It was his trademark and it was something his mother detested. He now pulled it back into a pony tail and hoped it looked neat enough to keep his mother quiet about it. Finally, the doors of the plane were opened and Bob stood up and prepared to face his fate.

His parents greeted him warmly. his dad taking him in a bear hug and welcoming him home. Dad was something of a softy, but Dad knew that about himself and left the discipline to Bob's mother. And Dad rarely opposed the old girl on those issues. His mother was welcoming but her eyes were appraising him from top to bottom. She sent his father to get Bob`s bag, so that she and Bob could have "a little chat." "Bobby, you broke our hearts when you left. Your father was a mess for over a year. I will not have that again. You are back, you are going to do as you are told, no arguments, no complaints. If you cannot do that, I want you to go again, and that will be it, no more calls, no more saves, no more contact. Understood?" Bob indicated that he did understand and that he was ready to comply. Just then his dad reappeared and they headed for the car. On the drive home, there was talk of Bob going to work for his father. "Your father has arranged for you to have a very good delivery route. We want you to start at the bototm and work your way up in the business. You`ll be starting in a day or two after we get you settled and make sure you are ready," his mother said, with a beady eye on him through the rearview mirror. When the got home, his mother said, "your room is ready, you had better go up, we`ll have an early start. We have some errands to run before we go to morning mass tomorrow.

Bob`s head felt that it had barely hit the pillow before he heard his mother knocking at his door. Up and at`em Bobby, I want you downstairs for breakfast in 15 minutes and don`t fuss with that hair, just make sure its clean. We`re getting cut this morning." Bob was speechless. He had considered that this would be a request, but he thought he would have some time to get ready for it. He quickly showered, washed and conditioned his hair. He combed it out, wondering if this would be the last time, tied it back into the pony and got downstairs. His mother had prepared oatmeal (which he hated) and told him to "clean his plate and not to dawdle."

In the car, his mother turned to him and said: "Bobby, you heard what I told you last night. If you are staying, that hair goes. If you can`t deal with it, go now. After the haircut and mass, we are buying you some decent clothes, that stuff in your bag is headed for goodwill. You will look, act, and work in a respectable way. Is that understood?" "Yes mom, but, about the hair and clothes, I just think......." "Not a word Bobby, this is not a debate," she said as they pulled up in front of Tony`s Barbershop." Tony cut his dad`s hair and had cut Bob`s when he was younger. "This is your last chance Bobby, if you come in here with me, you will accept this haircut with dignity and grace." Bob thought of running, getting the hell out of town and getting on with his life, but he knew that wasn`t really a choice. And so he nodded, and entered the shop.

The shop was as Bob remembered it. Tony was cutting a business man`s hair. The second chair was empty, Tony only used a part time guy on the weekends and before holidays. Tony stopped his careful work on the businessman whose hair covered his ears and looked full and smart, giving Bob some small amount of hope. "Hello Mary, and this can`t be young Bob. Welcome home young fellow, its great to see you. Have a seat you two, I`ll be with you shortly. With that he went back to work giving the guy in the chair a very professional looking cut that would have cost triple what Tony charged if it had been done at a salon. The customer paid and left.

Tony brushed off the chair and invited Bob to have a seat. "So Bob, your mother tells me you are wanting a big change before you start your new job. How about something like the last fellow. I recall that you prefer your hair to be long and full on the sides and back." With that, Tony pulled up the pony tail, wrapped the white paper strip around Bob`s neck and tightened the cape around it. At this point, Bob`s mother got up and stood next to the chair. She said, "no Bobby wants something much shorter than that last customer. He wants it all off on the side and back, tugging at the long locks that covered his ears.. You can taper it up high. You can leave a couple of inches on top, but most of this goes. And he wants those bangs short high up on the forehead. He wants to be able to wax that front up on wear it down. No muss, no fuss. He hasn`t the time or money for anything fancy." Bob, felt himself flushing. He wasn`t sure if it was anger or embarrassment at being treated like a child. But, he held his tongue. OK, sounds like a good old fashioned boy`s cut like I used to give you. That OK with you Bob? "Yes sir, just as my mom and I had agreed, Bob was able to get out.

That was all Tony needed. He took his shears and went to work on the pony tail, cutting it just behind the rubber band. Schnick, schnick, schnick and it came free, sending wavy hair cascading down around Bob`s head and into his eyes. The bangs were quickly cut. With Bob facing his mother and away from the mirror, he could not tell exactly how short they were, but he knew things were going from bad to worse when his mother said "a bit higher I think, Tony," and the scissors quickly recut the bangs with another inch falling before his eyes. Quick work was made of the remaining long hair on the sides and back. Bob felt his right ear uncovered for the first time in memory. Then around the back and next his left ear was clear. He had to hold back the desire to raise his hands from under the cape and feel the damage. Tony put down the scissors and then Bob hear the sound he dreaded most, the big Oster clippers went on. Tony started in the back pushing up, up, up. Bob felt like he was being shaved bald. Next, the clippers were moving around his ears, making sure no length would touch them for some time. The clippers went up very high on the side. Next the action was repeated on the left. The clippers were turned off and the Tony went to work on top. He would comb some hair up and clop, clop, clop, cut it off. He repeated this all over the top of Bob`s head. Bob couldn`t believe he had any hair left up there, but more continued to rain down. Next a different pair of clippers were turned on, these with a much higher pitch. With these, Tony went around cleaning up the sides and using clipper over comb, blending in the slightly longer hair at the top of the sides with tapered sides and back. Finally, he took a comb and scissor to tidy up the bangs. Next, he removed the white paper strip and said, "OK Bobby, almost done, I`m just going to clean you up. With that Bob felt warm shaving cream around his ears and on the back of his neck. When Tony finished, he brushed Bob down and turned him toward the mirror. "Well Bob, I hope this is what you and your mom had in mind" Bob looked in stunned silence. He looked about 13. His ears stood out hairless. His forehead looked huge with short squared off bangs. Bob just nodded slowly, as Tony held the mirror up for him to see his nearly skinned neck, no hair at all below the bottom of his ear.

His mother smiled and said "great job Tony, Bobby will be coming in every two weeks to keep this fine haircut looking clean and neat. He will be keeping this haircut for the foreseeable future. When the cape finally came off, Bob raised his hands to feel the closely buzzed sided and back of his head. He felt that he looked ridiculous, but could say nothing. He was again made to feel foolish when his mother paid for the haircut and admonished him to "thank Tony for your nice haircut." As they got into the car. His mother turned to him and said, that is how the hair stays, until you have paid us back the money you owe us. If four any reason you miss a haircut or disobey a rule, the hair gets shorter. Is that understood?" Bobby said "yes ma`am" as a tear rolled down his cheek.


The End

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