Joey the Barber by P.J.

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O.K. guys, this is the last installment of my true haircut chronicles. If you're looking for the classic guy with long hair gets shaved bald and loves it forever, skip this one. If you're looking for a bit of bromance and an interesting ending. read on...
After the anniversary party barber chopping I'd gotten, it was back to self cutting or trimming. Didn't have to do much for the first 6 months or so. As the brutal chop styling I'd gotten grew out it actually started to look great about 4 months in. It had gotten well below my collar , back covering my ears completely and nose length bangs. The best part was I now had a layered cut like everyone else was sporting in the mid 70's.

Ben was now a senior, I was a sophomore in high school. He'd gotten his license at 16, and had saved enough money from working at the family restaurant to buy a brand new Firebird, candy apple red. I'd suspected he had some help from his gran in the funding of the car but that was cool. She was a great lady and loved her grand boys. The one edict from his parents was a nod to me surprisingly enough. Ben would be able to drive back and forth to school as long as he chauffeured his 2 younger brothers...and me. I was dumbfounded. Not only was I going to get to sleep in, and get home way earlier than any bus would deliver us, but, I was going to be able to ride with Ben, and got to sit behind him, staring into his super hot mane of chestnut locks. His was almost to his shoulders and still trimmed by his mom. I sometimes had a hard time controlling myself, especially if he ran his hand s through it while he was driving. This had gone on for the last 2 years.

By this time Ben knew I wanted to be more than just the kid across the street. Neither of us had acted on anything more than an occasional ass slap while playing basket ball or some lingering glances now and then. The beginning of his senior year he had had his senior picture taken soon after school started. Mom trimmed mop and all. Shortly after that I got in the car on a Monday morning and my jaw dropped. Ben had had a haircut. A real haircut. God only knew who had done this dastardly deed. I was speechless, rock hard, and fascinated all at the same time. Wow! He now sported a very hot looking feathered, parted in the middle, shag haircut. Very well cut. He'd always had a left part like me. OMG. It was still long, over his ears and over his collar, I guessed that his bangs if pulled straight down would be nose length. I believe back then this might have also been called a bi-level cut. I couldn't believe my eyes. Not a word about his new look was said on the way to school either.

I knew right then and there I wanted the same cut, come hell or high water. My only fear was that he'd been to a barbershop to get it. Yikes. I didn't think that was the case, but I'd have to wait till we got home from school to try and get some answers, and an up close and personal look at this amazing cut.
I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. we rode home, and I asked Ben if I could come over and talk after we changed out of school cloths. He said sure, come on in, it's just us guys, moms at the party house .

I changed, PDQ, and beat feet to Bens, he let me in and I asked if we could talk in private for a minute. He smiled, ran his hands through his new cut, and led me to his bedroom. Sitting on his bed, side by side, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He smiled, ran his hands through the mane again and said" well, what do you think? You were pretty quiet in the car today." I said, yes, I have to be honest, I was stunned. Who did this to you, surely not your mom?" He said no , that after school pics, he decided he was going to get a real haircut, for the first time since he could remember." I asked "why, you had amazing hair, why would you want to change it and cut it?" He said "I'll be going away to college in the fall, I just wanted to feel more like an adult. I won't be home for mom to trim it and believe it or not I don't like it to get too shaggy. She trims it regularly. So I talked to Mike, (one of his senior friends with a hot looking similar cut) said I liked his hair cut and asked where he went. I knew I'd have to do this on my own, so before work Saturday I decided to go. I knew about how I wanted it cut , I just hoped they 'd be able to do it right. It's Joey's barbershop over by the airport. My jaw dropped, really, a barbershop cut your hair like this? He asked "why, don't you think it looks good?" I stammered "well, yes, of course it looks good. Is it still thick as ever? You didn't get much of the overall length chopped off either" He grabbed my hand and brought it up to the side of his head. "Go ahead, touch it as much as you want, I know you want to." I was in shock. He'd never done anything like that before.

I buried my hand into the thick layers covering his ear and the side of his head, moved around to the back, playfully grabbing a handful at his nape and exclaiming "wow, this is great", I finished by running my fingers through the top to push it back into shape, Ben gave a slight sigh. He glanced at my lap and said, "I guess it meets you approval?" I looked at his and said "I guess it meets yours too." He said it was the most amazing thing. When mom trims my hair, nothing happens, when Joey cut this, I almost exploded, right there in the chair. I couldn't believe it. And again, just now, when you were touching it, the same thing almost happened. (I wondered if I went at him again if I could make it actually happen, hmm.)

I asked "you got this hot looking haircut , in Joeys barbershop?" He said, yes, can you believe it, me in a barbershop, for the first time ever. I walked in, there was this young barber, he had a rat tail braid pinned to the wall next to the mirror behind his chair. The chair was empty, an older guy, turns out its Joeys father, was cutting a guys hair in the first chair. P.J. I got to tell you , my knees were shaking, I almost turned around and ran. Joey, smiled at me, patted the chair and said, "Hi, you're in luck, you don't have to wait. He introduced himself, shook my hand and asked my name. He said, O.K. Ben, obviously it's your first time in a barbershop in quite awhile I'd guess" "Yes, I've actually never been in one that I can remember". "Wow, your hair looks great" he said, running his hand through the back of it. Let's see what we've got to work with here. He combed my hair straight down, all around my head, and whistled, wow! That's when I started to relax, and get aroused. ( I knew that feeling all too well myself) He said "what are you interested in doing g today, a first time at the barbers trim?" We do all types of cuts here, short, medium and long. And just so you know, your hair isn't really what I'd consider long. He gestured to the rat tail braid, and said that's mine. I grew it out till I finished barber school, and cut it when dad offered to take me on here. P.J., I was rock hard at that point. He kept running his hand through my hair on the sides and back, I could almost swear that he was purring. He caped me at this point, thank god, the cape hid the huge bulge in my lap. He said again, "what are you thinking of doing"? I explained what I was thinking about to him , and they actually had a picture up on the wall of something close to what I wanted. Joey had a bunch of head shots , looked like from magazines, pinned up around the mirror. Joey said "sure, how long do you want me to leave it overall, like in that pic? I told him no, a little longer , below the ears , bottom of collar, and use you judgment on the bangs but no shorter that mid eye. He nodded approval, said let's start by washing it, and tipped me back. At this point I could give my friend in my lap a bit of breathing room too, thank god. My heart was pounding by that time too. I was really going to get my first barbershop haircut. By a barber that couldn't be much older than me.

He washed my hair, toweled it dry, tipped me up and combed it out again. Having someone else's hands in my hair washing and massaging, was incredibly erotic for me. He picked up a pair of small scissors and a comb and said "ready? Last chance to change your mind, I can just give you a bit of a trim this time if you want? I promise I'll be gentle. P.J., it was the most erotic experience I've ever had. He sectioned off my hair, combed and snipped his was around my head one section at a time, hands constantly running through my hair pulling it out, checking it against the last section. It was so erotic. When he'd worked his way all round my head, he combed my bangs down in my face. He started playing around with how much he was going to cut. He put the comb above my eyebrows and said, "about here right?" I thought I was going to blow, right then! I said "NO! Below my eyes please, remember?"My bangs were almost to my mouth, he slid the scissors in behind them on the left, just below my eye, and snip!, 3 inches of thick locks slid down into my lap with a thump. Where there was already a substantial pile of locks. I almost swooned. Joey smiled. I think he was enjoying this as much as I was at this point. He know I was having a hard time controlling myself. He said, one more now, and snipped off the other side, same length. Self control was slipping away, fast.

Fortunately Joey stepped away, back to the cubby he had all his equipment in. I calmed down just a bit, just enough. I didn't want to move my head much, but I couldn't see much besides looking down, into my lap. I wanted to see what I looked like in the mirror but couldn't. Joey came back and did a bit of layering work on the top and my bangs. Then I heard the clippers snap on, my "fun" immediately died down. Joey saw my reaction, put a hand on my shoulder and smiled. Relax, he said, I'm only going to use these on your sideburns, and the fuzzies on your neck. He went behind me brushed my hair to the side, laid the vibrating clippers at my nape , and said, "unless you want to go short, I can slide them right up the back?" I yelped "NO! It was good just like this thanks." He said, only kidding, I'd never ruin one of my signature cuts by doing that. He shaved my neck, that was a first for me too. It felt so cool, clippers buzzing but not having half the back of your head shaved by them. We discussed sideburn length, he trimmed 'em up just above the bottom of my ear, and pronounced that the cutting was done. He showed me how to blow dry it if I wanted to, more hands through my hair, way cool and erotic, and said "I don't think you need any type of product in it unless you want to try something." I've never had anything so I said, "let's try it as is." P.J., I looked in the mirror and got hard again, It looked just like I wanted it to look. I must have had a stunned look on my face. Joey looked concerned , "is it too short? What's wrong?" I said no, it's perfect, I'm just, I mean I'll, I mean it takes a bit of getting used to. Joey said "Ah, I know, for you i'ts a significant change." He fluffed his hand through the back and dsaid "I love doing this cut on you guys with the thick heavy hair. It's becoming very popular here with me. I haven't had a bad response yet." He smiled and glanced down at my crotch. I was still rock hard. Dad doesn't really approve of these cuts but he does acknowledge that since I've been here business has picked up. Most of the young guys ask for me. They don't want buzzes, crews, and flat tops so much anymore. Ben looked pleadingly at me. "Please tell me it looks good, everyone so far has said it does, when they get over the shock of how different I look. I was a bit puzzled by his need for my approval but sure, I said " it looks fantastic. ( What the hell, I was going to risk it at this point) So much so, in fact, that would you mind if I got mine cut , pretty much the same way? I like it that much."
Ben knew about my past history with barbers and barber shops. He said, sure, I'd be O.K. with yours cut like this. We wouldn't look alike anyways, your hairs different textured than mine. He reached up and ran his hands through my bangs and pushed them back. Just don't get it cut short. I like it long, like mine, he reached around and grabbed the mane at my nape and gave it a tug. I was instantly hard as a rock. He smiled. See it has the same affect on you, and I'm not the barber, or cutting anything. Cool huh. I sighed. Yes, way cool. ( breath P.J. I was saying to myself, breath) Since we were already in his room, he reached over and locked the door. Things were going to get way cooler, I could feel it. It was now or never, and I was determined that it was going to be now.
The next Saturday I mustered up the courage to check out Joeys. Ben had offered to come with me but I thought it best to try it alone first. If I chickened out, I wouldn't be embarrassed, or have Ben force me into anything. I went later in the afternoon, things weren't really busy but there was a few guys waiting. I'd figured Joey would have a least 2 guys ahead of me. I wanted Joey, I knew that. Pretty soon I was the only one still waiting, and Joeys dad said, "step up son, your next." I politely said I'd wait for Joey if that was O.K., please. He shrugged, smiled and said to Joey, "You get to have all the young guys now it's not fair." Joey smiled at me, then his dad, and said, "your reputation precedes you dad." You have to start thinking long, not short, if you want to get may of these guys, right, he looked over at me. I have to say, Joey's dad looked good with a very tall flat top, short sides, not shaved, but it still gave him that stern, no nonsense old man barber look. It scared most of the long haired kids. I said, yes, I expected to leave with most of my hair on my head, not the floor, I'd heard, Joey was very good at longer cuts. Joey was just finishing up a trim on a hot looking Ginger haired guy about my age. The guy in the chair looked over at me and smiled and gave a thumbs up. My initial panic at walking into the shop subsided a little at this point. Joey finished up Ginger guy and walked him up front to pay, he looked great. Long thick ginger hair cut similarly to what I wanted , and what Ben looked like. Maybe this would turn out to be O.K. after all I thought.

Joey came back to the chair and did a quick sweep up, I noticed that there wasn't much ginger hair to sweep, another good sign. Ginger guy hadn't been a "victim" in the chair.
Joey smiled, introduced himself, and we shook hands. He patted the chair back and said "have a seat." He taped and caped me then got the comb and began to comb me out. I knew what Ben was talking about. I was already aroused. Joey just couldn't see it. He asked "what was I thinking about doing today, trim, cut, what style "? I said, "basically the same as the ginger guy that you just cut. Leave it same length it is now in back, ears covered, and bangs at the bottom of my eyes, and oh, part it in the middle too please." (no more left part for me, if Ben could do it so could I). Wash it first, Joey asked? "Sure, why not. "

I got a repeat performance of Bens experience, including the erotic part, and the hard to control yourself part too. I was over the moon, Joey had listened, I had my first enjoyable(on several levels) experience in a barber shop. Joey was friendly, professional, and explained everything he was going to do before he did it ( I asked a ton a of questions, every time he made a move with the scissors). I think part way through he realized I was really "enjoying" myself. He did a little extra hand work I'm pretty sure, just to make sure I had a pleasurable experience. He finished up the cut, and showed me how to blow it dry, commenting that it would still be O.k. if it air dried, it would just take a little while. When he turned me around to get a look in the mirror, and started to take the cape off I couldn't believe who was looking back at me. It was perfect, just like Bens. Wow. I must have had a shocked expression because Joey said "Uh oh, you don't like it? too short?" I said, "no, no, as I turned my head from side to side. It's perfect, I can't believe it. Thank you!" He sighed and smiled, and said "thanks, for a minute I thought you weren't pleased. That would have crushed me. Is it still long enough? " I said "yes, perfect." I stood up, admiring the cut in the mirror, and smiled at Joey, I think you have a new client Joey. He ruffled the back for me and I sighed, those hands, wow, he could do that to me all day. " I'll be back again." He said, great, this is turning into my signature cut. His dad had been sitting idly in his chair after he'd finished the cut on his last guy, watching his son work on me. Joey said," see dad another satisfied customer, and he's not leaving with a short back and sides either." I smiled at his dad and said "you should be proud of your son, he's a master, sir." His dad beamed at his son and said thanks.

That experience started what would be a 40+ year barber client relationship between Joey and I. He finally retired last spring. I NEVER had a bad haircut from him. He always listened, did exactly what I asked, and then made suggestions. He'd always do a little playful teasing with the clippers in his hand to let me know he was still in charge. I don't think I ever got exactly the same cut twice. He never got pissed when I didn't take the suggestions either. Sometimes we tried what he wanted on the next cut. Great barbers are very hard to find.
His son Joey worked in the shop for a short time, did a great job cutting my hair too. Unfortunately, he wanted more than just being a barber and left to explore other pursuits.

Now I'm back to bad experiences and barbers who "Know better "again. What a pain.
Hmm I think I sense a story coming on....

Let me know what you think guys.

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