Guy's story by Storyteller

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It was the 70s, Guy was a typical teenager of those days. His long, slightly wavy blond hair was below his shoulders. The bangs, he tossed aside all the time, stylishly. His large, protruding ears were always hidden by the long hair. Guy was the most popular boy at school and in the neighborhood.

When Guy was 14, his father left and soon his mother was married again. His stepfather, Myron, was a military man, and as soon as he came to live with Guy and his mother he established that Guy should call him Sir and respect him always. Guy did not want to get in trouble with his stepfather and his mother and obeyed these rules at home, because at school and among friends he was still the same.

The first Saturday, Myron called Guy early, "Son, you're going downtown with me." Since he didn't want to get in trouble, Guy said "Yes, Sir" and got ready to go out with Myron. Myron drove downtown where he parked in front of a small, old barber shop.

As they got out of the car and Guy saw Myron heading for the barbershop, he said, "Sir, are you going to get a haircut? Your hair is already so short." Myron said, "No, son, you're in need of a haircut." Guy thought it was strange because he was used to going to the barbershop on his own and he not often, but said, "Okay, Sir."

Myron opened the door and said, "Come on, get in," and Guy walked in. The barbershop was very different from where Guy used to go, it had an aroma that mixed shaving cream, tonic and talc. There was only one barber chair and a few waiting chairs. The barber was a man with very short white hair with a neatly trimmed white mustache. He wore an immaculate barber uniform. On the walls were many pictures of men in military uniforms.

Upon entering Myron and the barber greeted each other respectfully and Guy said, "Good morning, Sir." Myron then said, "My son came in for a haircut" and the barber slapped the leather seat on his very old chair and motioned for Guy to sit down. Guy climbed into the chair and sat down.

The barber took a white cape and placed it, with a neckstrip, around Guy’s neck, managing to keep the long hair from being inside the cape, he used the pedal to adjust the height of the chair and turned it opposite to the mirror .

He then took a comb and combed Guy’s hair, making the bangs cover Guy's eyes. He then said, "How will the cut be?" Guy started to say "Please, Sir, just cut the ends ..." and the barber interrupted "Silence, boy, your father decides your cut". Guy was surprised and Myron then said "You can cut it the same way you always cut my kids' hair".
The barber said, "Okay," grabbed clippers and pushed Guy's head so that his chin was against his chest. He placed the clippers under Guy's hair on the back, turned them on and started moving them from nape to crown. Guy froze, between his bangs, he saw, on the cape, in his lap, a first pile of his hair falling out. Guy started to feel sick in his stomach, he felt a little dizzy, he didn't know what to do.
The barber, indifferent to Guy's reaction, continued to work with his clippers, always with the same movement, from nape to crown. By this time Guy had seen a huge amount of hair fall on his lap and was crying. The barber moved Guy's head slightly and started moving the clippers from sideburns to crown, first on the right side, then the left side.

Guy now felt the wind coming from the fan directly on his head. The barber put Guy's head upright, turned off the clippers, took out the blade, which Guy saw had the number 0 written 5 times, and replaced it with the number 2. The barber held Guy's head firmly and started running the clippers over the top, ignoring the tears on Guy's face. Guy's blond hair fell down the sides and ended on the floor. In a few moves of the clippers it was all done.

The barber took a brush and dusted Guy's head, neck, often passing behind Guy's huge ears, now exposed. He then swiveled his chair around and Guy didn't believe the image he saw in the mirror, he didn't seem to see himself. The barber said, looking at Myron and not Guy: "It's ready", and Myron said "Yes, perfect".

The barber shook the cape and opened it saying to Guy "You can hop off now, boy". Guy took a while to obey the order, simply because he didn't have the strength to move. Myron paid the barber and said, "Come on, son."

They left and Guy had not yet had time to think about the reaction of his schoolmates, friends in the neighborhood, nor could he see himself very well again in the mirror... What could come next?

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