Discount Haircut by Charlie Brown

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This is a story of a boy named Zaid through his perspective of a discount haircut he endured. Zaid is a good-looking kid at age 16 he was constantly getting compared to a popular artist by the name of Zayn Malik who used to be in a boy band called One Direction. There are pictures of the pop heartthrob Zayn Malik in his teenage years that looked nearly identical to Zaid. Similar to the pop heartthrob, Zaid has a handsome light tan face with a thick head of jet black hair. It was nearly the end of Summer vacation with only 2 weeks left until he returned back to school as a junior. Throughout the Summer Zaid didn’t get a haircut. His hair looked a bit disheveled as the back and sides of his hair had grown 3 inches long while the top of his hair was 6 inches long. Zaid’s story starts with his father asking him when he’s going to get a haircut.

Dad: Zaid look at this mess on your head you look homeless. You need to get a haircut immediately.

As my dad kept ranting about my disheveled hair he emphasized how long it had gotten as he jokingly grabbed a handful of my hair in his fist.

Zaid: Ok fine I’ll get a haircut but I need 50 dollars to pay for it.

Dad: Boy I gave you 50 dollars two months ago the last time to get a haircut and all you got was a trim. Enough of the fancy salon you keep going to. I want my money’s worth and I want my son to look clean. Go get dressed. I'm taking you to a new place to get your haircut.
I rolled my eyes and got dressed. After my dad parked the car outside the barbershop I noticed a sign that read, "5 dollar discount haircut" I was taken back at how cheap the cut was and I felt extremely nervous. I began to ask myself, "Is my dad really going to give me a haircut that’s worth 5 dollars? With such a cheap cut it's probably going to look awful!"

Zaid: Dad this barbershop looks like trash and I’m not getting a haircut that’s only worth 5 dollars. It's probably going to be a trash haircut.

Dad: "What’s trash is your constant whining and all the money you’re making me waste just so you can get a trim. Besides, any haircut will look better than the mess on your head."

As we walked into the barbershop a bell rang and the barber immediately stopped sweeping to greet us.

Barber: Good evening, how can I help you, young men?

Dad: Hello I was wondering about the 5 dollar discount haircut. My boy definitely needs to get this mess taken care of.

Barber: Wonderful, the discount haircut will definitely take care of all that hair on the boy’s head.

Zaid: What makes it a discount haircut?

Barber: That’s a great question young man, it means you’re getting a single-length buzzcut all over. Nothing fancy, no tapering, no trimming, just a single-length buzz cut all over.

Dad: Great I think that would be a great change for him!

I was baffled and taken back as I yelled, "No I don’t want a buzz cut!"

My dad sighed and rolled his eyes as he asked the barber, "Sir, what's the longest that you can give him without the price going over 5 dollars?"

Barber: Well I could give him a number 8 all over that would give him about an inch of hair but just to remind you if you want to only spend 5 dollars then there will be no taper or different guards used to blend in the back and sides of the boy's hair. As a barber, I don’t recommend giving a number 8 all over as it would look messy and unkempt. The best look for a discount haircut would be a double zero all over that way your boy will have a very clean-cut as if he got enlisted in the marines.

Dad: That sounds like a great change for a great price! Give him a double zero all over.

Zaid: What?! Dad, are you joking right now? I don’t want to be bald!

Dad: Zaid, get your butt on that chair immediately. If you don’t I’ll buy a pair of clippers from the store and I’ll shave your head myself every week for the rest of the year.

Zaid: But dad, I have school in only two weeks! I don’t want to be bald when I’m in school!

Dad: In two weeks your hair will grow to a #2 and I might take you to the barber again to give you a stylish fade but right now you will be shaved bald. You have two choices: either get in that chair and let the barber shave you this one time or I’ll shave your head for the rest of the year.

I pouted and sighed as I slowly walked to the barber chair and sat down. This was it, my long hair was going to get mowed down to a double zero. The barber caped me up and tried to cheer me up.

Barber: It’s going to be ok, young man. You will look fresh and clean after this haircut. Besides, you'll have hair on your noggin when you go back to school in 2 weeks. Now you can experience having an induction cut without any other students around.

I sighed and nodded my head as I was left alone with the barber while my dad went shopping for groceries across the street. The barber took a pair of Wahl clippers and removed the guard. The barber then shoved my head down as he turned on the clippers.
Barber: Keep your head down boy.

I complied as he shaved the bottom of my neck all the way to the crown of my head as he flicked the clippers so the shorn hair would fall down my face. He kept repeating that process as the sharp metallic teeth of the clippers continued to shear off the back of my head. I tried to wipe off the hair that fell on my face when the barber gave a light smack on the back of my head and then pushed my head down to my chest.

Barber: I said head down boy.

After he finished shaving the back of my head he grabbed my bangs and pulled my head back so I could face the mirror as he placed the clippers on my hairline and pulled the clippers back. I flinched as the clippers made a loud sound. The barber tried again by putting the clippers at my hairline and pulled it back slower this time. My eyes grew wide as I saw the clippers easily clear away my 6-inch hair down to stubble. I never saw what my scalp looked like until now. The barber cleared away more of the hair on top of my head as he began to shave the right side of my head. He tilted my head and continued to shave off what was left of my hair. All of my hair sat on my lap. My heaping pile of healthy jet-black hair on my lap looked like a cat since there was so much of it; however, there was nothing left on my head except for extremely short stubble. The stubble was so short I could actually see the skin on my head.

Barber: There, much better! You look like a marine now and your head is a perfect shape as well as your hairline!

Zaid: I’m so bald I can see the light shining off my scalp!

Barber: You look wonderful with a bald head. In fact, I can make your head even shinier!

The barber spat on his hand and slowly rubbed it on my scalp. Before I could protest the barber once again spat on his hand and this time rubbed the spit on the back of my head. My bald head became even shinier under the ceiling light. I sat in disbelief and completely dismayed as I looked in the mirror. I had great shiny jet black hair that was a stylish messy look but now my entire head was shaved down to an amateur double zero all over. I could see my skin under the tiny rough stubble that was left of my hair. I didn’t look at myself in the mirror for long as the barber roughly rubbed my head.

Barber: I’m wiping off all the loose stubble that's on your head.

I knew he was just making an excuse to rub my bald head. His hand roughly rubbed my head back and forth until my head was bobbing left and right. He then grabbed the back of my head and wiped my scalp with his palm. Finally, he uncapped me and I was ready to run out of the barbershop until my dad walked in.

Dad: Who is this clean-shaven young man?
My father rubbed my bald head and patted my shoulder. I thought to myself if someone rubs my bald head again I’m going to scream.

Barber: The double zero buzz perfectly suits your son. He has a great head shape and a wonderful hairline to pull the buzzcut.

Dad: I’ll say my boy looks so clean and sharp with that mess completely shaved off his head.

My dad placed a 5 dollar bill and laid his palm on the back of my bald head as we walked out of the barbershop.

Dad: Son you look much better with that freshly shaved head. What do you say about keeping this cut for a while?

Zaid: Dad you promised that I’d only get my head shaved this one time and then before school, I can get a fade.

Dad: Ok fine but a zero all over will be your Summer haircut. You’ll only get a discount haircut from that barber once a year.

Zaid: That barber was annoying as hell. If I’m going to get my head shaved over the summer then I’d rather have you shave my head instead.
My dad smiled and playfully rubbed my head.

Dad: You’re a good boy son.

After 2 weeks my hair grew to a #2 buzz. My dad took me to a different barber and I got a fade for $20. The new barber left my hair on top and gave me a skin fade. Even though it was a short haircut at least it was modern and trendy. The next day I went back to school as a junior and got loads of compliments for my new haircut. People told me that I look even more like Zayn Malik!

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