Our Friend Doug by Shant

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Bill and I had been roommates for a couple of years. He was by far my best friend. We really got along great and never had any problems while living together.

One time, Bill asked me if it would be okay if his friend, Doug, stayed with us for a few weeks to help him get back on his feet. The company he worked for had downsized and his position was eliminated and he was looking for another job. Money was tight, and if he could stay at our place for awhile, it would really help him out.

We had plenty of room and I really liked Doug. He was a really nice guy and was also great looking. It sure didn’t hurt the eyes having him around.

The most striking thing about Doug was the amazing hair he had. His family was Italian and he had the type hair that so many Italian men do. It was very dark, and thick, slightly wavy, and with such great body that he just brushed it all back and it stayed perfectly in place all day.

I doubt anyone that saw him would not notice how great his hair was. I could sit and watch him run his hands through his hair forever because it was so awesome.

His hair was about three inches long on the sides and he brushed it back above his ears and the sides met together in the back. The top was about five inches long and he brushed all that back too.

It was the fullness of his hair that really made it stand up so high and stay perfectly in place. It really was beautiful. He had such a massive head of hair. I had a good head of hair, but I was so envious of how great his hair was.

One night we were sitting in the living room, having a few drinks and smoking some pot. Bill turned to Doug and said, "When are you going to get your hair cut? You have way too much hair on your head. You’d look a lot better with it shorter, especially when going to your job interviews next week. I don’t think any professional business person will take you seriously with all that hair you have."

"I know," said Doug. "I just haven’t wanted to spend the money on a haircut. The woman that usually cuts my hair for free has been out of town for awhile, so I’m either going to have to break down and find a barber, or I’m going to have to find someone that can cut it for me."

"You know," Bill said, "Mike cut all his friends hair in college. You’d cut Doug’s hair for him wouldn’t you?"

"Sure, I’d be glad to give you a haircut if you wanted one. I cut about forty guys hair each semester all four years of college. I sometimes think I would have enjoyed becoming a barber. I always enjoy cutting a great head of hair but don’t get to do it very often. You’ve got such fantastic hair that it would really be fun to cut. I have no doubt that I could give you a really sharp looking haircut."

Bill was already losing his hair and he resented anyone that had really great hair. He was not yet thirty, but the top of his head was almost totally bald. It infuriated him that he had lost his hair at such a young age, especially since he loved great hair so much.

Secretly, I knew that he was really envious of the mane Doug had and more than anything wanted to see it get all cut off. He told me that he fantasized about cutting Doug’s hair off all the time. He said he thought about going into Doug’s room at night and cutting off his tremendous locks, but knew he could not do that to him. I think knowing that he could not do it, actually made him want to do it even more.

Over the next few days, Bill kept telling Doug he really should cut his hair before his job interviews. He had three appointments with firms in the area within the next two weeks. I agreed with Bill and thought he’d have a much better chance of being hired if he had his hair cut to a more acceptable look, but I did not voice my opinion.

One night I was just reading, and Doug came in and asked me if I would go ahead and cut his hair for him. He said he knew Bill was right and he would have a better chance of getting a job if he cleaned up his overall appearance and looked his absolute best for his interviews. He knew that would mean a lot of his hair that he loved so much, would have to come off.

"Sure, I’d be glad to cut your hair for you," I said. "Do you know how you want it cut? I can probably cut it anyway you’d like. I got a lot of practice in college and got to cut a lot of great hair."

"You have such great hair, and it stands up so well, that you can cut it a lot of different ways and it will really look sharp. Any guy would be envious to have hair like yours. You will definitely make a much better first impression, if you have a really sharp looking haircut."

"I’ve always admired your hair, but being honest, it is too long, especially for job interviews. These interviews you’re having, will the jobs require you to wear a coat and tie?"

"Yeah, all three companies are like that. I don’t think I have to wear a coat all the time, but I would always be wearing a tie. Fortunately, Bill has so many that he said I could just wear any of his whenever I wanted."

Doug sat down in the chair I had placed in front of our mirror so he could watch the haircut. I caped him up and began brushing his hair and running my hands through it to get the feel of how his hair could look with a different style cut. It was so wonderful finally getting to run my hands through his beautiful hair. He definitely had one of the best head’s of hair that I had ever cut.

I picked up my tape measure and reached over and took a lock of his hair and made it stand up as high as it could and measured it. "Wow! Your hair is over six inches long on top! No wonder you look like you have so much hair. How do you want me to cut it?"

"I totally trust your judgement," Doug said. "Why don’t you go ahead and cut it the way you think would look best for a guy working in a professional atmosphere?"

"How about if we taper up the back and the sides and get rid of some of the bulk on top? Your hair needs to be tamed down some. I’ll still leave the sides long enough so you can brush them back."

"I think you should leave it about three inches long on top and then blend it into the sides and back. With the great texture you have, cutting it shorter, you will still be able to brush it all back and it will still stand up like it does now."

"I can cut your hair like that, or if you prefer, take off less than I just suggested. I’m sure it’s a pretty dramatic decision for you to cut so much of your fantastic hair off. If you want, I can take it down not as short, and when I’m finished, you can decide if you want to leave it like that, or if you want me to cut it shorter. No problem. I’ll have fun doing it."

"I’ve been thinking about this a lot," Doug said. "It’s obvious that I really love my hair, but I know I should cut it before my interviews. It’s been a long time since I have had short hair and I’m actually a little afraid that it might not end up looking good."

"I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You do realize what a fantastic head of hair you have, don’t you? I think however you cut it will look great." I refrained from letting Doug know how excited I was about giving him a haircut. I couldn’t wait to get to do this. It was such a rush getting my hands in his thick hair. I was in absolute heaven.

I had seen very few guys that had thicker hair than Doug. His hair was like a bristle brush, it was so thick and stood up so great. With the slight wave he had, it made it look even better, and it was so hot running my hands through it over and over again.

When he brushed his hair in the morning it stayed that way the entire day. If he shook his head as hard as he possibly could, his hair would still not move. It was such a tremendous rush getting to run my hands through such thick, beautiful hair.

As I picked up the clippers to begin the haircut, Bill came into the room. "I can’t believe it! You’re finally getting that mop of your’s cut! How short are you going to cut it, Mike? I think that with all that thick hair of his you should cut him down short and give him a buzzcut!"

It was obvious Bill was really excited about Doug finally cutting his hair. "I’m going to enjoy watching you get this haircut. There is going to be so much hair falling to the floor! I can’t wait to see it happen!" Bill said.

I took my clippers and put a #2 guard on the sides and placed them at the center of the back of his neck and ran them up to about two inches below his crown. Even though I wanted to give him a flattop, I knew that the right thing to do was just give him a great medium length haircut that would result in him making a good first impression at his interviews.

"Oh man! This is awesome!" Doug said as he watched all his long hair on the sides fall into his lap. "I bet it’s been at least three years since my hair has been this short. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to look. It’s such a rush seeing so much of it coming off!"

After I finished tapering up the sides and back, I then slightly wet his hair and combed it all back. Being wet and so black, the color was amazing. Just getting to look at such beautiful hair got me really stoked.

I took my scissors and lifted up his forelock and cut off about three inches of such luscious hair and watched it fall into his lap. That still left him with about three inches remaining on top. I continued working my way back, cutting it just a little shorter as it reached the crown.

After I finished the haircut and brushed his hair back the way I thought it would look best, Doug said to me, "Oh, man! This looks great! I really didn’t expect it to look as good as it does. It definitely is a big improvement for my interviews. I can’t thank you enough for giving me such a great looking haircut!"

"I’d gladly give up having the woman that cuts my hair and let you be my barber all the time if you wanted. You said you enjoyed getting to cut a great head of hair and you really did a fantastic job on mine. I’d love to have you cut my hair all the time!"

"I’ll be glad to cut your hair whenever you want. You probably have one of the best manes I have ever cut. It would be great to cut it for you all the time. I hope that I’ll be able to convince you to cut it different ways. Your hair is so awesome that you really should try a new look every now and then."

"I have always known how much you love that hair of yours. You have such a fantastic mane and I think you should show it off and wear it a lot of different ways, instead of always looking the same. I know a lot of haircut styles that I would like to give you. Just let me know when you want to get it cut again. I know that it will be a lot of fun."

Doug did end up having one of the companies he interviewed with offer him a job. He stayed with us a few more weeks and then found a one room apartment not far from where we lived.

Almost two months had gone by since I had cut his hair and I was hoping that he would want to be getting it cut again soon. If his hair got past a certain length, it really did look like he had a huge amount of hair. He was getting near that point, but I decided that if he wanted me to cut his hair, I would just wait for him to ask me.

One Saturday night, the three of us were just hanging out together like we often did. Doug asked me if I would cut his hair when I had the time. "I’m not doing anything right now. You want to get a haircut?" I quickly said. I couldn’t wait to get my hands in his wonderful hair again.

I got all my barbering tools out and we set up the chair in front of the mirror like before. Doug really did love his hair and really enjoyed getting to see the haircut from beginning to end.

"Do you want the same haircut as last time or do you want to try something different?" I asked him.

"You know," Doug said. "I’m really liking the job I have. All the guys are really great. The first thing I noticed when I met them all for the first time was that I had longer hair than anyone. I didn’t really think much about it though."

"Lately, I’ve had a couple guys good naturedly kid me about my hair, asking when was I going to get rid of all my pretty boy locks and get a masculine looking haircut? I knew they were just kidding around, but it made me realize that at one point, they must have thought my hair was too long in order for them to say something to me about it."

"It got me thinking that maybe I should go ahead and try something new, something more like the guys I work with. The last haircut you gave me was a big change for me and I really loved it! I thought my hair looked the best it ever has."

"I also realized that I had always worried way too much about what people would say if I did something drastic like cut my hair short. Now I’m always thinking about how you are going to cut it the next time you cut it. I’m no longer nervious about getting my hair cut short, in fact, I like it better than when it was longer."

Doug pulled a picture from his wallet and handed it to me. "This is how I was thinking about getting my hair cut. That would be a really drastic change, don’t you think? Do you think you could cut my hair to look like this?"

I thought I was going to faint right then and there when I looked at the picture. The sides and back were almost totally buzzed down and the top was between one and two inches long. The guy in the picture had hair so thick that it stood up really tall. It was really a sharp looking edgy haircut. I knew that I could cut Doug’s hair to look exactly like that and couldn’t wait to get to do it.

"This will be awesome to do," I said. "Are you really sure you want to get that short a haircut? Your hair is easily as thick as the guy’s hair is in the picture. I know I can cut your hair to look exactly that. It will be a tremendous rush to see you lose so much more hair, but I think it will really look fantasic."

"Yeah, let’s go ahead and do it! I’m ready for a big change. I’m actually pretty excited about seeing me get my hair cut that short. It’s been years since I’ve had it anywhere near as short as it is in the picture."

Doug’s hair had grown out a little more than an inch since I had cut it. The top was now over four inches long and the sides were about two and a half inches. I was so envious of his hair and was really excited about getting to cut it again.

Now that Doug was willing to get such a short haircut, I could envision all the different ways I wanted to cut it. If he would let me take another inch off the top, he would end up with a really sharp flattop. With his hair being so thick and so black, it would really look outstanding. I figured that if I kept cutting his hair, I bet that at the beginning of summer, I could convince him to cut it even shorter! I so wanted to give him a flattop!

"Okay. Sit yourself down in the chair and let’s get started. I can’t wait to see you with your hair cut like the guy in the picture." Doug sat down and I caped him up. I then took my hands and ran them through his hair from the front to the back. I vigorously worked getting his hair to stand up as much as I could make it.

Because his hair was so thick and had such body, it would stand up almost perfectly straight and not fall down. I continued brushing his hair over and over again because I wanted to get it to stand up as high as it possibly could, like the guy in the picture.

I could tell that Doug was really enjoying himself. He had admitted to me before how much he really loved his hair. It was easy to see why, it was glorious! It was obvious that he really enjoyed having someone pamper his hair.

I then put the #2 guard on my clippers and started at his left sideburn and ran them about two inches above his ears. You should have seen all the hair coming off! If I didn’t know better, I thought that Doug was about to explode! I know that it must have been a rush losing all his thick, beautiful locks in one clean swipe.

I proceeded to the right side and did the same. I then placed my hand on the top of his head and tipped it forward. I took the clippers and buzzed him all the way up to the crown. This was only the first step in cutting the sides. I then put the #1 guard on the clippers and proceeded to buzz the sides and back to the top of his ears and blended it in together.

There was already so much hair on the floor and it was beautiful to see. I then sprayed his hair a little and working with a wide tooth comb and combed up his forelock and took off almost two inches. The hair just kept piling up all around him.

The guy in the photo did not have a flattop. I would guess that after he washed his hair, he would use some product to make his hair shine and would then run his hands through it, getting it to all to be swept back and stand up as high as possible. Like I had said before, it really was an edgy looking haircut and that was why I was so surprised that Doug would even think about cutting his hair like this.

The thicker a guy’s hair was, the better it would stand up and look like the guy in the picture. Doug’s hair could not have been any thicker and using a gel to make his black hair shine and stand up as much as it could, really made it look unbelievable.

"So what do you think?" I asked Doug after I finished the haircut. "I think it looks unreal. Your hair stands out so much more with a cut like this. A guy needs a level of confidence to pull off this look, because everyone will notice it, but you won’t have any problem with that. I think that this is one of my most favorite haircuts that I have ever given. I really hope you like it."

"It looks just like the picture! I love it!" Doug said. "You definitely have a talent when it comes to cutting hair. If you’d like, I bet I could get you a few more customers that also have great hair and would love to have you cut their hair for them, especially after they see this haircut!"

From then on, about once a month, Doug would end up sitting in my barber chair and I would get to bury my hands in his glorious hair. He went from fearing to changing how his hair looked to becoming more and more daring and wanted me to cut it a different way all the time.

I have been cutting Doug’s and a few of his friends hair now for over ten years. I still look forward each time I get one of them in my chair. Doug was one of the lucky ones. His hair has hardly changed at all. It is still just as thick and full and his hairline has not receeded one bit. He has a little grey at the temples, but other than that, his hair is just as black as it has always been.

Over the years Doug and I have created a special bond between us. He loves me cutting his hair and I love cutting it. We both understand, without having to say anything, how much we really love awesome hair. Never would I have guessed that after all these years I would still be getting to bury my hands in his wonderful hair.

Bill, by this time, was totally bald and now he really hated Doug having such great hair, which actually made our times together even more fun.

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