It Will Look so Cute! by General Galveston

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It was a hot August morning. Tara and Melissa sat on the latter’s back porch, overlooking the yard. The two women chatted as they watched their sons playing basketball on the backyard driveway. Melissa’s son Jack was getting the better of Tara’s son Alvin, who struggled to keep up.

"Nice job Alvin!", Tara called out, as Alvin tried but narrowly failed to keep Jack from scoring again. "Jack’s gotten really good at the game", Tara said as she faced her friend again. "Thanks", Melissa replied, "he’s been practising a lot since the last time you two came over." "By the way", Tara commented, "I love Jack’s new haircut!"

Melissa grinned proudly. "Yeah, I finally decided to give him a good buzz cut. I was a little hesitant to cut his long hair at first, but it turned out to be a great decision. I’m sure you know how boys his age hate washing their hair. Well, having super short hair takes away so much of the hassle, not to mention how much it helps with this summer heat!", she exclaimed enthusiastically. "I’m telling you Tara", she continued, "you should really consider giving Alvin a short buzz cut too. It’ll be such a relief, and it’ll look really cute too!"

Tara considered this, not immediately knowing how to respond to Melissa’s enthusiastic suggestion. She hadn't been paying a lot of attention to Alvin’s hair lately. Now that she thought about it though, it was getting a bit shaggy and unruly lately. What Melissa said made sense, and she would prefer hair that was easier to manage. But could she stand to see her son lose his beautiful brown locks? "You know what Melissa, maybe I will", Tara replied after thinking for several moments.

The two then talked for about another hour and then Tara called her son over to tell him it was time to go. As they walked to the car, Tara looked more closely at Alvin’s hair. As she regarded his long and matted length, she realised how right Melissa was. It was high time for a haircut, and she had only been putting it off out of sentimentality. It was time for a serious change. Her decision made, Tara resolved that he would have a buzz cut before the end of the week.

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Three days later, Tara decided that it was time. Alvin had a soccer practice later that evening and she couldn’t think of a better time for him to get hair cut. It was very hot today and she wanted him buzzed before he had to go and sweat out there under the blazing sun. She had already selected the perfect hair cutting place - "Happy Hair Barbers", an establishment which specialised in children.

Tara decided to warn Alvin beforehand. She knew how resistant he could be to haircuts and wanted to avoid a scene at the barber’s. She steeled herself and called him downstairs. "Alvin", she told him, "I’m going to take you for a haircut before your soccer practice." "A haircut?", he repeated. "Yes, your hair’s gotten too long and messy. You need a clean up."

"Okay, he said hesitantly, "but just a little trim, right?" "Sorry Alvin", she replied gently, "but I’ve decided you need a buzz cut. I want them to cut your hair nice and short." "What!", he exclaimed in surprise and panic. "You can’t do that! I like my long hair! It’s not fair! Tears were beginning to roll down his eyes, and Tara felt a pang of sympathy for him. But she would not back down now, and was determined to go through with this.

"You’re getting a haircut and I’m not changing my mind." She told him firmly. "Now get your soccer clothes on and then get in the car. We’re going to soccer practice straight after you get your haircut." He was still crying and his face had a surly scowl on it, but he obeyed and they were soon off in the car.

While they were driving, she tried to convince him that a buzz cut would be a good thing. "Your head will be nice and cool in the sun and it’ll be so much easier to wash your hair!" she reasoned. "Plus, you’ll look so cool with a buzz cut!" Despite these arguments, Alvin remained sullen and silent throughout the car ride.

Seeing the sign for "Happy Hair Barbers", Tara drove in and parked in front of the building. She quickly got out and opened Alvin’s door. She spoke gently to him. "We’re here Alvin, dry those tears and let’s get this over with. It won’t be such a bad thing, you’ll see."

She waited for a moment to give him some time to calm down, then took his hand. They then walked into the building together. The place was rather busy, with many people, most of them children, receiving haircuts in their chairs. A woman with an apron that had the barbershop’s logo on it walked towards them. She looked to be around 40 and had her black hair tied up in a neat bun at the top of her head.

"Hello, welcome to Happy Hair Barbers", she greeted them, "how may I help you?" "Hi", Tara replied, "I’m taking this little guy for a haircut today." The woman bent down and faced Alvin. "Hello", she repeated in a kind voice, "I’m Violet, what’s your name?" Alvin took his eyes off the floor and looked up at her. "Alvin", he said curtly.

Undeterred, she smiled and continued. "Nice to meet you Alvin, how old are you?" "Eight", he replied. "Well Alvin", she said as she stood back up, "why don’t you go sit in that chair over there while I talk to your Mom. I’ll be with you in just a minute." Alvin still looked unenthusiastic, but walked over and sat down obediently in the chair that she had pointed to.

Violet then turned to Tara. "What kind of haircut do you want for him?", she asked, her tone more serious than when she had been speaking to Alvin. "Something short I hope. If I were you I’d want that rat’s nest gone", Violet said with conviction. "Yes, Tara replied, "I want him to get a short buzz cut." "Glad to hear it", Violet said approvingly, "how short? A quarter of an inch?, maybe an eighth?"

Tara wasn’t exactly sure, but decided the shorter, the better. "An eighth", she said confidently, "but make the sides shorter than the top." Violet nodded. "Eighth on top, zero on the sides, how’s that?", she asked. "Perfect", replied Tara. "So that’s settled then", Violet said with a smile. "It’ll take about twenty minutes, you can wait over there until then. She pointed to an area of chairs where people were sitting and waiting.

Tara walked over and sat down. Soon enough, she got into a conversation with some of the other parents. Many of them were in similar positions as her. Their sons had been sporting long, unkempt hair until they had finally decided to put their feet down. One of the parents, a woman with four sons, one of whom was the same age as Alvin, enthusiastically congratulated Tara on her decision.

"All my boys have had buzzed hair since they were toddlers and I’ve never regretted it for a moment", she told Tara. "It keeps them looking neat and smart. You’ve made the right decision." Tara found herself admiring this woman and the rigid discipline she imposed on her sons. Any lingering regrets she might have had about taking Alvin here melted away.

Meanwhile, Violet had begun to prepare Alvin for his haircut. "Your mother tells me you’re getting a buzz cut today!", Violet said as she whetted a comb at the sink. Alvin did not reply. Violet continued anyway. "I see you’re wearing a soccer uniform. I can tell you there’s no better haircut to have when you’re playing sports in the summer." Then she put an apron over him and began.

Violet set herself to the task of cutting Alvin’s hair with enthusiasm. First she combed it out, a hard process, given how tangled it was. Then she attacked it with her scissors. Strand after strand of long, thick, brown hair fell to the floor as she worked her way closer to the scalp. Finally, with Alvin’s hair looking much shorter already, she decided to move on to the next phase of the haircut.

She retrieved her hair clipper and set it to a number 1 setting. She began buzzing the top of his head, a sound that Alvin found frightening, though he remained quiet. The top having been neatly and precisely buzzed, she moved on to cutting the sides.

She adjusted her clipper to a number 0 setting, she set to work on the final step of the haircut. As she began to cut, Alvin fidgeted, feeling the clipper buzzing uncomfortably close to his skin. "Hold still", Violet ordered, her tone harsher than earlier. This was the delicate part, but Violet was experienced and determined and soon the sides of his head had been successfully shaved, leaving only the thinnest layer of stubble.

"You’re done", she said, and handed him a mirror. He looked shocked and dismayed at how short his hair had become, but Violet felt pride in her work. He’ll end up liking it eventually, she thought confidently. In her time as a hairdresser, she had seen many boys like him come around and even grow attached to having very short hair. Once they saw the benefits, they usually didn't look back.

Tara walked over to look at Alvin’s freshly buzzed hair. She was pleased at how much of an improvement it was. Melissa had been right, it looked so cute! She paid and left Violet a large tip in thanks. Then she and Alvin left and she dropped him off at the soccer field.

When she picked him up, his attitude towards his new haircut had made a complete turnaround. He talked about receiving compliments on his hair and how much of a relief it was not having an itchy head when he was playing. He said that he liked his hair and wanted to keep it really short. Tara smiled triumphantly. She decided that was going to learn how to cut his hair herself, so that she could keep it buzzed all the time and give him the exact haircut she wanted. As long as he was under her roof, his hair would never be long again.

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