The Big Chair by Snipped Sam

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Mr Plumb had been my very first barber and had always cut my hair until I was eleven when we had moved to another town. My family had come back for a visit and I was having a walk around the town while my parents were visiting some friends. He had been standing outside his shop when I had walked past and had stopped tp speak to him. He had recognised me immediately, although it had been about four years since I had last seen him.

We stood there chatting away, I had always liked him but not so much his haircuts which had always been very short. After just a few minutes it started to rain slightly and he suggested we went inside the shop, I followed him in and it was exactly as I had remembered it, as I glanced around.

"I notice that your hair is quite a bit longer than it used to be Michael."

"I’m not a little boy now Mr Plumb, so I have my hair longer."

"Well yes you’re certainly older since I last saw you, as I seem to remember you always wanted sit in the big chair to have your haircut."

"Oh yes, so I did."

I replied. remembering how I always had to sit on the taller wooden chair.

"In fact, I remember you saying, why can’t I sit in the same chair as my brother does?"

"And you always used to say that I would, when I was a bit older."

"So, I did, but I get the impression that now you can go in my big chair, you may not be so keen."

"Oh, I haven’t come for a haircut Mr Plumb."

I replied nervously touching my hair at the back, as I noticed his scissors all lined up neatly.

"I didn’t say you had Michael."

"That’s all right then."

"But It really is a very comfortable chair, I usually sit in it in between customers."

"Yes, I can remember coming in and you’d be sitting in it reading the paper."

"You are welcome to sit on it now Michael if you like, then you’ll see just comfy it is.…Go on no obligation."

There seemed no harm in trying out the chair, with me having really wanting to when I was younger, so I sat on the well-worn, brown leather barber’s chair."
He asked me if I would like a tea, although I didn’t want one, he went to put the kettle and made a mug of tea for himself. When he returned, we carried on chatting away. Mr Plumb was such a smart gentleman, and always wore a shirt and tie, smart trousers and his long grey barber’s coat. His thick white hair was always cut very short at the back, all just as I had remembered.

"So how do you find the chair?"

"It’s really comfortable, certainly better than the wooden chair."

"Well, the wooden chair had been so designed so anyone sitting in it had to sit up straight."

"This is so much better."

"I could always fit the cape."

"I’d rather you didn’t."

"Go on Michael, then you’ll really get the feel of being in the big chair."

"Oh, okay then."

Mr Plumb unfolded the white cape, then standing behind me with a quick flick, it fell, and he drew the cape towards my neck. Soon after it was snugly tucked inside my shirt collar, he then smoothed the cape on my shoulders and he gave a nod of approval. It might have been my imagination, but it felt like a couple of hairs on the cape were tickling my neck.

"Why don’t you just sit back and relax."

I did feel a little awkward, this was a bit of a strange scenario, but we chatted for a minute or so before the familiar sound bell as the door opened. I felt like I should come off the chair, but Mr Plumb said to sit tight for a moment. It turned out that it was a man perhaps in his late forties who had brought in an electric shaver for Mr Plumb to have a look at.

"I think I know what the problem is, won’t take me a tick if I’m right"
He said after plugging it in and trying it then unplugging it again, he opened a drawer and took out a small bag with some tools, he soon had opened it up to take a look.

"Yes, just as I thought."

"Sorry to interrupt your haircut, young man."

"Oh, Michael doesn’t mind, do you Michael?"

"No, I don’t mind."

"Mind you, I don’t see any hair on the floor so it looks like Mr Plumb hasn’t started yet."

"No not yet."

Which seemed at the time the best answer for me to give him.

"What are you having done?"

"I don’t know."

I could feel my ears going red, this was pretty embarrassing after all it looked like I was waiting to have my haircut. Why else would I be sitting in a barber’s chair with a cape tucked round me?

"I’d say knowing Mr Plumb, he might give you a short back and sides."

"He did the last time."

This was the truth, but I felt pretty embarrassed by the conversation.

"Then he most likely will give you one this time then."

"Probably."

Pretty soon Mr Plumb was oiling the razor and putting the back on.

"Do you just want to try it, but I think its sorted"

Switching it on the man tried the razor out,

"Feels good, thanks so much Arthur, how much do I owe you?"

"It’s on the house, after all I’ve got to look after my regulars."

"That’s very decent of you, I’ll be in to see you before I head off to Spain in a couple of weeks’ time."

"I’ll see you then Larry."

"Cheerio young man, enjoy your haircut."

"I’ll try."

He went to the door and opened it and the rain was really coming down.

"Blimy, I thought the rain had stopped."

In the mirror I could see the man looking out of the door.

"I think he might be staying till the rain stops."

Mr Plumb whispered to me and I nodded.

"He thinks that you are having your haircut, because of what you’ve been saying to him."

"I think I’d like to come off the chair now Mr Plumb."

"You don’t mind if I wait a bit till the rain stops so you Arthur?"

"No Larry, why don’t you take a seat."

"Thanks, I will, the lads waiting patiently for you to start his haircut."

"So, he is."

"With me coming in with my shaver at least you got to keep your hair a bit longer."

"Actually, I think I might like to keep my hair after all, Mr Plumb."

"I think your dad would have something to say if I let you leave here without cutting your hair, don’t you Michael?"

"I suppose."

"Plus, its tipping it down out there."

The next think I knew was Mr Plumb was fixing a tissue into the back of my neck, which pretty much meant I was getting a haircut. Not long after that Mr Plumb was holding his scissors in his right hand and his comb in the other.

"Just going to tidy you up a little, Michael."

He said as he tilted my head forward, pretty soon after the scissors were at work snipping away at my hair.

"Over ruled."

The man said rather smugly.

"If I let every lad who came in to have his haircut change his mind, where’d I be?"

"Exactly Arthur, you’ve got to show em who is in charge,"

With my head tilted forward I couldn’t see what was happening to my hair, but I sensed that Mr Plumb was taking a good bit off. This was confirmed shortly after when I felt the scissors snip along the hairline at the back.

"All going very well young Michael."

At this point he moved to stand in front of me and soon the hair was falling from my head into my lap, largeish pieces of fair hair just dropped down. My parents did not embrace the longer hair of the mid 1970’s and it had taken a lot of persuading to have got my hair the length it was. They would certainly be pleased with what was now happening to me. No one had ever given me as many haircuts as Mr Plumb and had we not moved I did not suppose any other barber would have cut my hair. In the beginning I had only sat in the chair because I was finally able to, and that was just see what it was like. When the man said about Mr Plumb not having started yet, I should have said then I wasn’t having my hair cut. Even if the man had thought it would have been odd, it would have been better than this.

As nice as Mr Plumb was, I realised that he was not particularly concerned or not whether I wanted my haircut. Finally, he lifted my head up and stood back, I was shocked at how much shorter my hair was.

"You said you were going to just tidy my hair up; you’ve gone mad."

"I haven’t gone mad Michael; you’ve probably got used to having less cut off."

I looked at the hair on the floor, turning to see the hair just behind the chair.

You can see by what’s on the floor that you’ve taken loads off, and we know it’s all mine because he said that he couldn’t see any hair on the floor."

"It’s Mr Smith to you boy not he."

The man said indignantly.

"And you don’t call me boy."

"Calm down Michael, and please don’t speak to my customers like that."

"He shouldn’t call me boy."

"You are a boy, Michael."

"Well at least he looks more like one now, since he’s had a haircut."
The man was really annoying me, I considered it was partly his fault I had to have my haircut, although I had been stupid to let the cape be fitted round me. But of course, why had Mr Plumb suggested the cape in the first place? he must have been aiming for an opportunity to cut my hair. I felt like saying
"Well at least Mr Smith, I have hair." As the man’s hair was drastically thinning but thought better of it.

"And we are not quite done yet."

Mr Plumb said as he reached over and took his clippers. His left hand was now resting on my head, as he started to press down, I resisted trying to keep my head up.

"Come on Michael, you have to let me finish your haircut."

"But I don’t want you to use the clippers."

"I don’t think that I don’t want works with Mr Plumb."

I knew what the man said was probably right, I also knew that when I used to go to Mr Plumb to have my hair cut, I was under strict instructions to do as he said. Mr Plumb was now pressing harder down, and I still resisted, but he was not about to let a fifteen-year-old get the better of him in his shop and in front of a regular. He gave a final push and down my head went, holding my head firmly in place, he wasted no time in powering up the clippers. Pressing the clippers firmly against the back of my head he started to run them up, they purred loudly taking my hair as they went. I knew that my hair would be really short, he had always given my brother and I this haircut, and we had both escaped it when we moved.

Now it felt like I had never been away, by the time the clippers found the way to the sides of my head the metal blade had warmed up considerably. I suppose the only comfort was that this was the beginning of August and my hair would have grown a bit before I returned to school. No one I knew had their hair this short anymore, and it was so humiliating for the man to be watching me have this done. By the time the clippers had been returned I was totally shorn. Mr Plumb brushed all the loose hairs away on my head, before he lifted it back up. I could see the smirk on his face, knowing that I would have hated what had just been done.

"Are you going to show him the back Arthur?"

I could not believe how gleeful he was being

"Of course, that’s if you want to see it, Michael?"

"Please."

Mr Plumb picked up the oblong hand-held mirror and then showed me the back, holding it and tilting it so I could see the sides as well. As I looked at the short-clipped finish, I tried really hard not to show how much I hated the haircut. Having returned the mirror, Mr Plumb picked up the can of aerosol spray and gave my hair a good covering with the Cossack hairspray.

"There young Michael, that looks rather smart, doesn’t it?"

"Yes, Mr Plumb."

I could see that the man still had that smirk on his face, so I decided that it was time to take back a bit of control.

"Do you think I could see that back again, please?"

"Of course, Michael, if you’d like."

Once again, he held the mirror so I could see how he had cut the hair on the back of my head.

"Looks very good."

"Glad you can see that now Michael."

"But, maybe a touch shorter at the back."

"I have already done it quite short."


"I know, but as you’ve got me in the chair."

Mr Plumb, put the mirror back and then selected some different clippers, which were bigger and chunkier than the previous ones. I decided that rather than Mr Plumb bend my head down, I would lower my head in advance. So, by the time he was standing behind me, my head was in position.

"That’s more like it."

He said referring to my reluctance to have my head bent earlier, before powering up the clippers which were much louder, and soon he was working on the lower part of my head. I felt much happier in that whilst I hadn’t wanted to have my haircut in the first place, I had opted to now have it shorter. The blade of the clippers felt sharper and rather more uncomfortable, but this was my choice. He worked away, before telling me that he would just take a touch more off the sides to keep it nice and even.

Once the clippers had been returned, and a brush down, he told me that he would just need to neaten things up with the razor. Soon after he was wetting the lower part of the back of my head with some damp cotton wool, then I felt the flat razor on the back of my head as he gently shaved. Having completed this task, he wet the area above my ears before shaving there too. After wiping the area with a tissue, he told me to lift my head up. I could immediately see bare white skin above my ears, and when he held the mirror, I saw how much more hair had been stripped away. It was certainly more than a touch shorter, but my hair would grow.

"Thanks Sir, that’s the best haircut I have ever had."

"I’m very pleased to hear, and this long hair won’t last for ever Michael, you mark my words."

"Yeh, I think my dad would hope that too."

"Well, this should keep him happy for a while."

"He’s going to be over the moon."

My parents were over the moon, but it turned out that they had been looking at their friends’ house as it was up for sale. We were moving back to the area, as my father had a promotion. Dad said he was very pleased that Mr Plumb hadn’t retired, and that he had already started taking care of my hair again. He said at least that was one less thing to worry about, which was sorting out a barber for me.

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