Minimum Wage by M DeMarlo

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Minimum Wage: by M DeMarlo

On my first day starting a new job I met some interesting people. As the weeks and months went by, I noticed intimidation, a sign of dominance the CEO (Boss Man) Mr. Klien, this was geared toward both women and men. The guy is 100% alpha male, good looking in a rugged Texas way. Past his prime years, a beer belly, barking orders with chewing tobacco stuffed in his bottom lip. Wears a Stetson cowboy hat that’s high brimmed, military flattop haircut like a Marine and pointed cowboy boots.


Co-workers, and my boss, these people were like night and day. My boss was a gung-ho, former MP, a few middle-aged men and several overweight women. Also, a sexy secretary, who is Mr. Klien’s sex kitten, who is always getting a pat, sometimes a hard smack on her behind by Klien. Then there is Josh, who also gets smacked on his behind quite often. With Klien barking out what sounded like "who’s the daddy". When I asked a co-worker if I heard that right? She said "heavens no, he was telling Josh to clean the caddie, his Cadilac. " Its Mr. Klien’s Texas drawl, you’re hearing something you’re not. My goodness gratis Mr. Klien is not one of "those people"," he is a good Christian man, with two little girls he thinks the world of. You hold your tongue young man. Word gets back to Boss Klien he will put a boot in your ass right out the door, teach you manners. You best hush" and walked away in a huff. I thought to myself "old puta, clean the wax from your ear" Her ears were all yellow brownish on the insides, and hairy. The disgust made me shiver. I know what I heard. There is an old saying about gay radar (gaydar) takes one to know one and my antennas were up. A two dollar an hour cracker jack job working for a red-neck cracker. Anyone with common sense would seek gainful employment without sexual harassment? Maybe Josh likes it? Is he the same as that bleached out top heavy bimbo in the office, maybe?
The boss would walk by Josh, yank on his hair and say loudly, "get a haircut Josh" This happened several times a week. My boss even told him he would pay for the haircut. Josh would ignore him, but the boss was persistent.


Josh is one of those kind of guys that has a natural sex appeal going for him, complementing his masculinity. Tall guy, over six feet, broad shoulders, well defined muscular arms. A light to medium complexion with dark brownish black hair and features, he must have some Spanish in his genes, probably TexMex. What makes this guy stand out is his emerald green eyes with dark heavy eyelashes. Beautiful, but not in a pretty way, this guy is all masculine, and he wears it well. Very hard not to get lost in his eyes. Pearly white perfect teeth, his smile too is deadly. With the boss always telling him to get his hair cut, I knew sooner or later it would happen. The only reason I stayed with that employment, I wanted to see Josh with a short haircut. I guess I fit in with this weird group, I am no better than them.


The computer room had one very large IBM computer that filled the entire room. This monster machine made it very hot in that room. Inside the hot room worked five nerdy looking dorky guys. I am sure they were all virgins. Except for one, that would be Josh and he is hot, all of him screamed hottie, but his haircut long and shaggy worked against him. He wanted to have long hair which was the mod hippie look of 1972. I can see why the boss is always saying "Haircut today Josh "He has nice thick hair, dark brownish black straight but with a little wave. Our boss, Mr. Klien was not going to let Josh grow his hair much longer. Big macho Boss Klien with his Marine haircut pointed at Josh one day saying he wants to see him with a crew cut, get it cut soon Josh! And Mr. Klien was serious, he meant business.Josh would reply "crew cut, no f_cken way" Ending with a "Yes Sir Mr. klien"
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It was easy for me to daydream of Josh getting an unwanted short haircut. If he were clean-cut, well, he is already good with the ladies. I also think Mr. Klien has some kind of fixation with Josh, like a dad and son. Dad with serious control issues. Josh falling deeper into becoming his dads "good boy" Interesting and entertaining to watch it all unfold.
Watching him throughout the day, I seriously wanted to see him with a crew cut. Even more I wanted to watch a skilled heavy-handed barber clipping his hair down to a tight military brush cut, a crew cut, or flat on top, clipped close to the skin H&T.

Day after day, weeks passed a month or two and Joshes hair kept getting longer.
I overheard the boss telling josh he looked like a bum tugging at the longest locks. The boss was sponsoring a super bowl party this weekend. Me, not being a football kind of guy, I declined the invitation. Had I known the party would end with Josh in a barbershop, sure wish I had attended that party. I knew my instincts were right, as Josh walked away, I saw Boss Klien pat Josh with a slap on his behind. Josh seemed okay with it, inappropriate as it was, not professional. Was I jealous, had I too become infatuated with this dark-haired beautiful man. No, I told myself, its none of my business. How many times have I said to people trying to get into my personal stuff "What’s it to ya?" So much drama is going on in this little town outside Wako Texas. What was playing out in my head is hot, even if it is platonic, it is hotter than Texas asphalt in July.


Friday Josh left work, his hair completely covered his collar, covering his ears to the earlobe. His fringe hanging in the eyes, always pushing it to the side. One of the women that had been working there for a while told me when Josh was hired, he had just gotten out of the Military, and he was clean-cut fresh. Hard to picture Josh with military discipline. Also, he had gotten several haircuts keeping a clean look for the first year he worked here. Mr. Klien would never had hired a young man with hair growing over his ears like that. Looking at my hair she said "you need a haircut too, what’s with you young people. Yall have no decency." I sarcastically replied "Pray for me to get it cut soon, for I have lost my way" Sneered at the old woman and walked away. She was clutching her pearls "oh my, you’re a rude young man" Wrong, I shot back "I’m being nice, its you that’s rude

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The Monday after the weekend of the super bowl game Josh came through the front door sporting a very short, clipped haircut. I did not recognize him. He had gotten a short military haircut, a professional quality haircut. Not a trim from some chick he dates. His hair was cut in a barbershop, by a,n experienced barber. From the looks of his now short hair, he had been to a traditional barbershop. The year is 1972, and the difference between a salon haircut and a barbershop haircut was easy to tell. Dam did he look good. That overgrown collar was now clipped to a tight taper. His shirt collar was not only exposed but his white skin could be seen all the way up to his crown. The bozo flip was a 0.5 blade halfway up the side of his head. He had a sharp taper fade up to his crown. No more bozo flip, in its place the barber used a straight razor and cut a nice arch around his ears. The long bushy sideburns were cut neatly in a military fashion extending just below the top of his ear. The hair in the front was now combed neatly, it looked like the barber left him a little under two inches in the front fringe. More like an inch and a half, brushed up like a sharp crew cut, buzzed semi flat with butch wax making it stand erect. He is well groomed, looking good. His big green eyes were like green lightbulbs.


When the boss arrived, I said to him "Josh finally got his hair cut." The boss said, "oh yea, and doesn’t he look handsome." Josh lost a bet he made with the Boss on the Game. The bet was for five hundred dollars, and Josh’s team was winning up to the final play." Josh’s team lost, and he must keep his hair cut to pass Mr. Klien’s inspection for an entire year, because he could not pay up on his wager. In the end Josh was too confident on his team winning. He agreed to double the bet. He did not win and lost not only $250.00, he also has to get a haircut as soon as the barbershop opens. Josh, not wanting to squelch on the bet, paid him two hundred and fifty dollars and agreed to a short haircut and keeping it fresh cut for a year. Mr. Klien paying for weekly haircuts. I think Boss Klien had it all figured out for the outcome to be in a barbershop. And Josh getting the haircut Mr.Klien wants for him, (whatever reason may be


Boss Klien really wanted Josh’s hair cut short and seen it through until he got his way. The boss said he had to wait until this morning (Monday) for his barbershop to open. He personally went with Josh to an old-time barbershop with a barber having a fondness for short military haircuts. The barber just so happens to be a good friend of the boss. Said he stood right next to the barber’s chair during the haircut and supervised. After inspecting the haircut, Mr. Klien had the barber cut it shorter giving Josh the tight crew cut he is now sporting. Because of a lost Superbowl bet, Josh has to keep a military haircut for the entire year, freshly cut every week to ten days. Amazing what can happen over a super bowl bet. I was looking out Klien’s office window giving notice that I was moving on, maybe San Diego. Klien wished me luck saying San Diego is a good barbershop town. It dawned on me this guy is just hung up on short haircuts, my gaydar gave a false positive. Straight people are just as strange, and openly so. Confident with their straight masculine buddies. Some people "missed the boat" and are left out of that comradery. A life lesson well learned.


In the end a very pretty girl picked up Josh from work in a Firebird convertible, top down. She slid over to the passenger seat, Josh jumped up over the door into the driver seat and gave the girl a long-wet kiss, she was rubbing the stubble on the back of his head. Buning some rubber the firebird drove off into the twilight night. The End

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