My new job for the holidays by Storyteller

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When I was 14, I finished the school year with quite long hair, after about 4 months without a haircut, and at that time, it had been a few years since my parents had released me and my brother from cutting our hair short and very often, since almost all the boys our age had long hair. My hair was silky, medium brown, very straight and I had a lot of hair. I always kept my hair clean and well combed, as this was the requirement for me to keep my hair long.
I usually managed to go to the barbershop to get my hair cut, even if it was a very light trim, without my parents asking to, so it wouldn't look like I was disobeying, as I was a very polite, respectful, and obedient son. And just as I acted obediently with my parents, I also did with my teachers and other adults in general.
As the school holidays started and I had free time I realized that it would be nice if I spontaneously went for a light hair trim. I always went to the same barbershop, the barber already knew me well and I didn't even need to say what I wanted, he already knew that it was just to cut a little.
That day, however, I was walking through a nearby neighborhood and noticed a barbershop that I had never seen before, in fact I didn't usually pay much attention to barbershops. When I looked, the barber was at the door, he was an old man, he had very short white hair and a nicely trimmed mustache, white also. Despite his age, he appeared to be a healthy, jovial man, and he smiled at me when he saw me looking towards the barbershop. I responded with a shy smile, and he waved inviting me into the barbershop.
I walked towards the barbershop and went in, the barber received me with a smile, and I said, "nice to meet you, Sir, good afternoon" shaking his hand and he said, "the pleasure is all mine, kid". He immediately put his hand on my back and directed me to his barberchair, which was huge, leather, old-fashioned. On the way to the chair, which was already turned with its back to the mirror and facing the door, I noticed that all the equipment in the barbershop was of a traditional and old style, which I didn't even know very well, and the aroma of the products was very strong and pleasant.
As I thought everything was very cool, I said to the barber "Wow, Sir, your barbershop has a great style, very well maintained and has a very pleasant aroma", he smiled and said "Thank you very much, kid" and I added "I guess it's really nice to work here, Sir", and he said "I need a helper, you must be starting the school holidays, right?" and I nodded and he continued "Would you like to work here as my helper on your vacation?"
That took me by surprise, I had never thought about working at that time, much less in a barbershop, I didn't even like to be in barbershops, no boy my age did at the time, but I thought the barber was so cool, and the idea sounded good to me and I said without thinking too much "Of course, Sir, it would be an honor" as I climbed up to sit on the barberchair, which seemed too high for me. He said, "By the way, you are a very good boy and you will be a great helper" and I said "Thank you Sir"
I straightened up in the chair and he took a cape with a camo design and put it around me, the cape design didn't call my attention so much as being militarized, I wasn't very aware of military things at the time. The barber made sure my long hair didn't get caught inside the cape, put a neck strip around my neck and closed the cape tightly but gently.
He placed his hand on top of my head, lightly ran his hand through my hair and said, smiling, "A proper cut for my new sidekick, then?" and I didn't even notice that he said 'proper' and smiling I replied, enthusiastically "Yes, Sir". He smiled and said, "What a nice kid you are" and immediately grabbed clippers that were hanging on a hook on the wall, turned them on and started running them on the top of my head.
What a fright! A noise unknown to me. An unfamiliar flutter in my head. And my hair, my bangs, falling in front, down the sides, all over. The barber sympathetically kept talking to me "You'll like this military style haircut and the military style of my clients, kid". I was very surprised by what he said, it was then that I noticed that there were many military references in the barbershop, pictures on the wall, and I remembered that there was a military school and barracks in that neighborhood.
As I realized that there was no point in doing anything because he was already cutting my hair, I said: "Yes, Sir, I'm going to like it very much", he continued passing the clippers on my head, and the hair falling everywhere. He then said, "You're so happy, I'm going to give you a shorter cut right away, I was going to take it easy because it was your first cut with me, but since you said you're going to like it..."
He then turned the clippers off, removed one blade with the number 4 on it, and put another one with the number 2 on it. He turned them back on and started running them on my head again. I saw short bristles flying as clippers passed. And he kept talking to me, commenting on the chores I would have, working as a helper in the barbershop, and I smiled at him as he spoke and nodded in agreement. He said, "You are really happy to work here..." and I started agreeing "Yes, Sir" as he finished the sentence "...and with the very short haircut"
He stopped what he was doing for a bit, turned the Clippers off again, ran his hand over my cropped head and said "Hmmm, I can make it even shorter for you, as you’re liking it so much", swapped the number 2 blade for another one with the number 1, and started cutting my hair again. "How handsome you are looking, kid" I smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Sir". He then said "Well, since you like it so much let's do a thorough job", he then swapped blade 1 for blade 0.
I felt clippers cutting the already very short hair and I imagined that it was getting really extremely short, and I could tell it also by the touch of the barber on my head. It was all very different from anything I could have imagined, but there was nothing I could do at the moment, and I was enjoying the treatment I was getting, the friendliness of the barber, and the idea of having a job as a helper.
Every time he passed the clippers over my head, he would wiggle my head from side to side to get the best angle for the cut, and there was something really funny to me when he was going to cut around each of the ears, he would bend the ear with one finger and run the clippers around with the other hand. My ears were giant and protruding and I was used to having them hidden by my hair, my usual barber wouldn't even touch them. He chuckled lightly each time he glanced at my ears but made no comment.
After he finished passing the clippers with the 0 blade, I figured he was done cutting. He passed his hand slowly all over my head, I felt how short my hair was, I could even hear a little noise when his hand was passing. Since the chair was facing away from the mirror, I had no idea what I looked like. He then picked up a mug and started moving a shaving brush intensely inside the mug. A very good aroma began to exhale. He then came up with the shaving brush and started spreading shaving foam all over the back and sides of my head. He smiled and said to me: "Additional work for my newest helper" I smiled and said, "Thank you, Sir."
He took a razor, ran it over a leather strap attached to the chair to sharpen it, and began shaving the last bits of hair from the sides and back of my head. I noticed how he did that job with firmness and lightness at the same time, I smiled and said "You really are an excellent barber, Sir" and he said "And you are a very well-mannered and respectful kid, son" and added "And now you look perfect to work in this barbershop" as he finished shaving. He then used a piece of cloth to get off the excess lather and then splashed aftershave on the area he shaved. The aroma was also very good.
He then took a duster brush and dusted my whole head, shook the cape really well, opened the cape, took off the neck strip and said "Okay son, you can leave the chair". I obeyed and then, controlling my head, he turned me to the mirror and said "Look how good you look." It took me a few seconds to realize it was really me in the mirror. I only had a small area of extremely short hair on top of my head, but it was amazing, maybe because of all the treatment I received and the idea of working there, I was happy, and I said to the barber "Thank you very much, Sir, it is perfect."
He then said, "Do you want to start working right now?" I said, "Yes Sir, can I please call my parents and let them know?" He said "Yes, sure, kid" and pointed to where the phone was. I called my parents, who were quite pleased with the idea of me having a job over the holidays. The barber then told me where the broom was so I could sweep the floor which was full of my hair.
And so, I started my summer job as a barber's helper with a new military boy look.

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