Mother's Day (Part I & II) by Drew

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part one

It was in 1995 when I grew out my hair to a very long mop. It began in the end of the year before when I asked my mum if I can keep my hair longer when we were on our way to the barbershop. It was about Christmas and pretty cold at the place in Germany were I grew up. I had a normal bowlcut just above my eyes and my ears. I was lucky when my mother told the barber only to give me a slight trim, also because of the cold weather. Now I could watch my hair growing over my eyes and over my ears in the next couple of weeks and I liked it. About three month later in February my hair was down to the tip of my nose in the front and covering my ears almost completely. The next visit to the barbershop was coming up but fortunately it didn’t hit me because I was away for a ski trip. But a week later my mum told me that I was in badly need of a haircut. I plead to only get a trim again and in the end we agreed that I only had to get my bangs cut so that my eyes were free again.

I was very happy still having long hair and growing it for another three month. In May it was about haircutting time again and my 13th birthday coming up as well. So I told my mother that my birthday wish was to not have to go to the barber yet. My mother told me that there was no way that I could avoid a haircut for another time and that she already made an appointment for me to get my haircut the next week. And she told me that I already managed to grow out my hair to an insane long mop of hair witch needs to be cut before the warn summer days.

Actually she was right; my hair was crazy long and thick. It was down to my nose again even below my nose and on top it was like 8 inches maybe one inch below the ears and down to the collar. But I still tried to turn my mum to let me keep my hair even nobody of my friends and classmates had their hair that long and everybody told me to get a haircut.

Suddenly my mum told me that she had a deal about my long hair. She said if my birthday-wish was to not get a haircut yet; her wish for the mother’s day that was coming up a week later was to cut my hair at the end of the school year. She said that I was allowed to keep my hair till then if I let her cut my hair like she wants to, after school was out for summer.

I knew I had to get a haircut sometime but I was very afraid of it to get my beloved long hair cut off; especially by my mother. I got even more afraid of a haircut as my hair grew longer and longer. I agreed with that deal because this way I could avoid at least getting a haircut while I had to go to school and so I could avoid the humiliation by my classmates after a radical haircut as well.

Part two

Now it was set up! My mother called the barbershop and canceled the appointment for me to get a haircut. It was a really weird feeling, to have such a crazy long mop of hair and not have to get a haircut. But that was what I wanted and I liked to comb my hair in front of the mirror. If I combed it all around I couldn’t even look through my thick bangs which were almost touching my lips. Even my mother first wanted me to get my hair cut; she now seemed to like my longish hair and often grinned at me so I knew she was looking forward to the day she could cut it.

On the other side I knew I had no chance to escape this day which was coming closer everyday. My heart sank, and my pulse raced when I thought about the situation my mother cuts my hair off.

Now it was two month after my 13th birthday when I agreed on the deal that allowed me to not get a haircut till the end of the school year in return for my mother to cut my hair after school is out for summer. The weather was already very hot letting me sweat under my thick mop when I did sports. As it was only two weeks left before the school was off my legs had began to tremble more and more when I thought about it. My mother noticed that I was very excited and fearful about getting my haircut, but she told me there was no way to revoke the deal after I managed to not get a real haircut in more than eight months and that she couldn’t wait to cut my hair. Even I knew that my brothers and my father knew about the long hair-deal and the final haircut at home I got even more embarrassed when I found out that they were looking forward to watch me getting my hair cut. I said to my mother that I don’t want anybody watching me during this occasion but she replied that it wasn’t my decision.

The last day of school was over and I was slowly walking home and my legs felt weak. After I got home my mother told me that it was going to happen the next Sunday because some of her friends also wanted to join the shearing. The anticipation was terrifying on the one hand I was happy to get away for a few more days, but on the other hand I knew I had to get my haircut in front of an audience probably bigger than in a barbershop and there was nothing I could do about it.

I had butterflies in my stomach and it took me forever to leave the bathroom combing my hair for the last time and hoping all this to be over. I was waiting in my room when I heard the doorbell when the friends of my mother arrived. I knew every minute my mum will call me and then I have to go down. I could hear them talking and I heard that one of them brought a professional haircutting set as well as a cape. I felt sick, but at the same time excited when my mother called me to come down.

My heart sank, and my pulse raced when I had to say hello to the 4 friends of my mother who all knew me from visiting. They stared at my hair also touched it and made comments about it, like: how can you bear to have such a long mop; that I am in entire need to get a haircut; they couldn’t believe that my mother allowed me to get it that long. Then we walked to the living room, were my brothers and my dad were already waiting. There was single chair set up in front of the couches were everybody sat down. My mother told me to sit down on the chair and swung the cape around my body and had to hold up my hair in the collar with one hand while fastening with the other. How embarrassing, I thought my hair had to be held up like a little girl’s one. I was in hell. There I was, having my beloved hair combed out neatly by my mother, whilst my brothers my dad and my mothers friends stared right back at me, not only was I going to have the humiliation of an overdue haircut, but it was to be right in front of an audience.

After what felt like hours of endless combing and taking pictures before the cut my mother took a ruler for my humiliation to gage the length of my hair. It was over 10 inches on top and the bangs were almost 8 inches long. Everybody seemed to be surprise by that high numbers. Finally my mum took the scissors and started cutting my hair and I felt almost relieved. I could see the enjoyment in everybody’s eyes when my mum combed my hair up and cut it down, till she combed my bangs down in my face. I couldn’t see anymore and felt even more embarrassed.

So I didn’t know how much she was cutting off but I could feel the hair that fall on my shoulders and in my lap and it felt heavy.

After an endless time of combing and snipping in a final flourish of victory my mum lifted up my bangs and slowly, deliberately chopped it off and my heart almost stopped when I could watch my long bangs falling down in at least 7 inches long thick bunches in front of my eyes.

Now I noticed everybody grinning at me and I also realized my mother cut off as much as possible when I saw the big heaps of hair lying around the chair and in my lap.

I was shocked for one last time when my mother pushed my head down started the clippers and clip away the already short stubbles leaving ½ inch all over.

After the last “after” pictures were taken I stand up and I couldn’t believe how much hair lay on the floor. Everybody seemed to be happy to have watched such a great transformation and I was even happier that it was over!

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