Mr. Ennis Gives and Receives by Manny

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This is the last chapter of a 5 part series. The previous four stories are:
- Simpler Times for the Ennis Family (1)
- Steve Ennis and the 1964 Falcon (2)
- Ron Ennis Enforces a New Grooming Policy (3)
- Frank Submits to the Ennis Grooming Code (4)

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"Honey, I’m going to pop over to the Coltons," Mr. Ennis said. "Perhaps Mr. Colton will have some good advice for me."

"Oh, Ron!" Mrs. Ennis gushed. "I knew you’d come around. Marge and I want to do everything together with our husbands."

Mr. Ennis’ hands felt clammy as he gripped the steering wheel. The last time he’d been with Mr. Colton, things had been rather tense. He’d let a swear word or two slip out in front of the boys and Mr. Colton was livid. He’d threatened to paddle him for using foul language in front of the teens!

Mr. Colton was in his front yard mowing the grass. He was shirtless, and his muscular chest and hairy legs oozed virility. The man’s trademark flattop was perfectly groomed and glistened with sweat in the sun.

Mr. Ennis felt nervous as he eased his car toward the curb and parked it.

"It’s been a while," Mr. Ennis chirped with forced cheerfulness as he emerged from the car giving a friendly wave.

Mr. Colton glared, unamused and downright hostile.

"What is it?" he asked curtly.

Mr. Ennis was left unknowing what to say.

They stared at each other until Mr. Colton snapped in an accusatory tone, "You encouraged my son get that flattop without my permission."

"That is not true!" Mr. Ennis retorted angrily. "Kenny decided that on his own at the barbershop. I had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t even there!"

"Let’s not carry on a shouting match in the front yard," Mr. Colton said, trying to compose himself. "Into the garage, Ennis!"

Oh, my! Mr. Colton was in his authoritarian mode! Mr. Ennis felt like a little boy being dragged into the garage for some disciplinary measures.

Mr. Colton reached for his paddle that was hanging on his tool rack. "You won’t deny Ken went to spend some nights at your place after the insubordination…."

"Your son is almost an adult!" Mr. Ennis blurted out. "You are acting like he took drugs or robbed a bank! He got a flattop - like yours! You should have felt honored, not disrespected! It’s pathetic. You’re a bully, Colton!"

Mr. Ennis was seething with indignation and felt totally emboldened. Without thinking, he snatched the paddle from his neighbor’s hand.

Mr. Colton was completely in shock. No one had ever stood up to him before.

"Pull down your pants and lean over the ping pong table," Mr. Ennis ordered.

Mr. Colton, still in shock, stared and stammered.

Mr. Ennis would not back down. "Do you want me to turn you over my knee?"

Mr. Colton blinked and complied meekly, without saying a word.

Mr. Ennis raised the paddle and prepared to administer a spanking. There was no plea for mercy....

THWACK, THWACK, THWACK!!

Three well-placed smacks with the paddle sent quite a message. Pinkish-red horizontal welts flared on Mr. Colton's two firm white cheeks.

"A taste of your own medicine, Colton! You are a dickhead!" Mr. Ennis exclaimed as he delivered the last swat.

Mr. Colton let out a muffled yelp as the paddle struck for the last time. He emerged from the unexpected discipline feeling quite contrite and submissive.

"I, I…I, uh," Mr. Colton stammered, still smarting from the pain pulsating across his buttocks, as well as the humiliation. He felt so awkward, struggling to pull his shorts and undies back on.

"Let’s let the past be the past," Mr. Ennis said in a conciliatory tone. "Our wives want us to be friends."

"You have quite a swing, Ennis," Mr. Colton said, cracking a shy smile, though his buttocks still stung.

"I was tennis champ at the club last year. Do you play?" Mr. Ennis asked.

Then, he continued, "I was wondering if you’d help me get the perfect flattop, just like yours. The four of us - fathers and sons - will all sport spiffy tops."

Mr. Colton smiled, grateful for the reconciliation. "Oh, that will be easy. Just take you to Mr. Lee’s Barber Shop. Shall I drive you over? Or, better yet, let’s zip over in your Falcon convertible. Is that a 1964? I’ve been desperate to ride in it since Steve got the keys."

"Sure, and you can drive," Mr. Ennis offered. "Deep down inside, I’ve always wanted Bob Colton to drive me to the barber shop."

The two men chatted about all sorts of things on their way to Mr. Lee’s.

After they’d parked, Mr. Colton paused, and said with a serious look on his face. "I just want to say thank you, Ron. Thanks for taking the paddle to me. I really needed that. You’re right about Kenny. He’s a good boy, a good son. And he’s so handsome with the flattop. Did you know the boys have dates to the prom?"

"Yes! Mr. Lee’s twin nieces! Steve is so excited," Mr. Ennis said.

The two men walked into the barber shop as if they were old and close friends.

"Gentlemen!" Mr. Lee greeted them warmly. "This is a pleasure."

"Ron is here for a flattop," Mr. Colton announced.

Mr. Ennis beamed. "Which of you great barbers is going to do the honors?"

"If you want a plush top, Peter’s your man. If you want shaved sides and a landing strip like Bob’s top, I’m your man," Mr. Lee replied.

"Then, it’s Mr. Lee! I want lots of skin showing," Mr. Ennis said gleefully as he mounted the foot rest and eased into the chair.

"A flattop makes a first rate man stand out above an ordinary man," Mr. Colton chirped from the sidelines as he watched Mr. Ennis get caped up. "And, by the way, I wanted to thank you men for giving Kenny such an excellent haircut. He looks so grown-up and manly."

The barbers looked at each other, amazed about Mr. Colton’s changed attitude. No more rants about fathers deciding how sons’ hair should be cut!

"My nieces are so excited about their dates to the prom. Ken Colton and Steve Ennis - two big men on campus - and their exciting red convertible! All they can do is chatter about the dresses they’ll wear and the corsages they hope to receive. Here’s a photo of them," Mr. Lee said.

The two men smiled as they studied the twins in short cheerleading skirts that showed off their bronzed, shapely legs. They both had thick waist-length blond locks that added to their girlish beauty.

"They are most excited that a professional beautician from our church, Gwen Kincaid, is going to help them arrange their hair for the big night," Mr. Lee added. "She’s going to give them a mature look to match their long gowns, they told me."

With that, Mr. Lee pushed Mr. Ennis’ head down and snapped on the Oster’s. The whirl of the machine filled the room. The balding clippers stripped all the hair off the back, virtually to the crown.

"How is that young fellow you brought here from the office? Is he getting used to his short haircut?" the barber asked.

"Oh, Sebastian. Well, I’m not sure he likes it so short. He endured a lot of kidding the next day. All the other guys in our unit are waiting for the last minute, hoping somehow the new grooming policy will be rescinded. I see Sebastian all day exploring the clipped short length, like he can’t get used to it. At least, he clinched the promotion," Mr. Ennis explained.

"Speaking of your office, Frank Smith came in here the other day â€" sans mustache!!" Mr. Lee exclaimed. "I almost didn’t recognize him. Seems like he’s going back to work in his old job. Poor guy, he asked for a taper. There was almost no hair left on him. His MPB has left him with the slightest of fringe ringing his head."

Mr. Lee quickly stripped the sides and back of Mr. Ennis’ head clean. Then he scissored off all the length on top, taking it down to under an inch.

A few blasts of the blow dryer left the short hair standing up straight. Then, Mr. Lee began the meticulous process of taking it down flat.

"One slight slip, and you’ll end up with a horseshoe," Mr. Colton joked from the sidelines.

"I suppose one day I will end up with a shoe," Mr. Ennis said, watching his haircut in the mirror. "Every time I come here, it seems, my hair gets cut shorter. Soon, there won’t be any left."

"We could fashion a nice dome like Frank Smith’s for you," Mr. Lee joked.

Mr. Ennis felt his groin surge beneath the cape! To have a nice big virile dome like Frank’s MPB!

"I don’t suppose that’s a frequent request from you clients," Mr. Ennis said, a bit wistfully.

"You would be the first, if that’s what you wanted," Mr. Lee retorted playfully. "I’m sure I would do a good job. But today, it’ll just be a landing strip that gets scraped into existence on top."

The next process involved Mr. Ennis’ head being enveloped in warm moist towels to condition the scalp for lather shaving.

"Ah, this feels divine," he murmured as the warm towels soothed and moistened his head.

"Just wait till he massages in the warm lather," Mr. Colton piped up from the waiting area.

Mr. Colton was exactly right. The lather being massaged into the scalp was even more soothing and relaxing. "I could sit here all day," Mr. Ennis murmured.

"The best is yet to come - the razor scraping your scalp. That skin hasn't seen the light of day since you were a baby," Mr. Lee quipped.

And, the barber was exactly right. Mr. Ennis groaned with delight as the straight edge worked its ways in the most sensitive areas, removing all traces of hair. The nape and the top of his head were Mr. Ennis’ favorite places. He sat very still and submissive through the whole ordeal.

"Now, a bit of a shiny finish on this freshly exposed skin," the barber announced, before applying some solution to the shave skin and declaring the haircut at an end.

Mr. Ennis beamed with delight. He looked so manly, so rugged and not to be trifled with. Then, he thought about how he had taken the paddle to Bob Colton. OUCH!

When the two men were driving back to their neighborhood, Mr. Ennis worked up his courage to approach Mr. Colton on a sensitive topic.

"You know that Bible verse, ‘freely you have received, freely give’," Mr. Ennis said in a tentative voice.

"Sort of," Mr. Colton replied. "In the Gospels somewhere. What of it?"

"Well, in your garage earlier…I, uh, was on the giving end. But, uh," Mr. Ennis stammered nervously.

Mr. Colton did not reply. He drove the convertible with his eyes fixed firmly on the road in front of him.

Finally, the driver turned and stared at Mr. Ennis. The penny had dropped. He smiled a bit, and then it grew into a more fulsome grin.

"The paddle is just where we left it," Mr. Colton finally said.

He reached over and stroked Mr. Ennis’ virgin scalp gently. "Yes, you WILL receive freely and beyond all your expectations, Ron Ennis!"

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