JO'S BARBERSHOP 2 vs The Candy Seller by Mr. Nice Guy

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Hello. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Dan I work in a one chair off post Barbershop were the customer ratio is 95% military men. With the other 5% being there family and other civilians. Being a military town that makes Saturday and Sunday my two busiest days of the week with an average wait time of 2+ hours for those wanting a haircut.

A while back I introduced you to one of my more interesting customers "Jo" and the day he convinced Jake's father Bob to get Jake a haircut. (see Two Customers)

Well that happened last July 4th weekend. It is now April the following year. It is now 5:30PM on a Wed. and I close at 6PM (Wed. is my day to close early) Jo is my only customer left in the shop if nobody else walks in by 5:45PM that will make Jo my last customer of the day. Jo's haircut is progressing routinely.

Just as I'm starting to think nobody else will be coming in today for a haircut and I'm on my way to lock up a 7-year-old boy rides up on his bike at 5:46. He has a head of uncombed thick reddish-brown hair in what I can best describe as a white-boy fro. He's 110% in need of a haircut so I tell him to have a seat and I will be with you in a second. He is also carrying a full box of fundraiser candy. Instead of taking a seat he walks up to the base of the chair and the first words out of the kid's mouth are "do you want to buy any candy" Jo says nothing and I tell the kid in an annoyed voice no I already have candy here.

Just As the kid starts walking out the door with a beat-up look on his face head hung low. Obvious that he never had any intention of getting a haircut Jo calls out after the kid and says with a big evil grin on his face "Wait until I get done getting my haircut and I'll make you an offer for the entire box" Intrigued the kid walks back in and takes a seat.

Then in a hushed voice so not to be overheard by the kid Jo tells me his plan. This is what Jo asked me. "Hey Dan if I give you $50 would you mind letting me use your shop and tools to cut the Kid's hair myself"

I consider this for a second and decide there is no harm in taking Jo up on his offer, after all business has been kind of slow lately, I could use the extra $$, and I was planning on staying an extra hour tonight anyways to catch up on some paperwork.

Jo's Haircut finishes up without any more interruptions and normal, all except Jo seems a little antsier then normal and I catch him giving the kid sideways glances from time to time.

Jo Pays for his haircut, I walk into my break area and Jo then walks over to the kid, sits down directly across from the kid, and slaps a fresh crisp $20 on the table looking totally relaxed. As the kids hand reaches out to grab the bill Jo tells the kid not so fast in a very business like manner and lays out the rules of the deal in these exact words. "This is the deal I will give you this twenty dollar bill in exchange for all the candy you have left in that box if and only if you also get a haircut."

The kid pauses for a second runs a hand through his hair, takes a few deep sighs, thinks for a few more seconds then replies "OK, My dad was planning on taking me for a haircut this weekend at Great Clips anyways and this way I will only have to get the very ends cut instead of the one inch my dad would tell the barber to cut" "Can you call my dad for me and ask him if its ok for me to get a haircut?"

Being very careful not to mention that Jo himself plans on being the barber and how much he really plans on cutting. Jo replies, "Sure I'll be happy to do that" "what's your phone # kid?" Jo walks over to the phone, calls the kids home, and has a quick conversation, then hangs up. "OK kid your father said your good to go" "go grab that booster seat and hop up in the barber's chair while I go to the bathroom and make a few preparations"

Jo walks back into my break area hands me the $50 bill and says "thank you Dan for letting me do this" I just give a non-chalet shrug.

When Jo walks back out and starts rearranging the tools on the counter with his back to the kid. I hear the kid say "ohh you're a barber here? I thought the other guy was going to be giving me the cut."

Ignoring the original question Jo turns back around to face Bayard (the kid) and gently pulls him back so he is sitting all the way in the chair with his back resting on the backrest. Then professionally fastens one of my clean fresh full size White cloth capes over the kid complete with a neck strip and avoiding pulling at any of the long hair hanging over the neck. (I never realized Jo has done something like this before)

Jo then continues like it is an everyday thing for him spins the chair so it faces the mirror, takes a comb, starts combing through the kids hair without much success and asks "OK Bayard, what are we doing with your hair today?"

Not really used to talking for himself when getting a haircut he replies, "Just take the split ends off please"

"Ok we can do that," says Jo The Barber "but in that case we will have to wash your hair first to help detangle your hair a little and make it easier to work with." Jo undoes the cape and helps Bayard down out of the chair and leads him to the rarely used shampoo basin (I bought the shop from a small salon and during the remodeling kept one of the old lean backward type shampooing sinks Just in case in place and built the other sinks into the workstations) "Have you ever had your hair washed before at the Barbershop Bayard?" "No, you normally wash it right before going for your haircut?" "Well that's ok there's nothing to it, just sit down right here and let me do all the work" "I'm going to drape this big towel across you shoulders to keep your clothing dry, then when I tell you to lean back rest your neck in this indention here." "There you go all the way back, now just close your eyes, try to relax, and don't try to sit up until I tell you to. OK?" I can tell Jo is really enjoying washing and running his fingers through Bayard's hair, taking his time massaging the shampoo deep and thoroughly throughout the hair, also taking almost as long to rinse the shampoo away during the 2 applications of shampoo and 1 application of conditioner. I'm not sure but I think Bayard dozed off for a second during all this. Jo grabs another towel wraps it around Bayard's head, helps sit him back up then walks behind him holding the towels in place as they walk back over to the barber's chair, after Bayard is situated back in the booster seat Jo vigorously rubs Bayard's hair dry with the second towel. Rewraps the first towel back over the shoulders again, and reapplies the cape (this time using the towel instead of a paper strip.

Once again Jo Combed out Bayard's hair straight down from the center of the head revealing the true length of Bayard's hair was longer then originally thought. With his hair reaching nearly to his shoulder blades and the fringe coming down to the tip of his nose if it wasn't so curly. Then recommend it straight back. Jo then starts combing & lifting small sections of hair being careful to show the kid he is only trimming off a half inch of hair. This continues for the next 15 min or so. "OK Bayard what do you think of your haircut so far?" "Yes it does look pretty good as it is right now, but I think we still need to thin out the top a little more" "don't worry I ain't gona take any more length off" Jo then grabs the thinning shears and starts hacking away at the top of Bayard's hair. This time great tuffs of hair start falling onto the cape and Bayard eyes get a little wide. Jo again turns Bayard toward the mirror and asks how he likes his haircut. Bayard replies with a "wow I was worried there for a second but most of my hair is still present"

"OK, Bayard we are almost done with the haircut, let me just clean up the edges a little" with this Jo grabs a pair of my loudest clippers with the #3 attachment on them. As he approaches Bayard with the clippers and turns em on, with a loud click. Bayard tears the cape off and attempts to Jump out of the chair yelling "NO WAY ARE YOU GETTING NEAR ME WITH THOSE THINGS, I KNOW WHAT THEY DO" "I SAW THEM BEING USED ON YOU WHEN I CAME IN AND THERE IS NO WAY I'M GETTING MY HAIR BUTCHERED LIKE YOURS!!

I think Jo might have been expecting a reaction like this, and was ready. For he grabs Bayard with one hand and grabs his belt with his other hand and wraps the belt around Bayard's midsection and the barbers chair so Bayard is strapped with his back against the barberchair. "OK Bayard we can do this the easy way or the hard way" "if you behave yourself I won't cut your hair super short, but me and your father agrees that you need a shorter haircut" "Your Father warned me that you would probably freak out as soon as I turned the clippers on" Again Jo secures the cape around Bayard, and approaches with the clippers. Bayard takes his hands and swats the clippers away. "OK Bayard I didn't want to do this but I guess I need to tie your hands down also" With this Jo secures Bayard's hands to the arms of the barber's chair with two pieces of rope. And also secures his legs so he can't kick. "Sorry Bayard but you forced me to do this & don't worry your father told me it would be ok to restrain you like this." "Now please put your chin to your chest and don't move your head unless I move it" as Jo turns around to grab the clippers once again Bayard again pleas with Jo not to butcher his hair. "Bayard I promise as long as you don't fidget around and keep your head very still you will still have a good portion of hair left over." "I know you don't trust me right now but give it a little time for the haircut to grow on you and I'm sure you will agree that the finished product will be easier to manage and take care of. Also your father told me that a lot of people are starting to mistake you for a girl. I also know that you don't like being mistaken for a girl" "after this haircut you will look like the handsome young man that you are" "if I untie your hands and feet do you promise not to hit or kick me, and let me cut you hair?" "Ok, good here you go your untied, now please put your chin to your chest for me" from there the rest of the haircut progressed quickly and professionally, with Bayard moving around no more then would be expected from a 7 year old who never had clippers used on them before. In the end Bayard ended up with a #2 taper, and 1.5 inches of hair on top of his head with the front left slightly longer.

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