Clark and his Dad by Shant

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Clark woke up just as the sun was rising. At first, he couldn’t figure out where he was. After his head cleared a little, he realized he was sitting out on the side porch of his house.

He couldn’t remember how he had ended up here and was glad that his parents had not found him sleeping out here. He had no idea how he would have explained that to them. His head was splitting and he hoped he could sneak up to his room without running into anyone and crash for a few more hours.

He started rubbing his eyes, trying to clear his head, but he barely remembered anything from last night. He reached up to run his hands through his hair and realized that something was very wrong. Instead of his beautiful six inch forelock, all he could feel was about an inch of hair! What the hell happened? He ran his hands over and over his head and he couldn’t believe that almost all of his awesome looking hair was gone!

This was really devastating for Clark because he loved his hair so much. He had never had short hair in his life. Everyone knew how vain he was about his hair and he began to wonder who was responsible for doing this? He had heard guys tell him that they were so sick of him always bragging about his awesome hair and that one day he was going to regret being so vain, and suffer the consequences. He never really worried about it though.

No one had ever threatened him about cutting his hair, but someone obviously had decided to do it. His head was still foggy and he could only remember bits and pieces of last night. How was he going to explain this to his parents when even he couldn’t remember what had happened?

Once his head started clearing up a little he remembered he had met the Shattraw brothers downtown and had started drinking with them. He remembered being a little tipsy and went to their house to play cards and sober up some before he went home. He remembered Mr. Shattraw being there.

He realized that the only thing that made any sense was that he must have fallen asleep and that Mr. Shattraw must have cut his hair. What didn’t make any sense though, was why would he do that? What was his reason for cutting off almost all of his hair without even telling him that he was going to do it? He had never done anything to Mr. Shattraw to deserve such a scalping!

He knew that his parents would have a fit if they knew he had been drinking. His father, Roger, was the pastor of the town’s church and was very strict raising them. They would be more upset about him drinking than having him getting his hair cut off. Clark really started to freak out because he didn’t know how he was going to explain how this happened. He couldn’t see that anything good was going to come out of this.

He was able to sneak into the house and ran up to his room and closed the door. He was lucky that no one had seen him. He immediately ran to the mirror to see what his hair looked like. He couldn’t believe it, but he actually had a flattop!

Everything then started coming together. He realized that this was payback time for him after making so much fun of the three Shattraw brother’s flattops and telling them how awful their hair looked.

He dreaded having to go to school but it was final exam week and there was no way he could get out of not going. Once he combed and brushed his hair, the flattop actually didn’t look all that bad, but he really hated it. He knew that everyone would be making fun of him all day long. He put his baseball cap on hoping that no one would get to see him without his beautiful hair.

Once everyone was on the bus, Clark actually thought that everything just might be okay. Terry Shattraw then switched seats and sat right behind him. That made Clark begin to feel nervous. Without saying a word, Terry reached over and pulled off his baseball cap.

"What the hell happened to you?" Terry said. "What in the world made you get all your awesome hair cut off? You told us that we looked like such nerds when we got our flattops, and now you have one just like ours! How does it feel to look like such a nerd instead of always looking like a real pretty boy?" Everyone on the bus was laughing and Clark was humiliated.

The entire day was pure torture! Everyone was pointing their fingers at Clark and making fun of him. Even his best friends gave him a rough time. Actually they were the worst of anyone! They loved making so much fun of his hair being cut off because he was always so vain about how great his hair was. He was always bragging how no one had hair anywhere near as nice as his. They all figured that he deserved what had happened to him.

As awful as the day had been, Clark really dreaded going home and having to face his parents. He still hadn’t figured out how he was going to get out of this without being in trouble. When he stepped off the bus, his father was working in the yard. The first thing his dad said was, "What in the world have you done to your hair? I can’t believe you actually got a flattop and you didn’t even tell me you were going to get one!"

"I know how much you’ve always loved that beautiful mane of yours. I would have never dreamed that you would go ahead and ever cut your hair that short! I’m amazed that you had the nerve to do it because you really had a lot of hair cut off. I can’t remember you ever having such a short haircut."

"Who would have ever guessed though that your hair would cut into such a fantastic looking flattop? You look so different, but it really does show off your hair even more and it actually makes your hair look even thicker and it shows how great it stands up. I’m stunned that you did it, but I think you really look great! It looks so good that it almost makes me think about sometime getting a flattop!"

Clark’s father also had a great head of hair. He never publicly flaunted it, but privately, Clark knew that his dad was just as vain about his pretty hair as he was about his. He couldn’t believe how things had turned out. His dad thought the flattop looked so great that he ended up not having to give him any type of explanation as to how it had happened.

Clark was lucky and got his hair from his father. The only difference with their hair was that Clark’s hair was a sandy blonde, while his dad’s hair was a dark brown. Clark had always worn a pompadour just like his dad. The reason for that was when Clark was about 13 and just starting junior high, his dad sat him down one night and combed his hair into a pompadour just like his. They always went to the barbershop together because it was sixteen miles away and they just got used to always getting the same looking haircut.

When his father said that his flattop looked so great that it almost made him think about getting one, it caused Clark’s mind to automatically switch gears. Could he really convince his dad to get a flattop? Man, he would love to see so much of his father’s gorgeous hair getting cut off!

After the shock wore off and Clark had his flattop for about a week, he realized that he actually liked it. It was also great having shorter hair during the summer. He thought that he would probably start growing it out when school began but he was enjoying it so much that he might keep it even longer.

A few weeks went by and Clark decided he needed to get his flattop trimmed up if he wanted to keep it looking sharp. He ran into Mr. Shattraw at the local convenience store. There wasn’t an awkward moment between them because Mr. Shattraw had never found out that his sons had pulled such a prank on Clark.

"So Clark, how are you liking that flattop I gave you? I think it really looks terrific!" Mr. Shattraw said. "I really, really like it," Clark replied. "At first I thought I’d hate having such short hair but I like how different I look and how great it is for the summer. I’ve decided I’m going to keep it like this at least until school starts because I like it so much."

"My dad told me that he had a flattop when he was in high school. He said that the only thing about having a flattop was that you had to keep getting it trimmed every couple of weeks if you wanted to keep it looking sharp. With the nearest barbershop being sixteen miles away I hope I can get him to take me there every couple of weeks."

"You know Clark, if you really want to get your hair cut that often, I’ll be glad to cut it for you. I really love to cut a great head of hair and you definitely have that. I had a blast cutting your hair, especially when the boys said it was the first time you had ever had a flattop. I thought it really looked awesome!"

"I tell you what, if you ever want to get your flattop trimmed up, all you need to do is stop by the house and let me know. I’d never charge you to cut your hair because I know what a great time I will have. You really do have an awesome head of hair. It’s one of the best that I have ever cut."

"That would be great, Mr. Shattraw. I can’t begin to thank you enough. I’m ready for a haircut whenever you have the time to do it," Clark said.

"How about if you come over this weekend and I’ll cut it for you, and by the way, it’s okay for you to call me Gene." Mr. Shattraw said. "I wish that my sons would get their hair cut like yours but they want to have their hair be long and all slicked up. I hate how they look. Maybe we’ll be able to convince them to get their hair cut just like yours?" he said with a big smile.

Saturday came and Clark went down to Gene’s to get his hair cut. He had hardly ever had clippers used on his hair and he was really looking forward to it. He knocked on Gene’s door and in just a few moments he opened it. "Hey Clark, come on in. I was hoping you’d be coming to get your hair cut again."

"Come on in the kitchen and I’ll go and grab my barbering kit." He was really looking forward to cutting Clark’s hair again. He caped him up and then proceeded to vigorously brush his hair all up and back, getting it to stand as tall as he could.

"Your hair has such great body," he said. "You know, there are a lot of different style flattops. I’d really like to cut your hair just a little different this time, if that’s okay with you. I’d like to give you my favorite flattop and I promise that you are really going to be amazed by how fantastic you are going to look."

"Your hair stands up so great that I would like to give you a slightly longer, square, boxy looking flattop. I would just clean up around the sides and back a little, hardly any hair would actually come off. I’d then take my wide tooth comb and place it close to the sides and back of your head and cut off any hair that sticks out above the comb. The sides and back would then be perfectly squared up."

"I’d like to keep the top a bit longer than last time and leave your forelock just long enough to brush back. I’d still want the top to be as flat as a board with the sides and back all squared up and blended into the top. I think you will look amazing, but if you don’t like it, I can always cut it again like I did last time."

"Let’s go for it!" Clark said. "I totally trust however you want to cut my hair. I would have never thought that I would really like having my hair cut this short, but I think it looks great!"

As Gene continued brushing Clark’s hair, he said, "You know, you are lucky to have your father’s hair. When we went to high school he had just as great a looking mane as you do. Being perfectly honest, he was pretty proud of that hair of his. I secretly always wanted to cut his hair, but I never got the chance."

"We might be able to do something about that," Clark smiled. "My dad told me that he liked my flattop so much that it almost made him think about getting one. I sure wish I could get him to do it. You know how he is, he always has every hair perfectly in place. It would be a rush seeing so much of his hair being cut off!"

"I’d really enjoy getting to do that," Gene said. "We need to think about this and figure out if there is a way that we can convince him to get his hair cut. Maybe you can have him come with you some time when you’re getting your flattop trimmed up. That would certainly give us the opportunity to try and talk him into it. If we kept complimenting him about how great his hair looks and telling him that his hair will look great no matter how he cuts it, he might just actually go for it."

About three weeks went by and Clark went to see Gene to get him to trim up his flattop again. He loved the way Gene had cut his hair the last time and he wanted him to cut it just like that again.

One day, Mr. Peck said, "I’m going to go on Saturday and get my hair cut. Do you want to come with me and get your hair cut too?" Clark knew that this was his big chance. "You know, Dad, now that I’ve had a flattop for some time and like it so much, I’ve decided I’m going to keep it this way for awhile."

"I remember when I first got this flattop that I had gone over to the Shattraw brothers house to play cards. We were just hanging out and were talking about all kinds of things. I told them how much I liked their flattops but that I would never have the nerve to get one. They drew their dad into the conversation and they then convinced me to let him cut my hair and give me a flattop too. I really couldn’t believe I did it, but I love how it turned out."

"Since then, I’ve been having Mr. Shattraw trim my hair every two or three weeks to keep it looking sharp. He refuses to let me pay him because he says that he really enjoys getting to cut my hair because it is so awesome looking. It would be a pain having to drive 32 miles every two weeks to get it trimmed and he does such a great job that it just makes sense to let him cut it."

"I know that the two of you went to high school together. He told me that you always had such a fantastic looking head of hair. I bet he’d love to get his hands in your great hair. Why don’t you come with me the next time I go to his house and watch him take my flattop down shorter? Remember when you first saw my flattop, you thought it looked so great that you said you might get one too. Maybe seeing him cut mine will warm you up to the idea of getting one yourself!" Clark said with a big smile.

"Oh, I don’t know," Mr. Peck said. "I’ve worn my hair like this for probably about twenty years. I’m not sure I’d have the nerve to actually get almost all my hair cut off."

"Come on, Dad! Ever since I became a teenager we’ve always had our hair cut the same way. Why not continue the tradition? I would love to see you get a flattop just like mine. You could keep it for the summer and if you got a longer flattop like mine, it would only take about two months, and you’d be able to brush the sides and the top all back like you do now."

A few more weeks passed and it was time for Clark to get his flattop trimmed again. It really was fantastic that Gene was willing to cut his hair whenever he wanted. He figured the day would come when he would start growing his hair longer and he saw no reason not to have Gene continue to cut his hair all the time. He thought that he easily did as good a job as the barber that was sixteen miles away, and even better, it was free. He also enjoyed knowing how much Gene loved to cut his hair.

He figured he would stop by Gene’s place during the middle of the week and let him in on his plan. "If you don’t mind cutting my hair this weekend I think that I’ve talked my dad into coming along with me. He said he hadn’t seen you in a while and it would be good to catch up."

"He told me that he was not going to get a flattop, but he did say that maybe he would think about you cutting his hair for him. He said that he thought you did as good a job as the barber he has always gone to, and why drive over thirty miles if you don’t have to?"

"I figure if we play our cards right, we might be able to gradually convince him to go for it and get a flattop. If you start cutting his hair all the time, I bet we’ll eventually be able to have him end up getting one just like mine. He’s so in love with that hair of his that I think once he’s comfortable with you cutting it, we’ll be able to reel him in!"

"I’ll be looking forward to it," Gene said. "It would be fantastic cutting off some of those gorgeous locks of his!"

Saturday afternoon came and Clark said, "Hey Dad, why don’t you come with me and watch Mr. Shattraw trim my flattop? I bet you’d enjoy seeing that."

"I haven’t seen Gene in a while and it would be good to see him. I’m not going to get a flattop though, but maybe after I’ve watched him cut your hair a few times, I might let him trim my hair for me. It looks like he always does such a great job that it would be nice not having to drive all the way to and from the barbershop we’ve been going to, especially if you’re going to continue having him cut your hair."

It was a pleasant day and they walked down to Gene’s house. Clark knocked on the door and Gene immediately opened it, like he had been waiting all day for them to come.

"Hey Clark, time for your usual clean up? You have one of the best looking flattops that I have ever cut. It’s good to see you, Roger. I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed getting to cut your son’s awesome looking hair. I’m really pleased that after he got used to it that he decided to keep the flattop for awhile."

Clark sat down in the chair and anxiously waited for Gene to begin cutting his hair. He used to get his hair cut about once every six weeks and now he was getting it cut once every two to three weeks. Gene had given him several haircuts by this time and he really enjoyed having him take charge of his hair and cutting it however he wanted. No matter how he cut it, it always looked great.

Very little hair was actually coming off. Gene used his clippers and just made certain that everything looked perfectly squared up. It was amazing how just having a little bit of hair being cut off made such a difference in how Clark looked.

Mr. Peck enjoyed watching Clark getting his hair cut. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago he had such awesome, long hair, and now he looked equally as good with the great flattop that he had.

"You know, I’m too old to go to barber school now, but when old man Yenzer closed up his shop, there has not been a barbershop in town for several years. I guess because of having three boys, word spread that I cut their hair. I enjoy doing it and it’s also a great way to keep in touch with all the people in town."

"Remember when we were back in high school how everyone had really long hair? Most guys had their hair almost touching their shoulders. I wish I had been cutting hair back then," he said with a smile.

"You always had the best looking hair of anyone. Didn’t you win "Best Hair" when senior superlatives were chosen? Being honest, I had always wanted to cut your hair for you back then but I was too timid to say anything."

"Clark tells me that you might start letting me trim your hair for you. I’d enjoy doing that because you still have such an incredible looking head of hair. How about letting me trim it for you sometime and you could see how you liked it? Actually, your hair is pretty long right now," he said, hoping to get Roger to sit down in his chair today. He wanted so much to cut his hair!

Roger looked in the mirror and thought that his hair really was getting too long. "You know, Gene, you really do such a great job cutting Clark’s hair that I think I’ll take you up on that offer and have you trim my hair for me right now, if you have the time." Clark couldn’t believe that he was hearing his father say this.

"I’d be glad to," Gene said. "Have a seat there and let’s see what I can do with your fantastic mane." Roger didn’t seem at all nervous and sat down in the chair facing the mirror. He was anxious to watch Gene cut his hair.

Gene started out by combing Roger’s beautiful hair. His hair on top was really long, probably over six inches and he brushed it to stand up and back as high as he could. The sides were around three inches and he also brushed them all back.

Roger had worn a pompadour for many years and had received so many compliments about his hair. Gene was pretty sure that he had not had clippers used on his hair in a long time due to the back hanging about an inch below his collar.

Watching Gene trim his hair just a little made him see that his elaborate pompadour really did look better shorter. He loved his hair, but he started thinking that maybe his hair style was a little outdated.

Gene was having a fantastic time, even if he was only getting to take off about an inch of Roger’s hair. He had always wanted to cut his hair because it was so thick and shiny. He spent a lot of time combing his hair because it felt so wonderful. He hoped that this would be the beginning for him to always cut Roger’s hair, just like he did Clark’s.

"Hey Dad, now that you’re actually sitting in the chair and having your hair trimmed, why don’t you go ahead and let Gene give you a flattop just like mine?" Clark said. "I bet he’d love to give you one. I know that I would definitely love to see you get a flattop. Why not change the way you look for the summer?"

"Come on, Dad! Go for it! It’s time for you to change the way your hair looks. Our hair is just alike. I bet you’ll end up just like me, afraid at first at the very idea of cutting so much of your hair off, but once it’s done, you’ll end up loving how great it looks."

"I don’t know," Mr. Peck said. "It’s been a long time since I’ve had my hair cut that short. What do you think I should do Gene?"

"Your hair is still so fantastic looking that I think you should go for it! Have some fun with that mane of yours! You’ve worn your hair the same way for such a long time. Just like Clark, you have the perfect hair for a flattop. I’m positive that it would look really great."

"Come on, Roger, it’s really not that big a deal. In just two months you’d be brushing the sides and the top back and you wouldn’t even notice that you ever had a flattop. What’s two months? I think you should do it and make your son happy."

Without waiting for Roger to respond, Gene lifted up a beautiful six inch lock of his hair and chopped off four inches! "Wait a minute!" Roger said. "I haven’t made up my mind yet if I want you to cut my hair so short!"

"Too late now, Roger. You just sit back and relax. Trust me, you’re going to end up with a flattop that looks every bit as great as Clark’s. You won’t believe how different you are going to look."

"I’ve wanted to give you a haircut for such a long time. Your hair really is beautiful and will look great after I give you a flattop. I think you came in here with Clark today because you really do want to get a flattop but you needed to build up your nerve to go ahead and get one. I figured all you needed was a little encouragement and I was more than happy to give you the little push you needed," Gene said.

"I guess I really don’t have much of a choice," Roger said. "Okay Clark, you’re going to get your wish and see me get most of my hair cut off and end up with a flattop just like yours."

Gene had been wanting to cut Roger’s hair for over twenty years and was having a fantastic time getting to cut off almost five inches of his beautiful forelock. He was going to cut his hair exactly like Clark’s, leaving the top about an inch long and being as flat as a board, while leaving the front about half an inch longer so he could brush it back.

Once he had taken the bulk on top down, he took his wide tooth comb and cut off over two inches on the sides and back. Just like Clark’s hair, Roger’s hair also stood up perfectly. He then flattened out the top so that his hair stood straight up and was flat as a board. All that was left to do was even up his forelock so that it was a little over an inch long and brush it all back. Gene thought the haircut looked awesome.

Clark was having the wildest time. He couldn’t believe that he was really seeing so much of his dad’s glorious hair being cut off and falling into his lap. He also thought that his dad looked great with a flattop and he hoped that this would be the beginning of them getting flattops at the beginning of summer and then in the fall start growing their hair out again until the end of next spring. He had started out hating his flattop and now he and his dad both had one. Changing their hair style several times over the year was really going to be a lot of fun!

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