Maik: Baldie At Work by GermanCut

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I haven't told the story yet of the first time I showed up at work with a bald head.
After many years of having long hair, the desire for a short haircut had come up in me this summer. I simply wanted a radical change. Due to the summer heat, this wish became even more of a fixed idea.
It should be a simple and brutal, non-elaborate short haircut. The barber was supposed to run the hair clipper simply over my head. Not less, not more.
I finally underwent a radical transformation. It was much more radical than I had planned. Because my son Tim surprised me with the announcement that he would have his head shaved if I joined in. Maybe he just wanted to provoke me, wanted to test how brave his father is. But above all, he had a lot of courage for a 16-year-old boy himself.
So it happened that we both started our vacation with completely shaved heads.

I hadn't asked myself the question "What will people say?" before the holiday, because I wouldn't know anyone at the campsite. From the beginning, I would be "the guy with the bald head", not "the guy who had long hair yesterday" or "the crazy guy who shaved his hair off". No one would ask and no one asked.

On my first day at work after the holiday, I stood shirtless in the bathroom as usual and lathered my head and face. My hair is growing fast, and I have to re-shave my bald head every day. I like it completely smooth, and although I now spend longer in the bathroom, I love this morning routine.
I looked in the mirror at the contrast between the white shaving cream and my perfectly tanned body. I did what men often do when they are alone in the bathroom and when they are a bit peacocky like me I tensed my biceps I could gain a little more muscles, I thought. I stroked my short-trimmed chest hair, which I liked, but I had been wondering for some time whether a hairless body would feel as good as a bald head. I decided to give it a try soon. Only my eyebrows and lashes I would keep! The eyebrows still looked good trimmed short and plucked into a thin shape.

I started to shave my face first before I put the razor blade on the temple. Then I bent my head down and shaved the nape of my neck with strong strokes.
Meanwhile, strangely enough, I thought about the German word "Glatze", which means "bald head". The word "glatt", which means "smooth", is in it. And that's how a bald head should be perfectly smooth. This harsh and somewhat unwieldy-sounding word "Glatze" could not be better suited to what I created with the help of the razor blade something very uncompromising and radical and smooth.
I ran the blade over my skull the best comes at the end! checked with the flat of my hand whether I had forgotten hair somewhere, lathered my head the second time and shaved it again.
After applying aftershave and a lotion, I looked at the shiny result. I would face my colleagues and my boss with a perfectly shaved head.
"Dad! Hurry up! Mom and I want to go to the bathroom too!" Tim's voice tore me out of my thoughts.

I arrived at work a little bit late. I saw that all colleagues had already arrived and were loading the truck.
For a moment I stood in front of the gate. I adjusted my baseball cap because I wanted to come up with a dramatic performance. I took a deep breath and walked towards my colleagues.
"Good morning!" I shouted and tore my baseball cap off my head.
I looked into big eyes and open mouths. My colleague Arne dropped his toolbox. The sight of me had left everyone speechless.
"Hey, you bad ass, what did you do?" Arne shouted at first.
In no time at all, everyone had gathered around me.
"No! That's madness! He simply shaved his head!" Olaf laughed.
"May I touch it?" asked Heiko.
"Sure!" I answered. And already seven hands touched my head, caressed and hit it slightly.
Then I heard the voice of our boss "What are you doing there? Group cuddling?"
The colleagues stepped aside and gave a clear view at me. "Ah, a new employee!" said our boss with a grin. "Welcome to our team! But let's be serious now, Maik! I had been wondering for a long time when you would get enough of your long hair. I just didn't think you'd get rid of all your hair right away. But you look good, mate!"

My new "hairstyle" was an absolute hit. Why had I been so excited? Even more than a few weeks ago, when I presented my freshly shaved head to my wife after my visit to the barber.
In the following days, my bald head became the target of well-intentioned jokes
"Maik, put on your cap! My eyes a blinded because of your shiny head!"
"Make sure your bald head doesn't get sunburned!"
"The wind is messing up your hairstyle, Maik!"
Some colleagues showed a certain interest in the practical consequences of baldness "How often do you have to shave your head? Do you do this with the electric razor or with the razor blade? Do you do it yourself or with the help of your wife or do you go to the barbershop every time?"
They saw me as an expert in baldness care. Sometimes I felt my bald head attracting attention. Nearly every time, when I took a gaze at the colleague of whom I felt watched, he averted his eyes in embarrassment.

A few weeks had passed.
"Are you coming to the gym with me?" I asked after work Arne and Olaf, who were also my work-out buddies.
"No", said Arne, "not today. I still want to go to the barber. It is urgent again.
"You'd get more out of a visit to the barber if you shaved your head like Maik", Olaf said.
Without hesitation, Arne replied "Only if you join in!"
"That's worth it to me", said Olaf. "I want to see what you look like when you're bald."
I was amazed at this spontaneity. It could only be explained by the fact that both had been thinking about shaving their heads for a longer time.
Heiko joined us. "Why are you laughing? What are you talking about?"
I answered "These two guys here want to look just like me. At least concerning the hairstyle."
"Really?" Heiko said in amazement. "You two want to shave your head?"
"Yes", said Olaf, "We'll go to the barber right away. You can come with us, if you want."
"I could have a trim again", Heiko said and ran his hand over his crewcut.
"No, not just a trim!" replied Arne. "We don't do anything by halves. Everything shaved off! Bald! Just like us!"
Heiko was obviously embarrassed. "I don't know..." he said.
"Oh, come on!" Olaf encouraged him. "We'll pay for your haircut!"
"And I'll give you an extra 20 euros if you get a bald head", Arne said. "Me too", Olaf added. "And so do I!" I spoke up. "Of course I'll come with you! I want to see you all getting bald!"
Heiko took a deep breath.
"Okay! Everything shaved off! Bald! And now bring on the dough!"

We drove together to the barbershop where I had been a few weeks ago.
One of the barbers recognized me at once.
"Hey, you've kept your head shaved!" he shouted. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing for me", I answered, "but for my buddies. They all need a haircut. And I came along as a pattern so that you can see how to cut their hair."
"So bald head for everyone?" he replied and did not hide his joy. "Who is going to start?"

We urged Olaf to be the first to take a seat. Arne wanted to make sure that Olaf kept his promise.
The cloak was put on him. Only his legs, which are stuck in work shorts and work shoes, peeked out. One last time he saw himself in the mirror with his dark blond hair. His longer buzzcut would soon be history.
"Are you ready?" asked the barber, turning on the clipper. Olaf exhaled audibly, it sounded like a whistle. "Yes! Let's go started!" he said firmly.
The barber put the clipper on the back of his neck and shaved Olaf's hair very high. In no time at all, the neck was completely exposed and a lot of light scalp was revealed.
Arne and Heiko sat bent over on their chairs, their legs twitching with excitement.
The barber paused for a moment and said, "It's still possible to give you a High and Tight... But I recommend the complete package. Okay?"
"Okay", Olaf said, and immediately the barber put the clippers to Olaf's forehead and pulled it through.
"Hey, dude, you're really going through with it!" cried Arne. It seemed as if Arne wanted to hide his own fear.
"Be sure, you'll get the complete package right away, too", Olaf replied.

Then the last hair was shaved off. It's curious how obvious the difference is after the last strand of hair has fallen. Olaf ran his hand over his shorn head.
"Is it okay like this?" asked the barber.
"Not quite yet", I answered instead of Olaf. "He wants to look like me, so shave him as smooth as possible!"
"Dude..." Olaf said.
"What's up?" I said. "You wanted to go bald, so you'll get a close head shave of course!"
Olaf's head was washed. Then the barber lathered his head, waited a moment and began to scrape off the remaining hair on Olaf's skull with the razor. Meanwhile, Olaf and the barber talked quietly to each other. It seemed to me that Olaf enjoyed this procedure very much.
His head was washed again and then rubbed with a sharp-smelling lotion.
"Satisfied?" asked the barber, while Olaf looked at his reflection with his mouth open.
"Wait a minute!" I said, stood up and ran my hand over Olaf's head. Olaf shuddered visibly.
"Perfect!" I spoke. "There is not a hair left to be felt! That's what I call a bald head!"
Then Olaf spoke up "So, now that I've started, it's your turn! I'm looking forward to your bald head, Arne! And your head, Heiko, should be particularly smooth and shiny, because we paid for it!"

Four baldies finally stood in front of the barbershop's door. Three of them rubbed their heads continually with a broad grin.
"It feels so cool", Arne said as he ran his hand over his head and then stroked his blond full beard. "What a contrast!"
Olaf had gotten rid of his low fade with the long top hair but had kept his short beard. Heiko was clean-shaven like me.
"You all look good, I have to admit!" I spoke to everyone.
"We are all members of the "bald league" now", Heiko said. "Do you think we'll become more?"
"Hm, I'm sure of that", I said. "A baldie rarely comes alone."

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