Alex's Barber Experience by Mikey

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Alex seemed out of place in Florida. Sure he spoke English and Spanish and was a renowned member of the Filipino community especially at his young age of 19. Still something was off and it bugged him. He dressed just like his friends, talked like them too… perhaps it was his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror: his relatively thick black hair covered his ears and passed his collar. His bangs were halfway into his eyes when they were combed. Alex considered this as the problem; seeing such long hair in a place as hot as Florida was rarity. His older brother Armando had often snickered at his hair, his brother’s hair was cut relatively short on the sides and the bangs were spiked.
After words with some friends Alex decided it was time to find a barber and ask for a haircut like his brother. He found what looked like a tradition barber shop in the area but before he opened the door he questioned whether this was a good idea or not. Just then an elderly Italian man opened the door and introduced himself as Joe the barber. After some small talk Alex was invited inside.
“What brings you to my shop today son?”
“Well sir, I was considering having a haircut so I could fit in better amongst my friends, not to mention this hair is very hot during the summer.”
“I see” replied the barber, eyeing Alex’s hair, “come and have a seat.”
The barber beckoned at one of his chairs and Alex sat down in it.
“Any special requests?” the barber asked tying a cape around Alex’s neck.
“Spike the bangs and leave them relatively long, cut it up to collar and give it a light taper but nothing too severe, barely over the ears and just cut the sideburns a little.”
The barber seemed a little disappointed and told Alex that with summer coming it perhaps it would be in his better interests to let the barber have control of the situation. Alex was clearly excited about this but wanted to know more.
“What would result from giving you a free hand?”
“I would keep your spiked bangs request, just they would be much shorter, the sideburns would be shorter and you would have a much-much tighter taper.”
Although not what he envisioned Alex was anxious to have the barber take control, and it was getting hot outside, so he agreed.
“Bend your head just a little for now” and then a low grade buzz started behind Alex’s head. He shivered in anticipation and soon the clippers were traveling up the back of his head, and damn were they going high. They had small guard and Alex saw long bundles of hair rolling onto the cape and floor. His head was cocked to the side and the right side of his head was skinned. And it was applied to the next side. The clippers went up his sideburn rather high and the barber bent his ear to get all the hair up there. Alex was turned away from the mirror and clue-less but he got the impression it was rather short. This was confirmed when Joe sprayed the top of his head and he felt the water traveling down his skinned sides. Joe combed his hair straight forward and the bangs covered his nose, yet Joe didn’t cut them yet. More blind than before, Alex felt the barber evening out the sides of his head where the clippers had ended. Then he felt the scissors in the middle of his forehead, sending a shiver down his spine. Without hesitation Joe clipped the bangs and raised the scissors even higher for more. Alex wondered how he even had any hair left for spiking. Then he felt the process of lift and cut on the top his head. Long west hairs fell onto the cape, he felt strange not having bangs in frame of view. Joe combed it all forward once again and loose hairs flew out. Joe picked up the spray bottle and wet the hair once more. Then thinning shears came out and thrashed the top of Alex’s head. They were run around the sides as well to insure an even blend.
“All done with the scissors; now I need you to bend your head down a far as possible so I can tighten up with the clippers.”
Alex bent his into a very uncomfortable position and a really loud and obnoxious buzz started. Very uncomfortable clippers traveled up the back of Alex’s head, not a high as the first, but close. This was repeated on both sides, followed by two more sets, each worse than the last. The barber ran his hand up the back of Alex’s head, exciting him; it appeared the bottom had been reduced to stubble. Joe took out a guard less clipper and cut his sideburns from below his ear to just a quarter ways down his ear. Alex had his head bent once more as his back hairline was squared and evened out. Finally Joe took out a small pair of edging clippers can shaped some arches above Alex’s ears and evened out any remaining edges. Lather was spread around his ears and the back of his neck. Joe scrapped him down with a razor and then Alex was on his way to face the world with his new haircut.

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