Jennifer had been at the shop from 7:30am. As it was the last three
business days BEFORE the end of the month, it was generally a very busy
time for her. Being the owner of the store, she opened in the morning,
stayed until noon, went home for a few hours and then came back to close
the shop and do the daily deposit. But today she found herself two men
short, so she ended up staying for the entire day.
It was 8:00pm as she sat in the red vinyl chair, talking with Delores, the shampoo girl. ?So I am really going to miss you, Dee. I really enjoyed having you here for the year,? Jennifer said.
?I know. I am really glad you let me work for you over the past twelve months. I really had a blast. And you guys really made me feel like I fit in. But I am looking forward to going. This is something I have really wanted to do, to serve my country,? Delores said. ?And my parents are really happy for me.?
?So when do you have to report to Fort Albany?? Jennifer asked.
?I am leaving tomorrow morning at 0600. I should be there around noon. Then we get checked in, get our uniforms, get shown our barracks, meet our drill sergeant and we start our initiation first thing Monday morning,? Delores said. ?I know it is going to be tough, the first three months. But I am going to work hard.?
Jennifer got up off the chair and walked to her counter. She opened it and withdrew a white envelope and handed it to Delores. ?Well, myself and the guys wanted to give you a little something extra and some of the regulars contributed. I know you will find something to do with this. Maybe put it into your scholarship fund. Plus your last paycheque is enclosed,? she said.
?Thanks so much,? Delores said.
?I can finish up. So you are welcome to go. I think maybe you would like to spend some time with your parents before you leave,? Jennifer said. Delores nodded her head. ?Go, go on. When you get a three-day pass, come back and visit.? Delores gave her a hug and headed out the door. Jennifer went back and sat back in her chair. She wished she could lock up but there was always a chance that someone would show up at the last minute, asking for a haircut. Jennifer got up and stocked a couple of stations, filled the shampoo bottles, added to the towel bundle, and picked up a broom and swept up the floor. She knew that with Delores leaving, she would be spending more time in the shop and maybe even looking for a new shampoo girl. Not that it was really essential, there was no real need for it but when Jennifer found out that Delores was looking for a job for a year until she headed off to Fort Albany, Jennifer was more then happy to bring her on board. And Delores proved to be a fast learner and she worked very hard to prove herself within a one month period.
Delores headed down the street to the parking lot. She unlocked her car door and climbed into the driver?s seat. She adjusted the mirror over the dashboard. As she did, she took a long look at her face. She raised her hand and touched her long black hair. She pulled back her sides and her crown. ?Oh my god! What have I got myself into?? she said as she started to shake. ?Monday I am going to lose all of this. They are going to send a fat old man into the barracks and he is going to shave my head???????????.? Delores said. ?Oh god! I think I made a big mistake.? Delores started to cry. What she said would prove to be true. She would get clipped, all girls and boys. No exceptions and no styles. Five minute haircuts on every person who would be getting off the buses on Sunday afternoon.
Delores continued to cry. She looked down into her purse. Her cell phone sat on the top. She reached for it and turned it on. She dialed six numbers. ?No, she has had a long day. She deserves to go home. But I have to see?????? Delores said. She dialed the last number.
At the shop, Jennifer was back in her chair, reading. The phone rang. She looked at the display. She immediately picked up the receiver. ?Delores?? she asked. Delores was crying. ?Delores, what is it? Are you okay?? ?Can I come and talk?? Delores asked. ?I need a friend.?
?Where are you?? Jennifer asked.
?In my car in the parking lot. I don?t want to go????????.? Delores said. ?On Monday, I am going to look like GI Jane. I am not ready for that???????
?You knew this when you got accepted. You knew they were going to do that,? Jennifer said.
?Yeah but I never realized that when they shave my head, all my hair will sit on the floor with everyone else?s hair. If I asked them to give me my ponytail, I don?t think they would. And then all that hair would stay on the floor, being kicked around and finally be swept up after 40 recruits or more were finished,? Delores said in tears. ?A little old man in a white smock is going to be standing behind me or a big woman. She is going to push my head down hard and then run the clippers right up my head or right down the middle. I don?t want that to happen to me. Look, Jennifer, I know you have had a long day and you have a lot on your mind, but could you please???????.??
?Cut your hair for you?? Jennifer said. ?I am going to do it that way as well if I tell you to come in. Either way, Delores, your head will be sheared.?
?That does not matter. I just don?t want them to do it. I don?t want to be subjected to their methods,? Delores said as she sniffled.
Jennifer looked at her watch. ?Okay, Delores, come in. I will shut down now,? she said.
?One last thing? I may not get sent directly to an assignment. But would you keep my ponytail until after my basic training? Three months, atleast?? Delores said.
Jennifer looked at her watch. In twenty minutes, she wanted to be working on the deposit. ?I can give you twenty minutes of my time. But you need to be here in two minutes flat. And I am not going to do it any different from what will happen to you on Monday morning. Yes, I will cut off your ponytail but once it is gone, then I will clipper you the same way I do the men who come into the shop. You know how I work with my clippers. Five minute cuts; ten minute maximum,? Jenn said.
?I am on the way,? Dee said. She got out of her car, slammed the door, armed the alarm and rushed to the shop. True to her work, it took her a minute and a half to get to the door. She pushed it open and to Jenn?s surprise, she was not even out of breath. Dee walked up to the chair and sat down in it. Jenn wrapped her neck with a piece of tissue and then wrapped her in a white cloth cape. She pulled it up to Dee?s shoulders, clasped it on the side and straightened the wrinkles. She picked up a brush, brushed out Dee?s long black hair, gripped it with her open hand, twisted it tight and tied it back in an elastic band.
Dee heaved a huge sigh of concern. She knew how well Jenn used her clippers and now, here it was. She had placed her hair in Jenn?s hands. Jenn put her brush down and picked up a wide-toothed comb. She pulled the comb through Dee?s hair. And as she combed back the hair from the sides, she tightened her grip on the ponytail that she would eventually be cutting off.
An elastic band held the hair tight in the back. Jennifer reached behind her and picked up her scissors. She stood behind Dee and grabbed the ponytail at the base. She pulled on it and tightening her grip, she opened the blades of her shears. ?No stopping now,? she said as she snipped through the first swatch of hair. It started to fall back as Jenn held tight the ponytail. Dee just looked straight ahead at the mirror. One, snip more and Jenn was holding a thick black ponytail in her hand. She held it up to the side of Dee?s face and Dee swallowed hard. Dee nodded her head and Jennifer placed her scissors back on the counter.
?Now, like I told you. No playing around. Reduced to stubble. You got it?? Jenn said. Dee nodded her head and she swallowed again. ?I am not going to let you watch.? Jenn swung the chair around so that Dee would be looking at the wall. ?And I am not going to use a guard. It is all coming off on the first go-around.? With that, Jennifer placed her hand on the top of Dee?s crown and she pushed it down so that Dee was looking right into her lap. She reached back again to the counter and grabbed the biggest and most powerful pair of electric clippers she owned. Jenn flicked the switch on the clippers and placed the bare teeth into the back of her neck. The first pass up her neck stopped just behind her crown. Jenn flicked her wrist and the first clump of black hair toppled down over Dee?s shoulder and it dropped into her lap. Dee heaved a sigh and she obeyed as Jenn guided her head into the positions necessary to shave her clean on the first go-around.
As Jenn promised, Dee was clean shaved down to bare stubble in five and a half minutes. Jenn powdered Dee?s head and then she turned the chair around. She unclipped the cape and dusted Dee?s neckline. ?There, you are done. I pronounce you ready for the drill sergeant and his inspection. What are you going to tell the drill sergeant Monday when he sees that your hair is already clippered and military length?? Jennifer said as she pulled the cape off Dee?s shoulders.
?I don?t know. Maybe, I have my own personal barber and she is a lot better then anyone they could provide,? Dee said as she stroked her clippered scalp. ?God, Jenn. You really are good with those clippers. I don?t want anyone else to cut my hair if I come back from training and I do not have an immediate assignment. Who knows? Maybe they will put me in the reserves and I might be able to come back to work for you again??
?You just get through your basic training before you make any definite plans. You hear me? Now get out of here and go home and spend some time with your parents,? Jennifer said. Dee walked to the door. She turned and tried to talk but Jenn stopped her. ?If you don?t want me to order you back into the chair and literally shave you bald, then hit the road.? Deee nodded her head and pushed the door open. She headed off down the road, very happy with her new look. No way would the drill sergeant make her get into a barber?s chair on Monday morning. `
Jenn turned the chair around. She looked at her watch. In twenty minutes, she could close the shop and go home but before she did that, she grabbed the black ponytail that sat on her counter. She held it in both her hands. So shiny. So soft and so beautiful and it was a heavy mass of hair. She opened the drawer of her counter. She reached inside and pulled out a white plastic bag. Placing the ponytail carefully inside the bag, she placed it on the barber chair. She went to do her deposit and when that was finished, she took the plastic bag into her hands. Yes it would find a place until Dee told her what she wanted to do with it.
Jenn continued working hard at her barbershop. She had hired a new stylist but she still thought about Delores. Jenn never did hire another shampoo-girl. She decided that each one of the barbers could do their own shampoos at the big black bowl at the back of the shop. There was no need extra expenses.
Delores continued working hard through her basic training program and she was very pleased when she graduated in the top five and was offered a chance to decide what she wanted to do. She did not really want to go overseas or serve in any peace corp efforts. Instead she wanted to focus her attentions on her own country. ?Is there any chance I could serve in relief work for my own country? Maybe going into the Reserves? They do a lot of humanitarian work and they are called upon for natural disasters and providing emergency relief. That is what I would really like to do,? she told her commander.
?Well since you graduated in the top 5, you get to choose. So if that is what you want, that is where you will be going. I will send your file to an office in your home state and they will be in contact with you,? her commander told her.
With that taken care of, Delores got ready for graduation day and as soon as the party was over, she was packed and ready to return home. Her parents knew she was coming home. But they also realized that in a matter of moments, she could be on the move to any assignment.
After graduation day and party, she was in the barracks the next morning, cleaning out her boot locker. All her uniforms were packed in an army duffel bag and she was ready to go. She had her plane ticket in her hands and her flight was scheduled to leave at 1:30pm that afternoon. She said all her good-byes and off she went; to return to her home state. Her parents were going to meet her at the airport.
The flight home was quiet but she was somewhat nervous. She had grown a lot in the 6 months she had been away. Would her family accept her new life? How would her friends deal with it? It was not going to be an easy transition, just as it had not been easy to go to basic training. It was a major fight. Now she was returning to semi-normal life. But still on the alert.
Her parents gave her hugs and kisses when she arrived at the airport. Some of her friends were there too and they brought her flowers and teddy bears. She smiled as they got reacquainted. The ride back to the house was quiet. She actually fell asleep on the way home but once the car was parked in the garage, she woke up, carried her duffel bag to the basement, put her clothes away and came upstairs. She was still dressed in her fatigues. ?I am going to go for a walk,? she said to her parents.
She walked down the main street, stopping to say hello to friends. But she actually wanted to do something else. Something she was thinking about all the way home on the plane. Thinking about how Jenn had shaved her head down to stubble and how she shocked the commander when she got out of the bus on the first day of training. The commander was not too keen on the fact that she had shaved her head in advance. But he did not punish her or anything. Instead he made her sweep the floor while all the other candidates got clippered.
She was actually glad that Jenn did it for her, prior to her leaving because she watched as the camp barber shaved all the recruits with absolutely no mercy. Atleast Jenn dignified her with the haircut. Now she wanted to see Jenn again and she especially wanted to see the long ponytail that she had entrusted Jenn with. She wanted to remember the cut and the emotions before she left. That would help her get back into her new routine.
She walked down the street further. She saw the revolving pole; the red and blue strip. Jenn?s shop. She walked with more purpose. She walked past the shop first, not looking in. She saw Jenn at the first chair, cutting the hair of a student. She saw the other two barbers, sitting in their chairs. If she walked in at that moment, she would not get to talk to Jenn. She looked at her watch. It was 4:00, Saturday evening. She remembered that Jenn usually closed early on Saturday. She walked across the street and sat in an open caf?, watching the shop. She was not to be disappointed because the other two barbers came out of the shop at 4:30. She paid her bill, got up and crossed the street.
She looked in the window and saw Jenn counting the till and doing the deposit. Jenn usually did it in the back room. But Delores saw her standing in the doorway. Delores entered the shop. ?I am sorry, I am closing in twenty minutes. I am not taking any more customers right now,? Jenn said from the back door.
?Not even for a military person?? Delores called out.
Jenn recognized the voice and came out. ?Why didn?t you tell me you were in town?? she asked as she gave Delores a hug. ?Are you on lay-over? When did you get in??
?Whoa! Slow down. There will be lots of time to talk. I am home for a spell. Graduation day was two days ago and since I graduated in the top 5, I was given my choice of where I wanted to go. I asked about the Army Reserves. I have been transferred to state. I got back today. Mom and Dad picked me up,? Delores said.
They talked for a bit longer. ?So what brought you here?? Jenn asked as she looked at Delores.
?I wanted to see you and I needed some inspiration. Can I please see it?? Delores asked.
?Sure. It is in the back room. Let me go and get it,? Jenn said. She walked back into the back room and returned carrying a red box with a clear top on it. Delores looked at it. ?It has been on the most amazing cuts I have ever done.?
?May I?? Delores asked. She opened the box and took the ponytail out of the box. She stroked it a couple of times, held it to her face and rubbed her check. ?Still so soft and beautiful.?
?Even though I was angry with you because I really did want to go home, I am glad you asked me to do it for you. So let me see what it looks like now? Take off your hat.? Delores took off her military cap and stood at attention. Jenn looked at her hair. ?Wow, Dee. You need a major trim. Too many split ends. No conditioner in a long time. When was the last time you shampooed your hair and what were you using?? Jenn asked.
?No conditioner and whatever soap they chose to give us,? Delores answered. ?Sometimes it was actually a bar of soap.?
?That is the worst thing you can do for your hair,? Jenn said. She walked to the counter and withdrew a plastic container. She gave it to Delores. ?Use this tonight, tomorrow night and then we are going to take care of this on Monday morning before the shop opens.?
Delores took the bottle and put it in her pocket. Jenn looked at her. ?I am glad you came in. I was wondering how you were doing,? Jenn said. Delores was still holding the red box. ?Um, did you want to take that with you?? Jenn pointed to the box. ?It is yours. I kept it for you like you asked.?
Delores looked at the ponytail again and she put it back in the box. She placed the clear lid back over the box and handed it back to Jenn. ?No. You have taken such good care of it. I want you to keep it. I could be asked to leave at any time for any place in the country,? Delores said.
Jenn took the box back and took it to the back room. She came back out, holding the deposit bag in her hand. ?I have to get to the bank and I am meeting my parents for dinner. So I will see you on Monday?? Jenn said.
Delores turned and headed back home. She was somewhat disappointed. She was actually hoping that Jenn would have said that she still had a job if she was interested. Of course, Jenn had promised that before she left for training. Would she go back to the shop on Monday?
Monday morning Delores had decided that she was not going to go to Jenn?s shop. She would just go and get a trim at the beauty salon. But at 8:10am, her phone rang. She rolled over in her bed and picked up the receiver. ?Hello,? she said in a sleepish voice.
?Good morning. I am at the shop waiting for you. I have fifty minutes before we need to open. Are you coming in?? Jenn asked her.
?I was going to go to the beauty salon with my mom,? Delores said.
?What time?? Jenn said.
?Jenn, why are you asking?? Delores said. This time her voice was a little stronger.
?Did I do something wrong, Delores?? Jenn said.
?Yes! As a matter of fact you did,? Delores said. ?When I left for training, you told me that you wished I was going to the Reserves so that I could continue working for you???????.?.
?What did I say to you, Saturday?? Jenn said. ?I said I would clean you up before we opened the store today. What did I just say two minutes ago? Before we need to open? If you were so worried, why didn?t you ask on Saturday? You could have even called me on Sunday. I did not hire another shampoo girl when you left. I made the barbers wash their own clients if they wanted shampoos. But it is summer. We are going to be super busy. Of course you have a job. All you had to do was ask. I told you that I wished you were going to the Reserves because I really meant it. You were an excellent employee. And I would love to have you back if you are staying for awhile. Now get your ass out of bed and get down here so I can clean up that mess of a mop you have.?
Delores smiled. ?I?ll be there in ten minutes,? she said as she rolled out of bed. She ran to the shower, got cleaned up, dressed and ran down the stairs. She did not even say ?hello? to her parents. She just shouted: ?I?ve got to go to work. I won?t be home for lunch.?
As she drove to the store, she realized something else. She had gone so far as to ignore what Jenn had told her to do with her hair. That was not going to impress Jenn. She got to the store, parked her car and did a two minute sprint to the shop. She entered the shop. Jenn was setting up stations and looking through the appointment book. ?You made it. Good, we have fourty minutes before we open. The chair,? Jenn said. ?Before we start????.,? Delores said.
?Yes?? Jenn answered.
?I am sorry. I was being ignorant. I sat home and sulked all weekend. I did not do what you told me to do,? Delores said.
?I see. Well, let?s have a look,? Jenn said. She draped a cape around Delores and combed out her still wet hair. ?I am going to blow it dry and then I can decide what I need to do. I know we are not going to be able to give it a treatment. I could sense that on Saturday.? Jenn picked up her blow dryer, put it on high and dried Delores? wet hair. Looking it over, Jenn really could tell it was damaged beyond repair. ?I hate to say this, Dee, but it is bad. Not even a hot oil treatment could repair it. I can only do one thing and that is to take you back to the clippers.?
Delores? heart leaped with joy. Another clipper cut. Yes. And with Jenn doing the honors. ?We don?t have a lot of time. Do you want me to do it now or do you want to wait till closing?? Jenn asked. She had already taken the clippers off the hook on the wall. She held them in her hand. Delores looked at the mirror and caught Jenn smiling. Her heart was still leaping with joy.
?Do it! Do it, now and do it the same way you did it when I left for training,? Delores said as she bent her head down. She was looking into her lap when the first clump of hair hit the cape and floated down to her lap. Jenn raced the clippers over her neck and nape. Her hair dropped over her shoulders and floated down to meet the pile that was growing.
Jenn finished the nape and moved to the side. Placing the clippers at her ear, she ran the clippers up to the crown, flicked her wrist and hair toppled to the floor at the base of the chair. A few more strokes and more hair to the floor. Working around the ears and to the nape area. Around to the opposite side. Same actions, up the ear, around the lob, back to the neck. All that remained now was the crown. ?Sit up, please,? Jenn said. She placed her hand under Delores? chin and lifted her head up. She was standing in front of Delores. ?Won?t be too long now,? she said. ?Imagine, I am going to have a clippered shampoo girl.? Jenn?s smile got bigger. ?I am so glad you are back. This is going to be an awesome summer.?
Jenn placed the teeth of the clippers at Delores? forehead and pushed the clippers right down the middle of her head. The hair fell down the back of the chair and landed on the floor. Five more strokes and Delores? head was almost done. Jenn picked up a smaller pair of clippers and she ran them over her crown to even the length at 1/8th of an inch. She then took a duster, powdered Dee?s neck and nape, unclipped the cape, pulled out the tissue paper, dropped that to the floor, dusted off her blouse, and pronounced Dee finished. ?On the house,? Jenn said. ?Now, let?s see how many shampoos we have for you today.? Delores got out of the chair and they walked to the appointment desk together. Jenn pointed to the desk. ?Your station, Dee. You might as well answer phones and take booking too, that is if you don?t mind.?
Delores smiled and walked over to give Jenn a hug. Delores whispered: ?Thanks so much. Would you mind if I ask you to give me a trim at the end of the month? Maybe even shave it clean??
?It would be my pleasure, if you want to keep it like that? Jenn said. Delores nodded. ?Welcome back, Dee. Welcome home.?
It was 8:00pm as she sat in the red vinyl chair, talking with Delores, the shampoo girl. ?So I am really going to miss you, Dee. I really enjoyed having you here for the year,? Jennifer said.
?I know. I am really glad you let me work for you over the past twelve months. I really had a blast. And you guys really made me feel like I fit in. But I am looking forward to going. This is something I have really wanted to do, to serve my country,? Delores said. ?And my parents are really happy for me.?
?So when do you have to report to Fort Albany?? Jennifer asked.
?I am leaving tomorrow morning at 0600. I should be there around noon. Then we get checked in, get our uniforms, get shown our barracks, meet our drill sergeant and we start our initiation first thing Monday morning,? Delores said. ?I know it is going to be tough, the first three months. But I am going to work hard.?
Jennifer got up off the chair and walked to her counter. She opened it and withdrew a white envelope and handed it to Delores. ?Well, myself and the guys wanted to give you a little something extra and some of the regulars contributed. I know you will find something to do with this. Maybe put it into your scholarship fund. Plus your last paycheque is enclosed,? she said.
?Thanks so much,? Delores said.
?I can finish up. So you are welcome to go. I think maybe you would like to spend some time with your parents before you leave,? Jennifer said. Delores nodded her head. ?Go, go on. When you get a three-day pass, come back and visit.? Delores gave her a hug and headed out the door. Jennifer went back and sat back in her chair. She wished she could lock up but there was always a chance that someone would show up at the last minute, asking for a haircut. Jennifer got up and stocked a couple of stations, filled the shampoo bottles, added to the towel bundle, and picked up a broom and swept up the floor. She knew that with Delores leaving, she would be spending more time in the shop and maybe even looking for a new shampoo girl. Not that it was really essential, there was no real need for it but when Jennifer found out that Delores was looking for a job for a year until she headed off to Fort Albany, Jennifer was more then happy to bring her on board. And Delores proved to be a fast learner and she worked very hard to prove herself within a one month period.
Delores headed down the street to the parking lot. She unlocked her car door and climbed into the driver?s seat. She adjusted the mirror over the dashboard. As she did, she took a long look at her face. She raised her hand and touched her long black hair. She pulled back her sides and her crown. ?Oh my god! What have I got myself into?? she said as she started to shake. ?Monday I am going to lose all of this. They are going to send a fat old man into the barracks and he is going to shave my head???????????.? Delores said. ?Oh god! I think I made a big mistake.? Delores started to cry. What she said would prove to be true. She would get clipped, all girls and boys. No exceptions and no styles. Five minute haircuts on every person who would be getting off the buses on Sunday afternoon.
Delores continued to cry. She looked down into her purse. Her cell phone sat on the top. She reached for it and turned it on. She dialed six numbers. ?No, she has had a long day. She deserves to go home. But I have to see?????? Delores said. She dialed the last number.
At the shop, Jennifer was back in her chair, reading. The phone rang. She looked at the display. She immediately picked up the receiver. ?Delores?? she asked. Delores was crying. ?Delores, what is it? Are you okay?? ?Can I come and talk?? Delores asked. ?I need a friend.?
?Where are you?? Jennifer asked.
?In my car in the parking lot. I don?t want to go????????.? Delores said. ?On Monday, I am going to look like GI Jane. I am not ready for that???????
?You knew this when you got accepted. You knew they were going to do that,? Jennifer said.
?Yeah but I never realized that when they shave my head, all my hair will sit on the floor with everyone else?s hair. If I asked them to give me my ponytail, I don?t think they would. And then all that hair would stay on the floor, being kicked around and finally be swept up after 40 recruits or more were finished,? Delores said in tears. ?A little old man in a white smock is going to be standing behind me or a big woman. She is going to push my head down hard and then run the clippers right up my head or right down the middle. I don?t want that to happen to me. Look, Jennifer, I know you have had a long day and you have a lot on your mind, but could you please???????.??
?Cut your hair for you?? Jennifer said. ?I am going to do it that way as well if I tell you to come in. Either way, Delores, your head will be sheared.?
?That does not matter. I just don?t want them to do it. I don?t want to be subjected to their methods,? Delores said as she sniffled.
Jennifer looked at her watch. ?Okay, Delores, come in. I will shut down now,? she said.
?One last thing? I may not get sent directly to an assignment. But would you keep my ponytail until after my basic training? Three months, atleast?? Delores said.
Jennifer looked at her watch. In twenty minutes, she wanted to be working on the deposit. ?I can give you twenty minutes of my time. But you need to be here in two minutes flat. And I am not going to do it any different from what will happen to you on Monday morning. Yes, I will cut off your ponytail but once it is gone, then I will clipper you the same way I do the men who come into the shop. You know how I work with my clippers. Five minute cuts; ten minute maximum,? Jenn said.
?I am on the way,? Dee said. She got out of her car, slammed the door, armed the alarm and rushed to the shop. True to her work, it took her a minute and a half to get to the door. She pushed it open and to Jenn?s surprise, she was not even out of breath. Dee walked up to the chair and sat down in it. Jenn wrapped her neck with a piece of tissue and then wrapped her in a white cloth cape. She pulled it up to Dee?s shoulders, clasped it on the side and straightened the wrinkles. She picked up a brush, brushed out Dee?s long black hair, gripped it with her open hand, twisted it tight and tied it back in an elastic band.
Dee heaved a huge sigh of concern. She knew how well Jenn used her clippers and now, here it was. She had placed her hair in Jenn?s hands. Jenn put her brush down and picked up a wide-toothed comb. She pulled the comb through Dee?s hair. And as she combed back the hair from the sides, she tightened her grip on the ponytail that she would eventually be cutting off.
An elastic band held the hair tight in the back. Jennifer reached behind her and picked up her scissors. She stood behind Dee and grabbed the ponytail at the base. She pulled on it and tightening her grip, she opened the blades of her shears. ?No stopping now,? she said as she snipped through the first swatch of hair. It started to fall back as Jenn held tight the ponytail. Dee just looked straight ahead at the mirror. One, snip more and Jenn was holding a thick black ponytail in her hand. She held it up to the side of Dee?s face and Dee swallowed hard. Dee nodded her head and Jennifer placed her scissors back on the counter.
?Now, like I told you. No playing around. Reduced to stubble. You got it?? Jenn said. Dee nodded her head and she swallowed again. ?I am not going to let you watch.? Jenn swung the chair around so that Dee would be looking at the wall. ?And I am not going to use a guard. It is all coming off on the first go-around.? With that, Jennifer placed her hand on the top of Dee?s crown and she pushed it down so that Dee was looking right into her lap. She reached back again to the counter and grabbed the biggest and most powerful pair of electric clippers she owned. Jenn flicked the switch on the clippers and placed the bare teeth into the back of her neck. The first pass up her neck stopped just behind her crown. Jenn flicked her wrist and the first clump of black hair toppled down over Dee?s shoulder and it dropped into her lap. Dee heaved a sigh and she obeyed as Jenn guided her head into the positions necessary to shave her clean on the first go-around.
As Jenn promised, Dee was clean shaved down to bare stubble in five and a half minutes. Jenn powdered Dee?s head and then she turned the chair around. She unclipped the cape and dusted Dee?s neckline. ?There, you are done. I pronounce you ready for the drill sergeant and his inspection. What are you going to tell the drill sergeant Monday when he sees that your hair is already clippered and military length?? Jennifer said as she pulled the cape off Dee?s shoulders.
?I don?t know. Maybe, I have my own personal barber and she is a lot better then anyone they could provide,? Dee said as she stroked her clippered scalp. ?God, Jenn. You really are good with those clippers. I don?t want anyone else to cut my hair if I come back from training and I do not have an immediate assignment. Who knows? Maybe they will put me in the reserves and I might be able to come back to work for you again??
?You just get through your basic training before you make any definite plans. You hear me? Now get out of here and go home and spend some time with your parents,? Jennifer said. Dee walked to the door. She turned and tried to talk but Jenn stopped her. ?If you don?t want me to order you back into the chair and literally shave you bald, then hit the road.? Deee nodded her head and pushed the door open. She headed off down the road, very happy with her new look. No way would the drill sergeant make her get into a barber?s chair on Monday morning. `
Jenn turned the chair around. She looked at her watch. In twenty minutes, she could close the shop and go home but before she did that, she grabbed the black ponytail that sat on her counter. She held it in both her hands. So shiny. So soft and so beautiful and it was a heavy mass of hair. She opened the drawer of her counter. She reached inside and pulled out a white plastic bag. Placing the ponytail carefully inside the bag, she placed it on the barber chair. She went to do her deposit and when that was finished, she took the plastic bag into her hands. Yes it would find a place until Dee told her what she wanted to do with it.
Jenn continued working hard at her barbershop. She had hired a new stylist but she still thought about Delores. Jenn never did hire another shampoo-girl. She decided that each one of the barbers could do their own shampoos at the big black bowl at the back of the shop. There was no need extra expenses.
Delores continued working hard through her basic training program and she was very pleased when she graduated in the top five and was offered a chance to decide what she wanted to do. She did not really want to go overseas or serve in any peace corp efforts. Instead she wanted to focus her attentions on her own country. ?Is there any chance I could serve in relief work for my own country? Maybe going into the Reserves? They do a lot of humanitarian work and they are called upon for natural disasters and providing emergency relief. That is what I would really like to do,? she told her commander.
?Well since you graduated in the top 5, you get to choose. So if that is what you want, that is where you will be going. I will send your file to an office in your home state and they will be in contact with you,? her commander told her.
With that taken care of, Delores got ready for graduation day and as soon as the party was over, she was packed and ready to return home. Her parents knew she was coming home. But they also realized that in a matter of moments, she could be on the move to any assignment.
After graduation day and party, she was in the barracks the next morning, cleaning out her boot locker. All her uniforms were packed in an army duffel bag and she was ready to go. She had her plane ticket in her hands and her flight was scheduled to leave at 1:30pm that afternoon. She said all her good-byes and off she went; to return to her home state. Her parents were going to meet her at the airport.
The flight home was quiet but she was somewhat nervous. She had grown a lot in the 6 months she had been away. Would her family accept her new life? How would her friends deal with it? It was not going to be an easy transition, just as it had not been easy to go to basic training. It was a major fight. Now she was returning to semi-normal life. But still on the alert.
Her parents gave her hugs and kisses when she arrived at the airport. Some of her friends were there too and they brought her flowers and teddy bears. She smiled as they got reacquainted. The ride back to the house was quiet. She actually fell asleep on the way home but once the car was parked in the garage, she woke up, carried her duffel bag to the basement, put her clothes away and came upstairs. She was still dressed in her fatigues. ?I am going to go for a walk,? she said to her parents.
She walked down the main street, stopping to say hello to friends. But she actually wanted to do something else. Something she was thinking about all the way home on the plane. Thinking about how Jenn had shaved her head down to stubble and how she shocked the commander when she got out of the bus on the first day of training. The commander was not too keen on the fact that she had shaved her head in advance. But he did not punish her or anything. Instead he made her sweep the floor while all the other candidates got clippered.
She was actually glad that Jenn did it for her, prior to her leaving because she watched as the camp barber shaved all the recruits with absolutely no mercy. Atleast Jenn dignified her with the haircut. Now she wanted to see Jenn again and she especially wanted to see the long ponytail that she had entrusted Jenn with. She wanted to remember the cut and the emotions before she left. That would help her get back into her new routine.
She walked down the street further. She saw the revolving pole; the red and blue strip. Jenn?s shop. She walked with more purpose. She walked past the shop first, not looking in. She saw Jenn at the first chair, cutting the hair of a student. She saw the other two barbers, sitting in their chairs. If she walked in at that moment, she would not get to talk to Jenn. She looked at her watch. It was 4:00, Saturday evening. She remembered that Jenn usually closed early on Saturday. She walked across the street and sat in an open caf?, watching the shop. She was not to be disappointed because the other two barbers came out of the shop at 4:30. She paid her bill, got up and crossed the street.
She looked in the window and saw Jenn counting the till and doing the deposit. Jenn usually did it in the back room. But Delores saw her standing in the doorway. Delores entered the shop. ?I am sorry, I am closing in twenty minutes. I am not taking any more customers right now,? Jenn said from the back door.
?Not even for a military person?? Delores called out.
Jenn recognized the voice and came out. ?Why didn?t you tell me you were in town?? she asked as she gave Delores a hug. ?Are you on lay-over? When did you get in??
?Whoa! Slow down. There will be lots of time to talk. I am home for a spell. Graduation day was two days ago and since I graduated in the top 5, I was given my choice of where I wanted to go. I asked about the Army Reserves. I have been transferred to state. I got back today. Mom and Dad picked me up,? Delores said.
They talked for a bit longer. ?So what brought you here?? Jenn asked as she looked at Delores.
?I wanted to see you and I needed some inspiration. Can I please see it?? Delores asked.
?Sure. It is in the back room. Let me go and get it,? Jenn said. She walked back into the back room and returned carrying a red box with a clear top on it. Delores looked at it. ?It has been on the most amazing cuts I have ever done.?
?May I?? Delores asked. She opened the box and took the ponytail out of the box. She stroked it a couple of times, held it to her face and rubbed her check. ?Still so soft and beautiful.?
?Even though I was angry with you because I really did want to go home, I am glad you asked me to do it for you. So let me see what it looks like now? Take off your hat.? Delores took off her military cap and stood at attention. Jenn looked at her hair. ?Wow, Dee. You need a major trim. Too many split ends. No conditioner in a long time. When was the last time you shampooed your hair and what were you using?? Jenn asked.
?No conditioner and whatever soap they chose to give us,? Delores answered. ?Sometimes it was actually a bar of soap.?
?That is the worst thing you can do for your hair,? Jenn said. She walked to the counter and withdrew a plastic container. She gave it to Delores. ?Use this tonight, tomorrow night and then we are going to take care of this on Monday morning before the shop opens.?
Delores took the bottle and put it in her pocket. Jenn looked at her. ?I am glad you came in. I was wondering how you were doing,? Jenn said. Delores was still holding the red box. ?Um, did you want to take that with you?? Jenn pointed to the box. ?It is yours. I kept it for you like you asked.?
Delores looked at the ponytail again and she put it back in the box. She placed the clear lid back over the box and handed it back to Jenn. ?No. You have taken such good care of it. I want you to keep it. I could be asked to leave at any time for any place in the country,? Delores said.
Jenn took the box back and took it to the back room. She came back out, holding the deposit bag in her hand. ?I have to get to the bank and I am meeting my parents for dinner. So I will see you on Monday?? Jenn said.
Delores turned and headed back home. She was somewhat disappointed. She was actually hoping that Jenn would have said that she still had a job if she was interested. Of course, Jenn had promised that before she left for training. Would she go back to the shop on Monday?
Monday morning Delores had decided that she was not going to go to Jenn?s shop. She would just go and get a trim at the beauty salon. But at 8:10am, her phone rang. She rolled over in her bed and picked up the receiver. ?Hello,? she said in a sleepish voice.
?Good morning. I am at the shop waiting for you. I have fifty minutes before we need to open. Are you coming in?? Jenn asked her.
?I was going to go to the beauty salon with my mom,? Delores said.
?What time?? Jenn said.
?Jenn, why are you asking?? Delores said. This time her voice was a little stronger.
?Did I do something wrong, Delores?? Jenn said.
?Yes! As a matter of fact you did,? Delores said. ?When I left for training, you told me that you wished I was going to the Reserves so that I could continue working for you???????.?.
?What did I say to you, Saturday?? Jenn said. ?I said I would clean you up before we opened the store today. What did I just say two minutes ago? Before we need to open? If you were so worried, why didn?t you ask on Saturday? You could have even called me on Sunday. I did not hire another shampoo girl when you left. I made the barbers wash their own clients if they wanted shampoos. But it is summer. We are going to be super busy. Of course you have a job. All you had to do was ask. I told you that I wished you were going to the Reserves because I really meant it. You were an excellent employee. And I would love to have you back if you are staying for awhile. Now get your ass out of bed and get down here so I can clean up that mess of a mop you have.?
Delores smiled. ?I?ll be there in ten minutes,? she said as she rolled out of bed. She ran to the shower, got cleaned up, dressed and ran down the stairs. She did not even say ?hello? to her parents. She just shouted: ?I?ve got to go to work. I won?t be home for lunch.?
As she drove to the store, she realized something else. She had gone so far as to ignore what Jenn had told her to do with her hair. That was not going to impress Jenn. She got to the store, parked her car and did a two minute sprint to the shop. She entered the shop. Jenn was setting up stations and looking through the appointment book. ?You made it. Good, we have fourty minutes before we open. The chair,? Jenn said. ?Before we start????.,? Delores said.
?Yes?? Jenn answered.
?I am sorry. I was being ignorant. I sat home and sulked all weekend. I did not do what you told me to do,? Delores said.
?I see. Well, let?s have a look,? Jenn said. She draped a cape around Delores and combed out her still wet hair. ?I am going to blow it dry and then I can decide what I need to do. I know we are not going to be able to give it a treatment. I could sense that on Saturday.? Jenn picked up her blow dryer, put it on high and dried Delores? wet hair. Looking it over, Jenn really could tell it was damaged beyond repair. ?I hate to say this, Dee, but it is bad. Not even a hot oil treatment could repair it. I can only do one thing and that is to take you back to the clippers.?
Delores? heart leaped with joy. Another clipper cut. Yes. And with Jenn doing the honors. ?We don?t have a lot of time. Do you want me to do it now or do you want to wait till closing?? Jenn asked. She had already taken the clippers off the hook on the wall. She held them in her hand. Delores looked at the mirror and caught Jenn smiling. Her heart was still leaping with joy.
?Do it! Do it, now and do it the same way you did it when I left for training,? Delores said as she bent her head down. She was looking into her lap when the first clump of hair hit the cape and floated down to her lap. Jenn raced the clippers over her neck and nape. Her hair dropped over her shoulders and floated down to meet the pile that was growing.
Jenn finished the nape and moved to the side. Placing the clippers at her ear, she ran the clippers up to the crown, flicked her wrist and hair toppled to the floor at the base of the chair. A few more strokes and more hair to the floor. Working around the ears and to the nape area. Around to the opposite side. Same actions, up the ear, around the lob, back to the neck. All that remained now was the crown. ?Sit up, please,? Jenn said. She placed her hand under Delores? chin and lifted her head up. She was standing in front of Delores. ?Won?t be too long now,? she said. ?Imagine, I am going to have a clippered shampoo girl.? Jenn?s smile got bigger. ?I am so glad you are back. This is going to be an awesome summer.?
Jenn placed the teeth of the clippers at Delores? forehead and pushed the clippers right down the middle of her head. The hair fell down the back of the chair and landed on the floor. Five more strokes and Delores? head was almost done. Jenn picked up a smaller pair of clippers and she ran them over her crown to even the length at 1/8th of an inch. She then took a duster, powdered Dee?s neck and nape, unclipped the cape, pulled out the tissue paper, dropped that to the floor, dusted off her blouse, and pronounced Dee finished. ?On the house,? Jenn said. ?Now, let?s see how many shampoos we have for you today.? Delores got out of the chair and they walked to the appointment desk together. Jenn pointed to the desk. ?Your station, Dee. You might as well answer phones and take booking too, that is if you don?t mind.?
Delores smiled and walked over to give Jenn a hug. Delores whispered: ?Thanks so much. Would you mind if I ask you to give me a trim at the end of the month? Maybe even shave it clean??
?It would be my pleasure, if you want to keep it like that? Jenn said. Delores nodded. ?Welcome back, Dee. Welcome home.?
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