Blast from the Past

The name of the company was ?A Blast From The Past?, and it specialized in redistributing, resurrecting, and reintroducing all things 50?s and 60?s. It was also one of the major new business?s, quickly becoming a major player on the stock exchange. Apparently there was a much broader market than anyone would have anticipated, as overseas orders that no one could have anticipated kept flowing in, putting the company in a perpetual state of growth.
Growth meant more jobs, and that was what brought Cathy Harrington in for the interview. She was excited about the opportunity too, because not only did ?A Blast? offer wonderful benefit packages and salaries, but the whole environment, according to everyone who worked for the company, was an extremely enjoyable place to work. Apparently there was great truth to their slogan ?Working here is a blast.?
Despite being only 27, Cathy had her masters in business finance and several years experience already with a reputable bank. Still, she knew she would gladly step down from that position if she could get a job as a financial analysis expert in their international sales department. This group met with key clients from abroad and offered numerous opportunities of global travel to some very exotic locations.
As Cathy waited for her job interview she couldn?t help but stare at the secretary directing the continual flow of applicants. June, or so her nametag said, looked like something straight out of an old television show. Her dress was vintage 60?s, in a pastel shade of pink with matching pumps. She even wore a little broach on her lapel which matched her old fashioned necklace. Cathy didn?t know stores even sold items like this any more. Plus her hair, while in a shoulder length flip, was quite heavily teased on top giving it a bouffant look from years gone by. Judging by its absolute total lack of movement when she walked or turned her head, it was clearly locked in place by much too much hairspray. It certainly had to be a wig, Cathy thought, though it certainly was quite a realistic looking one at that. Cathy figured part of this secretary?s job description was to look the part of someone from 50 years ago, and she couldn?t help but smile just watching the lady at work. She silently joked that the secretary?s full name must be June Cleaver.
By comparison Cathy, in a smart navy business suit and white blouse, with her waist length light brown hair (some almost considered her blonde in the summer when the sunshine would lighten it several shades) tied back in a smooth ponytail, seemed very much the ultimate modern woman. Amazing, thought Cathy, as what she was wearing was her most conservative, and in fact oldest outfit she owned.
Finally June beckoned Cathy into the next room for her interview. As she stood and drew the door open Cathy could hardly contain her giggle at the way her heavily shellacked wig refused to move. However just then she dropped her resume and the papers started dispersing all around the room. She quickly started gathering them all up, quite embarrassed. June helped also, and when she bent over her hair fell forward in back just enough for Cathy to get quite a shock. June wasn?t wearing a wig! That was her own real hair coaxed and plastered into such an outrageous style. Cathy didn?t even own a bottle of hairspray, and couldn?t imagine parading around with her hair like that on a daily basis. She almost felt sorry for the secretary, but by June?s obvious enjoyment of her job it was clear that to her at least it was not an issue. Cathy concluded that June must have been a theatre major or such who just really enjoyed dressing the part in whatever she did.
Cathy stepped into the next room of a Mr. Wilson, who she immediately concluded must also have been a theatre major, or the class nerd. He was a middle aged man dressed in a stiff white shirt with black pants, black tie and black shoes. He also wore black rimmed glasses, and his short black hair was parted on the side and locked in place by way too much gel or such because it looked greasy. Like June, he also looked fresh from fifty years ago.
Mr. Wilson was totally cordial and professional though, and the interview went, at least in Cathy?s eyes, very well. Of course the smile that was locked on her pretty face from just the look of the man surely helped ease any nerves she might have. Maybe that was the point of the whole masquerade. In any case, she couldn?t remember enjoying any interview more.
Ten days later Cathy got the note in the mail confirming a job offer from the company. It was exactly the job she wanted, and the pay and benefits more than she could have expected. Once more she was called in to see Mr. Wilson. She giggled when she saw June again, her hair in that familiar bouffant flip (was it even bigger today?) this time in a lime green dress with matching accessories.
Mr. Wilson was again in the familiar black and white outfit, hair as slick as ever. It did look quite a bit shorter this time though. Obviously he had a recent visit to an old fashioned Barbershop. No salon would have cut it like that. Mr. Wilson again confirmed the companies offer to Cathy with great enthusiasm. However he asked her to take home two manuals first. One was on specifics to her job, and the second one, quite a bit thicker than expected, was on company Policies and Procedures. He asked her to read both manuals fist before making up her mind. As Cathy thumbed through the P & P manual, she noted many spots that required checks and signatures to insure that she actually read it all. It was basically a giant contract. Cathy knew she had a fair share of work to do. Thankfully she was given two weeks to go through the manuals before she needed to give a final answer to the company.
Each night Cathy spent a few hours going through both manuals. She read her job specific one first, extremely pleased that her preconceptions about the job seemed right, and that it also included some fun social activities she hadn?t expected. The book did often redirect her to sections of the Policies and Procedures book, so Cathy knew she?d have to be quite thorough, and cautious, when she eventually got to the thick binder.
Quite to her relief the P&P book was quite an easy read and very non-threatening. The company was taking every measure to insure all employees knew what was expected of them and to the unique nature of the business. No wonder they were doing so well! Every base seemed to be covered. However one section, near the end, threw Cathy for a bit of a loop.
Apparently company policy for all employees, be they loading dock workers or Department Heads, was to make it quite obvious from the onset that they worked for ?Blast From the Past.? This included an extensive section of trivia from the 50?s and 60?s all employees must know by heart. It included things from who was president and issues of the days down to popular television shows, movies, and celebrities. More than that, all employees were to dress the part of a person from that era every day for work. This section was extremely specific, listing for men the limited types of clothes they could wear and where to buy them, as well as a much longer list for women but still providing a list of stores that Cathy had never heard of. They even listed Singer sewing patterns in case you wanted to produce the outfits yourself.
This went even further on the personal grooming section. Types of allowable jewelry were listed, as well as minor details like acceptable glasses frames. Another whole section discussed types of make-up allowed for women. Another huge section just talked about hair. Men were shown a series of about 20 acceptable styles, and recommended a list of barbershops in town for them. All the styles were short, and those that had any length to them at all were slicked down. Even the types of hair gels permitted were listed.
The women?s hair section was huge, literally and figuratively. It showed a vast array of permissible styles for virtually any hair length. What concerned Cathy is none of the styles were in any way stylish. Almost all she would classify as extremely bouffant. The allowable styles for hair her length were all updos. Besides having no idea how to arrange her hair in such styles, they all similarly fell in the bouffant category. The last thing she wanted to do is destroy her hair.
Fortunately for women the use of wigs or hairpieces was permitted, so long as they were not subject to falling off. ?Flipping ones lid,? as the loss of a wig or hairpiece, or even the unraveling of their own hairstyle was called, brought with it severe penalties. Even to the point of requiring a female employee to cut her hair short enough so such a circumstance could never happen again. While at first that seemed quite severe to Cathy, she had to admit it was only fair considering the men had no choice but to cut their hair very short. Happily, a complete list of wig shops was included beside the names of beauticians who could reproduce these towering styles.
So that was why June and Mr. Wilson were dressed as they were! It was required! But they sure didn?t seem to mind. In fact, they seemed quite happy with their jobs. While the thought of pinning her hair up under a wig every day of work wasn?t too thrilling, Cathy had to admit that there was a little bit of theatrics, or even Halloween, about this job. Fortunately Cathy always loved Halloween, and actually started looking forward to this new challenge, conceding that with every day being Halloween it would certainly add to the fun side of the job.
The odd part would be dressing the part on her travels, as company policy specifically stated that whenever an employee was representing the company they must look the part. That mean airline trips, meetings abroad, client dinners and parties, etc? would all be spent ?in costume.? One thing was for sure, Cathy needed to buy a wig that was extremely comfortable. With absolutely no reservations Cathy Harrington signed all the forms. She was ready to be a part of ?A Blast From the Past.?
Hair Affair Wig Salon, while seemingly very small from the outside, was surprisingly big on the inside, and Cathy couldn?t imagine any shop offering more variety. Of course she had never been in a wig shop before. Why would she?! So the fact is this could have been quite small in comparison to others for all she knew. But this store came highly recommended by the company, and the newspaper adds boasted of unrivaled variety, so Cathy felt it was the place to go. She started staring at all the options, not knowing what she was even looking for. A middle aged saleswoman with a brunette pageboy hairstyle (was it a wig? It sure looked natural) asked if she needed assistance. ?I guess so. I need to buy a wig for my new job.? ?Well, you came to the right place. What kind of job is it?? ?Finance.? The saleswoman looked confused. ?I?m not sure I understand why you would need a wig for that job.? Cathy smiled. ?It?s not the job. It?s the company I?ll be working for. I?m not sure if you?ve heard of it. It?s called ?A Blast from the Past?.? The saleswoman (Margo) smiled a knowing smile. ?Certainly I know of them. We do a lot of business with them. Come on over and have a seat and we?ll fix you right up.? Cathy went over to a desk which had a large mirror on it, as well as a hand mirror, along with a variety of beauty salon tools. Margo sat down opposite her and pulled out a large binder with the ?Blast From the Past? logo on it. ?Do you have a particular style in mind?? ?Not really. About all I really know is I want it in my own hair color, and it needs to be real comfortable because I?ll be wearing it all the time.? ?Why don?t you look through this book. It shows all the wigs we sell that meet the approval of the company. If we don?t have your shade in stock we can get it in a matter of days.? Margo went to tend to another customer as Cathy just stared at the thick file of photos. She couldn?t believe she was actually here looking to purchase a bouffant wig.
Cathy had always had long hair, and for most of her life considered it her best feature. It was currently all just below waist length. No bangs or layers for her. It was also very thick, very shiny, and very healthy. But then she treated it so well, using only the finest shampoos and conditioners, getting regular trims, and never doing anything that might damage it like using a blow dryer or such. As a teenager she had occasionally tried curling it only to discover it wouldn?t hold a curl for more than 15 minutes. She hadn?t tried since. Ponytails and French braids were her common alternate styles when she didn?t just let it all hang down. Elegant evenings meant a French Twist or very sleek bun at her nape. In general she didn?t like wearing her hair up as it tended to tug at whatever pins held it in place, and by the end of an evening was more than ready to take it down again, adoring the feeling of it trailing down her back and tickling her bottom. She had often pondered growing it out even more just to see how long it would get.
Margo gave Cathy about 5 minutes on her own to look through the book before coming back to check up on her. ?Any luck?? Cathy was at a loss. ?Honestly I have no idea what I?m looking for, or what I?d look?.good in, if that?s possible with styles like these.? ?Let me see if I can help. Did you want a style that might have been done with your own length?? Cathy looked shocked. ?I don?t want to do anything to my hair if that?s what you mean!? Margo laughed. ?That?s not what I mean.? She turned the book to a section near the back, showing a choice of 7 different wigs. ?These styles were ones done with longer hair, though probably not quite your length. Hair as long as yours wasn?t so common 50 years ago. Certainly not among the updo crowd. A wig like this could have people believing that you?re not wearing a wig at all. A clearly shorter style will immediately tell people you either cut your hair or have a wig on.? ?I see what you?re getting at.? ?Another option is to go for a wiglet instead of a full wig.? She showed Cathy another series of 4 photos where the model had her own hair drawn back into a high, tight bun, and then covered it with a ?wiglet? of mountainous curls of differing shapes and sizes. Cathy was overwhelmed by all her choices. ?Can I just try some different looks on to feel what they would be like?? ?Sure you can! Why don?t you just sit here and put your hair up into a high bun like this picture, and I?ll go pick out a few different styles for starters.? It took Cathy a good 10 minutes to get her hair up comfortably. Of course the fact she never wore her hair up so high on her head contributed to that. With practice she was sure she could cut the time down considerably. Margo was more than ready, and double checked the stability of Cathy?s bun for her. She suggested some different ways to pin it for better hold, and then delicately assisted her customer sliding a few additional pins in place. The one thing Cathy couldn?t seem to manage is to get her hair to draw back straight so her center part disappeared. All the photos in the book showed the hair drawn straight back with no sign of a part. She commented on this to Margo. ?No problem. You?ll have to spray this pretty good with hairspray anyway to keep it in place. That should do the trick.? Then she reached over and picked up a large can of old fashioned, stiff, hair spray and a comb. ?May I?? It never occurred to Cathy that she would have to coat her hair with spray each day. She hated for her hair to feel like anything but its perfectly healthy silkiness. Yet she didn?t want to act like a total wimp in front of this saleslady. ?I guess,? somehow came out. Margo absolutely drenched her hair with the product, and then used the comb all over to smooth it all in place. Like magic her center part was gone. Then she hit it again with another long layer of spray. Cathy?s hair looked closer to brunette now than blonde from all the product. She cringed at the thought of what it felt like now. ?Would I have to spray it like this every day?? ?If you opt for a wiglet, absolutely. If you get the full wig it would depend on how heavy a wig you get. The more weight or mass, the more spray you should use to hold it all together.? ?Wouldn?t pins hold it in place without the spray?? ?For a while, sure. But if you?re going to wear this all day you want to make sure none of the pins will slip out of your hair. It?s no big deal. It washes right out.? Cathy finally got the nerve to touch her hair now that the spray had dried. It felt absolutely horrendous, all stiff like a helmet. For the better part of the next hour she saw herself in a wide variety of different wigs. Most were her own hair color though many were different colors since that particular style wasn?t in stock in her hair color. It was so odd seeing herself as a bleached blonde, or a redhead, or a brunette. She even tried on one that was basically gray hair just to see if she liked the style. That was a frightening apparition! Margo started with the wiglets, which were certainly the easiest to apply, and the lightest, and also the least expensive. But Cathy wasn?t sold on having to plaster her own hair in place each day just to wear one. She didn?t want to be a true helmet-head every day. It was OK if her wig was sprayed stiff. The same didn?t apply to her own hair. Next she tried the full wigs that were supposedly possible with her own long hair. She was certainly glad she wasn?t born 50 years ago where people tortured their own hair into these outlandish styles. It would be horrifying just to hear someone suggest she ?tease? her hair. Still, it was fun trying on all the outlandish styles, especially the huge ?Beehives? and such that towered high above her head. There was no way these could become her regular style. Maybe for a company special event, just for a laugh. Even then, Cathy could feel them tugging at her hair already, their mass and size trying to fall. In fact all of the long-hair styles were really tugging. For this reason she explored the possibility of shorter styles. Sure people would know it was a wig, but was that really an issue? After trying on another dozen or so wigs, Cathy settled on a shoulder length flip very similar to the style Marlo Thomas wore on the television show ?That Girl?. In fact the wig she tried on first was dark brown just like Ms. Thomas, and Cathy actually seriously considered getting a shade other than her natural haircolor. However, when she tried on the same style in her own shade she knew this was the wig she should get. Not that she really felt she looked any better, for it just seemed so odd to see her self in a style that truly didn?t look like a wig. (The brunette one was actually easier to look at for her because it was obviously not her hair.) The thick wall of bangs would certainly take getting used to, but at least they were short enough that they didn?t fall in her line of vision. Cathy just knew that she didn?t want to come across to potential clients any more fake than she really was. Thus her hairstyle might not be real, but at least the color would be. The wig was also very light and ?breathable?, so it took only minimal amounts of hairspray on her own hair prior to putting it on, and it really didn?t tug at all, nor was it ever in jeopardy of falling off once pinned in place. She also bought one of the wiglets, just in case she felt like varying her look on occasion, or for times when her other wig would have to go in and get washed and restyled. She didn?t relish the fact she?d have to plaster her hair with spray on those days. On the way home she dropped by her normal salon and bought some strong hairspray from her stylist Jessica, who was full of questions about Cathy?s new job.
Two full days were needed for Cathy to purchase enough of a wardrobe that she could go for two weeks without repeating herself. It was the strangest shopping experience of her life, buying clothes she would never consider wearing but now was obligated to. It wasn?t a question of what she liked the best. More like what she detested the least. Surprisingly she did find all the clothes quite comfortable and seemingly durable. The weekend before she was to start she practiced getting dressed in her who ensemble, experimenting with different combinations and trying to get comfortable with it all. She had to laugh out loud the first time she saw her reflection in full attire with makeup and wig in place. She didn?t even recognize herself, and doubted friends or even family would be able to either. To her surprise she almost liked her reflection, at least for the role she was playing, and figured it would take a while but could get used to it. She?d have to. Her first day of work found Cathy unable to take the grin off her face. Everywhere she looked, and everyone she talked with looked fresh from an old television sitcom. It was?marvelous, and everyone seemed to be so comfortable and enjoying themselves so. The staff she was directly affiliated with were young, highly professional and very entertaining. She hit it off with all immediately. And so her new job began. Cathy never remembered so looking forward to going to work, just to see how everyone looked if for no other reason. Once that was behind her, she found the job challenging, rewarding, and a true joy. This had been one smart decision. Over the next month she noted that the men?s uniform was pretty plain and standard, so all the men looked basically the same each day. It was hard getting used to seeing so many flattops and crew cuts, or nerd-like greased down short hairstyles. Especially since these people, for the most part, weren?t Nerds. For the women there was a direct correlation between how long they had worked at the company and the extent of their wardrobe. That made sense, as they certainly acquired more and more with time. What was also interesting is that most of the newer employees wore wigs, some with a wide variety of styles and colors, but most sticking with one or two basic styles. Her shoulder length flip style, or a variation of it, was clearly the most common style. However the veteran employees, much to her surprise, usually chose not to wear a wig, instead having their own hair cut and coaxed into the unnatural dimensions of the day. Cathy was amazed that these women had any hair left at all, what with all the ?backcombing? and spraying needed on a daily basis. Probably the biggest treat of the first year for Cathy was the office Christmas Party, where everyone could finally take off their costumes and dress the way they ?really? looked. Cathy wore a fairly flamboyant dress, with her hair trailing down behind her back. Having it tucked up underneath a wig each day on the job gave her no desire at all to wear the French Twist she would have worn in past years to similar functions. It took all night for her to ?meet? everyone and figure out who some of them were as everybody looked so completely different. Many of the women who wore wigs each day had hair nothing like she expected. Some had quite long hair, though nothing close to her length, while others had very trendy, punk hair in direct opposition to their conservative old fashioned looks at work. Even the women who didn?t wear wigs, their hair no longer teased and shellacked, looked great. Most had a version of a ?bob?, and it amazed her that this cut could be made to look very trendy one day and totally retro the next. She even found many of the men, their hair no longer full of Brylcreem and dressed in something besides white shirts and black tie, extremely attractive. The party lasted well into the morning and she only left because she simply couldn?t stay awake any longer, not because she wasn?t having a fantastic time. Work became even more fun, as now Cathy knew her co-workers out of ?costume? as well as in costume. Soon many became a circle of friends that she saw outside of work as well.
Her first company road trip, where she had to fly across country in ?costume?, gave Cathy her first unpleasant wig experience. By now she was quite used to the hairpiece, and often even forgot she had it on. Of course catching her reflection in a mirror always made her do a double-take. However on the flight, the airline chair really put pressure on her wig in an odd way, tugging at the pins and causing more than discomfort. Prior to the second leg of the journey she tried a different pinning pattern hoping it would help. It didn?t. On the flight home she was constantly in the bathroom readjusting her wig, trying to find a way to keep it on without hurting her scalp. Nothing worked. She went back to the House of Hair to ask Margo what she should do. Margo conceded that airline seats were tough, and she might want to opt for the wiglet on airplanes in the future. Cathy still hadn?t had the nerve to wear the wiglet to work even once yet, but decided she would give it a try on her next plane trip for the company. A month later she got her next assignment out of state, and reluctantly shellacked her hair quite thoroughly and put on the fascinating arrangement of ?sausage curls? over her bun. It had been so long since she saw herself in this style that she quite forgot what she looked like. Certainly different since she was wearing one of the same outfits she would normally wear to work with her ?That Girl? hairstyle. Only this time the hair was up and the bangs gone. In a way it looked kind of?glamorous. Or at least glamorous 50 years ago. On the plane flight it was an improvement over the other wig, but still the angle it sat on her head forced her neck forward in an uncomfortable way. Here was another reason that ?bouffant hair? was a thing of the past. Once she returned Cathy again sought out Margo for advice, trying to find a hairstyle that would work on plane flights and satisfy the company. Margo suggested a style that sits directly on top of the head, so it didn?t press back against the seat. Cathy found herself letting Margo arrange her long hair into a tight bun directly on top of her head. This required even more hairspray as the back needed a lot to stay in place. Cathy was still gasping from the fumes as a wiglet of shell curls was slid over the bun. The new look was almost comical in the heights it reached. Margo also slid a ?Beehive? wiglet over her bun, despite a ?you?ve got to be kidding? from Cathy at the very idea. However once it was in place Cathy actually found herself liking the look much more than the mounds of curls. It was simpler and not nearly as gaudy as she expected. Amazingly she found herself purchasing the ?Beehive? for her next road trip, despite the fact the attachment was quite pricey. She also found herself occasionally wearing her curly wiglet to work, especially on days of major meetings. It made her feel special in spite of being ?helmet-head?. The extra attention she got by this slight variation was a real delight. On her next road trip she was not alone, as a four person team was sent out to a major business expo. Cathy nervously donned her ?Beehive? for the first time. The back of her hair had to be plastered several times with spray to lock in place making her quite uncomfortable with the whole thing. But when the others in her crew couldn?t stop complimenting her look, and she was able to rest in the seats in complete comfort she knew she found her official ?travel? style. Eventually Cathy got her travel do?s down to a science. Beehive for all plane travel, wiglets for special gatherings, and her ?That Girl? flip for more casual get-togethers. For one day trips, the beehive worked just fine both in the plane and the meeting room.
On one such day trip Cathy found herself stuck in the airport. Her own flight was delayed by weather in another city, and she found herself wandering around trying to kill off a few hours. She visited every shop in the terminal, even discovering a few she never knew were there. There was even a small barber shop and beauty salon. She wondered who would visit a beauty salon in an airport. Since it was empty she figured not too many. Eventually she just sat down in a restaurant and relaxed with a cup of coffee, trying to ignore the obnoxious group of obese children at the table next to her, their parents off in search of even more food for their insatiable appetites. Then she felt something hit her head or, more correctly, her hair. The laughter from the kid?s table told her the source of the missile. ?Sorry lady,? said one of the boys, who then started busting out laughing. She reached up to feel her hair, feeling something foreign sticking to her beehive wiglet. She quickly strode to the bathroom, horrified to see a large cheese covered nacho stuck to her hair. She delicately peeled it away, but a huge amount of the cheese sauce stayed behind. She carefully unpinned it from her hair and tried to remove the substance without damaging the wig. But the more she tried the more it seemed to spread, making the style look worse and worse. The memory of the beauty salon filled Cathy?s mind, and she hoped the stylist there would be able to clean the wig. She quickly jogged through the terminal, aware she had only an hour before her plane departed. Not nearly enough time to run out and hunt down another wig store. The elderly stylist was sympathetic but explained the wig would have to be professionally cleaned and restyled at a wig shop. ?So what do I do?? Cathy exclaimed. The beautician didn?t understand. ?What?s so important about having your hair like that? Frankly, a beehive is a very outdated style. If you want your hair up, there are dozens of other ways that would be much more flattering.? Cathy explained who she worked for and the role appearance played in her job. The stylist smiled a bit but felt for the distressed traveler. Then an idea hit her. ?How long is your hair?? she asked Cathy. ?Down a bit past my waist actually. Why?? ?Well, if you want I could arrange your own hair to match the wig.? Cathy just looked at her dumbfounded. ?You?re kidding, right?!? ?No, not at all. I used to do those things all the time back in the 60?s.? ?I don?t want to cut my hair?? ?You wouldn?t have to. It?s really quite easy actually.? ?But?.you?d have to tease it.? ?Not much. In fact I?d actually cheat and put filler in and just wrap your hair around it.? ?Filler?? ?Sure, a mold or something. It was a real common trick years ago.? Cathy somehow found herself sitting down, letting this complete stranger take down her bun. Having her own hair done in a beehive was the last thing she wanted, but she seemed to have absolutely no alternative. She sat dazed as her high ponytail was brushed out. She even hoped that any second the stylist would say she has too much hair and that it wouldn?t be possible. However such a statement was never said, and when the stylist reached for her teasing comb she could relax no longer. ?Won?t this destroy my hair?? ?Why would you think that?? ?You know, the teasing and such.? ?Not at all. I?m really going to go easy on it. Don?t worry.? That was easy for her to say, but when Cathy saw a section of the ponytail separated, lifted straight up, and then quickly backcombed the entire length she could actually feel her pulse quicken. This mussed section was thrown forward of her face, blocking her view of the next section which she could feel was now being separated and given equal treatment. At least she couldn?t see what was happening. That might be a blessing. Still, eight times she felt a section separated and teased before finally all the backcombing was done. Then the mass was drawn back and Cathy could see what had become of her precious hair. It was not as bad as she feared, but it was still quite a large, snarled mass. The stylist was smoothing it out a bit with a large paddle brush. Cathy winced as she felt some snags tugged quite mercilessly. But then the brush was set down, and Cathy noted her ponytail now looked quite smooth but about twice as thick. The stylist then took two large plastic rollers and pinned them just in front of the ponytail base standing upward. Then the hair was arranged in a clockwise swirl around the curlers, completely hiding them from view. The curlers made the mass of hair seem to at least triple in size, and soon a beehive took shape. Cathy sat amazed as her own hair was delicately pinned and prodded to look almost exactly like her wiglet. It only took the stylist about 10 minutes to do. A thick, long layer of spray insured it would last the day, at least. Cathy winced as the thick product was applied, hoping her hair would forgive her this injustice and end up no worse for wear. Still, she had to admit the stylist had done an admirable job and she was very appreciative this airport had such a salon. To think a few hours ago she was making fun of the place. She found herself tipping the stylist quite a bit. Then she put her ruined wiglet in her purse and headed back into the concourse. She delicately touched her hair, quivering at the sensation of her own hair stiff as a helmet. She was sure her hair would never be the same. The style did hold, perfectly, for the whole day. It was also much more comfortable than the wiglet, and lighter too since no additional weight was added. Cathy was almost sad that she couldn?t always have her hair done like this for trips rather than wear the wig. But the damage she was sure she had done to her hair was good reason to never consider this as a possibility. That evening she delicately undid her hair, holding her breath all the time. A shower and careful detangling followed, along with lots of conditioner. The next morning she rose to find her hair no worse for the experience. Amazing!
Cathy Harrington was very good at her job, which found her constantly being assigned to more and more new clients. That was fine with her, as she rather enjoyed the numerous one or two day trips necessary in her business dealings. Her beehive wiglet, cleaned and restored into shape, found itself being used quite often. If it weren?t so expensive Cathy probably would have bought a second, so she would have one to fall back on in case she had to go out of town while it was being cleaned, or if another Nacho incident were to happen. But she didn?t.
That spring, while strolling to the airport for yet another one day trip, a sudden downpour caught her quite by surprise. It was more of a deluge, and by the time she was in the terminal was quite drenched. She went to the ladies room and tried her best to look presentable, only to discover her wiglet looked quite waterlogged and lopsided. She again went to the airport salon, trying to see if the stylist could rejuvenate it. However she discovered this would again require a full cleaning, etc? which was something best left to the wig store. Vivian, the stylist, remembered Cathy from before, and asked if any damage had come from her last visit to the salon. When Cathy conceded that none had, the suggestion was made to have a repeat performance. Cathy reluctantly agreed, and again found herself seated as her high ponytail was once more teased and arranged to match her wiglet. The thick layer of heavy lacquer was then applied, and she was quickly out the door. Cathy recalled a bit how much more comfortable it was not to wear a wiglet, but didn?t remember it feeling this liberating. The day went ever so smoothly, and despite being taken back by the feel of her shellacked hair, again wished that she could duplicate this style whenever she so desired. When she was able to restore her hair with no hint of damage, this fueled the sentiments even more. Two months later, when a sudden day trip became necessary at the same time her beehive wiglet was in being washed, Cathy confidently just strode into the salon, not even bothering to have her hair up in the ponytail first, and asked Vivian to again duplicate the beehive. This time the stylist changed it just a bit, French twisting the back prior to forming the high ponytail. When Cathy asked about the change Vivian told her to relax and that it would look even better, hold even better, and certainly do no damage to her hair. Cathy carefully watched the whole backcombing procedure, as well as exactly how the style was pinned and shaped, and when done believed she knew how to duplicate the look herself. When she was shown the finished look from the back she grinned knowing that she?d never again have it any other way. It looked fantastic, and since she was quite competent at putting her hair up in a French twist figured this would be very easy to do. Later that week she spent a little time in her dressing room playing with duplicating the twist prior to the pony tail and found the process quite simple. Then she attached her beehive wiglet and found herself quite proud of herself, though she definitely felt the difference between the attachment and how it felt when Vivian had arranged her hair. It certainly felt much better sans the wiglet. Cathy then toyed with pinning the two big curlers and trying to reproduce the style without teasing her hair. She spent the good part of an evening with no success. There just wasn?t a way to keep the length in check. The backcombing acted as a bonding method to keep it all together. On Cathy?s next trip to the supermarket, as she passed the hair-care section, she unconsciously found herself purchasing a teasing comb, as well as a jumbo sized can of even stronger holding hairspray. That very evening Cathy Harrington twisted her hair into the now familiar high ponytail. Then she stood in front of a mirror and, for the first time ever, practiced backcombing her hair. At first she did it so little that nothing came of it, but eventually she was being probably more thorough than Vivian, and soon the entire length of her ponytail was a mussed series of snarls. Cathy then tried smoothing the mass, ignoring the occasional ripping sounds she heard. Once finished, she practiced winding it in place around the two vertical curlers. This was better, but it became immediately obvious that she had smoothed too much of the backcombing out. It was getting late, so she took her hair down, washed and conditioned it, and then carefully restored it to normal. The very next night found Cathy again trying to duplicate the style. She was perhaps too thorough teasing it this time, and was quite light on the smoothing process. This time it was fairly easy pin it all in place, but the finished look lacked polish. It wasn?t smooth enough and the shape wasn?t very symmetrical. Cathy did note that her beehive seemed even a little larger than her wiglet or the one Vivian did. She was strangely almost proud of that fact. For the next week Cathy could be found spending about an hour or two trying to duplicate the style. By midway through the week she produced a smallish but very symmetrical version of the hive, and by weeks end was satisfied she could reproduce a version matching her wiglet whenever she wanted. The last evening she found herself backcombing her hair far more than Vivian had in an effort to make a truly large beehive. It worked, and Cathy found herself happily strutting around her home in the huge ?do, thick with enough extra hold spray to last for a week. She didn?t know why, but she found the larger version much more becoming and?fun. She wondered how big her beehive could ultimately be. This question filled her mind for some time, and eventually she gave into her inquisitiveness and found herself again visiting Vivian, requesting absolutely the biggest beehive possible. Vivian grinned at first, and then warned Cathy that the amount of teasing involved would not be good for her hair. It would all have to be back-combed first before any twist or ponytail was formed. ?I just want to do it this once, just for the fun of it,? Cathy stated. ?Just once shouldn?t hurt my hair too bad, will it?? ?Not too bad. Just use lots of conditioner and then be gentle with your hair for a while.? ?I promise.? With that Cathy found herself watching her entire head of hair almost viciously teased. Yet rather than panic she found herself giggling as the mass grew and grew. By the time Vivian put down her teasing comb, Cathy was nearly laughing out loud. Her hair was huge. The familiar twist up the back was formed, only this time was quite sizeable. The rest of the hair, rather than being drawn into a high ponytail, was directed upward with the aid of numerous hairpins and spray. Finally the whole mass was formed around a base of 5 large vertical curlers into an absolutely huge hive that towered above her head. Cathy was mesmerized by the entire process, and didn?t even make a face as layer after layer of spray locked it in place. She left and drove home, ignoring the faces of onlookers both shocked and humored by her giant style. When she got home she spent the longest time just studying her look from every angle, and even checked her look when she tried on numerous work outfits. She even found herself trying on some of her dressiest and most elegant outfits, somehow even liking the reflection that shone back at her. Eventually she needed to take her hair down and restore it. She discovered this was no easy task and it took her late in the night before she could finally run a comb through her length again. A huge handful of broken hairs had to be deposited in the trash. For some reason Cathy wasn?t saddened by this. It had been worth it.
The very next week found Cathy off for another business trip. Rather than don the wiglet, she quite professionally backcombed and arranged her length into the beehive, locking it in place with probably too much spray. The finished look seemed so small compared to the giant version she had worn the week before, and only by comparing it to the wiglet could she convince herself that it was big enough to even be considered anything more than a big bun. That trip also marked the last time Cathy ever donned the beehive wiglet. She much preferred the comfort of just arranging her own hair in the style. Plus, she had to admit, she quite enjoyed the process of styling her hair. As she got more and more proficient the beehives seemed to each time get a little larger in height and diameter. It was simple, she learned, to add to the dimensions. Just a little bit more teasing here, and a little bit more spray there. There finally came a long stretch where Cathy was not sent out for any trips, and she found herself just wearing her Marlo Thomas flip each day to work, almost longing for an excuse to have her hair up again. But nothing at work seemed to be fitting her donning the teased updo. At home she found herself spending time in the bathroom considering possibilities with her hair, and then one night she set about trying to duplicate the giant beehive she had last asked Vivian to produce. She found herself actually enjoying the whole backcombing process, though it was quite difficult to know if she was doing it all correctly as she often had to work only by feel. Unsatisfied that she had truly been as thorough as the stylist, she went over and over until her hair was a huge mass of tangles. She totally ignored the frequent tearing sounds that accompanied the smoothing process, but was quite disappointed with the outcome. This was much more difficult to duplicate than she anticipated, and that first try didn?t even come close. It took her hours to detangle her hair, and several handfuls of broken pieces were dropped in the trash can. For some reason Cathy could not accept her failure at duplicating the look, and for the next several weeks spent hours each night trying yet again. She found herself getting quite adept at all the teasing, yet failing when directing the huge mass where she wanted it to go. Still, practice makes perfect. Eventually she was able to get a satisfactory result, though she conceded that if she ever truly wanted to go out in public like this she would have Vivian do it for her. It wasn?t until a week later, when she went to visit her ?usual? stylist, Sandy, for a long overdue trim, did she realize how bad of shape her hair was in. While it used to be healthy and full from roots to ends, numerous broken shafts and splits now made the last 6 inches notably thinner. When asked about this by Sandy, Cathy lied. She just said her new job required lots of hairspray and some teasing on a regular basis. She never spoke of all the savage treatment she had been willingly subjecting her hair to. Sandy actually suggested she might want to consider a shorter style for work, even as short as a ?bob?. Cathy was horrified by the very idea, but eventually did give in to a fairly major trim to try and restore her hair to its former glory. Sandy ended up lopping off nearly 6 inches, meaning it only reached to the small of her back now rather than below her waist. This was the shortest it had been since mid-school. Cathy shed a few tears watching it all get snipped off, but was happy when, after blow drying and curving the ends under a bit, she left with hair that looked healthy and full again.
A few weeks later Cathy was once again back to teasing her hair into the familiar beehive again for business trips. With notably less length it took a fair amount of backcombing to produce even the same size as her wiglet. Yet she wanted it bigger still, and so more intense teasing was the result. She also wondered if the giant version of the style would be any easier with her now shorter length. Much to her delight it was, and numerous evenings when she found herself bored would she retreat to her bathroom and recreate the style. Unfortunately this all took a heavy toll on her hair, and in just two months the ends once again were visibly thinning with countless broken and split hairs. She sadly visited Sandy once more, and again suffered the indignity of watching another 6 inches fall to the floor. Her hair now only reached mid back. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
A week later Cathy learned that to produce even a small version of her beehive required her to duplicate the steps Vivian had done to make the huge version. There simply wasn?t enough length to work with, and eventually Cathy had to let go of her desire to see herself in a giant version of the style again. She found herself looking at her co-workers, becoming interested in the other styles of the period. She even took out the manual and thumbed through acceptable styles again. She stopped when she saw a longish version of the flip she usually wore. Only this one didn?t have bangs. Instead the top was teased up a bit and parted from right to left. She found it totally enchanting. She tried to picture herself in such a style but couldn?t. So she headed out to Hair Affair Wig Salon hoping they would have such a wig in stock. They did. Unfortunately it wasn?t her color, but an obviously unreal shade of red. To make matters worse, the style was discontinued and she wouldn?t be able to get another in her shade. She asked if this one could be dyed to match her hair color. No luck there either. Still, Cathy loved how she looked in the style, constantly checking her profile from every angle. She tugged at the length in back, noting it really was only a few inches shorter than her own hair was now. For the fun of it she tried on some more, even shorter wigs, but she always came back to the same longish flip. If only it were in a more natural color. Over the next few months Cathy gave up trying to reproduce the beehive for business trips and just started using the wiglet again. At work she mixed her usual flip with the shell curl wiglet almost daily, but was bored. She visited the wig store several times hoping to find something new to spark her interest, but always just ended up noting that same long flip. She then visited all the other wig stores, hoping one of them would have the wig in her color. She did find one in black (hideous) and another that was very bleached blonde (even worse), but sadly none in her shade. She tried the internet also, hoping somewhere it could be found. No luck. Eventually she even contacted the manufacturer only to learn that this style was never made in her shade in the first place. She could stop searching. It simply wasn?t out there.
Cathy tried to put the style out of her mind, but couldn?t. She even found herself trying to duplicate the look on her own hair. She failed, but also knew hers was a bit too long anyway. If she were willing to part with a few inches, then maybe?. But the fact was she wasn?t willing to part with even more. She wanted it long again like it used to be, so she could have the big beehive again. However over the next few months the urge became stronger and stronger. Several times she visited the wig store again, trying on that same wig. Then one day she came in only to find that someone else had bought the wig. She was heartbroken. She went home, got out her training manual, and looked through the list of hair salons. She found one near her house and made an appointment with an elderly stylist named Gracey. Two days later she was caped and seated, explaining to Gracey who she worked for and showing her the picture of the long flip. The stylist told her it would be no problem and soon she was having her longish hair (it certainly couldn?t be called long anymore in her eyes) washed and combed out. Cathy was almost numb as she watched another four inches of length taken off. It was perhaps an inch or two more than she expected to lose. What remained was still past her shoulders, but only by a few inches, or so it seemed. What came as more of a shock was seeing the front of the crown get taken down even further. While at first she feared she was about to end up with bangs, the wall of hair combed down in front of her face was trimmed to chin level. Clippings nearly 8 inches long fell on her lap. Once over that shock, Cathy was in for another surprise, watching her hair get rolled up in curlers. With her former long hair such a ritual never produced results that lasted for more than 15 minutes. She studied the pattern carefully so she?d be able to duplicate it. The part she would be wearing was clearly defined in the setting pattern. It took less than 30 minutes under the dryer before she was done. It was amazing how much less time was needed to dry her now shorter hair. Cathy grinned as the curlers came out and she was greeted by full, luscious curls. Never had she seen her hair like this. Gracey brushed them carefully into a beautiful full flip, though a modern one right now since she hadn?t done any backcombing. ?I can leave it like this right now, or did you want me to match the picture?? ?Oh, like the picture please.? Cathy was getting excited to see what she would look like. The stylist started backcombing all over, though much heavier on the top front and crown, and quite lightly on the sides and the back. Then the side part was reformed and the whole style was carefully smoothed into place. A heavy layer of spray locked it in place. It was exactly like the picture, and Cathy was enthralled. It didn?t even look like an old fashioned style to her. Rather, it looked like a very trendy, elegant style. The next week took Cathy a while to get used to. First, the shock of having so much less hair, and then learning to reproduce the look herself. She had to wear her Marlo Thomas wig to work each day as she wasn?t ready yet to unveil her new style until she had mastered it. Rather than sit under a dryer she would set her hair before going to bed and sleep in the big curlers. This took some getting used to, but eventually she did. Finally, a full 9 days from when she first had it done, Cathy showed up at work with her new hairstyle. Others applauded her choice, and were even more talkative when they discovered it was her own hair and not a wig. Cathy had never told anyone about all the gradual trims she had had recently, so everyone still thought her hair was below her waist. Cathy wore the new style proudly every day, including on trips. At the Christmas party she still wore the flip, just without any teasing. She actually preferred it with the backcombing and was happy to return to ?normal? the next day at work. About six weeks later she went back and saw Gracey for a trim. As she saw only about an inch taken off, she inquired if it was possible to make the flip on the end a little tighter, so it was almost a full barrel instead of just half of one. A smaller curler was one way, but Cathy wanted the flip the same size. ?I could cut it a bit shorter, with some layers on the end encouraging the curl. That would do the trick. But it would also look kind of funny if it wasn?t worn in a flip.? Since Cathy always wore the flip now she agreed to the minor modification. She did get a little nervous to see that ?a bit shorter? meant a good two inches coming off, the remaining length only falling to her shoulders now, and the layered ends were a few inches shorter than that. The final look though, with a huge, very full flipped up barrel of a curl on the ends, instantly pleased her. The fact her hair didn?t even touch her shoulders now was just fine. She loved this new look, and easily mastered reproducing it in a matter of minutes at home.
Thumbing through her scrapbook, Cathy saw pictures of herself when she used to have long hair, and she wore the beehive wiglet, and then her own hair in the style. She found herself missing how grand she could arrange her hair. Her current style, which she adored, seemed so bland in comparison. She again found herself thumbing through the book of acceptable company styles, and noting other female employees at work. What amazed her was how full and varied some of these ladies wore their hair, and it truly was their hair and not a wig. At a company picnic she got to see the women with their hair in a natural state, discovering basically all wore a near shoulder length ?bob?: the style most in demand because it had the most options. Cathy couldn?t have imagined years ago ever desiring such a thing, however here she was now seriously pondering it. A trip to the wig store, trying on various bouffant styles of the ?bob? solidified it, and in no time she was seated in front of Gracey asking for a ?bob?. It was a bit nerve-wracking hearing the scissors so close to her ears and seeing even more length fall. What remained was perfectly even all around, falling just to her collar in back , and just long enough to cover her ears on the sides with perhaps a few inches to spare. Cathy shook her head in disbelief that she now had so much shorter hair. ?Is there a certain way you?d like it arranged today?? asked the stylist. ?I?m not sure,? said Cathy as she dug into her purse for a stack of pictures she had copied from her manual. ?You know you won?t be able to do a flip any more. It?s not long enough.? ?I know. But I?ll be able to do all these things with it.? She showed the stylist a stack of a dozen different hairstyles, some much larger in dimension than others. Gracey separated the stack into two piles. The less dramatic ones in one stack, the wilder ones in the other. She pointed to the more tame examples. ?These are all done with a ?bob?, but the others are all a bubble.? Cathy was at a loss. ?What?s a bubble?? ?It?s basically your same bob, just a little shorter on the sides, with the back taken up shorter still, sometimes mistaken as an inverted bob. The wide variety of different lengths all over make for almost unlimited different style possibilities. A bubble was probably the most popular cut 50 years ago because you could make the hair look short, or construct updos that looked like you had to have very long hair.? Cathy sadly looked at the stack of styles she had been hoping to copy. ?You mean I can?t wear my hair like this?? ?Not unless I give you a bubble.? ?But then I can?t wear my hair like this,? she said, pointing to the stack of ?bob? pictures. ?Oh no, all those looks can be accomplished just as easily with a bubble,? Gracey said confidently. Cathy bit her lip as she felt her now much shorter hair, noting it had never been this short in her entire life. Then she looked at all the photos. ?How much shorter would a bubble be?? ?About an inch or so on the sides, but more than that in the back.? ?And you say it looks kind of like an inverted bob when not all teased up?? In truth Cathy had no idea what an inverted bob was. ?Very similar, yes. Did you want to try a bubble?? Cathy was stunned to hear herself mutter the words ?I suppose so.? And just like that her fresh bob, still damp, was spritzed with water and combed through. Cathy found herself holding her breath as she watched the sides of her hair get snipped even shorter. They still covered her ears, but the spare inches now lie on the floor. However the back was a different story, and Cathy grew quite concerned as she felt everything touching her collar cut off, and then seemingly endless amounts reaching further and further up the back falling to the floor. An electric clipper was even used to clean up her neckline, sending shivers down her spine. Never had this device been used on her hair. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was eventually put away. Both sides were then taken back a bit more at a slight angle to blend into the back. The very tips of her earlobes were now visible. Finally the scissors were put away and Cathy was shown the damage. Her eyes widened when she got her first look at the back, her neck fully visible and the length at the nape hardly an inch long. However it very quickly blended into longer sections. She now recognized what an inverted bob was, and while this style wasn?t exactly the same, could be interpreted as such. Still, it looked much shorter than she anticipated, and when she touched it became alarmed that it felt even worse. She shook her head sadly, noting how little length was left to move. ?Oh God, it?s so short!? Tears were forming in her eyes. ?Relax, after I show you how to work with it you?ll love it. Now which one of these styles would you like done?? she said, pointing to the stack of pictures. Cathy pointed to one that looked like it could only be done with hair much longer than she had. It had a side part and an explosion of volume on top. The back looked like a French twist. She didn?t think there was any way her current length could look like the picture. In a matter of minutes her hair was rolled in an intricate pattern of curlers, all varying in size. Some were very small, almost like perm rods. After 30 minutes under the dryer they came out, and Cathy now had a full head of curls like Little Orphan Annie. Unfortunately it now made her hair look even shorter, with most of her ears now visible. Now she was even more confident this had been a huge mistake. Gracey brushed through and then thoroughly teased her entire head of hair. When finished it literally stuck straight out in all directions, but at least it looked longer now. Even the short, 1 inch length at her nape was teased, and then somehow it all was directed, re-routed, and arranged to form an exact copy of the picture. From the back it truly looked like she had long tresses French twisted up the back instead of the very little length she actually had. By the time it was shellacked in place a smile had returned to Cathy?s face. It was marvelous. Gracey even gave Cathy a series of step-by-step photographs showing how she could duplicate this style, as well as others at home. Cathy stepped from the salon very confident, marveling as she touched her now quite stiff, quite short, but intricately arranged style. That weekend she played with other options of her bubble, only to find that the very intricate styles really demanded the expert touch of a stylist. The simpler ones she got the hang of and, while they were kind of fun, really didn?t look as good on her as her flip did. Several times she went back to Gracey to have a different, more complex style arranged with her hair, hoping that by watching the process she could duplicate it. Much as she might have liked the end result, it was just too difficult for her to do herself, especially dealing with the short hairs on the back of her head. She already missed her longer hair, and soon she was back at the wig store, picking up three new wigs, all styles that could be accomplished with her bubble if she had the time and ability. Cathy simply wasn?t that skilled with her hair, and resorted to wearing the wigs each day to work instead. Her hair was far too short to get away with a wiglet now, so she put them away in her closet hoping one day her hair would once again be long enough to use them. While Cathy loved the way a bubble looked when all ratted into fabulous styles, she couldn?t say much for the way it looked just down and straight. It had just no real life to it, and she conceded that it was time to grow it out long again. At least long enough to do a flip of some kind. Plus she?d like enough to draw up into a ponytail so she could again wear wiglets.
Paul Marino was a part of the company computer team. At work he very much looked the classic computer geek, with his black and white outfit, black tie, as well as his black hair that was greased down, with a hard left to right part. But out of work he was a real good looking guy, even if his hair was a bit short for Cathy?s tastes (she liked to be able to play with the hair of any man she was dating, especially in the bedroom). He asked her to lunch out of the blue one day, and in a matter of weeks it dawned on her that they were, in fact, dating. It seemed so comfortable to Cathy that this was unlike any relationship she ever had before. She didn?t have to always have her guard up. The two could talk about anything and everything, and both had matching senses of humor and competitive natures. One weekend Cathy asked if Paul would like to join her for lunch. He agreed, though he did need to get a haircut that day so he couldn?t hang out too long. The couple both had a few drinks, and Cathy began stroking Paul?s hair, knowing in a few hours it would be too short to grab, but was necessary to maintain his look for the company. ?It?s too bad you have to cut your hair, just as it?s getting long again.? ?Well, it?s a sacrifice I have to make for the company.? ?Well, at least you don?t have to go through what us women have to do with our hair.? ?What? Like wearing a wig is such a sacrifice. You don?t have to cut your hair and look like a geek.? ?I used to have real long hair. Look at it now.? ?But you chose to cut it. You could have worn a wig all along. Us men have no choice.? ?You don?t understand how uncomfortable a wig can be. In fact I?ll bet you couldn?t last 3 hours wearing one.? ?And I?ll bet you?d never cut your hair short like we have to wear it.? ?You?re on,? Cathy said, though the drinks she had certainly must have gone to her head. ?What do you mean?? Paul asked. ?I?ll get my hair cut just like yours on the condition that this weekend you wear one of my wigs for 3 hours.? ?I won?t have to go out in public would I?? ?No, but I have to see you in it the whole time.? ?OK, I?ll wear it at your place. What if one of us back out?? ?Then the loser has to buy the winner dinner every Saturday night for a month.? ?At the place of the winner?s choosing,? he added. ?Done.? The two shook on it.
It wasn?t until after lunch, as the couple walked into Fred?s Uptown Barbershop, that Cathy realized what she had just promised to do. Her Bubble was growing out nicely and soon could be reshaped at least into a ?bob?. But not if she followed through on her bet. It would end up far shorter than she could possibly imagine. What had she been thinking when she made this little deal. In all her life Cathy had never been in a barber shop, or really even looked into one. The shop was small, with one barber, a huge chair, and several customers in front of them. When Paul looked in the Barber, Fred, smiled at him. ?How?s it going Paul?? he asked. ?Just fine Fred,? was his casual reply. ?This is Cathy,? he added, pointing to her. ?Hello Cathy,? said Fred. Cathy smiled and nodded her head, not used to the informality of the place. The two then had a seat and waited for their turn. What interested Cathy was the fact customers were facing a blank wall instead of a mirror, so they couldn?t watch the haircut, plus the fact every cut she witnessed was done entirely with a comb and electric clippers. Never did she see the barber pick up a pair of scissors. It didn?t matter how long or short the desired style, this barber seemed to do everything with clippers. She started remembering the brief moment clippers had been used when producing her bubble. She wondered how it would feel to have them used all over her head. She wasn?t sure if she was frightened or intrigued. When it was finally Paul?s turn, he turned to Cathy and said ?You know you really don?t have to do this. I?ll do my part of the bargain anyway.? ?A deal?s a deal,? she said, unsure why she was willing to do this. She was staring at the last boy who just got off the chair with a fresh crew cut. His hair looked so soft and she was dieing to reach over and touch it. She had been intrigued with the whole clipper process, with the guards of varying lengths that allowed him to do this cut in so short of time. Paul was now caped in the chair. ?The usual?? asked Fred. ?Yeah.? The clippers dug in and rapidly transformed the little length Paul had on the back and sides into only a fraction of an inch. Yet the top, still parted and drawn over, was basically left alone. Cathy expected the haircut to be layered all over and then combed into place. This haircut, however, left the top longer so that it would only look right parted and drawn over. Plus Cathy didn?t truly recognize how short Paul?s hair actually was until now, and how short her own would soon be if she followed through with this deal. A line of shaving cream went around the ears and along the back, which was then expertly removed with a razor, making a noticeable difference in the severity of the cut. Cathy wondered if she would actually have the nerve to climb in the chair, and was glad no other new customers had entered the shop since the couple walked in the door. Some type of thick product was applied generously to what remained of Paul?s hair, which Cathy recognized was what gave it the ?greaser? look. Then Paul re-combed the hair into the old-fashioned desired style, and then spun the chair towards the big mirror so Paul could give his approval. Cathy got a better look at the back of his hair, nervous that so little remained. Her palms were sweating, but so much of her was also anxious to experience this whole procedure. And so as Paul stepped down Cathy was already on her feet, ready to sit in the big chair. She looked at her own hair in the mirror, amazed that it looked so much longer right now then she remembered. In fact it almost looked long enough to do a ?flip? with. ?Really, you don?t have to do this,? Paul said. ?I know,? she said with a wink, and sat down on the chair before the barber even asked. ?I didn?t realize you were here for a haircut too. I really don?t do ladies hairstyles.? ?I know. I?m here to get my cut just like Paul?s.? She couldn?t believe how calmly she got that out, and that she was actually looking forward to this. ?Exactly?? he said, staring at Paul. Cathy took a deep breath. ?Yeah, exactly.? ?You heard the woman. Just like mine,? Paul said with a bit of a smile. ?OK then.? And with that he spun the chair around, giving Cathy only a fleeting moment to get a last look at her ?long? hair. She was quickly robed, and then the barber lightly spritzed her hair with water and combed through it. Then she felt the hard, straight parting being made on the left side, and the top hairs all combed over so precisely, carefully patted in place. Already her hair felt so different, and nothing had even been cut off yet. The clippers roared to life as the barber stepped to her right side. She felt a comb lift a good section by her temple and heard the clippers hit hair. She didn?t really feel it though. But she did feel, and see, a huge chunk of clippings bounce down the robe into her lap. Judging by the length it was already too late to back down. No sooner did she get a look at that first lump of clippings on her lap than it was joined by another, and another, and another. The barber then stepped behind her and starting removing in on the back. She couldn?t really feel the clipper against her skin, but could tell a great deal was coming off. Soon her left side felt similar to her right, though she could tell both sides still had hair covering her ears. Then the machine was shut off and returned to the counter. Cathy was almost disappointed that she really didn?t feel the clippers. The barber returned to her side with a comb and spritzed her hair lightly once more, making sure the parted hair was in place just so. Suddenly another, higher pitched clipper came to life, and Cathy realized that there was much more to come. This time she got to feel the clipper against her scalp as even more length fell forward onto her lap. She held her breath as she felt them go clear around her ear. Nothing touched it anymore. The side was continually gone over and over again, until mercifully he stepped behind her and worked on the back. The sensation of having her hair cut back into a short taper was both frightening and invigorating. She was almost sorry when it was done. The clippers seemed to extend nearly all the way to the top, and she worried that she was going to end up with even less hair than Paul. She looked over at Paul, who was smiling at her. His hair looked even shorter to her now. The left side quickly was attacked, outlining that ear over and over again. Yet the hair above the part was never touched. The barber then worked all over her head, blending in the shorter sides with the longer top. Her bangs (It felt weird to say that. She never had bangs before) were briefly combed down in front of her face and then sliced off at eyebrow level. Then her hair was quickly drown over to the right once more. And then just as quickly as it came to life the clipper was silenced. Cathy nervously felt the warm shave cream applied around her ears and along the back, and then delicately removed. Her skin was all tingly even if it did leave a rather masculine scent. However feeling a huge wad of hair ?grease? massaged in was rather disgusting. She hadn?t expected to also be turned into a ?greaser?, but conceded she had asked for the same cut as Paul, and he now sat there most definitely slicked down. She almost giggled at the feel of her hair once more being parted and plastered into place. Then the chair was rotated and she got to see herself looking entirely different, entirely unfeminine, entirely like Paul. She had the exact same short haircut. She trembled as reality hit her, and she saw the huge mound of clippings on her lap fall to the floor as the cape was removed. She didn?t know she had that much to lose, but obviously she did. Touching her hair was quite a shock. There was so little left. After she got over the initial sensation, she found it quite pleasurable to touch, especially the shortest part of the taper in back. Later that evening she found it hard to keep her hands off her knew short haircut. That weekend Paul did live up to his part of the bargain. In fact the two even made love while he had the wig on. Kind of a role reversal love-making session. Cathy always wore a wig to work, never telling others what she had done to her hair. That next weekend, as Cathy was walking through the isles of the grocery store, she found herself buying an electric hair clipper set complete with numerous attachments. It took her several days to get the nerve to open the product, and she just stared at all the different guards, the longest which would keep at least an inch of length, while the shortest only left 1/8th of an inch. Some days she would compare how long one inch was to what she had left on her head. The sides were clearly shorter, but the top had a good four inches left. Her hands were constantly stroking the tapered part of her hair, adoring the sensation of the stubble. Then one evening she sat in front of her mirror, attached the longest guard to the clipper, and plugged it in. Almost unconsciously she watched herself draw the clipper directly over the top of her head, as huge amounts of clippings fell to the ground. Over and over again she ran the machine until all the top length was now one inch. She silenced the clipper and brushed through what remained, and then touched it. She really liked the feel, but it wasn?t short enough. She calmly switched to the next shorter guard and repeated the procedure. It still wasn?t short enough for her, and she kept working over and over again until she was using the shortest guard, reducing her entire head of hair to ? inch. She ran her hand over and over it, enjoying the velvety feel before it really dawned on her what she had just done. She looked at the floor, covered in clippings. She put the clipper away and cried a bit, but that was calmed when she ran her hand over her head. She enjoyed the sensation so, even if she did look horrible. At least in her wig her coworkers would never know. Amazing to think that only a few years ago she could sit on it. She wondered if it would ever be that long again. Much of her wanted her beautiful flowing mane back, especially since she had just gone the extreme distance. She put the clipper away, silently said a prayer hoping her hair would grow back quite quickly, and went to sleep.
Cathy opened her eyes with a start as she was being gently shaken awake. ?Rise and shine honey, you drifted off to sleep.? When Cathy?s surrounding came into focus, she immediately recognized the Wig Salon, and Margo, and the manual in front of her of all the acceptable work styles, and then she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was once again down past her waist, perfectly healthy. What had happened? ?So do you have any idea what kind of wig you?d like, or perhaps a wiglet,? Margo asked. Everything she had recalled or remembered of this whole hair ordeal had been a dream. Cathy sat trying to get a grasp on what was reality and what wasn?t. Then she looked at Margo and grinned. ?How about a wiglet,? Cathy confidently said. ?A ?beehive? wiglet.?
The End