She nervously opened the door and stepped in, immediately aware of
the numerous sets of eyes gazing at her, wondering what a woman was
doing in the bastion of maleness. It was a one-chair shop, and it was
busy. Four other customers, including the old man just now lumbering
into the chair, were ahead of her. She found herself checking her look
in the mirror, unconsciously running one hand through her hair as she
sat down in one of the cheap plastic chairs. They sold these at Wal-Mart
for about $15 each.
Though she had walked past this shop numerous times, actually being inside it now seemed much different. The smell of men?s hair products and cologne permeated the shop. The television was tuned into a baseball game. Conversation was short with little to no substance. And then there was the sound of the electric clippers, which were quite pronounced, especially as they bit into larger portions of hair.
Though she had noted it before, it still seemed strange to Carol that the customer had no mirror to watch what was happening. But at least the current customer, a boy probably around 12, didn?t seem to mind at all. He just watched the ball game as the barber quickly reduced what little length he started with down to almost nothing. As she watched, she was glad she had a picture to show the barber, as she had no idea how she would have worded her requested style. She certainly didn?t want to end up with a haircut like the current customer was getting.
The barber worked fast, and the line in front of Carol was dispensed within about 30 minutes. Thankfully no other customers had entered since she had set foot in the shop. She?d rather not be the center of attention to too many eyes. This was quite uncomfortable as it was.
When beckoned to the chair, she rose and took a last look at her current, shoulder length layered style, taking her right hand and sweeping her long bangs over to the side one last time. It all looked so much longer now that she was about to have so much cut off. How long would it take until it was once again this long?
She sat in the huge chair, and the striped cape was draped around her, along with a neck tissue quite a bit tighter than expected.
?What can I do for you today Miss?? asked Bob, the barber.
She produced the photo from under the cape. It was black and white and showed a strapping male model with his hair precisely parted on one side and drawn over quite harshly. The back seemed relatively short and the sides were around his ears. His black hair glistened like it was coated with some type of product.
?I?m in a play at school, an all girl?s school. I have to play a little boy. I was thinking something like this.?
?That?s a businessman?s cut right there. There?s also something we call a ?little boy?s cut? which might work even better.
She recalled the young boy she saw earlier as she came in who left practically bald. ?Not like that boy who was in here a few minutes ago!?
Bob thought about it for a second and then started laughing. ?No, I?m not going to give you a crewcut. A ?Little Boy?s Cut? actually looks very similar to that picture.?
She sat confused. ?What?s the difference??
?Not much really. One is just a little longer in some places, a little shorter in others.?
?In that case I guess just give me whichever one most makes me look like a little boy.?
?I doubt anyone would ever really mistake you for a boy, but I?ll see what I can do.? And with that Bob handed her back her picture, and walked back to his tools. Carol bit her lip just a bit, and felt her pulse quicken knowing her lovely mane was about to be chopped off.
As he stepped to her side she closed her eyes, expecting to hear the clippers roar to life, but instead was greeted by a light misting of water over her locks. Of course! She had spent seemingly hours that morning playing with her hair, curling it more than usual in a parting gesture. The very full flipped ends she had walked in with were not her usual look. Plus she normally parted it in the middle, not like the messy right side part she had done this morning both for the fun of it, and to get an idea what she would look like with her hair parted on the side courtesy of a barber. Bob was combing through it all, and the curls were giving way. Then she felt him comb her bangs forward, falling well past her nose, and a crisp straight part being formed on the right instead, with the top section being combed over so that nothing any longer fell forward. While she knew she was asking for a side parted style, she had rather expected this to be done after the cut, not before. He spent a while combing the top over and the sides straight down, which felt quite odd after years of having her grown out bangs falling in front of her face.
Bob stopped momentarily returning the water bottle to the counter, picking up some scissors instead, and then stepped in front of Carol.
?So you want it just like I would give a man, or a ladies version of the cut??
It was thoughtful of him to give her a last chance to back out, and seeing the scissors in his hand poised to strike made her think long and hard. But this opportunity was too important
?Thanks, but I need the man?s version, or little boy?s version. Well, you know what I mean.?
He grinned and then stepped to her right side out of her line of vision. She felt the comb run down the side to just below her ear, and then heard the scissors bite in taking everything off under the comb. A chunk of hair at least 4 inches long fell down the robe to her lap. She just stared at it as she felt the scissors working around the back of her head, taking everything off below collar level, and soon working around to the left side. More large piles of clippings fell on the robe from that side. And just like that her very trendy layered flip was basically destroyed. And there was much more still to come. Carol sat dazed that she was really going through with this. Her hair was already shorter than she could ever remember it being. It was only a year ago just before school started that she cut her mid-back length hair into the more trendy style that had just been hacked to pieces. She remembered crying then, thinking it was such a radical thing to do, even though she loved her new look immediately and never really considered growing it out again.
It would have been easier probably to go to her usual stylist to get a haircut, but she doubted she would have received the kind of cut she desired even with a picture to go by. This was a major part in a play that was going to be seen by a lot of people, many of them quite important in theatre, the kind of clout that could reward a scholarship to a prestigious school. She was leaving nothing to chance. Some in her company had opted for wigs, but her role was so physical she feared a wig would constantly be at risk of falling off. That was a possibility that could certainly negatively affect her ability to focus on her role. A haircut, this haircut, was a logical choice. And this shop, which her older brother had visited for years before he had left for college, was the only Barber shop she was willing to risk entering. Bob had never butchered Mark?s hair, instead just doing what was asked of him. Sometimes he came home with hair a little too short, but only because her brother asked for it so, not because Bob was clipper happy. For that reason, though she had never met him, Bob had earned a bit of trust.
She was about to learn if that trust was deserved, because the electric clippers snapped to life.
Carol had no idea what to expect from this machine. She certainly had never felt them on her head of hair. She didn?t know if they would tug, or hurt, or tickle, or what. Bob started at the nape of her neck, pushing them up in to her hair. She heard them hit home, and ever so quickly felt a good sized section of hair bounce down her back to the floor. But she hadn?t expected the machine to feel gentle, to almost feel like a kindly masseuse as it removed her tresses. Her dread was quickly turned to surprised curiosity at the sensation of the machine. If anything it felt?.good. How was that possible? It was removing all her beloved hair!
The machine was making short work of the back of her head. She could feel her neck was now totally exposed, and the lightness back there almost made her want to tilt her head forward, so conditioned was she to having the extra weight pulling her head backward.
For some reason this extreme haircut wasn?t bothering her, but when Bob stepped to her right side and started outlining her ear it struck home that she would leave here looking drastically different. Especially since the clippers seemed to run up nearly as high as the straight part in her hair.
Before she even had time to get used to the sensation, Bob was at her left side, quickly running around that ear too. Huge handfuls of hair came flying forward over her shoulder, coming to a rest on her lap. Then the clipper went silent. Bob came over with a strange brush that whisked all the stray hairs off her ears, neck and face. Then he once more combed through the remaining length, which felt significantly shorter now, patting the top in place. The top of her head hadn?t been touched yet. It had to look quite out of place since it was surely all so much longer than what remained.
Bob was quickly back with his clippers, though he seemed to spend some time fidgeting with them first. Then he went over the lower back again. This time he was much slower, and even gentler. She couldn?t feel a lot coming off though could tell he wasn?t leaving much behind either. He spent basically all his time on the hair on the lower half of her head. The top part he seemed satisfied to leave alone. But as he spent more and more time on the lower part, she wondered if she would have anything left. The clipper still felt wonderful, but she was getting alarmed about the outcome now.
As the clipper once more outlined her ears, and she felt a very precise sideburn taking shape, she realized she was death gripping the chair. She was almost grateful she couldn?t watch in a mirror now.
Both ears were attacked ferociously by the machine, and then it went silent again.
Bob returned to his counter, and for a few moments Carol just held still, taking in the new sensations of having so little hair. Her head felt much lighter, and much cooler. Having her ears so exposed was bothering her though. She missed the feel of having them covered. As they were now they felt huge. In many ways she couldn?t believe she was actually going through with this, and since she couldn?t see her reflection it was easy to stay in denial.
Bob returned with his water mister bottle, giving the top of her hair a few more squirts. Then he stepped forward of her, combing her longish bangs, still reaching past her nose, straight down over her face. She watched as he slid a pair of scissor in and chopped them off. All she knew is that they no longer reached her eyes, though they felt far shorter than that. They were then combed over once more across her head and patted in place.
Bob then stepped to her side and, using his comb to lift her hair, started snipping away with his scissors at the top and crown. He would snip a little, then comb it all in place, only to repeat this again and again. On occasion some small clippings would fall forward to her lap. By themselves they weren?t enough to alarm her, but she wondered how much more would come off.
Bob returned to his counter again, returning with a different pair of scissors with funny looking teeth. These dug in to the top hairs again. Carol became alarmed as she saw clippings several inches long falling forward of her face. But what difference would it make to say something now. The damage had most certainly already been done. She heaved a sigh of relief though when she heard the scissors returned to the counter.
That nervousness came back instantly when the clippers roared to life yet again. The barber was attacking the back again, extending it up a little higher, or so it seemed. And it felt like the sides were being taken up even higher too.
The clipper fell silent, and Carol anticipated the moment was at hand for her unveiling. But it wasn?t to be. Not yet at least. Bob returned putting warm shaving cream around her ears, on her neck and her lower hairline. Carol had seen every other customer go through this procedure but hadn?t anticipated actually experiencing it. She held perfectly still, even though she was sure Bob was being much too eager with the razor around her ears. It felt kind of good on her neck though.
A towel took off all excess, and the whisk broom struck again. Then she winced as she felt a very pungent smelling type of product massaged into her hair, mussing up the part that Bob had been so diligent at keeping. The barber quickly reformed the part and combed it all back in place. It felt like some type of thick gel to Carol, though the odor was very much like the odor of this shop itself: very male.
?OK, let?s see if this will do the trick for you,? said the barber, and slowly the chair was turned around.
The reflection Carol saw shocked her for several reasons. 1) Her ears didn?t look as big or gaudy as she imagined them to be. She also had more hair than she expected to see based on the feel of the whole experience. 2) Her hair was so much shorter than she had ever had it before, though it did basically match the picture she had given the barber. The top was probably a bit longer, though the sides, especially around the ears, were a bit shorter than she envisioned. 3) The product Bob had put on her hair not only made it shiny, almost greasy, but also made it lay flat to her head. She kind of looked like a greaser from the ?50s, though it really didn?t look bad. It was also like the picture. 4) Her head and face looked totally different from the change of hairstyle. She looked smaller and younger. In fact, with the right outfit and makeup, she absolutely believed she could come across as a young boy.
?So is this the Businessman?s cut or Little Boy?s Cut?? she asked Bob.
?The Little Boy Cut.?
?What?s the difference??
?The sides and back are tapered instead of blocked, meaning they end up a bit shorter, but the top is left longer. Plus the bangs and top are cut in a way that make the side part really the only way to style this. That?s to make it easier for little boys to comb their hair correctly.? Bob handed Carol a small mirror. ?Let me show you the back.
He turned the chair around so she could see the reflection of the back in the big mirror. The longer length on the top of her head was in sharp contrast to the extremely short taper on the bottom. It was dramatically different then she imagined, but seemed very appropriate.
?What do you think?? he asked.
?I look really different.? She reached up and touched it for the first time, taken aback at the greasy texture and how little of it there now was. ?It?s so short!?
?Yeah, well, it kind of had to be.?
?No, no, I?m not upset, just kind of freaked out that I really did this.? As she said it she touched the short tapered part of the back, actually enjoying the sensation of the extremely short hair. In fact her hand lingered for quite some time.
?Will that be all then.?
?Yes, I suppose so.?
The robe was removed and a huge pile of clippings fell to the floor. As Carol stepped down she couldn?t help but notice how much hair she left behind. It looked like even more than she believed she had to lose. Also, she got to see herself for the first time without the robe around her, but in her T-shirt and jeans. She realized her makeup and shapely figure (hidden by her baggy shirt) were the only things stopping a person from thinking her to be a young boy. After she paid Bob she left the shop, noting a customer entering at the same time did a double take on her, first believing her to be one sex, then recognizing he was wrong. She wondered if he first believed her to be male or female.
Carol drove home constantly touching her hair and checking her look in the rear view mirror at every stoplight. It was just so very different. It was strange not feeling anything over her ears, nor any hair falling across her face, or even her forehead. What she was most surprised about was how much she enjoyed touching the very short tapered sections in back.
When she got home she spent a long time in the bathroom studying her new look, then took a shower to wash out the product from her hair as she wasn?t so keen on the scent. Used to having so much more hair, it was quite a shock to Carol to have so little to wash now. It was nearly dry by just rubbing it with a towel, and at that point she could see how easily the part would be formed, as the hair on one side was several inches longer than the hair on the other. She tried combing her hair in other styles, such as her accustomed center part, but it looked horrendous like that, totally unbalanced. Like it or not, this haircut had only one option: a right side part. She combed it back in place quite easily, noting her hair felt?thinner than before. Then she remembered the funny looking scissors the barber had used. Thinning shears. It all made sense now. However her hair now seemed so lifeless, with so little body, it looked quite a mess when left to its own accord. It was obvious that even though it was short, it still needed some kind of product to hold it in place.
She applied a little gel to her new style, easily recreated the part sweeping the top over to one side, and then spent some more time studying and touching it.
Carol was flooded with questions, comments, and stunned looks the next few days about her radical sacrifice for the production. While not overjoyed with the limited ways this style could be worn, she was getting used to her new reflection now and rather liked how easy it was to wash and care for. She used a fair amount of gel each morning so it would hold all day, even opting for the type that kept a glossy, almost wet, almost greasy look. It was similar to the way the barber had arranged it, though without the masculine odor. It was funny to her how, when dressed up with makeup, this slicked down look came across not only as very feminine but even quite sexy.
The play went off wonderfully, with many of the critics and V.I.P.?s talking to her after the show, including exchanging E-mails and business cards. It was almost frightening how well she pulled off the role, and how believable she looked with her short ?little boy?s cut?. For the record, one of the other actresses? hairpiece came off mid-performance, her long braid spilling down certainly ruining her believability as a male. It was at that point that Carol was very glad she hadn?t gone the wig route.
By the end of the play?s run, she was totally comfortable in her style, even liking the way it forced her to part it on the side. It was so easy to care for.
In the weeks that followed, she found herself going quite heavy on the gel, much preferring the super slick, glossy look. She never realized how much her previously longer hair with her long bangs falling over her face had covered up how pretty her eyes, her cheekbones, and even her ears were. Eventually her hair was starting to get long enough to cover her ears again, and yet she found herself just slicking it back making sure nothing would cover them up.
The back was now long enough to start reaching down her neck, and the thrill of stroking the short taper was well behind her now. Her bangs were now getting long enough to once again poke in her eyes if she didn?t slick them over, but she always did. Still, in a few more weeks her current style would look quite disheveled no matter how much product was applied. She needed to decide soon what she wanted to do with her hair. Of course initially there had been no question that she wanted to grow it out to at least her shoulder length choppy flip, but recently she wasn?t so sure she was ready to give up short hair. She went through her photo albums, critiquing each of her looks. While she looked great in all lengths, she felt she actually pulled off short hair the best. She thought she looked more mature, confident, and even sexier.
Secretly, she also missed the feel of the short taper in back. She seriously considered getting another ?Little Boy?s Cut? if only she weren?t limited to the side part. She looked on web sites at short haircuts, noting all the women?s ones were longer, especially on the sides, then what she was looking for. In fact the men?s sites seemed to offer her more to choose from. She even found herself perusing sites like military schools, noting the female cadets shorn in their induction cuts not looking any less feminine for the experience. She wondered what it would feel like if her entire head was cut short, such as in a crewcut. Would it all feel so delightful to the touch?
Then, while out at a party, she saw a guy walk in with the haircut she wanted. It was fairly short on the sides and back, while the top was several inches longer. Although his was just gelled straight back it seemed to have the possibilities of being parted on the sides, or the center. She might even be able to have some bangs. She struck up a conversation with him, learning his name was Michael, and tried to pay attention to the conversation although her mind was stuck on his hair. It was all she could do not to reach up and stroke it.
All weekend the hairstyle stuck in her mind, and by the next weekend she was more than ready to get one.
She strode purposely back to Bob?s Barber shop, knowing she wouldn?t be able to experience the clippers going to her old salon. She stepped in more confidently this time, noting three others in the shop ahead of her including?Michael. His hair wasn?t slicked back now, instead just standing up rather haphazardly, perhaps looking even a bit shorter on top than she envisioned. She immediately determined it looked far better slicked back, which also probably made it look longer. She sat down next to him exchanging rather uncomfortable hellos. It was odd for her to admit this was now the place that she got her hair cut. There was little time for him to talk as Michael was next up in the chair.
?Hey Mike, haven?t seen you for a while.?
?Yeah, it?s definitely been too long.?
?The usual??
?You know it.?
And with the Carol watched Bob literally attack his hair with the clippers, the sides and back being taken down to almost nothing. The top, which he saved for last, was now revealed for what it was, cut in a level (if grown out) plane. However this was soon taken down extremely short too, though it was still level. Then the upper sides were done to make a harsh transition from top to sides. The result: a very short, very definitive flattop. Carol was fascinated, unknowing that such the cut could grow out so beautifully. Her own cut looked so shaggy in comparison, and would need some major reshaping if she ever wanted to once again grow it out long without having a major ugly phase.
After paying for his cut, Michael said a few parting words to Carol. She was busy studying his flattop up close, still in disbelief that the look she so liked was just a grown out version of this drastically short style.
?Is this the way you always get your hair cut?? she asked, surprised to find her hand reaching up and touching his fresh cut. Her senses were overwhelmed, as the attentive top had been sprayed stiff and almost prickly in place. It was an amazingly pleasant sensation to Carol, so much so her hand probably lingered a bit too long.
?Yeah, for years now. Why, don?t you like it??
For the first time Carol thought about his look now versus how he looked walking in the shop. Quite honestly, though he looked sensational prior to the cut, the way he looked right now was even better. Plus the way it felt?
?It looks terrific.?
Michael waved goodbye to her as he left the shop, and Carol returned her attention to the next customer in the chair. It was a little boy, and this time she got to witness the start-to-finish process of a ?little boy?s cut.? She smiled a bit recalling each step on her own hair. The end result seemed shorter than she remembered, noting the back ended up only a little longer than Michael?s flattop. She reached up and stroked her own hair, which had only the slightest amount of product in it to make things easier for the barber. She didn?t recall him having a sink here to wash hair if she put in too much. She couldn?t believe how much it had grown in the past three months. Of course when it was so short the growth was much more obvious. She swept her bangs sideways over the top, unused to not having a great deal of gel keeping them there for her. They were long enough now to poke into her eyes. That felt so long to her now.
Once the boy was clipped, shaved, and slicked he was on his way, and then the last customer before Carol stepped to the chair, and old balding man with only a rim of hair. It wouldn?t be long before Carol would have her turn. She was grateful that once again no other customers had come in to watch.
As she expected, it took only about 5 minutes to finish the elderly gentleman, and then Bob beckoned her to the chair.
?Hi, remember me??
?Sure, you were here for a play or something right? The little boy??
She was amazed he had such a good memory. ?Yes, that?s right.?
?So how did the play come out??
?Great, in fact I got a full scholarship to college because of it.?
?Congratulations!? He put the cape around her, along with the almost too tight neck tissue.
?I really hadn?t figured I?d see you again.?
?Neither did I, but the strange thing is I like having short hair.?
?It sure is easier than long hair.?
?Absolutely, but more than that I like the way it makes me look.?
?So what?ll it be? Another ?little boy cut???
Why was she hesitating? Because she was actually considering something else altogether. But she wasn?t ready to go there.
?Yes, I think I will have another.?
?Just like last time??
?Please.?
And so Carol sat there as once again the clippers ran up the back of her head and around her ears. Clippings much longer than she expected to see fell down her lap, yet she relished the whole sensation, especially as she felt him working on blending the longish top to the tapered sides and back. It all seemed to happen so fast now, especially since this was something she was enjoying rather than dreading. The shaving cream was soon applied and removed, as was the masculine smelling hair tonic. She felt it all being combed quite harshly into place. The one thing she didn?t experience this time was the thinning shears. She figured her hair hadn?t grown out enough from last time to necessitate the process.
And then she was spun to the mirror, once again to gaze on herself in the short, masculine hairstyle. It was not such a shock this time, looking very much as she remembered. But something looked different too. She had watched that little boy earlier get this same cut, but somehow his seemed different.
?Why does mine look different from that boy who was just in here??
?Oh, you mean little Toby? He likes his cut shorter than I would usually do.?
Carol was shown the back again, and reached up and touched it, treasuring the feel of the short tapered section. Yet it looked quite long compared to Toby?s.
?Could you cut mine like his was??
Bob had a hard time hiding his surprise at the request.
?Sure, if you want.?
Carol couldn?t believe she had actually said that, but she had and strangely didn?t regret it. Heck, it was only hair. It would grow back.
?Then let?s try it.?
She handed him back the small mirror and then felt the robe fastened once again. Then the clippers came to life and she felt them attacking the back, this time taking it up a good deal higher. The sides were also brought up a bit higher and shorter. Small little clippings less than half an inch long fell down the cape. The top had little taken off, just enough to blend into the now shorter sides and back. The chair was wheeled around to reveal a clearly shorter version of the cut. She touched it, loving the result, especially in the back which was short almost clear to the top.
She grinned. ?I love it.?
She was quickly robed and out the door. On the drive home one hand never left the top of her head: constantly exploring her new short style. It especially liked the short back and sides.
All the rest of the day she found herself constantly checking her look, constantly feeling it, amazed she didn?t dislike it at all. She even thought she looked better with this shorter style. In fact, much better.
Her love affair with her short hair continued all throughout the week. Each day she in fact woke a bit disappointed to find her locks had grown that tiny fraction of an inch taking away from her enjoyment of the feel of short hair. After two weeks she was itching to be back in the barber chair once more, and found herself noticing every barber shop she drove or strolled past, even trying to get a look inside.
It became an obsession, occupying much of her free thought each day. Not only did she think about getting her own ?little boy?s cut? again, most certainly the shorter version, but she even pondered other styles shorter still. She recalled the surge of energy she got when touching Michael?s freshly cut flattop.
Suddenly she started noticing every time she saw a man with a flattop, and then they seemed to be everywhere. She sought them out on the web, spending hours enjoying pictures of fresh cuts, before and after pictures, etc? When she found a sight showing photos of women with the same haircut (though some were admittedly left quite long and looked to be done in a salon) she was ready to go experience it herself. At least most of her was, though some was fearful.
Two weeks later she could stand it no longer, she needed at least another haircut to keep her current style the way she liked it. She was back in Bob?s barber shop again, deliberately picking the busiest time of the week so she would get to watch many others get theirs cut too.
Much to her enjoyment, the man just before her was having his slightly grown out flattop (not nearly as grown out as Michael?s had been) redone, and she got to see the process once more from start to finish. As with Michael, Bob sprayed the finish style so it ended up stiff and at attention, and Carol was aching to rub her hand over the top though she couldn?t since he was a complete stranger. And then it was her turn.
?Hello again Carol,? said Bob. She was impressed with his memory for names.
?Hello,? she said as she gave herself a quick glance in the mirror prior to twirling around and having a seat in the big barber chair. Her hair looked so long to her now, and she couldn?t wait to feel the nice short back and sides again.
The robe was placed and secured with the tight neck tissue.
?The usual?? he asked. It seemed so odd that he should be putting it that way, but since this was her third trip to the shop he was perfectly right in saying it.
?Is there an even shorter version of a ?little boy?s cut??? she found herself asking.
Bob grinned. ?Not really.?
Carol didn?t miss a beat. ?In that case give me a flattop like that last man.?
Bob stopped in his tracks. ?You?re kidding, right??
?No, I?m quite serious.?
?You realize how short that?s going to end up??
?Yes, and I?m actually looking quite forward to it.?
?I can cut a long version for you, so if you don?t like it you?ll be able to have some options in a few weeks.?
?Thanks, but I want it exactly like his.?
?The top of his had a landing strip?. That means a section cut clean down to the skin.?
?I noticed. I want that too.?
?Well, OK if you say so. First time I?m ever given this haircut to a woman.?
Carol strangely wasn?t nervous at all as the clippers came to life, and she even grinned a bit as she felt them pushed up the back of her neck, mowing through what little length she had back there. Bob was being very deliberate, retracing his path often with even a little pressure against her skin. It was almost like a massage, relaxing her.
?For the record, how much shorter will it end up back there??
?Quite a bit. Your ?Little Boy?s Cut? was done with a number 4 attachment. This cut uses a #1.?
?How much different is that??
?Let me put it this way. A zero attachment means I?d be taking everything off.?
Carol swallowed hard as the clipper ran a bit farther up the back of her head than she expected, realizing what she was getting into. But since it felt so good it really didn?t bother her at all.
Bob attacked the sides next. Carol saw clippings much longer than she thought possible raining down the robe to her lap. Plus the clippers ran up a bit higher that she was used too. Again he constantly retraced his path, pressing quite firmly against her skin with the machine. Then it was silenced as he returned to the counter.
Her top hair was misted with water, and then a blow dryer came to life and her top hair was brushed every which way quite harshly. Whatever kind of brush Bob was using was really grabbing it so that it was being forced straight and vertical. It was actually quite a fun sensation. All too quickly the procedure was done. Then Bob was back with clippers and comb. He positioned her head with care.
?Try not to move,? he said as the clippers came to life.
Carol held perfectly still, quite eager to experience the next few moments, when her crown hair would be transformed into a flat surface. She had imagined this, dreamed this, so many times in the past weeks she wondered if it would live up to her expectations.
He started in the back with a quick run over the comb, the clippings flying forward onto her robe. They looked several inches long. She didn?t know she had that much hair up there. The thing was she didn?t feel the comb against her scalp, or feel like she was getting the cut she had asked for. It was almost disappointing. He brought the comb forward for another pass, again with a sizeable amount falling across her face. It was happening, but she couldn?t tell. She almost wished she could at least see it in a mirror. Three more passes and he had worked clear to the front. It did feel shorter up there, but not like she expected.
He quickly combed through what was left, fluffing it up or something. Then he started at the back again, repeating the whole procedure. She still couldn?t feel it against her skin, but could sense it getting shorter. The clippings were only a half inch long this time. Once this pass was done he ran a whisk broom over it, getting all the stray clippings off the top and her face.
?Are you done up there??
?Not hardly if you want it as short as you said. Have you changed your mind??
She grinned with confidence. ?No, I was just wondering. It felt too long still.?
?Well, it won?t feel that way for long.? With that she felt the comb lying tight to the back of her crown, and the clipper run over it. More clippings rained down. A rush of adrenalin ran through her body. Now it felt like what she expected. Maybe even better. As the comb crept forward her enjoyment increased. He went over it several times, stepped away for a good look, and then attacked it some more. Then he started blending in the sides to the top. He worked quite quickly as more and more kept coming off. Carol was enjoying every second.
A few minutes later Bob turned off the clippers and stepped in front of her, giving his work a long hard look. Then he repositioned her head purposefully once again, and turned on the clippers again.
?Hold very still,? he said, and Carol found herself holding her breath. She felt the clipper very delicately working on the top, only this time there was no comb. He was doing this freehand. Toward the back of her crown, she felt the machine touch down against her skin ever so gently. She saw no clippings fall and could barely hear anything happening, but she could feel it this time. She was getting that ?landing strip?.
Bob again redid the blend from the top to the sides. Then he put away his clippers and whisked her down once more. The shaving cream along the sides and back was applied and professionally removed with a razor.
Next he applied his favorite gel to her hair, and with a blow dryer in only moments had it all perfectly at attention, very stiff, almost prickly to the touch, and a layer of spray made sure it would stay that way for quite some time.
?Let?s see if this works for you.? The chair was turned to the mirror.
Every expectation Carol had of what she would look like in such a cut was instantly fulfilled and surpassed. Besides the initial shock that she had almost no hair left anywhere, she absolutely adored her new reflection. In spite of the fact she had very little hair left, it was most definitely a flattop as her head now looked absolutely level. She was a bit nervous when she first saw her landing strip, as for the first time ever she had absolutely no hair on a portion of her head. But once she touched the top she was in love. It was rigid and the spray may it feel quite stiff. The back and sides, now little but stubble, felt amazing. She was hooked. She couldn?t imagine ever having long hair again.
Though she had walked past this shop numerous times, actually being inside it now seemed much different. The smell of men?s hair products and cologne permeated the shop. The television was tuned into a baseball game. Conversation was short with little to no substance. And then there was the sound of the electric clippers, which were quite pronounced, especially as they bit into larger portions of hair.
Though she had noted it before, it still seemed strange to Carol that the customer had no mirror to watch what was happening. But at least the current customer, a boy probably around 12, didn?t seem to mind at all. He just watched the ball game as the barber quickly reduced what little length he started with down to almost nothing. As she watched, she was glad she had a picture to show the barber, as she had no idea how she would have worded her requested style. She certainly didn?t want to end up with a haircut like the current customer was getting.
The barber worked fast, and the line in front of Carol was dispensed within about 30 minutes. Thankfully no other customers had entered since she had set foot in the shop. She?d rather not be the center of attention to too many eyes. This was quite uncomfortable as it was.
When beckoned to the chair, she rose and took a last look at her current, shoulder length layered style, taking her right hand and sweeping her long bangs over to the side one last time. It all looked so much longer now that she was about to have so much cut off. How long would it take until it was once again this long?
She sat in the huge chair, and the striped cape was draped around her, along with a neck tissue quite a bit tighter than expected.
?What can I do for you today Miss?? asked Bob, the barber.
She produced the photo from under the cape. It was black and white and showed a strapping male model with his hair precisely parted on one side and drawn over quite harshly. The back seemed relatively short and the sides were around his ears. His black hair glistened like it was coated with some type of product.
?I?m in a play at school, an all girl?s school. I have to play a little boy. I was thinking something like this.?
?That?s a businessman?s cut right there. There?s also something we call a ?little boy?s cut? which might work even better.
She recalled the young boy she saw earlier as she came in who left practically bald. ?Not like that boy who was in here a few minutes ago!?
Bob thought about it for a second and then started laughing. ?No, I?m not going to give you a crewcut. A ?Little Boy?s Cut? actually looks very similar to that picture.?
She sat confused. ?What?s the difference??
?Not much really. One is just a little longer in some places, a little shorter in others.?
?In that case I guess just give me whichever one most makes me look like a little boy.?
?I doubt anyone would ever really mistake you for a boy, but I?ll see what I can do.? And with that Bob handed her back her picture, and walked back to his tools. Carol bit her lip just a bit, and felt her pulse quicken knowing her lovely mane was about to be chopped off.
As he stepped to her side she closed her eyes, expecting to hear the clippers roar to life, but instead was greeted by a light misting of water over her locks. Of course! She had spent seemingly hours that morning playing with her hair, curling it more than usual in a parting gesture. The very full flipped ends she had walked in with were not her usual look. Plus she normally parted it in the middle, not like the messy right side part she had done this morning both for the fun of it, and to get an idea what she would look like with her hair parted on the side courtesy of a barber. Bob was combing through it all, and the curls were giving way. Then she felt him comb her bangs forward, falling well past her nose, and a crisp straight part being formed on the right instead, with the top section being combed over so that nothing any longer fell forward. While she knew she was asking for a side parted style, she had rather expected this to be done after the cut, not before. He spent a while combing the top over and the sides straight down, which felt quite odd after years of having her grown out bangs falling in front of her face.
Bob stopped momentarily returning the water bottle to the counter, picking up some scissors instead, and then stepped in front of Carol.
?So you want it just like I would give a man, or a ladies version of the cut??
It was thoughtful of him to give her a last chance to back out, and seeing the scissors in his hand poised to strike made her think long and hard. But this opportunity was too important
?Thanks, but I need the man?s version, or little boy?s version. Well, you know what I mean.?
He grinned and then stepped to her right side out of her line of vision. She felt the comb run down the side to just below her ear, and then heard the scissors bite in taking everything off under the comb. A chunk of hair at least 4 inches long fell down the robe to her lap. She just stared at it as she felt the scissors working around the back of her head, taking everything off below collar level, and soon working around to the left side. More large piles of clippings fell on the robe from that side. And just like that her very trendy layered flip was basically destroyed. And there was much more still to come. Carol sat dazed that she was really going through with this. Her hair was already shorter than she could ever remember it being. It was only a year ago just before school started that she cut her mid-back length hair into the more trendy style that had just been hacked to pieces. She remembered crying then, thinking it was such a radical thing to do, even though she loved her new look immediately and never really considered growing it out again.
It would have been easier probably to go to her usual stylist to get a haircut, but she doubted she would have received the kind of cut she desired even with a picture to go by. This was a major part in a play that was going to be seen by a lot of people, many of them quite important in theatre, the kind of clout that could reward a scholarship to a prestigious school. She was leaving nothing to chance. Some in her company had opted for wigs, but her role was so physical she feared a wig would constantly be at risk of falling off. That was a possibility that could certainly negatively affect her ability to focus on her role. A haircut, this haircut, was a logical choice. And this shop, which her older brother had visited for years before he had left for college, was the only Barber shop she was willing to risk entering. Bob had never butchered Mark?s hair, instead just doing what was asked of him. Sometimes he came home with hair a little too short, but only because her brother asked for it so, not because Bob was clipper happy. For that reason, though she had never met him, Bob had earned a bit of trust.
She was about to learn if that trust was deserved, because the electric clippers snapped to life.
Carol had no idea what to expect from this machine. She certainly had never felt them on her head of hair. She didn?t know if they would tug, or hurt, or tickle, or what. Bob started at the nape of her neck, pushing them up in to her hair. She heard them hit home, and ever so quickly felt a good sized section of hair bounce down her back to the floor. But she hadn?t expected the machine to feel gentle, to almost feel like a kindly masseuse as it removed her tresses. Her dread was quickly turned to surprised curiosity at the sensation of the machine. If anything it felt?.good. How was that possible? It was removing all her beloved hair!
The machine was making short work of the back of her head. She could feel her neck was now totally exposed, and the lightness back there almost made her want to tilt her head forward, so conditioned was she to having the extra weight pulling her head backward.
For some reason this extreme haircut wasn?t bothering her, but when Bob stepped to her right side and started outlining her ear it struck home that she would leave here looking drastically different. Especially since the clippers seemed to run up nearly as high as the straight part in her hair.
Before she even had time to get used to the sensation, Bob was at her left side, quickly running around that ear too. Huge handfuls of hair came flying forward over her shoulder, coming to a rest on her lap. Then the clipper went silent. Bob came over with a strange brush that whisked all the stray hairs off her ears, neck and face. Then he once more combed through the remaining length, which felt significantly shorter now, patting the top in place. The top of her head hadn?t been touched yet. It had to look quite out of place since it was surely all so much longer than what remained.
Bob was quickly back with his clippers, though he seemed to spend some time fidgeting with them first. Then he went over the lower back again. This time he was much slower, and even gentler. She couldn?t feel a lot coming off though could tell he wasn?t leaving much behind either. He spent basically all his time on the hair on the lower half of her head. The top part he seemed satisfied to leave alone. But as he spent more and more time on the lower part, she wondered if she would have anything left. The clipper still felt wonderful, but she was getting alarmed about the outcome now.
As the clipper once more outlined her ears, and she felt a very precise sideburn taking shape, she realized she was death gripping the chair. She was almost grateful she couldn?t watch in a mirror now.
Both ears were attacked ferociously by the machine, and then it went silent again.
Bob returned to his counter, and for a few moments Carol just held still, taking in the new sensations of having so little hair. Her head felt much lighter, and much cooler. Having her ears so exposed was bothering her though. She missed the feel of having them covered. As they were now they felt huge. In many ways she couldn?t believe she was actually going through with this, and since she couldn?t see her reflection it was easy to stay in denial.
Bob returned with his water mister bottle, giving the top of her hair a few more squirts. Then he stepped forward of her, combing her longish bangs, still reaching past her nose, straight down over her face. She watched as he slid a pair of scissor in and chopped them off. All she knew is that they no longer reached her eyes, though they felt far shorter than that. They were then combed over once more across her head and patted in place.
Bob then stepped to her side and, using his comb to lift her hair, started snipping away with his scissors at the top and crown. He would snip a little, then comb it all in place, only to repeat this again and again. On occasion some small clippings would fall forward to her lap. By themselves they weren?t enough to alarm her, but she wondered how much more would come off.
Bob returned to his counter again, returning with a different pair of scissors with funny looking teeth. These dug in to the top hairs again. Carol became alarmed as she saw clippings several inches long falling forward of her face. But what difference would it make to say something now. The damage had most certainly already been done. She heaved a sigh of relief though when she heard the scissors returned to the counter.
That nervousness came back instantly when the clippers roared to life yet again. The barber was attacking the back again, extending it up a little higher, or so it seemed. And it felt like the sides were being taken up even higher too.
The clipper fell silent, and Carol anticipated the moment was at hand for her unveiling. But it wasn?t to be. Not yet at least. Bob returned putting warm shaving cream around her ears, on her neck and her lower hairline. Carol had seen every other customer go through this procedure but hadn?t anticipated actually experiencing it. She held perfectly still, even though she was sure Bob was being much too eager with the razor around her ears. It felt kind of good on her neck though.
A towel took off all excess, and the whisk broom struck again. Then she winced as she felt a very pungent smelling type of product massaged into her hair, mussing up the part that Bob had been so diligent at keeping. The barber quickly reformed the part and combed it all back in place. It felt like some type of thick gel to Carol, though the odor was very much like the odor of this shop itself: very male.
?OK, let?s see if this will do the trick for you,? said the barber, and slowly the chair was turned around.
The reflection Carol saw shocked her for several reasons. 1) Her ears didn?t look as big or gaudy as she imagined them to be. She also had more hair than she expected to see based on the feel of the whole experience. 2) Her hair was so much shorter than she had ever had it before, though it did basically match the picture she had given the barber. The top was probably a bit longer, though the sides, especially around the ears, were a bit shorter than she envisioned. 3) The product Bob had put on her hair not only made it shiny, almost greasy, but also made it lay flat to her head. She kind of looked like a greaser from the ?50s, though it really didn?t look bad. It was also like the picture. 4) Her head and face looked totally different from the change of hairstyle. She looked smaller and younger. In fact, with the right outfit and makeup, she absolutely believed she could come across as a young boy.
?So is this the Businessman?s cut or Little Boy?s Cut?? she asked Bob.
?The Little Boy Cut.?
?What?s the difference??
?The sides and back are tapered instead of blocked, meaning they end up a bit shorter, but the top is left longer. Plus the bangs and top are cut in a way that make the side part really the only way to style this. That?s to make it easier for little boys to comb their hair correctly.? Bob handed Carol a small mirror. ?Let me show you the back.
He turned the chair around so she could see the reflection of the back in the big mirror. The longer length on the top of her head was in sharp contrast to the extremely short taper on the bottom. It was dramatically different then she imagined, but seemed very appropriate.
?What do you think?? he asked.
?I look really different.? She reached up and touched it for the first time, taken aback at the greasy texture and how little of it there now was. ?It?s so short!?
?Yeah, well, it kind of had to be.?
?No, no, I?m not upset, just kind of freaked out that I really did this.? As she said it she touched the short tapered part of the back, actually enjoying the sensation of the extremely short hair. In fact her hand lingered for quite some time.
?Will that be all then.?
?Yes, I suppose so.?
The robe was removed and a huge pile of clippings fell to the floor. As Carol stepped down she couldn?t help but notice how much hair she left behind. It looked like even more than she believed she had to lose. Also, she got to see herself for the first time without the robe around her, but in her T-shirt and jeans. She realized her makeup and shapely figure (hidden by her baggy shirt) were the only things stopping a person from thinking her to be a young boy. After she paid Bob she left the shop, noting a customer entering at the same time did a double take on her, first believing her to be one sex, then recognizing he was wrong. She wondered if he first believed her to be male or female.
Carol drove home constantly touching her hair and checking her look in the rear view mirror at every stoplight. It was just so very different. It was strange not feeling anything over her ears, nor any hair falling across her face, or even her forehead. What she was most surprised about was how much she enjoyed touching the very short tapered sections in back.
When she got home she spent a long time in the bathroom studying her new look, then took a shower to wash out the product from her hair as she wasn?t so keen on the scent. Used to having so much more hair, it was quite a shock to Carol to have so little to wash now. It was nearly dry by just rubbing it with a towel, and at that point she could see how easily the part would be formed, as the hair on one side was several inches longer than the hair on the other. She tried combing her hair in other styles, such as her accustomed center part, but it looked horrendous like that, totally unbalanced. Like it or not, this haircut had only one option: a right side part. She combed it back in place quite easily, noting her hair felt?thinner than before. Then she remembered the funny looking scissors the barber had used. Thinning shears. It all made sense now. However her hair now seemed so lifeless, with so little body, it looked quite a mess when left to its own accord. It was obvious that even though it was short, it still needed some kind of product to hold it in place.
She applied a little gel to her new style, easily recreated the part sweeping the top over to one side, and then spent some more time studying and touching it.
Carol was flooded with questions, comments, and stunned looks the next few days about her radical sacrifice for the production. While not overjoyed with the limited ways this style could be worn, she was getting used to her new reflection now and rather liked how easy it was to wash and care for. She used a fair amount of gel each morning so it would hold all day, even opting for the type that kept a glossy, almost wet, almost greasy look. It was similar to the way the barber had arranged it, though without the masculine odor. It was funny to her how, when dressed up with makeup, this slicked down look came across not only as very feminine but even quite sexy.
The play went off wonderfully, with many of the critics and V.I.P.?s talking to her after the show, including exchanging E-mails and business cards. It was almost frightening how well she pulled off the role, and how believable she looked with her short ?little boy?s cut?. For the record, one of the other actresses? hairpiece came off mid-performance, her long braid spilling down certainly ruining her believability as a male. It was at that point that Carol was very glad she hadn?t gone the wig route.
By the end of the play?s run, she was totally comfortable in her style, even liking the way it forced her to part it on the side. It was so easy to care for.
In the weeks that followed, she found herself going quite heavy on the gel, much preferring the super slick, glossy look. She never realized how much her previously longer hair with her long bangs falling over her face had covered up how pretty her eyes, her cheekbones, and even her ears were. Eventually her hair was starting to get long enough to cover her ears again, and yet she found herself just slicking it back making sure nothing would cover them up.
The back was now long enough to start reaching down her neck, and the thrill of stroking the short taper was well behind her now. Her bangs were now getting long enough to once again poke in her eyes if she didn?t slick them over, but she always did. Still, in a few more weeks her current style would look quite disheveled no matter how much product was applied. She needed to decide soon what she wanted to do with her hair. Of course initially there had been no question that she wanted to grow it out to at least her shoulder length choppy flip, but recently she wasn?t so sure she was ready to give up short hair. She went through her photo albums, critiquing each of her looks. While she looked great in all lengths, she felt she actually pulled off short hair the best. She thought she looked more mature, confident, and even sexier.
Secretly, she also missed the feel of the short taper in back. She seriously considered getting another ?Little Boy?s Cut? if only she weren?t limited to the side part. She looked on web sites at short haircuts, noting all the women?s ones were longer, especially on the sides, then what she was looking for. In fact the men?s sites seemed to offer her more to choose from. She even found herself perusing sites like military schools, noting the female cadets shorn in their induction cuts not looking any less feminine for the experience. She wondered what it would feel like if her entire head was cut short, such as in a crewcut. Would it all feel so delightful to the touch?
Then, while out at a party, she saw a guy walk in with the haircut she wanted. It was fairly short on the sides and back, while the top was several inches longer. Although his was just gelled straight back it seemed to have the possibilities of being parted on the sides, or the center. She might even be able to have some bangs. She struck up a conversation with him, learning his name was Michael, and tried to pay attention to the conversation although her mind was stuck on his hair. It was all she could do not to reach up and stroke it.
All weekend the hairstyle stuck in her mind, and by the next weekend she was more than ready to get one.
She strode purposely back to Bob?s Barber shop, knowing she wouldn?t be able to experience the clippers going to her old salon. She stepped in more confidently this time, noting three others in the shop ahead of her including?Michael. His hair wasn?t slicked back now, instead just standing up rather haphazardly, perhaps looking even a bit shorter on top than she envisioned. She immediately determined it looked far better slicked back, which also probably made it look longer. She sat down next to him exchanging rather uncomfortable hellos. It was odd for her to admit this was now the place that she got her hair cut. There was little time for him to talk as Michael was next up in the chair.
?Hey Mike, haven?t seen you for a while.?
?Yeah, it?s definitely been too long.?
?The usual??
?You know it.?
And with the Carol watched Bob literally attack his hair with the clippers, the sides and back being taken down to almost nothing. The top, which he saved for last, was now revealed for what it was, cut in a level (if grown out) plane. However this was soon taken down extremely short too, though it was still level. Then the upper sides were done to make a harsh transition from top to sides. The result: a very short, very definitive flattop. Carol was fascinated, unknowing that such the cut could grow out so beautifully. Her own cut looked so shaggy in comparison, and would need some major reshaping if she ever wanted to once again grow it out long without having a major ugly phase.
After paying for his cut, Michael said a few parting words to Carol. She was busy studying his flattop up close, still in disbelief that the look she so liked was just a grown out version of this drastically short style.
?Is this the way you always get your hair cut?? she asked, surprised to find her hand reaching up and touching his fresh cut. Her senses were overwhelmed, as the attentive top had been sprayed stiff and almost prickly in place. It was an amazingly pleasant sensation to Carol, so much so her hand probably lingered a bit too long.
?Yeah, for years now. Why, don?t you like it??
For the first time Carol thought about his look now versus how he looked walking in the shop. Quite honestly, though he looked sensational prior to the cut, the way he looked right now was even better. Plus the way it felt?
?It looks terrific.?
Michael waved goodbye to her as he left the shop, and Carol returned her attention to the next customer in the chair. It was a little boy, and this time she got to witness the start-to-finish process of a ?little boy?s cut.? She smiled a bit recalling each step on her own hair. The end result seemed shorter than she remembered, noting the back ended up only a little longer than Michael?s flattop. She reached up and stroked her own hair, which had only the slightest amount of product in it to make things easier for the barber. She didn?t recall him having a sink here to wash hair if she put in too much. She couldn?t believe how much it had grown in the past three months. Of course when it was so short the growth was much more obvious. She swept her bangs sideways over the top, unused to not having a great deal of gel keeping them there for her. They were long enough now to poke into her eyes. That felt so long to her now.
Once the boy was clipped, shaved, and slicked he was on his way, and then the last customer before Carol stepped to the chair, and old balding man with only a rim of hair. It wouldn?t be long before Carol would have her turn. She was grateful that once again no other customers had come in to watch.
As she expected, it took only about 5 minutes to finish the elderly gentleman, and then Bob beckoned her to the chair.
?Hi, remember me??
?Sure, you were here for a play or something right? The little boy??
She was amazed he had such a good memory. ?Yes, that?s right.?
?So how did the play come out??
?Great, in fact I got a full scholarship to college because of it.?
?Congratulations!? He put the cape around her, along with the almost too tight neck tissue.
?I really hadn?t figured I?d see you again.?
?Neither did I, but the strange thing is I like having short hair.?
?It sure is easier than long hair.?
?Absolutely, but more than that I like the way it makes me look.?
?So what?ll it be? Another ?little boy cut???
Why was she hesitating? Because she was actually considering something else altogether. But she wasn?t ready to go there.
?Yes, I think I will have another.?
?Just like last time??
?Please.?
And so Carol sat there as once again the clippers ran up the back of her head and around her ears. Clippings much longer than she expected to see fell down her lap, yet she relished the whole sensation, especially as she felt him working on blending the longish top to the tapered sides and back. It all seemed to happen so fast now, especially since this was something she was enjoying rather than dreading. The shaving cream was soon applied and removed, as was the masculine smelling hair tonic. She felt it all being combed quite harshly into place. The one thing she didn?t experience this time was the thinning shears. She figured her hair hadn?t grown out enough from last time to necessitate the process.
And then she was spun to the mirror, once again to gaze on herself in the short, masculine hairstyle. It was not such a shock this time, looking very much as she remembered. But something looked different too. She had watched that little boy earlier get this same cut, but somehow his seemed different.
?Why does mine look different from that boy who was just in here??
?Oh, you mean little Toby? He likes his cut shorter than I would usually do.?
Carol was shown the back again, and reached up and touched it, treasuring the feel of the short tapered section. Yet it looked quite long compared to Toby?s.
?Could you cut mine like his was??
Bob had a hard time hiding his surprise at the request.
?Sure, if you want.?
Carol couldn?t believe she had actually said that, but she had and strangely didn?t regret it. Heck, it was only hair. It would grow back.
?Then let?s try it.?
She handed him back the small mirror and then felt the robe fastened once again. Then the clippers came to life and she felt them attacking the back, this time taking it up a good deal higher. The sides were also brought up a bit higher and shorter. Small little clippings less than half an inch long fell down the cape. The top had little taken off, just enough to blend into the now shorter sides and back. The chair was wheeled around to reveal a clearly shorter version of the cut. She touched it, loving the result, especially in the back which was short almost clear to the top.
She grinned. ?I love it.?
She was quickly robed and out the door. On the drive home one hand never left the top of her head: constantly exploring her new short style. It especially liked the short back and sides.
All the rest of the day she found herself constantly checking her look, constantly feeling it, amazed she didn?t dislike it at all. She even thought she looked better with this shorter style. In fact, much better.
Her love affair with her short hair continued all throughout the week. Each day she in fact woke a bit disappointed to find her locks had grown that tiny fraction of an inch taking away from her enjoyment of the feel of short hair. After two weeks she was itching to be back in the barber chair once more, and found herself noticing every barber shop she drove or strolled past, even trying to get a look inside.
It became an obsession, occupying much of her free thought each day. Not only did she think about getting her own ?little boy?s cut? again, most certainly the shorter version, but she even pondered other styles shorter still. She recalled the surge of energy she got when touching Michael?s freshly cut flattop.
Suddenly she started noticing every time she saw a man with a flattop, and then they seemed to be everywhere. She sought them out on the web, spending hours enjoying pictures of fresh cuts, before and after pictures, etc? When she found a sight showing photos of women with the same haircut (though some were admittedly left quite long and looked to be done in a salon) she was ready to go experience it herself. At least most of her was, though some was fearful.
Two weeks later she could stand it no longer, she needed at least another haircut to keep her current style the way she liked it. She was back in Bob?s barber shop again, deliberately picking the busiest time of the week so she would get to watch many others get theirs cut too.
Much to her enjoyment, the man just before her was having his slightly grown out flattop (not nearly as grown out as Michael?s had been) redone, and she got to see the process once more from start to finish. As with Michael, Bob sprayed the finish style so it ended up stiff and at attention, and Carol was aching to rub her hand over the top though she couldn?t since he was a complete stranger. And then it was her turn.
?Hello again Carol,? said Bob. She was impressed with his memory for names.
?Hello,? she said as she gave herself a quick glance in the mirror prior to twirling around and having a seat in the big barber chair. Her hair looked so long to her now, and she couldn?t wait to feel the nice short back and sides again.
The robe was placed and secured with the tight neck tissue.
?The usual?? he asked. It seemed so odd that he should be putting it that way, but since this was her third trip to the shop he was perfectly right in saying it.
?Is there an even shorter version of a ?little boy?s cut??? she found herself asking.
Bob grinned. ?Not really.?
Carol didn?t miss a beat. ?In that case give me a flattop like that last man.?
Bob stopped in his tracks. ?You?re kidding, right??
?No, I?m quite serious.?
?You realize how short that?s going to end up??
?Yes, and I?m actually looking quite forward to it.?
?I can cut a long version for you, so if you don?t like it you?ll be able to have some options in a few weeks.?
?Thanks, but I want it exactly like his.?
?The top of his had a landing strip?. That means a section cut clean down to the skin.?
?I noticed. I want that too.?
?Well, OK if you say so. First time I?m ever given this haircut to a woman.?
Carol strangely wasn?t nervous at all as the clippers came to life, and she even grinned a bit as she felt them pushed up the back of her neck, mowing through what little length she had back there. Bob was being very deliberate, retracing his path often with even a little pressure against her skin. It was almost like a massage, relaxing her.
?For the record, how much shorter will it end up back there??
?Quite a bit. Your ?Little Boy?s Cut? was done with a number 4 attachment. This cut uses a #1.?
?How much different is that??
?Let me put it this way. A zero attachment means I?d be taking everything off.?
Carol swallowed hard as the clipper ran a bit farther up the back of her head than she expected, realizing what she was getting into. But since it felt so good it really didn?t bother her at all.
Bob attacked the sides next. Carol saw clippings much longer than she thought possible raining down the robe to her lap. Plus the clippers ran up a bit higher that she was used too. Again he constantly retraced his path, pressing quite firmly against her skin with the machine. Then it was silenced as he returned to the counter.
Her top hair was misted with water, and then a blow dryer came to life and her top hair was brushed every which way quite harshly. Whatever kind of brush Bob was using was really grabbing it so that it was being forced straight and vertical. It was actually quite a fun sensation. All too quickly the procedure was done. Then Bob was back with clippers and comb. He positioned her head with care.
?Try not to move,? he said as the clippers came to life.
Carol held perfectly still, quite eager to experience the next few moments, when her crown hair would be transformed into a flat surface. She had imagined this, dreamed this, so many times in the past weeks she wondered if it would live up to her expectations.
He started in the back with a quick run over the comb, the clippings flying forward onto her robe. They looked several inches long. She didn?t know she had that much hair up there. The thing was she didn?t feel the comb against her scalp, or feel like she was getting the cut she had asked for. It was almost disappointing. He brought the comb forward for another pass, again with a sizeable amount falling across her face. It was happening, but she couldn?t tell. She almost wished she could at least see it in a mirror. Three more passes and he had worked clear to the front. It did feel shorter up there, but not like she expected.
He quickly combed through what was left, fluffing it up or something. Then he started at the back again, repeating the whole procedure. She still couldn?t feel it against her skin, but could sense it getting shorter. The clippings were only a half inch long this time. Once this pass was done he ran a whisk broom over it, getting all the stray clippings off the top and her face.
?Are you done up there??
?Not hardly if you want it as short as you said. Have you changed your mind??
She grinned with confidence. ?No, I was just wondering. It felt too long still.?
?Well, it won?t feel that way for long.? With that she felt the comb lying tight to the back of her crown, and the clipper run over it. More clippings rained down. A rush of adrenalin ran through her body. Now it felt like what she expected. Maybe even better. As the comb crept forward her enjoyment increased. He went over it several times, stepped away for a good look, and then attacked it some more. Then he started blending in the sides to the top. He worked quite quickly as more and more kept coming off. Carol was enjoying every second.
A few minutes later Bob turned off the clippers and stepped in front of her, giving his work a long hard look. Then he repositioned her head purposefully once again, and turned on the clippers again.
?Hold very still,? he said, and Carol found herself holding her breath. She felt the clipper very delicately working on the top, only this time there was no comb. He was doing this freehand. Toward the back of her crown, she felt the machine touch down against her skin ever so gently. She saw no clippings fall and could barely hear anything happening, but she could feel it this time. She was getting that ?landing strip?.
Bob again redid the blend from the top to the sides. Then he put away his clippers and whisked her down once more. The shaving cream along the sides and back was applied and professionally removed with a razor.
Next he applied his favorite gel to her hair, and with a blow dryer in only moments had it all perfectly at attention, very stiff, almost prickly to the touch, and a layer of spray made sure it would stay that way for quite some time.
?Let?s see if this works for you.? The chair was turned to the mirror.
Every expectation Carol had of what she would look like in such a cut was instantly fulfilled and surpassed. Besides the initial shock that she had almost no hair left anywhere, she absolutely adored her new reflection. In spite of the fact she had very little hair left, it was most definitely a flattop as her head now looked absolutely level. She was a bit nervous when she first saw her landing strip, as for the first time ever she had absolutely no hair on a portion of her head. But once she touched the top she was in love. It was rigid and the spray may it feel quite stiff. The back and sides, now little but stubble, felt amazing. She was hooked. She couldn?t imagine ever having long hair again.
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