A haircut just like mine

Fred was getting a bit too shaggy, for what hair he had still on his head.He had fashioned himself a neat and tidy comb-over, even the boys down at the bar admitted it was a good look for him.But it was getting too long these days, it was time for a trim.

He always had and will always go, to his final day, to the old barbershop just south of the courthouse.It was home to him and frankly, the noise of the clippers were better that of the calm wind on his porch.His good barber, Frank, hailed him as soon as he came in the door.

The barber was giving a middle-aged man a crew-cut so the Fred sat and waited his turn, occupying himself with the local highlights of the small town.He had not been there for five minutes when the bell above the door rang out.

She was no more than ten, Fred guessed, her sundress was faded white and pink.Her long, brown hair touched her breastplate and the hat atop her head was big but he clearly saw her green eyes.The barber stopped his work periodically at the oddity in his shop and got back to it a millisecond later.

This oddity found her way over to wear Fred sat and took a seat nearby him.He was a bit puzzled but focused back to his paper, tending to ignore such odd occurrences around the barbershop.But he couldn’t ignore her forever.

For it was she who started the chit-chat, she had been watching the haircutting for about a minute now and was shifting her legs nervously.Fred saw this but decided not to mind her.

”Excuse me, sir?”the girl asked.Fred gave a soft grunt as if to tell the girl to be quiet because he was busy.She, however, continued to talk,”What haircut should I ask the barber for?”

The man turned to the girl and eyed her closely.He gave her a hard mouth and said,”You want my honest opinion, you should should get a haircut just like mine”,Fred pointed to the thin layer covering the crown of his head.She returned his words with a polite,”Okay.Thank you”

That was the end of the conversation and the haircut.A freshly cut man rose from out of the barber’s chair and adjusted his tie in the mirror.”Wish me luck”, he waved out the door as Frank replied,”Good luck to ya”

Frank gave a chuckle after his customer as he swept the black clippings of hair into a small pile on the floor.He looked to the two on the waiting bench and chuckled again,”How long have you two birdies been here?”

”A long time”,Fred smiled.He thought nothing of the child beside him but decided to humour her.”You know what”,he said,”I’ll let this little lass go first”

”You sure, Fred?”asked the barber.

”I’ll wait”,the man spoke softly, letting the words of the journal meet his eyes once more.The girl got up, removed her hat, and bowed to him,”Thank you, mister”

”No problem”,Fred replied, not caring to look up from his read.

Her hat was taken by the barber and put up on a hook on the wall.He helped into the chair and secured a olive-colored about the girl’s body.As he brushed her fine hair, Frank asked,”What hairstyle do you want, miss?”

In a dainty voice, she replied,”I would like hair like that man on the waiting bench”

When Fred heard that, he wanted to laugh.Frank was stunned at the request and to persuade her towards a bob or pixie but she was a girl that knew what she wanted.What could Frank do, deny her and refuse to even let her out of the chair til she chose a more feminine style?

He was in a bit of a pickle and didn’t know what to do so he asked Fred for advice.”Give the little lady what she wants”,he answered his friend’s pleas.

Two against one, Frank exhaled a puff of air and started his craft.He started snipping her hair up to the earlobe and got ready to clear her crown.With no way out of this, the barber did his duty and plunged the free blades of the clippers into the virgin scalp.It wasn’t hard for a man of his caliber, sort of like mowing his own lawn.

He didn’t want to look but he more to do so he forced himself to gaze onto the bare crown of his customer.She was pleased with the work had done and anticipated his progress.Her eyes watched as he stretched some hair from the right side of her head to the left.

When the cape came off and the hair fell loosely to the floor, the girl gently patted her hairstyle.In the mirror, she looked at Fred and smiled,”Now we match, mister”

”We sure do”,Fred returned the smile.The girl did not put on her hat, as to not ruin the fresh haircut, and walked out of the shop gleefully.

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