As I walked off the platform I
saw Sal waiting for me. After we'd kissed and hugged for a bit she took
my head in her hands and started inspecting my hair.
- Nice isn't it? I had it cut last week at the salon in town, I said.
- I thought you said you were going to get it cut short, she replied.
- I did
- Well it's shorter than it was
but I wouldn't call it short. And it's certainly not short enough if
you want to make a decent impression on mam and dad.
- You think so? Well, I suppose
it could be a bit shorter. There's a salon just outside the station,
let's go and see if they can fit me in.
I set off for the station
entrance but didn't notice that she'd got out her phone and was making a
call. When I realised that she wasn't with me I was halfway across the
concourse and I turned back to see her chatting so I stopped and waited.
She was soon finished and came trotting over.
- It's ok, I've sorted it out, an old friend is going to help us. Come on, this way.
We left the station and headed
for her house. or at least we did for a while but as we reached the High
Street, we turned left instead of right.
-Where are we going? Your place is that way.
- I told you, an old friend is going to cut your hair. It's just along here.
We stopped outside an old fashioned looking barber's and she opened the door and swept in.
- But ...
- Let's get this sorted. Audrey's an old friend of the family, it won't take long.
I was a bit shocked. I hadn't
been in a place like this for years, I didn't think such places still
existed. It was just like the shop where I used to get my haircut when I
was a kid. I had thoughts of my hair being butchered like it had back
then and held back.
- Come along, we haven't got all day.
- But it's a barber's, wouldn't we be better going to a salon to have it done properly.
- Don't be daft, they'll do it properly here, they've been cutting hair for years, they know how to do it. Trust me.
She gave me that look she gives me and I just followed her in. The
sights, sounds and smells brought back the memory of all those childhood
visits to the barber. No say over how it was cut, just sit down and get
virtually scalped. They did 3 different haircuts back there: short back
and sides (with the emphasis on short); 'just a trim', which varied
from exactly that to short back and sides depending on who did the
haircut and who was on the receiving end; and crew cut, which was quarter of
an inch all over and even shorter at the back and sides if you were
unlucky.
There was an old barber inside running his clippers up the back of a
young boy's neck, while the lad's mother sat on one of the bentwood
chairs looking on.
- Ah, there you are, said the
barber, I'll just go and tell Audrey you're here. She's in the salon
next door dealing with a client but she shouldn't be long.
He disappeared through a doorway at the back of the shop towards the adjoining salon, reappearing a few seconds later.
- Just take a seat, she'll be through in a minute.
With that, he switched his
clippers back on, pushed the kid's head forward until his chin was on
his chest again and got back to work with his shearing. At least a
woman's going to cut my hair, I thought to myself, so hopefully she'll be styling it and my
hair won't be massacred. I was getting nervous as I watched the boy's
hair dropping to the floor all around him, thinking that could be me.
- I'm sorry to be putting you through this, said Sal, but if you
want things to go ok with my parents then you'll have to trust me that
this is the right thing to do. And you'll look great with short hair. I
promise I'll make it up to you later when mam and dad have gone out.
She gave me another look and
resigned myself to my fate. Just then a woman, Audrey I presume, came
through from the ladies' salon next door. She was quite tall, handsome,
middle aged and wearing a white nylon smock over a tweed skirt.
- Ok then, let's get you done. Hop up into the chair.
I walked over and climbed into the chair.
- I'd like it cut short please.
She wafted out a pale blue
nylon cape and then billowed it out over my knees before pulling it up
snugly to my neck and tucking it tightly into the collar of my shirt.
She turned to Sal and said:
- How short do you want it Sally?
- You can leave it a bit longer on the top so he can do something with it but give him a proper short back and sides like dad.
I wanted to object but one look from Sal and I gave in to the inevitable.
