Well Joe and his companion came back and that meant I had to find a job elsewhere. My main squeeze Casey (read story#1 The Long & Short of It) suggested that I continue my career in barbering at home. One problem, we lived in a small apartment and really had no space for ourselves let lone a customer or two. Since I had been working at the hotel shop, I had saved money as had Casey with his computer sales. So we plunked down what we could on an old mill house on the south side of town.
How was I going to get customers to come all the way down to the south side of town? Idea!!! Peter. He did owe me (read story #5 Peter’s Prize). I phoned Peter and told him that I was calling in the favor he owed me. To my surprise he agreed.
That Saturday Peter came at about 9:00am. Casey made sure he greeted Peter at the door and escorted him into the “shop” which is nothing more than the extra bedroom with an old barber’s chair, three old arm chairs, two large mirrors and a mirrored cabinet with wash basin.
Peter looked around and smiled that smile. Some things never change. Of course Peter is very good looking. He had let his hair grow out. His hair is raven black and very shiny. While working at the hotel, he kept it cut in a longish wedge cut with long sideburns to match. Now the wedge cut had grown shaggy on the sides and back and his bangs kept falling into his eyes.
Peter sat in the barber chair and said, “I’m all your’s to do with as you please.” A loaded comment if there ever was one. Casey looked like he could spit nails, so I quickly smiled and put the cape around Peter’s neck and ran my fingers through that famous head of hair. Oh, my. Thick, long and soft to the touch. I told him that I was going to clean him up a bit and got out my trusty Oster.
His hair was not long on the sides and back just thick and shaggy - - about 1” long on the sides and back. The top of the wedge cut was about 5 - 6” long. His sideburns came all the way down to his earlobes and were thick and about 1” wide. All of that was about to change.
I took my Oster and put on the #1 attachment (1/8”) and clicked it on. I started in the back. Gently, but firmly I tilted his head forward. I moved the clipper up the back of his head to the edge of the “wedge”. Slowly I repeated this across the back. Moving the clippers up the back of his head and watching thick clumps of rich raven black hair fall to the floor in a pile of obsidian velvet.
Next I moved around to his right side and again moved the clippers up the side of his head to the edge of the “wedge”. Slowly, I continued around his ear until I had blended it in with the back. All this time he said nothing, just watched me intently in the mirror. Casey was trying to keep track of both Peter and myself. Me I was just trying to keep from making a fool out of myself.
I moved around to his left and slowly moved the clippers up the side of his head and made sure that as much of the thick black hair fell into his lap as possible. I tilted his head away but made sure he could see what I was doing in the mirror. At this point I took a deep breath and took of the attachment. Moving the clippers very slowly, I shaved off his left sideburn starting way down at his earlobe and moving all the way up to the hair line above his ear. I moved around to his right side and repeated the process and slowly shaved off his long thick and wide sideburn, making sure he could see what I was doing in the mirror.
Next, I took out my favorite comb and combed out the wedge all the way around so it hung down evenly all the way around his head. Gently, but firmly I tilted his head forward. I started in the back and lifted the wedge up with the comb and using just the bare clipper blade lopped off 5 “ of thick black hair. I made sure I flipped the lopped locks over onto his shoulder and watched them slide down into his lap. Oh, his was very into this now. As was Casey. I knew I had to be careful.
I continued using clipper-over-comb in the back reducing 5 - 6” of thick black wedge into 1” stubble. I moved around to his right and slowly lopped of the wedge on that side making sure as much as possible landed in his lap. Next I moved over to his left side and once again reduced all that beautiful thick hair down to something manageable.
I put the #1 attachment (1/8”) back on the Oster and started where I had left off before and reduced what was left on the sides and back down to the same length. Gently, but firmly I tilted his head forward. I took of the attachment and once again reverted to using clipper-over-comb on top. By tilting his head forward, I could insure that most of the hair would fall in his lap.
I started at the crown and worked my way in sections left to right across his head. Moving forward with each new section of thick long black hair I reduced the top part of the “wedge” to 1/2” at the front and 1/8” at the crown. By the time I reached his bangs in the front, the pile of hair in his lap had grown to a mound. I went over the top repeatedly to make sure the hair was as level and strait up as possible.
I got out the shaving cream and strait razor and slowly defined the edge around his ears and defined and cleaned up the back of his neck. Then I shaved his face and rubbed on my favorite tonic “Wintergreen.”
Peter looked in the mirrors and smiled. “Ya did good!” I breathed a sigh of relief and even Casey looked pleased. He paid me and left. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I should have known better than to doubt Peter’s draw on others. Just as I was going to call it a day, Peter came back and with three other guys! All wanting cuts just like Peter’s.
Then after all of them had been clipped, Casey decided he had seen enough and wanted his hair cut. Of course, he received much more special treatment than any of my earlier customers.
Well, now I am in Peter’s debt and that worries me. Casey says he’ll protect me. Hmmm, this could be fun ya know!!
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