Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

Last Sunday, I looked in the mirror and decided that I needed a hair cut.   Streaks of grey were visible through the darkness around. Stubble abounded. There were many other things that came to mind that called for action, when I looked into the mirror, but this was one thing I could do something about with only a strain on the pocket.

Soon after breakfast, I walked up the road on the way to my regular wool shearer, Mamatha’s hair cutting saloon, when I noticed a bright red board in a new building. It said Ctb’s skin and hair salon. I gave it thought, but I was scared, that when I came out I would be singing the falsetto.

Nevertheless it was exciting that there are other options, and I recalled that I had come across one on the way to work. A unisex Salon. That’s what was written boldly across the front of the shop.  I wondered what that was – never got into one before, coz I always wondered how I would come out - in what form.  Whether I’d be in one of those new categories that they celebrate at parades.  I was conservative, but trying not to be and I would have given it a try, but for the name - It was called “Blunt”

As I looked up at this new building I saw two other salons. They seemed to have mushroomed.  One with a rather big red board – called Curves. Why all salons I came across had red boards was a mystery. The ‘Blunt’ one too had its share of red.   I liked it but I had a choice to make, for next to it was another smaller board, it too advertised its services – Hair spa. That was new.  It was called Craves. I wondered, if I entered Craves, I would crave the curves, or if I chose the curves, my wife would come looking for me.

I made up my mind. I would go to my regular saloon. It’s called Mamatha’s hair cutting saloon.  It was a saloon I could identify with because of the name. I once knew a girl by that name, but that is not why I went there.  It was the one saloon nearest home, and I got a decent trim at decent price, with one qualification – Whether they cut it short or medium, it costs the same.

I had been coming here ever since I remember. As I neared it I looked at the board, I noticed it had changed – it was now called Mamatha’s Hair Salon. It was keeping up with the competition.  The Saloon had become Salon and the interior had been spruced up. It was airconditioned and the price had doubled. One thing had not changed though, it was still not co-ed. 

Having come in I did not want to exit. Besides I had nowhere else to go. So I sat down in an available chair, examined myself in the mirror, looking this way and that. The barber, a guy I had not seen earlier, with what they call the wedge cut came up to me and asked the age old question, short, medium or long. That had me in a spot, I wondered how you have a long hair cut!  Short I said…. And he said Sir Wedge? Machine? I said no, normal. And he started.

At the end of it all, though I paid double, I was glad.  I didn’t crave the curves and bluntly rejected ctb’s for Mamatha!