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Stephanie was 9 years old and had come to live with her paternal grandmother six months ago after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident.  For the most part, Stephanie liked living with her grandmother.  She was a nurturing and caring woman, though she did have some pretty strict rules about how Stephanie had to dress and act.  Still, she had come to love her grandmother, though prior to living with her Stephanie did not know her very well.

School had ended for the summer only yesterday, and today was the first day of summer vacation.  And last night at dinner, Stephanie’s grandmother told her that today she would be going for a “summer haircut."  Over the past six months, Stephanie’s hair had grown quite long.  Normally she wore it shoulder length with bangs in front.  Now her hair hung down to the middle of her back and her bangs had grown to where they were in her face all the time.  So Stephanie welcomed the idea of a haircut.

After breakfast as she and her grandmother cleared away the dishes, her grandmother asked, “Stephanie are you ready to go for that summer haircut?"

“Yes grandmother – I guess so."

“Well let’s hurry along then.  Gene will be waiting for us."

Stephanie followed along side her grandmother out the front door and down the street toward the downtown area.  As they were walking, Stephanie assumed they would be going to the little beauty salon located two blocks over.  Instead, her grandmother turned into the barbershop located at the end of their street.  Stephanie had passed the shop hundreds of times over the past six months, but she never thought she ever would be setting foot in the place.  Barbers were where men and boys went for haircuts.

As Stephanie and her grandmother entered the shop, an older gentleman sat reading a newspaper in one of the barber chairs.  When he heard the door open, he looked up and smiled as he saw Stephanie grandmother.

“Hello Irene!  It’s certainly been a long time since I’ve seen you.  And who is this beautiful young lady you have with you?"

“Hello Gene.  It’s good to see you again.  This is my granddaughter Stephanie.  She came to live with me six months ago.  And we’re here today because she is in desperate need of a haircut."

“Well certainly – I can help with that."  With that, Gene the Barber stood up from the chair and reached under the back counter for a red cloth covered board he placed over the arms of the big barber chair.  Next he walked over to Stephanie and lifted her up on to the board.  Stephanie was a little surprised how high she was sitting.  She couldn’t remember if she had ever sat this high at the Beauty salons she went to with her mother.  And usually she sat looking into a mirror.  Today she was facing the front waiting area of the shop where her grandmother was sitting.

“So then Irene – what are we doing here today?  The usual summer haircut?"

“Yes I think a nice, short summer cut would be good.  We need to get all that hair out of her face."

Gene smiled and began to comb through Stephanie’s hair.  Next he pulled a rubber band from his pocket and gathered her hair into a ponytail in back.  Then he placed a large, pinstriped cape around Stephanie and placed a ring of tissue around her neck.  He gathered the cape and tissue together and fastened it with a metal clip in back.  Gene then pumped up the barber chair a time or two so that Stephanie was sitting at a more comfortable height for him to work.

Gene took out a pair of scissors and without fanfare, snipped the hair just above the rubber band. About six inches fell down behind Stephanie and the remaining hair fell free into a rough looking bob haircut. All this was new to her.  Stephanie had never experienced a haircut quite like this and sat looking at her grandmother who watched from a chair in the waiting area.

Stephanie then jumped when she heard a slight pop from behind her and then Gene was standing at her right side with a pair of electric clippers in his hand.  She felt a soothing vibration as he moved the clipper into the hair on the side of her head in front of the ear, and began a slow sweep upward.  As the clippers neared the crown of Stephanie’s head, Jack combed the top hair down and brought the clippers up over the comb.  She watched as a large five inch section of her hair fell to her shoulder, then forward into her lap.  Stephanie thought it looked like an awfully large amount of hair, but because she couldn’t see what was happening, had no idea Gene was clippering her hair down to the skin.  Jack moved the clipper above and around her right ear, using the same clipper over comb technique as he approached the crown of her head.  Another five inches of Stephanie’s light brown hair cascaded down onto the cape.

Gene then moved behind Stephanie and gently eased her head forward so that her chin was touching her chest.  Using long, slow sweeping motions, he moved the clippers up the back of her head.  First on the right side, then middle and finally the left side.  Just then Stephanie heard the door of the shop open and two people walk in.  She could only see feet with her head thrust forward so far, but she recognized one pair of feet as being a woman and the other probably her son.  They moved into the waiting area and took chairs near to where her grandmother was sitting.

When Gene was finished cutting all the hair in back, the moved to Stephanie’s left side and began the process of cutting the hair on that side of her head. As Stephanie lifted her head she could see a woman and boy of about six, seated in chairs.  Then she heard the woman say to the boy, “Jerry – Sit still!  If you don’t sit still I’m going to tell the barber to shave your head just like that boy."

Boy?  Stephanie thought.  That lady thinks I’m a boy?  It was then she realized what the barber was doing.  He was cutting her hair like some of the boys she saw at school.  Stephanie was receiving a short crew cut!  She squirmed in the chair and Gene pressed his hand down on her left shoulder.  “Easy there girlie.  It won’t be too much longer now."

When Gene was finished with the left side, he took his comb and brushed the hair on the top of Stephanie’s head straight forward.  Hair fell into her eyes and it was hard for her to see anything.  But she felt Jack bring the clippers to the back crown of her head and begin a slow, sweeping movement across the top of her head.  Hair continued to rain down onto the cape and Stephanie saw a large pile of her hair gathering in her lap.  Gene continued to the sweep the clippers across the top of her head, gradually moving forward and leaving a shaved wake behind.

As Gene neared the front of Stephanie’s head, he turned the clippers off, just before he reached her widow’s peak.  He placed the clippers under the back counter and grabbed a pair of scissors and comb.  Gene combed Stephanie’s bangs straight down and then using the scissors, cut bangs straight across.  He had cut them about a half inch down from the crown of her head – almost two full inches above her eyebrows.  When he was finished, Gene turned toward Stephanie’s grandmother and said, “So – How’s that look Irene?  Short enough?"

“Could you turn her so I can see the back?"

“Sure."  And with that Gene slowly turned the chair so Stephanie was now looking into the back mirror.  She did not recognize the reflection.  It didn’t look anything like her.  If anything, it looked like a nine year old boy with a drastic crew cut and short, wispy bangs.  Stephanie sat staring in disbelief.

“That looks fine, thank-you Gene.  It’s nice to see what my granddaughter looks like without all that stringy long hair hanging in her face."

Gene then turned the chair so Stephanie was again facing forward again.  She was so mad; she sat frowning at her grandmother.

“Why Stephanie, what’s with that face?  Don’t you like your new haircut?  I think it looks cute! Just like the haircut your aunt Rae used to get when she was your age.  I used to have her hair cut like this every summer until she started high school.  It’s a family tradition and I’m sure you’re going to like it once you get used to it."

Gene then used a small hand brush to brush away any stray hairs on Stephanie’s face.  Then he brushed above and behind her eyes; and finally along the strip of tissue in back.  Gene released the clip and pulled the cape away from Stephanie.  She watched as a huge mound of hair fell from the cape and onto the floor.  Then Gene gently lifted her down from the chair and Stephanie stood in shock in the middle of the barber shop floor.  Suddenly the shop door opened again and an older man walked in the door.  He waved to Gene and said, “Hi Gene!  Got time for one more?"  Then he turned to Stephanie and said," Say that’s a fine looking haircut. Looks like you’re all set for summer."

Stephanie’s grandmother then paid for the haircut and the two of them walked out the front door into the sunshine.  Stephanie, who was still in shock, lifted her hand to the back of her head and brushed where her hair had been.  All she felt was light stubble.  Then she moved her hand to the top of her head and felt the stubble there. 

Stephanie’s grandmother smiled, “Feels nice doesn’t it?  It’s something you can look forward to the next few years.  It’s a great way to start your summer vacation every year until you go to high school."  They walked in silence all the way back to her grandmother’s house.  It would be the first of many trips for what Stephanie began to call, “her annual summer shearing."  In her mind she tried to figure out how many years she had until she started high school.  Five years?  Six years?  However many years it was – Stephanie felt it was way too many.

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