I must admit to be being happy with life. I had ticked all the usual boxes, good job, nice house no serious debt, saving for old age etc. At 33 I was single, settled and comfortable. My job as catering manager at Summer Forest did not leave me with much free time as my kitchen was responsible for turning out three full meals a day. As such despite being firm about setting aside time for my self 12 plus hour days were inevitable and at times could run continuously for more than a week.
Perhaps it would be a good to explain that Summer Forest is what is politely referred to as sheltered accommodation for the aged. The Kitchen, that's me, provides three full meals, with a selection of choices, a day though each of the residents homes, most of them comfortably bigger than mine, complete with double garages have their own kitchen. There is no dining hall as such we serve the food in disposable containers which the residents can collect at various times during the day. In addition a joining the serving hall we have rather nice pub, a library, hair salon and a laundrette.
With the average age of the residents at 78 and a few months the hair salon was not what you would call trendy. Though almost all of the residents swore by Ruth who at about 55 was comfortably younger than all of them but still just old enough to be my mother. In addition to her tight perms the salon was also well known for her assistant Dashi, as small Indian lady of about Ruth's age who made the tea and coffee for the clients and washed their hair. It was not the washing but rather her scalp massage after she had shampooed he clients hair for which she was famous.
Having seen the standard style produced by the salon short and tightly permed, I must confess that I was in no hurry to try Ruth though she was a nice person and working in the same building, we would often chat together discussing the comings and goings and happenings in the center. Still having been transferred from the local university I had my own hairdresser in town who kept my light brown hair, grey free, not that I had many, and nicely layered just above my bra with a side fringe that I could just tuck behind my ear. All in all it was a great low maintenance style which I could just wash and stick in a pony tail. No fuss at all, just a six weekly visit for a root touch up and trim.
So it was over a year before I found my self knocking on Ruth's door and asking her if she could squeeze me in for a trim and a touch up. It was a Friday mid afternoon'ish, I had party that night, and courtesy of one mishap after the other I had been working non stop of about two weeks, missing my regular appointment about 10 days ago. “Not a problem" came the reply, Could I come back in half an hour. this suited me fine and after seeing that the weekend's menus had been dealt with I returned to have my hair seen to.
For all the average age of her clients Ruth's Salon did not seem that old fashioned just quiet calm and comfortable, I immediately felt at home and relaxed. Ruth Showed me to one of her two styling chairs and pulled up a stool and sat next to me. “So what can I do for you to day, Janice?"
I started to tell her that I just wanted my usual tint and trim when for some reason I asked her what she thought I should do. “Well, Janice, that depends on what you have in mind." she replied. With out properly thinking I replied that I wanted something smart and profession that would be easy to look after and as little maintenance as possible, rather like my current style.. “In that case I would suggest that you go for a nice bob," she replied, “with may be fringe and perhaps bit darker? It would look much smarter than your present style"
“That sounds a little short." I replied
“Yes it would be quite a change, why don't you let Dashi give you a nice Shampoo and you can think about it" she suggested.
So I allowed my self to lead through to the basin certain that I would just be sticking to my usual trim. The shampoo was heaven and when 15 minutes later I was lead back to my chair and draped, I was in a complete daze having nearly fallen a sleep several times having my hair washed. I was brought back to reality with Ruth asking me, “So are we going to smarten you up then?"
“Yes please" I replied not thinking about or parting words and started to relax again as Ruth combed my hair back into my nape.
I was brought back to reality with a start as I felt something cold brush against my neck and heard the unmistakable sound of scissors slicing through hair. “Ruth, what are you doing?" I exclaimed.
“Just tidying you up, like we discussed, Janice. Now sit back and relax while I remove the rest of the bulk, so that I can get started with your colour." I was shocked but sat obediently while Ruth cut away the rest of my hair across the top of my neck just below my hairline. I was shocked to say the least. My hair had not been this short since primary school and I certainly had had no intentions of cutting short any time soon. “I'm just removing the bulk, there's no point in wasting colour on hair that we are just going to cut off now is there?" I sat like scolded child wondering what I had got my self into?
“What colour are we going to go I asked?"
“Just a little darker dear," replied Ruth, “A bob does look so much smarter on dark hair." I sat looking at my self while Ruth disappeared to the back of the shop to mix my colour. My hair which had shortly before covered my shoulder blades no lay on the floor around me and I could just see the cut ends poking out from behind the bottom of my ears.
Presently Ruth returned mixing what looked like a bright pink gu far removed from the baby poo orange colour that my old hairdresser used to apply. Ruth's gentle application soon had me relaxing again and before I knew it she was combing the colour through to the ends and Dashy was offering me a cup of tea and a magazine.
Soon enough the buzzer went off and I was lead back to the basin and the pleasure of Dashy's washing ability. All to soon though, I was lead back to the station where in my state of bliss another rude shock awaited. My light brown hair was now black, not just black, it glowed blue. “Ruth, what have you done to me?" I asked.
“Relax dear, its one of my new colour's, called China Doll. It will look ever so smart once we have finished your bob." This only served to remind me that Ruth had still not finished cutting my hair.
“Are you going to cut it much shorter I asked?"
“Just a little, You are going to look fabulous when we are finished. You will wonder why you never did it before! Now chin down please?" as she gently pushed my chin down into my lap forcing me to stare down at the empty cape.
I felt her sectioning my my hair combing all the hair below the occipital bone down and pining the rest up out the way. “I'm just going to tidy all this away, dear" Ruth was saying “It will help make the bob look so much neater and a lot more manageable." I was in no position to argue. With my chin pushed down on the top of chest and Ruth's left hand resting gently on the top of my head. I was not actually able to move my head in order to say anything.
Even so I was completely unprepared for the sensation of a razor scraping away the hair at the back of my head, and tried to straighten up. Ruth's left hand held me their firmly and she said: “now hold still, Janice dear, it will all be over in a moment. I don't want to cut you." I felt like a scolded child and bowed my head in acceptance. There was nothing to do now but sit and wait while Ruth shaved away what felt like the whole of the bottom of the back of my head. “I'll just use a dash of conditioner to do it again for you, dear, so we get it nice and smooth." I heard as I felt her spreading the conditioner on my nape and then shaving up against the grain. It felt cold and alien and I shuddered inwardly as she scrapped away the rest of my hair.
“There you go dear now we can cut you a nice short bob." she prattled on.
“But I don't want it too short" I replied summoning what little strength I had left for a final defense.
“Nonsense, Janice, it just would not look right, besides you said your self you wanted to be “smarted up".
I was speechless and allowed my head to be pushed back down. Ruth began cutting the back of the bob at what felt very high up the back of head. With my chin pressed down on my chest it was impossible to see what she was doing save guess from the occasional 4 or 5 inch piece of hair that she brushed over my shoulder and would fall down on my lap on it's way to the floor. Eventually Ruth finished cutting the back and moved round to my right pushing my head over to my left in the process. “I'm just cutting the bob so we can see the bottoms of your ears Janice. That way you will be able to show off your earrings" It seemed pointless to point out to Ruth that my ears were not pierced at all. But I was unable to consider this for very long as the reality of just how short my hair was going to be finally dawned on . Yet there was nothing I could do save accept the change. Sitting up with my head over to one side I was able to see that Ruth was cutting my hair in a straight line from the back across the top of my earlobe to just above the bottom of my nose. The black hair contrasting sharply with my pale skin.
Finished with my right Ruth moved over to my left and began cutting it away too. “ Janice I see your ears aren't pierced. Don't worry I'll sort them out for you too" I did not know what to say but my fears where confirmed when she called out “Dash would you just have a look and see if I have any piercing studs left. Janice is needing her ears pierced." That was it then, not only was I having my hair cut short but I was also having my ears pierced. Ruth resumed cutting and in no time the left side of my hair had been reduced to a straight blunt line matching the other side. “now, Janice we just have your fringe to do and then we can get you dried." That is not sound to bad and at least there was no more mention of my ears. As Ruth swiveled the chair so that I was facing away from the mirror. “I normally cut my fringes wet" she explained “that way they ride up a bit when they dry and we can be sure that it won't get in your eyes"
The longest tip of my side fringe was no almost as long as my hair. I just sat and waited as
Ruth combed my hair forwards and began sectioning out what felt like a large triangle at the front of my head. While I looked out at the curtain of black hair that now covered my eyes. I felt the scissors briefly brush against the middle of my forehead and the arc around towards the top of my right ear. Accompanied by the scrunching sound as they sliced through my hair and the restoration of vision to my right eye. The process was repeated on my left side and Ruth swung me round to face the mirror again. My side fringe was gone in it's place a thick high arch that started about 2 cm above my eyebrows and arched down slightly as it widened. I looked like my hair colour what was it she had said “ china doll" well now I certainly looked it. Ruth picked up her drier and started to dry my hair. “Don't do many blow dries" she commented as she dried away blowing my hair this way and that. As soon as my hair. Soon she was adding some mouse and drying my hair with a big round brush to get a “little body" as she put it. Soon it was over and I was left staring at what had become of me. Gone was the
young looking 33 year old and in her place was a stern looking woman who looked half Chinese and at least 40. My hair was jet black with a blue glow in the sun running in a straight bob around the tops of my earlobes with a heavy fringe that seamed to start at the top of my head and fall forwards with the rest of my hair falling in a middle parting “You see that I cut the middle path in for you so that it will always fall like this. It will make it so much easier for you to dry and style in the mornings." I did not know what to say. “Thank you" I mumbled as I tried to collect my thoughts.
“Now lets get your ears sorted," Ruth continued. “Dashi, Did you find me those studs?"
“I could only find a pair if 7.5mm gold ones, not the usual training studs came" the reply
“Not a problem, I can just pierce hear ears with a needle and they will be fine" Ruth replied. Pretty soon she as back at my side with a small steel tray with a sheet of tissue on it. This was card with the two rather large looking studs, a tube of something, two hypodermic needles, some webcol swabs and some cotton wool. Ruth began by putting a little of the cream from the tube on her finger tip and rubbing it on both ears, “just some anesthetic to numb then for you, Dear. You won't feel a thing" My ear lobes where indeed going numb as Ruth opened the two needles packets and then tore out a piece of webcol and wiped my right lobe. The needle followed swiftly there after before being removed and quickly replaced by the stud, whose retainer was screwed into place. “you'll find the screws much easier to deal with, Dear" Ruth explained “you won't have to worry about loosing any butterfly clips." a bit of cotton wool followed around the stud and I was instructed to hold it their. My left ear followed in quick succession I was left holding my left ear too. While Ruth explained that I would need to clean them daily with surgical spirits. A minute or so later I was allowed to remove the cotton wool and sat staring at my self in the mirror. What had become of me? I had walked in young and trendy and now looked like a Chinese doll. I tried running my fingers through my hair. There was almost nothing left, and Ruth as right, it just fell straight back into place. I tried to pull it back, it ran through my fingers and I found myself grasping fresh air. Clearly I would not be trying my hair in ponytail anytime soon.
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