HaircuttingStories.com

Prologue

Sharon looked at herself in the mirror in frustration.  She simply couldn’t get her hair to look right.  Her bangs were too long and the sides of her angled undercut bob just hung there without turning under the way they had done for the first several weeks after it had been styled by Jimmy.  Besides that, the back was getting too long to even hint at the high undercut that had been the most important feature of the cut.  Jimmy,  the young barber at the shop where she had taken her sister and twin brothers for their summer haircuts the day after school was over, had devised a great looking bob with the sides angled high up the pack.  The nape had been under cut to her occipital bone and she had kept it shaved smooth since the cut was done.  The original cutting had been an exciting experience.  Thinking about it brought back pleasant memories.
She remembered her mother’s instructions and how she had gotten around them to order her 13 year old sister Jen to get a real crewcut.

It had all begun more than a year ago - June 1996 - when she took her then 12 year old sister Jen and 9 year old twin brothers David and Gary to the barbershop....

A Surprise at the Barbershop

Sharon’s Mother, Gail, had taken a new job and they had moved to the outskirts of  Evanston in late spring just after school was out.  Gail had been a single mother since shortly after the twins had been born, when her husband and Sharon’s father had disappeared.  Gail had been shocked but somehow she began to take control and begin a new life.  By the time Sharon was 10 she had played a major role in caring for her sister Jen and Jen still treated Sharon more like a second Mother than a big sister.   Gail’s new job was demanding, but she was determined to succeed.  She gave Sharon more and more responsibility after she turned 16 in February and got her driver’s license.  Gail car-pooled to work most of the time so Sharon usually had Gail’s car available to her.  But hard times had taught Sharon about the need to be frugal and she was cautious about using the car, particularly when Gail told her to use the car only if she really needed to.  Gail’s fierce determination to care for her children had made an impression on Sharon.  She admired her mother greatly and hoped that she could do as well if she ever had faced such challenges.

Money had always been short and Sharon had usually been in charge of getting her sister and brothers to the barbershop for their infrequent haircuts, short haircuts or crewcuts for the boys and either simple short bobs or pixie cuts for Jen and herself.  The shorter Sharon had her hair cut the more praise she received from Gail whose own hair was cut in a very short style buzzed up the back and sides. 

That spring, shortly after settling into their rented house in Evanston, her Mother had hurriedly penned a note for the barber and had entrusted it to the twins.  Sharon had been out with a boy from down the block she had met just the week before.  Although she was home by 11:00 PM as required, her Mother was already headed for bed because she was the first to be picked up by her car pool driver and had to get up quite early.  The next morning just before she left for work, she knocked on Sharon’s bedroom door, woke her up and gave the sleepy Sharon $50 and told her it was time to take everybody to the local barber shop for haircuts, and that David had the instructions for the barber.

After the usual hassles with David and Gary, she got them into the car and to the barbershop only a few blocks away.  She thought that they should have walked rather than using the car, but she didn’t want to be seen parading through the neighborhood with her sister and brothers.  The shop was nearly empty on that Tuesday morning and David was ushered into the vacant second chair.  He handed the note to Jimmy (whose name Sharon was to learn only later) who read it and consulted with the older barber.  After looking at it he said something to the effect “well that’s clear enough, she wants medium crewcuts on them.”  He then turned to Sharon and asked if the note was from their mother, to which Sharon answered yes while thinking about how she would have Jen’s hair cut.  Gail had simply told her that both she and Jen needed to get short cuts for the summer.  Evanston was already hot so she didn’t object to that admonition.

By now Gary was in the chair of the older barber, and David was already being sheared to ½ inch with a large pair of clippers.  Sides and back were clipped to 1/4 inch and tapered to zero around the ears and at the neckline which was raised about a half inch.  The older barber was quick and both boys were done almost at the same time.  A quick dusting David’s neck and the cape came off with a flourish with an “all done young man”, followed by “next.” 

Sharon indicated to Jen that she should be next.  Jen’s hair was a shaggy mess from a growing out pixie, and Sharon had settled on simply returning it to a very short pixie style clippered up the back and sides with the top cut short but tapered to a slightly longer fringe.  For herself, she had decided on an asymmetrical bob, buzzed over one ear and up the back with the other side almost chin length.  She had seen that style in a magazine, but it was seeing it on a local girl home from college for the summer that had really made her decide on getting that style.  The younger barber had a sign saying that he specialized in women’s and girl’s haircuts, so she had decided on something a little different, hoping that he could do it for her.  But it was not to be.

As she stood up to explain how Jen’s hair should be cut, she heard from the older barber say “you’re next Miss.”  Startled, she stammered something about telling the other barber how to cut Jen’s hair, but the older barber said they already had instructions.  He showed her the note from Gail which plainly stated that they should all have the same style crewcut.  Sharon was tongue tied.  Surely there was some mistake, but the note was clear, they were ALL to get the same cut.  The old barber wasn’t about to take no for an answer and his demeanor brooked no argument. 

Sharon meekly sat in the chair, felt the cap snap around her neck and sat in a daze while she was transformed.   It didn’t take long.  She felt the vibration of the large clippers to which he had attached a ½ inch comb attachment as they went up the back of her head.  Somehow it seemed to feel exciting.  In less than a minute her thick mop of hair, which hadn’t been cut since September, and hung down with no semblance of a defined style, was reduced to a soft ½ inch long brush.  Clippers with a 1/4 inch comb reduced the sides and back to that length, tapering into the length on top.  Then he tapered up the back using the clippers over comb method.  That sent shivers up Sharon’s spine.  She was surprised at the feeling, but was more interested in David and Gary who were having a fit of the giggles.  The barber seemed to be taking extra time with her haircut, checking it several times and combing up the back and sides and taking off tiny amounts of hair with his scissors.  Sharon was having very mixed feelings.  She liked the way it felt when the clippers went up the back of her head, but she was very anxious about the kind of haircut she was getting.  She was startled again when she felt shaving cream being applied to her neck and around her ears.  Once again she experienced a pleasant tingle when she felt the slight rasp of the razor on her neck and the coolness that followed.

A quick dusting of powder and she was spun to face the mirror to the announcement, “All done miss, a real fine haircut if I do say so myself.  We decided to leave a bit longer that the boys.”  Jen was climbing out of the chair of the other barber and now Sharon could see that her haircut were not quite as short as the boys’s.  She heard, as though from a distance, the other barber compliment Jen telling her how nice she looked and that she was going to turn the heads of a lot of boys.  She had to admit that Jen did look really cute with her neat brushcut and she saw Jen grin when she looked at herself in the mirror. Actually it was not all that much shorter than the cut Sharon had planned for her.  Sharon was having trouble - she wanted to be angry but had enjoyed the feeling of the haircut.  As she got out of the chair the young barber came over to compliment her as well.  “That cut is very flattering for you - it emphasizes your cheekbones and brings out your eyes.”   Sharon didn’t want to accept the compliment, but couldn’t say that she hated it.  She was confused about what had happened and couldn’t understand how her mother could have ordered her to get that kind of haircut.  She had never done anything like that before.  She paid for the haircuts and ordered everyone into the car for the drive back home.  The boys were still acting funny but Sharon was so deep in thought that it didn’t register with her that their behavior was a little odd.

Back home Sharon looked at herself in the mirror ran her hand through her hair and again had the mixed emotions of the pleasant feeling of the haircut, and the unexpectedness of the haircut itself.  She needed to understand why her mother had ordered it.

Gail arrived home at her usual time of 6:00 PM.  The first person she saw was Sharon.  “Wow, Sharon, I didn’t expect you to get it cut like that; that looks really super.  When did you decide..” 
“Mom!  I didn’t want it like this, your note said we all had to have it ...” 

“My note?  I didn’t say anything about you and Jen.  Let me see that note.”

 “David has it, but I read it.  It said all of us had to get crewcuts.” 

In short order a pair of very sheepish twins were on the carpet admitting that they had made a few judicious changes in the note.  They thought it would never get that far, but when Jen and Sharon got in the chairs they sort of forget to speak up until it was too late.  Gail administered some appropriate punishment, while trying to persuade Sharon that she looked really good.  Sharon was not mollified and her relations with her twin brothers was strained for quite a while.
After the first week, Sharon found that several of the guys in the neighborhood seemed to respond favorably, but most of the girls seemed to think that she was weird to get that kind of haircut and that none of the guys would want to date her.  She wasn’t about to push her luck, and determined to let it grow out.

By September it had grown out nearly 2 inches, and she went back to the barbershop for a careful trim to get it into some kind of style that she thought would be acceptable at her new high school.  On orders from her Mom she took Jen and the twins.  This time there would be no surprises - Jen’s grown out crewcut would be cut into a nice pixie style and the boys would get regular boy’s cuts.  Gail was not about to give her the money necessary for Sharon to go to a regular styling salon.  Money was still tight, and with Sharon only three years away from college, saving money was a necessity.  So after Jen and the boys were done, Sharon had a discussion with Jimmy, whose name she realized  had been on a nameplate under the mirror when she first visited.  The origin of the note and the original  haircut disaster were explained much to Jimmy’s chagrin.  He apologized and admitted that he had experienced some misgivings about the original note, but Sam, the senior barber, was convinced it was authentic.  Sharon thought to herself that maybe he wanted to be convinced.

Sharon wanted to let it grow out, but Jimmy convinced her that it would look better if she let the top grow and trimmed it into a short bob so that it would be all one length after a few months.  Then she could let it grow and it would be kept even with only an occasional trim.   Jimmy said he could keep it trimmed for her for half price.  Besides it was partly his fault that the mistake had been made in the first place.  Sam looked skyward but agreed.

When Gail came home Sharon made her case.  “Mom, Jimmy down at the barbershop said that he could keep my hair trimmed for half price.  That’s only $5.  I really want to do it and he does a good job.” 

“I don’t know Sharon, you want an extra $5 for a trim every month?  You know how hard its going to be for us when college time comes around and we really need to save everything that we can.”

 Sharon knew that Gail’s new job was paying her well and that her new employer was very pleased with her performance.   The extra $5 was not so much the problem as was Gail’s strong feeling about money based on past experiences.  So she tried a different tact.

 “Well it wasn’t fair that I had to get that awful haircut.  I think I should get something for me.  Besides I’m sure we can find a way to save $5 on our grocery bills.  You can stop getting so many soda’s because I’ll cut back on mine.  The twins could give up some too.  After all they’re responsible for what happened.”  After a pause to consider, Gail agreed.  “All right Sharon, it’s a deal, you help us find ways to save more and you can have an extra $5 a month.  But you can’t just tell everyone to cut back on whatever you think is unnecessary - we all have a say in it.”

By the end of May Sharon’s thick hair had grow more than 6 inches and fell, heavy and straight, to below her chin.  Although She had achieved her goal of letting her hair grow, she was becoming dissatisfied with it.  She found it hard to manage - it did not want to curl under the way she wanted it to, and was at the stage where it fell into her face when she leaned forward or looked down.  What was worse Frank, her steady boyfriend since January, mentioned several times that he had liked her hair better the was it was when they first met.  So she was ready for a change, but not a drastic change like last summer.

Second Encounter

School was finally out.  Sharon had turned 17 in February and was looking forward to being a Junior in the Fall.  She was a year older than the other girls although a few of the guys were her age or would be 17 before school started in the fall.  She had repeated sixth grade when Gail had lost her job and they had moved at least four times while trying to manage on what little Gail had saved and her unemployment insurance.  It wasn’t enough for a family of 5.  But they had survived it, although Sharon had rarely seen the inside of a school that year.  At 12 years of age she was given the responsibility of taking care of Jen and the twins for several hours every day while Gail tried to find a job.  So Sharon had taken on the role of caretaker for her siblings which she still carried out to a large degree, although Gail was very careful to give Sharon as much time for herself as could be managed.  She understood the needs of a teenage girl to have time for herself, to date and to start being independent. 

Sharon was highly protective of Jen, but also had a certain degree of jealousy.  Jen’s unselfconscious, cheerful and outgoing nature, her natural athletic ability and the apparently offhanded ease with which she handled her schoolwork had, on more than one occasion, tempted Sharon to tell her to find something else to do or to go the  nearby park.  This usually happened when a guy came to pick up Sharon. 

Jen was beginning to develop into an attractive young lady but seemed blissfully unaware of it and Sharon did not want any competition.   She hoped that Jen continued her tomboyish and unselfconscious ways for a few more years, at least until Sharon started college.  So she considered how to delay the inevitable. 

The closest to a boyfriend that Jen had ever had was Billy.  After Jen’s buzzcut, Billy, who lived about 2 blocks away, had shown up several times to hang around with Jen who seemed mostly oblivious to his presence although they did go to the local park and pool together regularly during the summer.  This apparently was Billy’s initiative.  They lived on opposite sides of the line dividing the local school districts and so attended different schools.  Billy showed up once or twice in the fall, but that seemed to be the end of it.  Sharon guessed that Billy had been intrigued by Jen’s haircut.  They seemed to hit it off well although Jen was not interested in “boys.”

That evening Gail told Sharon that it was time for summer haircuts and that she should take everyone to the shop the next day.  This time there was more of a discussion. 

“You know what I like Sharon, so I’ll leave it up to you.  But Jen’s should not be as short as the boy’s.  You can decide on what you want for yourself, but I hope you do get it cut reasonably short.  You know I like it much better short than the way it is now.  I don’t think that style is very flattering.”

“I know Mom.  I’m not very happy with it either, and Frank says he liked it better the way it was in February, so I do plan to get it cut shorter, I just haven’t decided exactly how yet.”

“OK, I’ll leave it up to you.  Here’s the money.  Remember about Jen.”

“Alright, we’ll go tomorrow.”

One year hadn’t made that much difference and getting everyone into the car was still a hassle with the exuberant twins and Jen who was excited to be out of school and eager to get into the summer sports activities sponsored by the park.

Arriving at the barbershop, they found that several other customers were already waiting in turn.  One young teenager had gotten into Jimmy’s chair and had requested a “high and tight.”  Sharon watched in fascination as Jimmy proceeded to buzz his head to 1/4 inch all over and then to peel the sides and back to bare skin.  He then carefully flattened the top leaving barely 1/8 inch down the middle.  To finish up he shaved around the ears and up the back about an inch above the hairline.  Sharon knew what she was going to do, not that short but she could certainly make the boys cut shorter than Jen’s.

Before David got into Jimmy’s chair she asked Jimmy to show her various attachments and what length they were.  He showed her the No. 4 or ½ inch attachment he used for a medium crew cut, and the No. 3 3/8 inch attachment for a shorter version.  An ever shorter crewcut used a No. 2 attachment for the top which is what Jimmy had used for the  “high and tight.”   It left only 1/4 inch.  There followed a discussion about how to do the sides.  Jimmy said that a No. 2 attachment was used for a regular crewcut, a No. 1 for a short crewcut and a No. 0 or even a No. 000 for a “high and tight.”  He had used both on the previous cut, the No. 0 going up the sides and back to blend with the top, and the No. 000 used about half way up to give the very clean look that was asked for.  Sharon asked if he could use the No. 0 about one inch up the sides and up the back of the boys.  She also asked that they be given a short crewcut with 3/8 top and No. 1 sides. 

Jimmy said “Sure thing.  That works out well.  It gives a clean look to the sides and blends well with the No. 1 that blends in the top.  That’s like a ‘low and tight’” he explained.

One after the other David and Gary got their summer crewcuts, shorter this summer than last.  Jimmy even flattened the top a little, giving them a slightly squared off look.  The sides were tightly clippered a little above the ears with the back clippered up to the same height to form an even line around their heads.  David was not especially happy with how short it was when he saw himself in the mirror, but quickly got over it and watched Gary receive the same treatment.  Gary seem pleased with the result.  He had been the instigator of last years episode.

Although Sharon knew what she wanted for Jen she still wasn’t satisfied with how she thought it would work.  She wanted something more that would still be within her Mom’s requirement.

When Jen got into Jimmy’s chair, he asked, “Sharon, what do you want for Jen.”

“Well, Mom said it couldn’t be as short as the boys, so I thought the regular crewcut would be OK.  That’s longer isn’t it?”

“Sure is.  Is that it?”

“I’m not sure.  If you use a No. 2 on the sides could you make it shorter for a little way above the ears and up the back like you did for David and Gary?”

“That would work.  I could use a No. 1 part way up the sides and the back blending with the No. 2 the rest of the way.  I could even make a nice tapered hairline over the ears and up the back, but not as much as on the boys.  Would that do?”

“That sounds good.  Go ahead with that.”

Jimmy fastened the cape over the paper strip that he had placed around Jens neck and picked up his large clippers.  Putting the ½ inch attachment on the clippers he spoke cheerfully to Jen, “You’re going to look really sharp with this haircut Jen.  Its perfect for you.  Head down now.”

Jen obediently put her head on her chin.  She had not objected to last years cut, in fact she had seemed to enjoy it.  There was no maintenance except shampooing, and she could concentrate on her favorite sports activities.  And she had received some approving remarks from some of the boys.  She had not yet become interested in boys except as team mates or competitors in her various activities - softball, soccer and swimming being the most important.  With Mom, Sharon, and others telling her how nice she looked, she accepted Sharon’s judgment without question.  After all, Sharon had been like a second Mother to her since she was 6 years old and she still accepted her as an authority figure.

So Jimmy ran the big clippers up the back of Jen’s head, removing a lot of hair which he flipped onto the floor.  Several passes up the back and he turned to the left side which received the same treatment.  Moving to the right side he said “The other way Jen” as she tipped her head over so that he could get to that side.  The top was the last to go.  “Head up Jen” was the next instruction as he started the clippers at Jen’s forehead and ran it back to over the crown of her head to flip the load of hair off onto the floor.  A few more passes and Jen’s head took on the look of a soft brown brush.  Jimmy continued to run the clippers over her head to be sure that it was all very even and smooth.

Sharon watch with approval, but still wished she could think of something else to do.  She wasn’t trying to be mean to Jen, but she wanted to come up with a very different look.  While she was thinking Jimmy put away the big clippers and switched to a smaller one onto which he snapped the No. 2 cutter head.  Working slowly and carefully, starting on the left side, he ran the clippers up to the point where the side began to curve into the top.  As he reached that point the clippers continued straight up rather than following the curve of Jen’s skull.  This process continue over her ear, then behind it, but now slightly higher to blend with the top.  Jimmy switched to the right side to continue to process.  He checked carefully to make sure the two sides were identical.  “Hold real still Jen.  I want this to be perfect for you.”  Satisfied with the two sides, he moved to the back where he followed the same procedure going a little higher so that it followed the curve of her head a little further toward the top.   He used his comb to be sure he hadn’t made it uneven.  Satisfied he turned the clippers off so he could switch to the No. 1 blades.

Again working carefully on the left side, he meticulously used the clippers about half way up to the place where he had ended with the No. 2 blades.  Finishing the right side he began on the back, but now he started at the nape and ran the clippers all the way up to the line defined by the left and right sides.  It would have been a bowl cut if the line around her head had been sharply defined instead of carefully tapered.  Jimmy replaced his No.1 clipper with a smaller one which he proceeded to use with his comb to blend the three lengths.  Even though he had tapered the transitions, he was not satisfied with the result and painstakingly blended the top to the sides and back.  Working on the sides he blended it so that no trace of a transition could be detected.  Checking it, he decided it was satisfactory.   Then came the delicate job of tapering the sides and back to the hairline.  Here he used his edging clippers and a small comb, creating a short tapered section that went from zero to the length of the No. 1 cutters.  In the back he went up a bit higher to produce a more gradual taper. 

While this was happening Sharon had a sudden inspiration. It was just what she wanted.  She was surprised that she had never thought of it before.

 Jimmy turned to her to ask, “Well, Sharon what do you think.”

“It looks great Jimmy, but I have another idea for you to do.  I want you to clip her eyebrows.  They are too heavy and dark.”  Jen did have rather thick and dark eyebrows and they looked a bit overpowering on her small head especially with her newly clippered head.

“I don’t know Sharon.  I trim the eyebrows of some men, but I’ve never clippered anyone’s.”

“I’m sure you can do it.  It should be easy.  Just give it a try.”

“OK, I’ll try it.”  Jimmy picked up the clipper with the No. 2 blades attached and decided to replace it with the No. 3.  “Close your eyes Jen” he ordered.  The clipper followed along her eyebrow and some hair fell but Sharon could not see much difference.

“It needs to be a lot shorter than that Jimmy.”

Without saying anything he replaced the No. 3 blades with the No.1 and tried again.  This time Sharon could see a change.  Jen’s brow was noticeably lighter, but it still didn’t satisfy Sharon.

He picked up a small clipper with a No. 0 cutter, the one he had use for the “high and tight” earlier and looked at Sharon who nodded her assent.  As Jimmy approached, Jen closed her eyes once again and Jimmy ran the clippers over her brows.  Sharon watched with satisfaction as the small hairs fell from the clippers and Jen’s brows dissapeared to be replaced by a lighter area with only a hint of the dark brows that had been there moments before.

Sharon had stood up and came over to inspect the results.  “That’s looks great Jimmy.  Now if you can do her eyelashes it will be perfect.”

“You want me to trim her eyelashes.  I’m not sure I can do that.  Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.  They need to be trimmed to make it all look right.  Please try for me.”

“I don’t know Sharon, I don’t like getting that close to someone’s eyes.  But I’ll give it a try.”

Jimmy picked up a pair of 6 inch scissors, ones he use to give scissor cuts to a few of his clients.  “Hold your head up Jen, close your eyes and hold very still.”  Keeping the points away from Jen’s eye he deliciately trimmed the upper eyelash on the right eye.  Sharon was holding her breath watching intently at the proceedings.

“Can you get it shorter Jimmy” she asked, not wanting to push him too much but wanting to see her plan carried out. 

‘OK, one more time Jen.”  Jimmy carefully trimmed the left eyelash close to the base, leaving less than an eight of an inch.  Moving to the other side, he found it a bit awkward, but finally found a comfortable position and proceeded to trim the left side to match the right.  Returning to the right, Sharon was surprised to see him position Jen’s head again. 

“I’m going to do the lower lashes to match the top.”   His initial hesitation now replaced with confidence he maneuvered carefully as he trimmed the lower lash close to the base.  Finally he was done.

Sharon expressed her satisfaction.  “That terrific Jimmy.  Absolutely perfect.”

“Well I’m not quite finished with the her haircut yet.  I need to clean up the hairline.”  This was said as he brushed off Jen’s face with his soft brush.  In short order he had used his small razor to clean up Jen’s hairline.  Applying warm lather around her ears and to her neck he proceeded to shave the area in quick strokes.  Wiping the razor clean, he then used a warm towel to remove the last of the lather from around Jen’s ears and neck area.  A little powder dusted onto her neck and he proclaimed her finished.  “Well Jen that’s the best haircut you’ve ever had.” 

“He’s right” Sharon chimed in.  ”You look absolutely super”. 

Jen got down from the chair and looked at herself with some misgivings, but Sharon and Jimmy continued to exclaim over how great she looked.  Even the boys admitted that she looked neat.
Sharon had to admit that it was true - Jen did look very good.  The short brush of her crewcut and closely trimmed sides complimented her face.  Jen did not have a high forehead, and the short buzz style made her almost round face more oval and open.   The almost invisible eyebrows emphasized her eyes making them look even larger.  Perhaps the lack of eyelashes also made her blue eyes seem more prominent.

“What do you think Jen, don’t you think you look great?”

Jen hesitated, looked at herself once again in the mirror, ran her hand through her hair and down the back of her head to feel the nape finally said “I guess its ok.”  Sharon knew that Jen wasn’t quite ready to give full approval.  Knowing Jen as she did, she was sure that Jen actually liked it but wasn’t going to admit it.  Sharon was very pleased with herself.  She had gotten what she wanted and still met Gail’s requirement.  She was not so sure how Gail would react to the eyebrows and eyelashes, but she figured she would get nothing more than a reprimand.  After all Gail kept her own eyebrows bleached quite light and shaped into a thin line.  Besides, Sharon thought, rationalizing a little, Jen’s eyebrows had always seemed overpowering on her small face.

It was her turn next.  She still didn’t know what she wanted to do.  She and Jimmy discussed it for a while.  Nothing really struck Sharon’s fancy.  She didn’t want a really short buzz cut, and a pixie was too childish she thought.  But she did want something different.  Finally Jimmy suggested an undercut short bob with bangs.  After describing it a bit more Sharon was convinced.  She had such thick hair that the undercut in the back would allow it to swing more freely.  She liked the idea of a buzzed or shaved nape.  The bangs would keep her hair out of her eyes, and according to Jimmy would compliment her face shape.  He said that with a proper cut it would have a tendency to curve inward just the way she had wanted.  This sounded good to Sharon.  She knew that with her thick heavy hair there would be more than enough weight of hair for it to look full even with a severe undercut.  After a bit more discussion about the length and how high the undercut should be (Sharon persuaded Jimmy to go higher than he had originally proposed) she told Jimmy to do it.

Jimmy pinned up her hair in the back and showed Sharon how high he planned the undercut.  Once again Sharon wanted it higher, to the top of her ears.  Jimmy complied and carefully parted her hair in a line along the back of her head from ear to ear.   He used his large clippers to remove the bulk of the hair then switched to a smaller one to clipper her hair closer up the back to the part line.   Turning to the right side he let down a thin section in order to determine the proper length.  He wanted it come down in an angle from just at her earlobe to just below the corner of her lips.  He make the next section slightly longer.  Carrying out this process would leave the underlayers slightly shorter than the over layers and would make the under curl easy to achieve.  The right side went through the same process.  Then he began the back.  It would not cover the undercut completely.  But it would be easy to make it follow the curve of Sharon’s head and fall naturally. 

Finally he began cutting the bangs.  They had decided to begin the bangs well back to make then quite wide and to cut them in to the sides in order to lighter the weight of hair on the sides.  Jimmy worked with scrupulous care in order to get it right.  As the bangs took shape Jimmy saw how well the plan had succeeded and how well it suited Sharon’s features.  Her oval face made it almost the ideal choice.  The reduced weight on the sides would allow it to swing easily when she moved her head.  The high undercut gave it a special look from the back and sides.  He checked it from all sides to make sure there were no stray strands and made a few tiny adjustments in areas that were not quite right.

“Sharon how close do you want the undercut.  It will show a little so you may want it the way it is now.  I can make it closer if you want.”  Sharon was facing away from the mirror and he gave her a large hand mirror in order to see the back.  She inspected it carefully first with her hair down and then holding it up with her hand.  She realized only a little showed and if it were clipped close it would look quite natural.  She came to a quick decision.  “Shave it really close Jimmy.  There shouldn’t be anything showing.” 

Jimmy laughed, “I thought that’s what you might decide.  I’ll go with the triple zero cutter.  That should be close enough.”

“I guess so” Sharon responded, “But if I want it closer you can do that can’t you?”

“Only a little.  Even if I did it would grow out in a couple of days.  This way it will last a week before you have to clipper it again if you want to keep it the same.  Are you going to come back every week so that I can keep it clipped close for you?”  Jimmy had his No. 000 clippers out and oiled and proceeded to clipper shave Sharon’s undercut nape.  He went over it several times to be sure it was as close and even as he could get it.   He had already dampened her hair slightly and then used the dryer and a brush to coax the hair on the sides and back to take on the slight under curve that she wanted.  The cut had made it fall into place easily.

Sharon had loved the feel of the clippers when he had done the original clippering.  This was even better as she felt the gentle vibration of the small clippers and the sensation of the teeth pressing close against the taut skin at the back of her head.  When he had finished she could not resist reaching up to feel under her hair and the fine prickly stubble that was all that was left.  Jimmy again used the dryer on air only to blow away any stray hairs on Sharon’s clippered neck.  He was about to announce that he had finished when he had an idea.

“I need to clean up you neckline Sharon.  It’ll only take a minute.”  He pinned up the hair falling down the back and applied shaving cream to the hairline.   Putting his hand on her head he pushed it froward and down so that he could reach her neckline easily. On impulse, he quickly shaved upward into the clippered area about an inch above the hairline.  Wiping off the lather, he shaved the new hairline into a neat rounded line.  Inspecting his handiwork, he was confident Sharon would be pleased with the result.

“How about letting me trim your eyelashes a little also.”

“Like Jen’s?  I don’t think so Jimmy.”

“Not as short as Jen’s, just a little to make them even.”
“Well, OK, but just a little.”  Sharon realized she could hardly praise Jen’s new look and then refuse Jimmy’s offer to neaten her own lashes.  Jen was sitting close by and her attention had been aroused by the mention of eyelashes.

Sharon closed her eyes as the now confident Jimmy delicately trimmed a small amount from upper and lower lashes on each eye.  Jimmy handed her a mirror.  “Take a look and tell me what you think.”

Sharon inspected the result and saw that he had indeed trimmed only a tiny amount, leaving her eyelashes all one length in a even curve.  “That’s looks good Jimmy.  Thanks for suggesting it.”

“I think its done Sharon.  Do you want to see how it all looks?”  Jimmy turned her to face the mirror and handed her the large hand mirror so that she could see all sides as he turned the chair.  Sharon smiled broadly at how she looked.  She shook her head and watched her hair fly out and then fall back into place.  She ran her hand through her bangs and saw that they fell back into a slightly different but equally good arrangement.  Jimmy turned her around so she could see the back.  Sharon inspected the now clean neckline showing under the short curved hair in back.  She felt under the hair for the clippered area, and her smile broadened.

“I love it.  Its really great.  I love the back the most, especially having it shaved like that.  I want to keep it shaved up the back just like you did it.”  Sharon could hardly contain her excitement. 

After some additional inspection and head-shaking Sharon realized that Jen and the twins were getting restless.  Sam was on vacation and Jimmy was in charge of the shop alone.  She paid Jimmy and promised him that she would be back to have it trimmed.  Hustling the kids into the car she drove home suddenly eager to have Frank see her new style.  As she drove up the driveway she remembered that she might have to explain Jen’s new look to her Mom.  Sharon hoped she didn’t get mad at her. 

As soon as Sharon parked the car she got out and went straight to the phone to call Frank to tell him she had something o show him.  He was working on the yard, not his favorite job, but his Dad had made it clear he needed to make himself useful until he got a summer job.  He arrived at Sharon’s house within minutes.

He was greeted at the door by Jen.  Seeing Jen’s crewcut and shaved eyebrows he knew to expect something interesting.

“Hi, Frank, she’s upstairs doing something.  You want me to get her?”

“Yeah, thanks.  That’s a really cool haircut Jen - really with it.  Don’t you think its great?  Did you come up with it?”  Frank was particularly intrigued by the look created by the near lack of eyebrows, but hesitated to say anything about it.

“Naw, Sharon did.  Its OK I guess.  I’ll get her” 
Jen walked part way up the stairs and shouted “Hey Sharon, Frank’s here.”
“OK, I be there in a minute.”

Sharon had changed to her tightest jeans and a fancy shirt and had put on her minimalist makeup, which is truth was all that she needed.  Just as she had expected Frank was bowled over by the new style.

“Sharon, that is really awesome.  You look unbelievably good.  You got it cut this morning?”

“Just an hour ago.  Isn’t it great.  Look at the back.”  Sharon lifted up the hair at the back of her head to show off the buzzed and shaved undercut.

“Wow, that’s really short isn’t it.”  Frank reach out to feel the back of Sharon’s neck, and the buzzed nape.  “Will you keep it that way?”

“I sure hope so.  It’s even shaved partway.  Did you notice?  I really want to keep it like this, at least for the summer, but I can’t go back to the shop every week.  That’s what Jimmy said would be necessary”

“Why don’t you do it yourself.  Or I can do it for you.  Year, why don’t I do it for you.  That would be great.”

“You don’t have a pair of clippers do you?”

“No, but why not just shave it all the way up? That would be even better.   Its practically shaved now anyway.  I can do that with no problem.”

“Shave it all the way up?  That sounds like fun.  I almost asked Jimmy to do that anyway.”

“You should at least try it.”

“It sounds exciting.   I’d like to see what it would be like.”  Maybe I’ll let you do it this weekend, but you have to promise to be real careful.”

“Careful is my middle name, especially after I messed up in that flower garden out front last week.  Dad was not happy.”

“Well you had better keep me happy.  But right now I have to make sure that everyone gets lunch.  You want to stay for a while?”

“I’d better not.  I need to get back to the yard.  I promised Dad I’d get it all done today and I’m going to have to hustle.  I’ll call you tonight.  By the way I think you did a great job on Jen too.  She looks pretty cool with her eyebrows shaved.  You were really inspired weren’t you?”

Sharon suddenly realized that her careful scheme may have backfired.  She had made Jen even more noticeable than before.  “I guess so, but It wasn’t all that big a deal.”
“Great job.  I’ll call you later.”

“OK, enjoy the yard work.”

“Yeah, right.”

Sharon headed for the kitchen.  She and Gail had discussed the idea of her getting a summer job, but Gail was not comfortable with leaving Jen and the boys alone most of the day.  The compromise was that Sharon would be given a substantial increase in her allowance for the summer.  There was a lot to take care of.

As usual Jen was the first to greet Gail when she arrived. “Hi Mom, I got my hair cut.”

“Hi Jen.  Oh wow, let me take a look at you.  You look great!”

“You really like it?”  Like Sharon, Jen valued Gail’s opinion and wanted her approval.

“Oh, absolutely.  I think it suits you perfectly.  I really like the way it sets off your face and makes you look happy and carefree.  Besides it will be real easy to care for this summer.”  Gail did a quict run of her hand over Jen’s head and gave her a hug.  “Honey, I think its perfect.  Its just right for you.”

Jen, finally convinced, broke into a big smile and copied Gails gesture of running her hand through her brush cut enjoying the velvetly feel of.  “Thanks Mom, I really like it.”

By this time David and Gary had wandered in to say “Hi Mom” and see if she approval of their new cuts.  Gail gave them a quick “looking good guys. What have you been up to today?” 

Gary, the more mechanical of this pair of fraternal twins, was eager to share his success with getting their skate boards cleaned and oiled.  David’s wasn’t finished yet, and a few oil smears attested to his work.  David impatient to finish the job, hustled Gary.  “Come on Gary, I want to get mine ready.”

“OK, I’m coming,” as he followed David out the back door.

Seeing that Jen and the boys had gone about their affairs, Sharon ventured into to the kitchen to show off her new haircut, and to face the possibility of a backlash for her impulsive and rather radical treatment of Jen.

“What do you think Mom?”

Gail surveyed Sharon’s new look.  “Turn around so I can see the back.  Its a very good style - suits you well.  I like the undercut.  Hold your hair up for me, so I can see it better.” 

Sharon obediently held up her hair in the back so Gail could see the undercut.  “Frank likes it a lot” she informed Gail.

“You made a good choice for yourself.  I’m glad you decided to get it cut as short as you did.  I don’t thing the longer style you had was very flattering.  I like what you decided for Jen too.  Sort of matching buzz cuts for her eyebrows and eyelashes.  In fact I like it so much I may have her get the same cut for school in the fall, maybe not quite so short around the sides and back..  But next time don’t get the boys’ cut any shorter than Jen’s.”

“Thanks Mom, I won’t.”  Sharon was relieved that Gail actually liked what she had ordered.

“Did you notice that I had my eyelashes trimmed also.”

“Let me see.”  She looked closely at Sharon’s trimmed eyelashes.  “Well, so you did.  That looks nice.  You know Sharon, I’ve never liked long eyelashes.  Next time you should get yours trimmed just like Jen’s.  Promise me you’ll do that.”

“OK, Mom.”  Sharon wasn’t about to make an issue of it at this point.  Besides she sort of liked the idea anyway after seeing its effect on Jen.  “Do you want me to help with dinner?”

“Sure thing.  Has Frank seen you yet?  What are we having tonight?  I’ve forgotten what I planned.”  

“Its spaghetti Mom.  I looked at the menu.  I got the spaghetti out.  The pan of water is ready to start heating.  I called him and he came over for a few minutes this morning.  He thought it was great.  I told him he could shave the back for me if he was real careful.”

“Its just clippered now.  You want to shave it completely?”

“Its actually shaved up part way, see.”

Gail examined Sharon’s nape more closely.  “You’re right.  So you’re going to let Jimmy finish the job.  That will be interesting.  I’ve seen it like that sometimes.”

“He was really excited about doing it.  I like the feel of the shaved part, so I think it will be pretty wild to have it all done.”

“You’ve gone this far - you might as well go the rest of the way.  Besides it really doesn’t show much.  It’s more of a tease.  You have to look closely and then you can only suspect that something is different.  I like the way it swings now.  It really was too heavy before.”

After dinner was over Jen received a telephone call from Billy, to Sharon’s annoyance.  She had expected to get a call from Frank.  But she knew that Jen’s calls were invariably brief.

She heard Jen answer Billy that she thought she would go to the pool tomorrow and her answer to a question of when she would be there.  Sharon listened to the remainder of the conversation.
“I got my hair cut today.”  Pause.  “Its real short, like last summer.  Frank -- you know, Sharon’s boyfriend -- said it was really neat.”  Pause.  “OK, I have to go now.  You’ll see it tomorrow.  Bye.”

Sharon suspected that they might be seeing a lot of Billy this summer.

That weekend Frank shaved Sharon’s undercut nape as promised, but Gail decided to supervise just in case, to Sharon’s chagrin.

Gail had greeted Frank when he arrived that Saturday morning.  “Good morning Frank.  I hear you’re going to be Sharon’s special barber.”

“Hi, Mrs. Davis.  Isn’t that an awesome haircut?  She said that I could keep it shaved in the back for her.  Is that OK?”  Frank was a little cautious.  He didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Gail.  He liked her and they had gotten along well since he and Sharon had been dating.   He had been fascinated by Gail’s haircut when he first met her, but was too reticent to say anything about it.  Once he had mentioned it to Sharon who had responded that ‘she had always kept it short like that.’

“I’m sure it will be OK Frank, but I’d like to watch the first time, just to make sure it doesn’t go too far.  Actually I’m sure you will do a fine job, but you wouldn’t mind if I watch this once would you?”  Gail had an idea that these two might find themselves getting a little overheated and this was here way of putting a damper on things, just in case.

“Sure Mrs. Davis, it OK with me.”  Frank was obviously nervous about this turn of events but tried to make the best of it.  She had said only this first time.

When Sharon came down she heard Frank’s last remark.  “What’s OK Frank?”

“Your Mom wants to watch me shave your undercut and I said it was OK.”

“Mom!  We can do it.  Why do you need to watch us?  We’re not going to do anything crazy.”

“Just this one time Sharon, I promise.  I just don’t want any accidents to happen.”

Sharon was really put off but finally capitulated after additional assurances that it was just this once and Gail would not interfere.

Sharon went to get a towel and a number of hair clips, along with a bowl of warm water.  Retiring to the patio in the back yard where there was a round table and chairs Sharon sat down and put the towel around her shoulders.  Frank rather awkwardly got it clipped in around her neck.  Sharon handed him a comb and told him to pin up all the hair falling over the undercut.  Working nervously, he combed up the hair and tried to pin it on top of her head.  Gail was smining at his hesitant fumbling and his obvious excitement.   She offered a bit of advice. 

“If you twist it, Frank, then you can pin it and it will stay.”

Concentrating Frank got one section twisted and clipped it to the top of Sharon’s head.   He began to get the hang of if and after a few more fumbles managed to get it all clipped out of the way.

Frank picked up the can of shaving cream and shook it when Sharon intervened.  “Should wet it first Frank.  That’s how Jimmy does it.”

Grabbing a small towel, he wet it in the bowl of water.  “This water is only a little warm.  Should it be hotter?”   He applied the wet towel to Sharon’s nape trying to get the short hair there wet.  Finally, he succeeded in getting it damp.

“It’s OK Frank.”  Sharon was getting a little impatient at his nervous clumsiness, especially with Gail watching the whole show.

Frank squeezed some shaving cream from his can into his hand and cautiously applied it to Sharon’s nape.  By now Frank’s nervousness had overcome his excitement and he was concentrating hard on what he was supposed to be doing.

Gail decided to offer a little encouragement.  “You’re doing just fine Frank, but you should make sure the shaving cream is worked into the hair.”

Frank carefully massaged the area with his fingers.  Finally deciding it was time to begin the actual shaving, he picked up a new disposable razor from the table.  Knowing what was needed Sharon put her head down to make it easier for him.   Gingerly he began to make the first stroke  of the razor and immediately ran into the resistance provided by the longer hair of the buzzed area.  The razor was quickly choked with hair and he stopped, perplexed.

“What’s wrong,” Sharon asked.

“It stopped shaving already.”

Sharon realized that Frank had probably never used shaving cream and a razor before and didn’t know what to expect.  He probably had an electric razor which he used on his sparse beard.  She decided to help him even though she had determined to remain quite after her last statement.

“You’ll have to wash it off a lot Frank.  It’s just clogged up.  Shake it off in the water and try again.” 

Looking a bit sheepish, Frank cleaned the razor in the bowl and tried again.  This time he did a little better.  Another shake of the razor in the water and another short stroke set the pattern.  Frank began to get into a rhythm and soon had most of the area roughly shaved.  As he reached the line between the buzzed region and the longer hair above it, he realized that it would be difficult to get right to the line without leaving a fringe of hair to grow out.  After trying to go horizontally, which didn’t work at all, he carefully put the razor on the line and shaved  downward, removing the little fringe that he had left in order not to shave above the undercut area.

He used yet another towel to wipe off the area.  “I think I’m finished.”

Sharon put her hand up to feel the result.  She felt stubble in several areas.  “I thought it would be really smooth, but its got a lot of stubble.  I always do my legs better that that.  I wanted it really smooth Frank.”

Once again Gail decided to intervene.  “You’ll need to shave it again with a new razor Frank.  Then it will be smooth the way Sharon wants it.”

“I only brought one razor.  I didn’t think I would need more than one.”

“That’s OK, I just bought a pack of a dozen.  I’ll get one for you.  Why don’t you get a fresh bowl of hot water.”  Gail went into the house to get the promised razor.

Frank picked up the bowl of soapy water and tossed it into the grass and headed into the kitchen for some fresh hot water.  Returning with the bowl of water he commented to Sharon, “Your Mom is pretty cool.  She’s actually helping - not giving us a hard time.  I think she thinks its kind of neat.”

Sharon, mollified by Gail’s apparent willingness to contribute to and even encourage the proceedings and not to criticize had lost her pique at having her Mother oversee the process.

Gail returned with the razor.  “This one is not as good as the one you were using, but it should do the job.  I brought you some aloe vera lotion to use after you’ve finished.   It’s a tender area and will probably be irritated by the shaving”

“Thanks Mrs. Davis.  I never thought of that”  Frank proceeded to apply more shaving cream to
Sharon’ nape, briskly rubbing it in this time.  Using the new razor and his newly developed technique, he began removing the shaving cream along with any remaining stubble with careful strokes.  Feeling it himself this time, he checked to be sure that no stubble remained.  Only then did he wipe off any remaining shaving cream with the other end of the towel he had used earlier.  Putting some of the lotion on his fingers he carefully applied it to the shaved area. 

Sharon shivered as the cool lotion on her bare skin combined with a breeze to create a sudden chill at the back of her head.  She explored the area with her fingers.  “That feels incredibly soft and smooth.  I like it.  Thanks.   What do you think Mom?”

Gail laughed.  “Of course I like it.  Just be sensible and don’t get carried away with it.”  Gail reached over to feel it herself.  “It does feel nice, smooth and soft, just like you said.  But it doesn’t last long you know.”

I know.  That’s what Jimmy said.  I thought that if I had it shaved every week it would be OK.”

“It’ll be stubbly in a week, but it will feel good for 3 or four days.  You’ll just have to live with stubble for a few days.  That is very tender skin, and shaving it like that too often can get it very irritated I expect.”

Sharon was removing the clips from her pinned up hair during this and shook her head to get it to fall back in place.  “I guess we’ll find out.  Frank’s going to shave it every week, aren’t you Frank.”

“You bet.  I like the way it feels.  And it looks great.  Now that I’m getting the hang of it, it won’t take long.”

Gail laughed, “well have fun.  What are you guys planning to do today?”

“They called Frank from that company - what’s the name - and told him they had a summer job for him.  He starts Monday.  So we’re going to do some shopping.  He’ll be working in the office and they said he had to dress neatly - no jeans.”

“Its Devlin Engineering, on the other side of town” Frank interjected.

“Congratulations Frank.  I’ll see you later.  I need to get to some of the chores around here.  Don’t forget your chores Sharon.”

“I always get them done Mom, don’t worry.”

“I know you do honey, I shouldn’t have said anything.  Go on.  Enjoy yourself.”

For the next several weeks Frank came over every Saturday morning to carry out his duty of shaving Sharon’s nape.  The both knew it was a turn-on, Sharon especially loved the feel of the razor on the sensitive skin of her nape and up to her occipital bone.  For a day after the shave she could hardly keep her hand off her head.  She kept wanting to feel the smooth softness that was under the hair.  But five weeks had resulted in enough growth that changed how her bob looked.

Sharon looked more closely at herself and picked up the mirror again to look at the back more closely.  It had been six days since Frank had administered her last shave, but that was not the problem.  The undercut simply was not noticeable.  It looked like a typical growing out bob on someone with medium thick hair, not Sharon’s thick mane which had been tamed by the high undercut.  Although the angle that had defined the midpoint of her angled bob could still be discerned, it had lost its sharpness.  Even Frank had noted that it was getting a little long.  Sharon realized that a half inch or more made a big difference in the way it looked.

She decided that she had to persuade Gail that she should get her hair cut again. 

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