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For years we, mother, myself and my sisters – Joann and Louise, have been asking dad ‘if there was any thing special he wanted for Father’s Day’. But, as usual he would tell us, "Nothing special ….. just sometime to myself". Of course, we would give it to him, but deep down we knew he wanted something special and we were put to the task of trying to figure what it was.

Then, about a month before Father’s Day, this year, he and my brother, Tom, were out shopping for some new fishing equipment. At first Tom thought he would watch dad as they looked through the various fishing items, and find the one he thought dad want but did purchase it at that time.

Then, the "nothing special" came into Tom’s view, and was he surprise.

Tom told us, later that night, when they went to this restaurant for lunch dad told him, "Don’t mention too much of this place to your mom". Tom said he was ‘wondering why, when our waitress came to our table she knew dad by his first name, knew how he liked his coffee, and dad was all wide eyes, then he introduced me to her’.

"Now mom", Tom told her, "I’m not going to tell you the name of the restaurant because I promised dad. So, please don’t ask me".

Mom said, "she would let him get by, but if she found out dad was ….".

"NO", Tom butted in quickly, "he’s not doing that. Just that his eyes were as wide as I don’t know. You see the waitress had a high-n-tight hair cut".

"A what ….." we asked together in surprise.

"Her hair was cut short into a high-n-tight", Tom continued, "just like you get in the military and like the boys are starting to get their hair cut for the summer".

"Well, I’ll be", mom busted in with, "that is why he is all …. never mind".

Of course, we knew what she was talking about. Because every time he went on one of his little shopping trips he would tell mom he was going to get something to eat, but never said why, then when he got home later he greeted mom with arms wide open, a little snicker, a wink, and they would go up stairs to "Talk over something" ….. right!

Mom got up and walked around the den, as we watched her. She was thinking and we knew when she did this it meant something was up and we were going to be involved in some way.

"OK", mom said as she returned to the couch and sat between my sisters. "Thank you Tommy. I will not pressure you for the name of the restaurant, nor the waitress. And, I ….. we ….. will not mention to dad you told us about it either ….. RIGHT girls"!

My sisters shrugged their shoulders and shook their head "YES".

"You can go get with your dad about the fishing trip this week-end", mom told me. "I have to talk with your sisters now. Thank you son".

With that I got up and walked out the den, feeling something was going to happen.

Mom got up and walked around the den again, then she sat across from us. She looked us over, her mind was thinking of something but what.

Then, Joann said, "O ….. NO you don’t. No way in hell will I …..".

"Watch what you say young lady", mom commanded. It was then I realized what Joann was saying.

"NO way", I cut in. "NO way ….. dad or not, there is no way I’m cutting my hair that short for him or any man. That’s final".

"Same here, mom", Joann added.

"What ….. O’ no", mom replied, "I was thinking of you two. I was just wondering about your dad ….. me".

We looked at each other, then Louis asked, "Mom, you’re not going to …..".

"I have two weeks to think it over", mom said to us. "In the mean time don’t either of you mention this to your brother, or your dad ….. Specially you dad".

One week went by, then the second week. It was two days before Father’s Day and if mom was going to do what we thought, yes my sisters told me what mom was thinking of doing, she had just two days to do it.

At dinner, Friday night, mom asked dad, "if he was doing any thing special tomorrow". Dad thought a little and told mom, "Nothing but cutting the grass in the morning. Why"?

"Well, then", she begin then took a sip of tea, "you won’t mind going to your barber for a hair cut for Sunday"!

Dad looked at mom, then each of us. You could tell he felt something was up. Mom had never insisted he get his hair cut for Father’s Day, only for theirs and ours birthday and their wedding anniversary. But, dad being dad he told mom, "If you want. But, I done really need one".

"Well, I thought we would go out to eat", she told him. "Then, we could take in that play at the LTC down town. The children could use a little theater time".

"But, mom", Joann cried in, "Louise and I were thinking about going to the movies …..".

"You can go to the movies any time", mom cut it. "Besides Sunday is Father’s Day and this year we are going to do something a little more special for him".

"Come now", dad spoke up, "if the girls want to go to the movies that’s alright with me. We can take them to the theater another time. And, as for Sunday ….. just sometime to myself would be great. That’s all I want, nothing special".

"I have already gotten the tickets for tomorrow night", mom replied, "besides the girls don’t have to go to the movies every week-end".

"What about you son", dad asked of me. "Any thing special you want to do tomorrow night"!

"Yes", Tom spoke up, "I was the one who got the tickets for the theater. So, I’ll be joining the fun".

"OK", dad said, "it’s final. We’re all going to the theater tomorrow night. But, first I have to get my hair cut, as mom said".

We knew when mom told dad something he did it because he found it pleasing to do so. Besides, after twenty years of marriage the knew each other really good, specially mom.

The next morning we woke late. Dad and mom were already up. Mom was fixing breakfast for us and dad was outside cutting the grass. As we sat down mom begin telling us what she had planned for this afternoon.

"When your dad gets ready to go for his hair cut", mom begin, "I will mention I need a few things from the grocery store and ask him to pick them up. But, when I begin telling he what I want he’ll just say, why don’t you come along ….. I can’t remember all that.

"So, we will go off. The first stop begin the barber shop.

"Remember, you do not know what I have planned. So, when we come home act surprise".

We looked at each other, then Louise asked, "Mom, you’re not really going to ….."!

Mom just smiled and walked away. We looked at each other in disbelieve. But, then mom was mom and dad was dad. They were one in the same, specially in doing things for and with each other.

It was around five, in the afternoon, when mom came downstairs all dressed up. She had on a nice skirt and matching blouse, she was wearing four inch high heels, and her make-up was ….. well as she always wears it, just right. Dad followed a few minutes later and was surprised how mom was dressed.

"Donna", dad spoke, "we’re just going to do a few things. So, why are you dressed up like that"?

"Just march yourself up stairs", mom commanded, "I have things for you laying on the bed. Didn’t you see them"?

"Yes", dad replied, "but, I thought they were for later tonight". Mom looked at him, just as she would us. Dad turned and went upstairs and changed into the things mom layed out for him. When he came down, a few minutes later, mom was all smiles.

"Change in plans for tonight", mom told us. "Tommy had gotten you girls tickets for the movies for tonight. So, you’ll be spared the pressure of coming to the theater".

"What about Tommy", dad inquired.

"Got to study for a test Monday", he told dad.

Off they went. First stop would be the barber shop and who’s know what will happen there. From there, if dad’s heart hasn’t given out, they are off to the theater, and who know what afterwards.

"Should we go to the store first", dad inquired of mom.

"No need to", she replied, "I recheck and we don’t really need those things. So, to the barber shop, then dinner at Cafe’ Winter ….. then the theater. I am sure you are going to like the play I have tickers for. Local talents doing a play they wrote and produced".

Dad pulled into the parking lot of his barber shop, "Town cutters". It was owned by a friend, Mike Taylor, of his from high school. He had two other barbers working for him, one was his wife, Melissa, who knew mom from high school, too.

"I hate coming this late", dad commented as they got out the car and walked to the shop. "Always a crowd. Specially the boys this time of the year. Summertime, so they come and get their hair cut short".

"Now ….. now", mom told him as he opened the door, "the theater doesn’t open until 8:30pm. so we can wait a little and not be late. Besides I called Mike and told him we were coming, and where we were going after we left here. He assured me we would be out before 6:30pm".

Just as mom stepped into the shop dad asked, "What’s with this "WE""? Mom smiled and patted his face.

"Evening Thomas ….. Ellen", Mike said as he saw them come in the shop. "Little late for you isn’t it"?

"Mike …. Dan ….. Melissa", dad spoke as they sat down. "Yes. Had to time things right. Ellen is taking me out to dinner and the theater for Father’s Day. Wanted to come a little earlier but got doing things".

"Well, you won’t have long", Mike told dad. "Just one ahead of you after I finish Ricky here". With that Mike turned the clippers and begin buzzing the side of his head. "Another young man getting a nice High-N-Tight for the summer".

Dad picked up the newspaper and begin reading it, even though he had read it at home. Mom was sitting there her right leg corssed over her left leg and it was nervously moving up and down.

"Something wrong", dad asked her.

"No", she replied. "Just thinking …..".

"About what", dad asked.

Mom smiled and was about to answer when Melissa’s called "NEXT".

Mom took a deep breath and stood up. Dad looked at her and watch her walk to Melissa’s chair. His eyes got wide, as mom had never gotten her hair cut here. Was this why she was nervous he wondered to his self.

Mom sat in the barber chair as Melissa tossed the cape across her and pulled it up and around her neck. Now dad was very interested in this. He put the newspaper down, as Melissa raised the chair up.

When it was in place Melissa begin brushing mom’s hair from it’s center part. From the right side, around the back of her head, to the left side, then back around again. She put the brush on the shelf and picked up the comb and scissors.

She combed a section of hair and cut ten, or eleven, inches off letting it fall to the floor with some strands catching her caped covered shoulder. As she combed another section dad was wondering why mom didn’t tell him she was going to get her hair cut, too. But, that was mom.

As Melissa cut the second section of hair she crossed her right leg over her left leg, but it did not move up and down like it did when she was sitting next to him waiting. Instead she stretched the toe out when Melissa cut the third section. Then, she begin smiling. Dad also noticed she did not say a word to Melissa, nor Melissa to mom.

Melissa continued combing a section and cutting it off. She worked slowly around mom’s head, cutting the top only. Then, when she had cut the top complete to within three inches she begin cutting the sides just as short.

"NEXT", Dan called and a young boy walked to his chair. "Crewcut", Dan asked the boy and he shook his head "yes". Dad looked back at Melissa’s chair to see her cutting the last two section from the side of mom’s head. She turned and placed the comb and scissors on the shelf.

He noticed Melissa reaching for something, when he heard "NEXT", this time it was Mike calling out. He started to get up and walk to the chair, when Mike stopped him, "One more ahead of you, Thomas".

Dad sat down, when he heard the sound of clippers coming to life. The sound was close, closer than he thought until he looked in the direction of Melissa’s chair.

Melissa had put her left hand on the top of mom’s head causing it to tilt downward. Then, he saw Melissa raise her righ hand up to the back of mom’s head, clippers humming away. Then, before dad could take in what he was seeing, Melissa was pushing the clippers up the back of mom’s nape and head.

His eyes, as well as mom’s, caught site of strands of hair three inches in length falling down over her right shoulder and into her caped lap. Then, another section followed, then another down over her left shoulder.

Dad tried to clear his throat, but it was too dry. But, giving it a second try he was able to wet it just enough to speak, "ELLEN". But, before he could finish mom moved her left hand from under the cape and raised it with one finger, telling him to be quiet.

He sat back watching. But, watching what!

Melissa moved to the left side of mom and begin clipping the hair from the left side of her head. She pushed the clippers up about two inches above her ear, then pulled it away sending strands of hair to the floor and her caped covered lap. Working towards the back where the clippers had already done it deed, she walked around to the the right side and the clippers did it’s deed there.

Standing behind the chair Melissa patted mom on her left shoulder as she moved the humming clippers over her head, to her forehead. She took a deep breath as she looked at dad, who was now staring wided eyes at what he was seeing and taking a deep breath too. Melissa placed the clippers in the middle of her forehead and slowly moved it back over her head, moving a pile of three inch length hair back to fall on the floor behind the chair.

As the pile fell free of mom’s head dad let out his breath. Mom winked at him and blew him a kiss. He smiled and sat back and continued to watch her hair cut progress, not know what kind of hair cut she was getting.

Melissa made three more passes over her head before turning the clippers off, leaving mom’s hair a half inch all over. But, that didn’t last long. Melissa quickly changed the head of the clippers to the quarter inch head. With it in place she turned the clippers back on and turned to the chair.

As she brought the clippers over the top of mom’s head dad noticed she had changed the head, to one that cuts closer. He, as did mom watching in the larger mirror, watched as Melissa placed the clippers in the center of her forehead and slowly move it back over her head leaving behind hair only a quarter of an inch. She brought the clippers back over mom’s head this time placing it just a little to the right of the first pass, then slowly, eyeing the clippers, as it cut another section. This was repeated on the left side of the first pass.

Then, Melissa stepped to the right side of the chair. As she raised the clippers up she changed the head on the clippers again, this time the head was one that cut even closer than the last two. Infact when dad noticed how close the clippers cut when Melissa made the first upward movement, he realized it was the .00000 head she had put on the clippers. His throat became very dry. His heart was not beating like it had never done before.

He sat watching as Melissa moved the clippers up the side of mom’s head. Up to the arc of the head, to where she had clippered the top even and flat. It was then dad realized mom was getting a High-N-Tight hair cut. He became weak and almost fell from the waiting chair, but he caught his self.

Mom noticed this and started to get out the chair when she noticed him smiling. She smiled back and winked. She knew she was doing the right thing. She knew this Father’s Day was going to be one he would not forget. She knew her other part of his present was going to be enjoyable for both of them. She hope the children had taken the hind and had made plans to spend the night with friends, as she had asked them to do.

Dad watched, mom watched, as Melissa moved around her head clipping her hair to almost nothing on the back and sides. It felt strange to her, but her mind was telling her she was doing something she should had done years ago. She wondered how she would look, if people would think something was wrong with her. But, she pushed those thoughts out of the way and started enjoying the finishing of her hair cut ….. her High-N-Tight hair cut at that.

Soon, too soon for mom, and dad, Melissa was turning off the clippers and dusting her head of little strands of hair, sending them wildly in the air around her head. Hanging the clippers up, she reached for a towel and tossed it in the sink of running water. She turned around and undid the cape letting it fall down across the arms of the chair and in mom’s lap. Stepping to the right side of the chair she reached across and pulled the cape out of the way.

Mom was now staring at herself in the large mirror, as she mouthed, "Do you like"! All dad did was smile and mom knew he liked the hair cut. She brushed her fingers over the top of her head and her eyes got wide, then she brushed the sides and back of her head and smiled.

As the chair lowered she started to get up, but Melissa shook her head "NO", telling her, "Not finished".

Mom smiled and sat back in the chair, as Melissa begin tucking a large white towel in her blouse. She then spread it out over her shoulders and downward to the front.

Dad eyes became wider as she did this, for he knew what Melissa was going to do now ….. "A nice trim shave along the hair line".

Melissa took the towel from the sink and rung it out, then she begin wiping it over mom’s head. She wiped the back and sides, then tossed it behind her on the floor. She then walked to the shaving dispenser where she filled her left hand with warm shaving lather. Mom saw dad’s eyes fixed on this so she moved her eyes to the left to see the same thing. Suddenly a strange feeling came to her body.

Melissa walked to the right side of the chair, and their eyes met.

"Trust me", she told mom as she begin lathering the right side of her buzzed head. Slowly she spread the warm lather upward over the buzzed side, all the way up to the arch of the head. She lathered the back in the same mannder, then the left side of her head. Mom looked at dad who was now sitting with his eyes wide open and his mouth opened so wide his fist could have fit in it without any problems.

He realized what Melissa was going to do, and was wondering if mom knew. He sat there watching and waiting to see what mom was going to do ….. Going to say.

Melissa wiped her hands of the excess lather. She picked up a straight razor and walked opening it to the right side of the chair. Mom glanced towards her and saw the open bladed straight razor. She looked up at Melissa just as she took hold of the leather strap handing from the right arm of the chair. Mom watched as she stropped the blade up and down over the leather strap.

When she stopped and raised the straight razor mom got a feeling in her she had never had in her life. She just turned her head to see herself in the large mirror, and see dad’s expression, as Melissa placed the blade of the straight razor at the arch of her head.

Dad sat watching in disbelieve, mom in not knowing, as Melissa slowly moved the straight razor down the side of her head leaving behind nothing but skin. When the first shaving was done she wiped the lather off in the palm of her left hand, then raised the straight razor’s blade to the arch again. Slowly, just as the first, she moved the opened blade down shaving another section to the skin.

As Melissa begin the third shaving mom felt the coolness of the air conditioner on her skin. It gave her a chill causing her body to shake. She noticed the surprise on dad’s face and tried to ask him about it. But, before she could ask Melissa was tilting her head downward as she begin shaving behind her right ear. The coolness on the shaved side caused her to shiver again, this time she stretched her legs out pointing her toes outward in pleasure.

By now mom was enjoying the shaving and her glances at dad told her he too was enjoying her hair cut.

Her head was allowed to raise up so she was looking at herself, in the large mirror, and dad. Both were so involved in her hair cut that neither of them heard Mike call "NEXT" for dad. Mike stood there looking at dad wondering if he heard him, "NEXT".

Dad stood up and started walking toward Mike’s chair, his eyes training on Melissa’s chair. Just as he was about to step into the chair Mike stopped him and turned the chair towards Melissa’s chair, "Don’t want you straining those eye. So, what it’ll be".

When Melissa was shaving the last section on the left side of her head, mom realized that Mike had dad in his chair and heard him ask, "SO, WHAT IT’LL BE"?

Before dad could speak mom told Mike, "We’re going to be late if you give him is regular hair cut. So, just BUZZ IT ALL OFF". Dad didn’t a word, so Mike picked up his clippers, removed the quarter inch head, turned it on, and started moving the clippers over the top of his head from front to back, "Don’t want you to miss out on the finish.".

Just as Melissa was wiping mom’s head of excess lather, Mike was making the final pass over his head, "So, but the back and sides have to go to". He then tilted his head down.

Mom stepped out Melissa’s chair and walked to the larger mirror behind the waiting chair. She turned her head from side to side, taking in her new hair cut. She could see Mike making the last few passes with the clippers on the left side of dad’s head. She turned around and gave him a smile, "Like it"!

he just sat there smiling and winked at her. "Best damn hair cut you ever got", he told her.

A few minutes later dad was stepping out of Mike’s chair. Mom greeted him with a kiss, of course he blushed. Dad paid and off the went of the evening.

THINK THIS IS THE END …..

JimB Copyright (c) May 2004

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