Home » Location » Barbershop » Blond, Black and Pink (Part 6)

clipper-banner
Our Reader Score
[Total: 4   Average: 4.8/5]

Part 6 is an interlude that develops the main characters of Christine and Tommy. It does not contain any dramatic haircutting scenes, But does provide the background for interesting events to come. It can be skipped without missing any of the important or dramatic action. It is about Christine and Tommy who met 2 weeks earlier. This is their second date. Tommy has told her during a telephone conversation (see Part 4) that he likes the way she looks as a bald girl. All Christine’s inhibitions about being bald have vanished and she begins to relish her new appearance. On this Sunday they get to know each other better and their feeling begin to deepen. She and Tommy keep discovering things that interest them and how comfortable they feel with each other.

Part 7 has been published along with Part 6 for those who prefer to skip Part 6.

Sunday Week 3 Christine and Tommy

Christine was up early again. She was beginning to make a habit of it now that she had a strong motivation. She got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast and the newspaper. It was her turn to fix Sunday breakfast, but she wasn’t very interested. She decided to fix fruit bowls and set out cold cereal for people to choose from. She started Paula’s coffee and decided to make hot chocolate for Melissa and herself. That should be enough she thought.

She had finished setting up everything when Melissa arrived.

“Hi, Christine. You’ve been getting up before me. You’ve never done that before. The fruit looks good. I didn’t know we had grapes and pineapple.”

“I just woke up early. We had fresh grapes, but the pineapple came from a can. The rest is fresh. I made hot chocolate too. I like it even if it is summer.”

“Me too. I guess you want me to shave you after I clean up the kitchen. No that won’t work, because Mom’s not up yet. Let’s do it right after breakfast. I’ll clean up later.”

Fifteen minutes later they were upstairs in the large family bathroom and set up to proceed.

“Hi girls. Looks like I’m out of a job this morning. Did you leave me anything for breakfast?”

“Hi Mom. We’re so used to doing it that we didn’t think to ask you,” Melissa responded.”

“Your coffee is ready and I made fruit bowls. Yours is in the fridge. It’s kind of neat for us to be doing each other, so I don’t mind at all,” Christine replied.

Christine had settled into the chair, put a towel around her shoulders and pinned it together in the front. Melissa had made sure that the shaver was clean then began to spread the gel over Christine’s head.

“Whose playing at the concert? Any group that I know?” Melissa asked.

“It’s a small orchestra from the city and some singers who have been in a few Broadway musicals. I don’t know much about them, but they’ll be doing a lot of songs from some famous shows. You know, like Cats and Annie and even some a lot older than those. Remember that CD that Mom played and we thought that some of the songs were pretty neat. I think it will be fun” answered Christine.

Melissa has finished one side of Christine’s head and had started on the other. She moved the shaver firmly and confidently. “Well I’m going to give you the best shave you’ve every had” she joked.

“Just leave some skin on my head please. I don’t want blood all over the bathroom” Christine laughed.

“Heck, that’s going to take all the fun out of it.” Melissa responded with a laugh.

“I just remembered something Christine. When I was at Kate’s shop with Penny yesterday, Kate mentioned the moisturizer that we use to Sandra’s Mother. Kate said that if you use it everyday for a while you don’t need to shave as often. I think that’s what’s happening with us. What do you think?”

“Mom never told us anything like that Melissa. But that must be it. I’m sure that mine isn’t growing as fast as it did the first few days. Maybe in a few more weeks we can shave only every other day. That would save even more time. Just put on the moisturizer and shiner and you’re done.”

“I hope it works. I like being shaved but it does take up time.”

They continued to trade comments and talk about their activities. Christine encouraged Melissa to workout in the gym in order for her to build up the rest of her body in addition to her legs.

Both were proud of what they had accomplished in the past two weeks. The volleyball team had won its match with Audra and Cindi the tallest of the five girls playing well, and Penny making several point saving digs. Melissa and Beth played well as substitutes. The had never played competitively before and were still learning the necessary skills.

The soccer team had played a very good team from across town and had been fortunate to achieve a tie. Melissa was eager to tell Christine about how well the team had played. “Audra was all over the place in the goal. Twice she stopped them from scoring when it looked like they would score for sure. And Beth is really good. She just flies down the field with the ball and gets around everybody unless they gang up on her. Then she passes off to Cindi or me. We were lucky to get a tie though. The Cloverdale team is good. We had to work hard to stop them from scoring. Beth is funny. Her hair is always coming loose and getting in her face. She puts it in a pony tail and wears a headband, but it just won’t stay. Cindy said she should get it cut. Beth said she wanted to, but I think her Mom doesn’t want to spend the money.”

The swim team led by Christine and Janet had won their Saturday meet easily. Christine’s time in the back stroke events had improved. Janet, Gail and Jessie were improving as well. Christine thought that the workouts that Tommy had devised had helped them all.

The two girls continued to talk about things offering bits of news. “Jessie got her hair cut. She said it was too much trouble to take care of when she was in the water so much and spent the rest of the time in the gym.” Christine related.

“Is it really short? Melissa asked.

“Well, it’s buzzed up the back and short around her ears. It pretty short on top but not buzzed. She said she is going to get it cut shorter the next time. Gail keeps talking about my shaved head. I think she going to do something pretty soon.”

“I think they want to copy you. Maybe you’ll have the first bald swim team in the country this summer.”

“That would be pretty cool, but I don’t think so.”

Melissa had finished shaving Christine. She wiped Christine’s head clean and they exchanged places in the chair.

“Tommy is having dinner with us tonight isn’t he” Melissa asked.

“Yes he is, so don’t you try to monopolize him little sister” Christine said with pretend seriousness. She giggled.

“I’m going to ask him so many questions you won’t be able to get a word in edgewise” Melissa said with mock determination.

They both laughed.

Christine had finished shaving Melissa and went over her head with her fingers search for any rough spots. Satisfied she cleaned the remaining gel and wiped her head clean with a damp cloth.

“Done Melissa” she announced.

“Thanks, Christine. Can you do my shiner for me after I put on the moisturizer”

“Sure, but you’ll have to do me.”

“All right I’ll do you.”

They proceeded with applying moisturizer, and then using the leg shiner that Paula had found and purchased.

“I’m going over to Penny’s house today. I think the others are coming too. “

“Sit down and let me put on the shiner.”

A few minutes later they both sported well polished heads and the bathroom was back to normal with everything in its place.

Melissa went downstairs to finish her job of cleaning up after breakfast. Christine went to her room to decide what she would wear to the concert.

“Mom, I’m going over to Cindy’s. What time should I be back?”

“We”ll have dinner about six so you should be
back about five or five fifteen.”

“OK, see you then.” She raced out the back door in her usual energetic way.

Christine wanted to look especially nice for this concert. Even though it was outdoors, most people didn’t wear jeans, tee shirts and sneakers. Going by bike made it a little more of a problem. She didn’t want to wear her “skort” again, and she didn’t know if any of her shorts would be suitable.

“Mom” She called down to the kitchen. “Can you help me? What can I wear that will look good?”

Paula answered. “I’ll be right up Christine.” Paula knew that for Christine this could be a crisis. It was time to call for reserves and she was the reserves.

“What am I missing Christine. I know you have a number of outfits that you like.”

“I’m riding a bike Mom.”

“Now I get it. Yes, that does make it difficult. You wore your cute “skort” last week didn’t you? So you can’t wear that. And most of your shorts are too sporty for a nice concert.” Paula made it clear that she understood exactly what Christine was thinking. “Is that about the size of it?”

“Mom You…. .” She stopped in mid-sentence. Like any normal teenager her first impulse was to say “Mom, you don’t understand.” Obviously Paula did understand. She had to skid to a halt and do a u-turn.

“Yes. I looked at them and they just didn’t seem to be right Mom. I have a couple of nice skirts, but I can’t ride my bike wearing them. What am I going to do?” she wailed.

“We’re both smart people. We can figure out something. It if comes to that we could go to the mall and find something. It’s after 10 so most of the shops are already open even on Sunday. We could make it there and back in plenty of time. I think I know what you need. How about a split miniskirt in a light blue-green silky material. You could wear that fancy sleeveless pink top that you have.”

“Mom where are we going to get anything like that?”

“Come on. I’ll show you. You know what a pack rat I’ve been. Well I have some clothes in the back of my closet that have been there since before you were born. When I was twenty I was just about as slim as you are. I didn’t fill out until I got pregnant with you. Come on you’ll see.”

“Mom, I couldn’t wear your old clothes. I would look ridiculous.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions just yet. It’s entirely up to you. I won’t push it. Just look at it and then decide.”

“OK, I’ll look at it.”

The went into the large walk in closet in Paula bedroom. Paula’s winter clothes were hung on the left side. About three quarters of the way down there were clothes that Christine had never seen Paula wear. Paula began searching through them looking for the skirt that she had described. Ten minutes later she was still searching.

“I know it’s hear somewhere. If I don’t find it soon I’ll give up and we’ll go to the mall.”

Christine laughed. She was well aware of Paula’s frugality and had asked her on several occasions why she didn’t give away some of the stuff she had been saving. Paula never had a good reason.

“Ah, here it is.” She extracted a skirt rack hanger that held four or five miniskirts. “See, these mini skirts are almost identical to the short skirts I see girls and women wearing today.” She held up one for inspection. Although Paula objected to the mini skirts that she saw on girls Christine’s age – they corresponded to the micro mini skirts of her own day, she had no objection to the short skirts that were worn about six inches inches above the knee.

Christine examined it critically and had to agree. It would look perfectly normal.

“Did you wear these Mom?”

“Well of course Christine. I was only twenty or twenty one years old. That was the fashion then. Everybody wore them, even your grandmother, although hers were a little longer than mine. Still they didn’t cover her knees. She was very fashion conscious. Your grandmother started wearing them when they first became popular in the sixties.”

Christine was fascinated. It had never occurred to her that some styles seemed to keep returning. She held up one of the miniskirts and realized that it would look quite good on her. It was, in fact, almost indistinguishable from a skirt that she had in her own closet although the color was different. She put it to her waist and saw that it was very close to her waist size, maybe an inch larger. By the standards that Christine used it was not strictly a miniskirt. What she called a mini skirt Paula called a micro-miniskirt. It was that style that Paula objected to and would not let her girls wear.

“Mom, this is so cool. A lot of the kids go to the thrift shop to buy old stuff so they can mix it with something new. These are neat. Could I have them?

“Of course Christine. They don’t fit me anymore. We might have to alter them a little to fit you though. I think you have a smaller waist that I did when I wore these. Here is the one that I wanted you to take a look at.” She held up a moderately full skirt that was predominantly turquoise blue, but with random areas of blue-gray running through it.

“That’s really nice Mom.” Christine liked it immediately.

“I liked it a lot myself. Look at this. It’s actually a split skirt. See?” Paula lifted up one side so that Christine could see that it was actually two separate pieces that you could hardly notice most of the time.

“Mom, it’s great. Can I wear it to the concert. I have the perfect top for it – my white silk one with the gray embroidery designs on it. Can I try it on?”

“Go ahead Christine. They’re all yours anyway. If it’s a little bit too big, we can easily add a small tuck on each side and nobody will be able to notice a thing.

Christine quickly took off her sneakers and stepped out of the shorts she was wearing. She stepped into the short split skirt and fumbled with the zipper in the back. “Mom, will you zip it up for me?” she Asked.

Paula complied and noted that the shirred elastic sections on each side had lost some of their elasticity. “Christine it almost fits. The elastic has gotten a little weak otherwise it would fit just fine. I can set the button over a little and it will be OK.”

Christine Looked at herself in the full length mirror mounted on the wall at the end of the closet. “Mom this is so cool. I love it. I want to see how it looks with my blouse.” She padded quickly to her closet and changed to the white blouse she had mentioned. In a moment she was back.

“Wow, Christine, that looks terrific.” Paula realized that Christine’s choice of a top was better than her suggestion.

Christine examined herself from every angle. A big smile appeared on her face.

“It’s great Mom. What more do we need to do?”

“It should be washed and dried. Then I’ll move the button. Don’t put it in the washer. I’ll do it by hand just to be safe. It’s a polyester cotton blend so it should be just fine, but the elastic is old and hot water and detergent will make it worse. It won’t take long to wash in warm water. Just use air in the dryer, no heat at all. It will dry pretty quickly.”

“I forgot about my shoes. I can’t wear sneakers with this.”

“Of course not Christine. Do what I did when I walked to a concert with my boyfriend. I walked in my sneakers, but just before I got there I changed to my strapless shoes. I carried a purse big enough to hold a pair of shoes. You have a saddle bag which will work fine. When you get there you can change in the ladies’ room or right where you park your bikes.” She saw the expression on Christine’s face change. “Probably the ladies’ room would be best.”

“That’s a good idea Mom. My white sandals will look good with this outfit. Your split skirt is perfect. Thanks for coming to the rescue.” She gave Paula a hug.

“You’re very welcome. What good are mothers if they can’t come to the rescue once in a while. You look wonderful. If you like you can use a little eye shadow. I have some pale ivory th
at might complement your eyes.”

“I’d like to see how it looks. Can you do it for me.”

“Sure Christine. But first we had better take care of this skirt.”

Christine was anxiously waiting for Tommy to arrive. Every thing had turned out better than she believed possible. The little split skirt which stopped well short of her knees showed off her long legs. The fancy top she had chosen emphasized and complemented her bald head. Paula had added a touch of eye shadow. At Christine’s request she had used the face shiner to give her face a soft glow. Paula then redid Christine’s head to emphasize it’s shine. Christine could hardly wait to see what Tommy would think of the way she looked.

The doorbell rang and Christine was quick to answer it.

Christine opened the door and stood expectantly.

“Hi, Tommy.” She didn’t move or invite her in.

Tommy looked momentarily confused. Then he got it. “Hi Christine. You look terrific. I’ve never seen you so….” Tommy couldn’t think of the right words …”looking so special.”

Christine reached out and took his hand. “You look extra nice yourself. Come on in for a minute. Mom wanted to see us. I’ll be right back.” Christine went upstairs to Paula’s room. “Mom, he’s here. We have to go pretty soon.”

Paula followed Christine back downstairs to the living room where Tommy was waiting.

“My goodness you are a very attractive pair. Enjoy yourselves at the concert and be careful on twenty first street. There’ll be a lot of traffic I expect.” She gave Christine a peck on the cheek. “When will you be back.”

“About five o’clock or maybe as late as five thirty.”

“Bye Mom. Come on with me to the back Tommy I have to change to my sneakers and put these shoes in my saddlebag.”

“Good bye Mrs. Jenner. We’ll be careful.”

“Bye Tommy. I’ll see you two when you get back.

Paula watched them leave. Summer vacation was only three weeks old and so much had happened. An odd thought went through her head. Would Tommy have ever approached Christine if she had not had a shaved head, and Johnny had not acted nasty to her and Melissa. Well it all turned out amazingly well. Paula went back to the kitchen to look through her receipt collection to look for something nice but simple to fix for their dinner.

Melissa burst through the back door at five o’clock. “Are they back yet?”

“No, not yet. You look like you need a shower Melissa.”

“I do. We got into a game of kick-the-can with some other kids down the street. It was fun. I’ll go up and shower. I guess I should put on some clean clothes too.”

“That would be nice Melissa. Maybe you can help me get things ready after.”

“OK, Mom.” She raced upstairs. In a few minutes Paula heard the shower running.

The dinner was almost ready when she heard Christine and Tommy talking on the back porch. They came through the door and into the kitchen. “We’re back Mom.”

“So I see. How was the concert?”

“It was great Mom. You know that CD that you have? Well, they did some of those songs. Mom, do you know about an old show called “South Pacific? There is one song in it called ‘Some Enchanted Evening.’ It’s really beautiful.”

“Oh, I know it very well.” She sang a few bars. “It’s one of my favorites. Let me finish up here. We’ll talk about it while we eat. You too can go on in the living room. Melissa will be down in a moment to help.

“We can help too Mom.”

“OK, but you don’t need too.”

They ate a leisurely dinner, talked about the concert and Christine’s growing interest in the old Broadway shows. Paula told them about the great musicals that had been produced by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.

Nothing had been said about anyone saying something about Christine’s Bald head. Finally Melissa couldn’t restrain herself any longer.

“Didn’t anyone say anything about you being bald Christine?” Melissa blurted out.

Christine laughed. “We did hear somebody say something. It sounded like ‘look at that girl. Is she bald? While we were waiting to get in a woman standing in front of us turned around and talked to us for a minute. She said that once she got over the shock, she thought I looked quite beautiful. I told her I liked being bald and intended to keep it shaved and that I didn’t have any plans to let it grow out again. She acted pretty surprised at that. Then she talked to Tommy.”

Tommy took up the narrative. “She asked me what it was like to to be going out with a bald girl. I told her that I was really lucky to have a girlfriend as terrific as Christine. Her being bald didn’t matter, although I thought it made her more beautiful.”

“I guess most people thought I had some disease or something or maybe I was just trying to be really different, so mostly people pretend they don’t see me.” Christine giggled at this idea.

After helping clean up, Christine and Tommy went out to the backyard and sat together talking quietly. As it began to get dark about nine fifteen Tommy finally said he had better go. They went back in.

“Mom, Tommy has to go.” Christine called up the stairs.

A moment later Paula came down. “Tommy, I’m so glad that you and Christine had a good time and that you were able to stay for dinner.”

“I enjoyed dinner a lot Mrs. Jenner. Thanks for inviting me.”

Christine and Tommy walked to the back yard where Tommy bike was parked. They held hands for a moment.

“I had a great time with you today Christine. I’ll see you at the gym in the morning.”

“Thanks for taking me. I had a great time being with you too. I’ll be there about quarter to ten.”

They walked around the house with Tommy pushing his bike. At the side walk they stood together for a moment.

“I’d better get going.”

“OK. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” She waved at him as he peddled off. Christine wondered if this was how it felt to be in love with someone. It had been a great day.

To be continued in Part 7

Leave a Reply

clipper-banner