In Part 9 Abby Quinalt, who had witnessed Sandy’s had shave along with the bald Melissa and the short haired Penny, was so taken by how good the bald and near bald girls looked that she determined to have her own daughter Kate shaved like them. She had also vowed to get her own head shaved after she had been stunned by the elegant bald Steffie. True to her word she had brought Tess to Kate’s barber shop to be shaved and to get her own hair buzzed. Ginny, who had gotten a clipper shave the previous week encountered them there when she came in to get her weekly clipper shave.

Week Four Monday – A Surprise Meeting At Kate’s Barber Shop

Ginny had worked almost until midnight Sunday and didn’t get until nearly nine thirty Monday morning. She met Heather in the Kitchen.

“Morning Mom. That was a wonderful party yesterday. It was fun to meet all those girls with their shaved heads and short hair cuts. Mrs. Reece had a very nice short bob, but your buzz is much better. Of course Aunt Steffie just looks fabulous with her head shaved like that.”

“I agree with you. Jan’s cut is very attractive, but Steffie is absolutely the best looking. Paula said she is getting hers cut on Friday. I know that Leigh wants to get hers cut too. I think things are a little tight for them. That’s why Leigh keeps working. Anyway, I’m sure that Abby is going to get hers cut quite soon. She told me several times how much she liked my haircut and how beautiful she thought Steffie was. I think it’s catching. Once a few women have very short styles others are willing to do it because they have support. It’s a good thing our husbands are OK with it. Well, Chris is more than OK with it.”

“You’re right, Mom. Once someone does it, it’s like a breakthrough and a lot of others who never considered it before suddenly get the urge. And I have the urge to go on down to Kate’s shop to get mine touched up. I’m working earlier today. I should be home by ten thirty tonight. Where’s Penny?”

“She left for the rec center about five minutes before you can down.”

“OK, I’ll see you tonight. Bye Mom.”

“Bye, Ginny. Have a good day.”

Fifteen minutes later at eleven o’clock Ginny was walking through the door into Kate’s shop. A woman and a teenage girl were standing talking to Kate, their backs to Ginny. Ginny thought they looked familiar somehow.

“We did talk about it Kate. I told her that if after two weeks she didn’t like it she could grow it out. She’s not very happy, but she not going to make a fuss. Might as well get started.”

“OK, Tess, why don’t you get in my chair?” Kate suggested.

‘Tess!’ Ginny immediately realized it was Abby Quinalt and her daughter Tess. She watched as Tess slowly stepped onto the foot rest and sat down.

Abby turned to sit down.

“Hello, Mrs. Quinalt. Funny to meet you here.”
“Well, my goodness. Hi, Ginny. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I have to get my head clippered every week to keep it looking good. How about you?”

“I’m having Tess shaved. I loved the way you and the other girls look, especially Christine. So I wanted Tess shaved like them. I think she will be lovely. And I’m getting my hair cut sort of like your Mom’s. I think she looks so great.”

“You can be certain Tess will be lovely. And so will you with a cut like Mom’s. Would you believe that Jill thought we were sisters?”

Ginny turned to Tess who was now sitting in Kate’s big barber chair. “Hi, Tess. You’re going to look super gorgeous when Kate is done.”

“Maybe so Ginny. I don’t want my head shaved though. But Mom says I have to, at least for two weeks.”

“You’re going to love it Tess. You’ll see. When you look in the mirror you’ll see this awesome girl. And it will feel so good when you touch your head. Besides, think of how much faster you’re going to be able to swim.”

“That’s silly. It can’t make me swim faster.”

“Sure it can, if you believe it can. Maybe you’ll get a really nice boyfriend like Christine did.”

“They’ll all think I’m a freak or something.”

“No, they won’t Tess. My boyfriend loves my haircut. And guys I don’t even know have asked me for dates. Because you’re different they’re attracted to you, especially the real guys who are interested in girls who don’t act like silly air heads and who have self confidence. Some guys do have weird ideas, so you’ll need to be careful of the way you act around them, but it’s kind of fun to be noticed.”

While they were talking Kate had caped Tess and gotten out her big clippers. She had waited patiently until there was a break in the conversation.

“OK, Tess. Head down please.” Kate requested.

Tess complied and Kate started at the back. In a four quick passes she had clippered the chin length hair at the back of Tess’s head to stubble. The sides and top followed quickly. As she had done with Heather, Kate was careful not to drop hair onto the cape in Tess’s lap, but flicked it to the floor behind her. Having removed most of her hair, she took her time to go over Tess’s head carefully removing any missed strands and the lines of hair that were witness to the imperfect overlap of previous runs. She knew that the vibration of the clippers had a soothing effect on almost everybody, so she made it last longer than was necessary. She saw that Tess responded to the vibration also.

“Well, the first part is done Tess. Like Ginny said, you’re going to be outstanding.” She was about to invite Tess to look at herself, but decided against it.

“You look really good already Tess.” Ginny offered.

“She’s right Tess. You are going to be very beautiful” Abby agreed

“I still don’t want to be bald, even if I look better than Christine.” Tess responded, but without much conviction in her voice.

Kate had refrained from saying anything, but she saw that Tess’s small ears, set close to her head, and her well shaped head, were going to make the
result quite outstanding. Besides that light brown hair would not cause much of a dark shadow and her even lighter eyebrows would not distract from her big eyes which would seem even bigger once her hair was gone.

Kate proceeded without hesitation. A no nonsense approach seem exactly right in this case, with Ginny present. She spread hot lather over Tess’s head and massaged it gently with her fingers. Wiping them on the towel that she had at hand for that purpose, she picked up her razor and proceeded to strop it on the lather strap hanging from the chair. She lowered the chair a bit to make it easier to reach the top of Tess’s head then walked to the front and began taking short quick strokes.

I’m going to have to have mine shaved like that sometime,” Ginny said. “I just need to have that experience at least once. Jill said she’s going to keep hers shaved as much because of the sensation of getting it shaved and how it feels as how much she likes the way she looks.”

“I have the same feeling Ginny” Abby said. “If Paula gets hers shaved next summer I’m definitely going to join her. In fact I’d love to go with her so we can do it together. I think having someone with you to cheer you on would make it even more enjoyable.”

Tess had been listening to that conversation and was taken aback. “Mom, you want to get you head shaved? Why didn’t you if that’s what you want? I’m not you.” Tess didn’t know it, but she and Abby were replaying the exact scenario that had occurred between Christine and Paula.

“You can tell everybody that your Mom did it to you. Besides, there are a lot of girls around here who are bald or practically bald like Ginny. That makes a difference. If Steffie lived around here and we could do things together, I might just do it now.”

“OK Tess, I’ve been over it once, but it takes two times to get it really smooth. I’ll be done in another few minutes” Kate was applying hot lather as she said these words to Tess. She also stropp
ed her razor again at some length to be sure it was as sharp as possible.

“When I’m done and have cleaned you up and dried your head I’ll put on the special moisturizer I told you and Abby about Tess. Then I’ll put on the bronzer. That makes it look very natural until you’ve developed a little color.” Kate was methodically going over Tess’s head a second time while she talked.

Kate had done the top and back from ear to ear. Now she carefully shaved around each ear and down each side in front of the ears. She was especially careful to make sure the areas in front of each ear were clean and smooth. She ran her fingers over Tess’s head looking for any rough spots. It was all satisfactory. She used a damp towel to clean of the remaining lather and carefully patted her head dry.

“Here comes the moisturizer. It will probably feel quite cold after that hot lather.” Kate had held it in her palm for a bit to help get it warm. She applied a generous portion with her fingers to the top and one side. She did the same on the other side and then put the rest on the back of Tess’s head with her palm and smoothed it around. Using both hands she quickly spread it over Tess’s head. She dispensed another generous amount and divided it between her two hands then began to massage it onto Tess’s head. She could tell that Tess was enjoying the sensation.

“Feels good doesn’t it? It makes you smooth and silky.” Kate continued to massage Tess’s head until the moisturizer was almost completely absorbed. Then she used a soft cloth to remove any excess and dry her head.

“I’m putting on the bronzer now. I use only a little, just enough to give you a little color so the contrast with your face and neck is not so obvious. There, I think its done, Tess. You look just like a princess. Are you ready to see the new you?” Kate’s fingers and her reassuring manner had relaxed Tess considerably.

“You look wonderful Tess! Everyone will say you are a beautiful special angel.” Ginny exclaimed.

“My goodness, you do look delightfully lovely. Your eyes look so big. I think everybody will want to hug you” Abby added.

Kate had rotated the chair so that Tess could look at herself. The person in the mirror looked like a stranger with her big eyes and not a hair in sight. She turned her head from side to side and the cute bald girl in the mirror did the same. She did a mental double take as she realized that she had called herself cute. She had an urge to smile, but repressed it. She wasn’t ready to give in just yet. She also heard voices in the background that sounded far away saying something about how good she looked. The strange moment passed and she heard Kate, Mom and Ginny talking to her and each other.

“Where have you been Tess?” Abby asked. We’ve been talking and I don’t think you’ve heard a word we said.

“I don’t know. When I saw myself I thought it wasn’t me and I felt as though I was far away. Anyway I guess I don’t look as bad as I thought I would. Can I get down now Kate?”

“Of course Tess.” Kate cleaned any remaining hair from the cape and unfastened it from around Tess’s neck. She removed it careful not to spill any hair onto Tess’s cloths. “It suits you beautifully Tess. You eyes are a beautiful blue and now people will really notice them.”

“People really will want to hug you Tess and so I’m going to be the first.” Ginny said as she enveloped her. Tess was stiff for a moment then she yielded and gave Ginny a brief hug in return.

“Do you really think I look good? I don’t look like a freak or something?”

“How could I think that. Look at me. Do I look like a freak? Maybe you shouldn’t answer that.” Ginny laughed.

“No, you look really good. So do Jill and Christine. And Steffie looks, well, incredible.”

“That’s it. We all recognize that being bald or having very short hair can make a girl look better than she ever looked before. I think that’s because people can see us the way we really are. People hardly ever noticed Christine before, but now they see her and realize she’s beautiful. And she’s so unselfconscious and self assured that it makes her look even more beautiful. It’s amazing. People are going to notice your eyes and face now. If you want to hide, having shoulder length hair is a good way to do it. All those girls I see at the restaurant who have shoulder length seem to look the same except for the color of their hair. You can barely notice their faces.”

“I guess so. But Mom said that if after two weeks if I want to grow it out I can.”

“That’s what I said and that’s what I meant. But your are beautiful. Kate, I was going to get my hair cut, but why don’t you do Ginny first. I don’t mind waiting.” Abby offered.

“Thanks, Mrs. Quinalt. I was afraid I might have to come back tomorrow. I have to be at work at one, and its already almost noon.”

“Hop in my chair Ginny. I can take care of you in a jiffy. I won’t do anything with your little bangs this week. I’ll probably need to give them a little trim next week.”

Ginny was already in the chair. Kate shook out the cape and fastened it around her neck.

I think I remember the numbers. Did I tell them to you?” asked Kate.

“Yes, and told me to remember them. It’s a number one on top, a number zero on the side blending with the top, and a number double zero halfway up the sides blending with the number zero. You told me the lengths too, but I don’t remember that” Ginny answered.

“We’ll start with the number 1. That is one eight of an inch. Pretty short, but it grows about that much in a week. So now it has almost doubled in length since last week. So here goes.” Kate turned on her adjustable clippers and started at Ginny’s forehead careful to avoid the little fringe of bangs. In two runs she had collected a good bit of hair on the clipper head which she showed to Ginny.

“See. That’s quite a lot and it will be noticeably shorter when I’m finished.”

“That interesting Kate. I didn’t notice that it had grown out so much. I need to be more observant of the way it looks so I can actually notice it as it grows.”

“Oh you will. Once you had it this way for a while, it will seem quite long after a week and absolutely awful after two weeks. If you ever wait for a month you will think you are as shaggy as an old bear.” she laughed. Kate had been over Ginny’s head several times and in different directions at the crown. It was now the same short bristles that she had had a week earlier.

“Time for the number zero. That’s only one sixteenth of an inch. I have to be careful to blend it just right at the transition. That part of your original is now three times as long as it was last week.” Kate now knew exactly where the transition area was and could easily produce the subtle taper that she wanted. She went around Ginny’s head quickly and confidently. She looked at the result and made a few more quick runs to get it exactly right.

“OK, the final cut was a number double zero. That’s one thirty second of an inch. In that area the hair is five times longer than it was a week ago. Reach back here and see if you can grab if with the tips of your fingers.”

“Yes, I can. I’m sure I couldn’t do that last week.”

“That’s right, you couldn’t. I left that little patch just so you could try it.” Kate began the final circuit of Ginny’s head, taking all the hair down to the number double zero length up two inches above her ears. Once again she carefully tapered the transition area.

“The final step is to clean up the edges around your ears and do your hairline. You had a high round hairline didn’t you?” Kate asked.

“Yes, I did, but I really liked Audra’s half moon shape. It was high up too. I wonder if I could get it done like that. Maybe we should look at those examples you showed me.”

“Sure, Ginny. I’ll get them.” A moment later she returned with the book opened to several pages of pictures of hairlines. “Is this what you’re thinking of?” She poin
t out a picture that had an etched hair line with a clean arch beginning and ending at two broad sharp points.

“That’s close. I don’t want the sharp points. Can you make that part a little bit rounded. And I’d like the top of the arch higher too. I think that would look good and make my neck seem really long.”

“You’re being very artistic I see. I think I can do it just the way you want. Do you have an idea how high it should be. The rounded line was a little above your natural hairline. I would need to go quite a bit higher for this look. Is that OK?

“Sure, It’s going to grow out pretty quickly anyway. I’m trying this out to see if I like it. If I do I want you to wax it for me Kate.”

“I can certainly do that for you. Let’s see how this works for you.” Kate had already cleaned up around Ginny’s ears. Now she began the delicate job of creating the artificial hair line that Ginny had requested. She started with the tiny scissors that she had used when cutting Penny’s hair. Now she used them to outline the arch that she planned. After a couple of adjustments the top of the arch was nearly an inch above Ginny’s natural hairline. The ends of the arch was just about at the bottom of her ears, close to the natural hairline, but that wouldn’t remain. She worked to make the two curves just right. In the process they ended up about a quarter inch above the hairline at their lowest point. Kate stepped back and inspected her work carefully. She decided it was as good as she could do for a first try. Using her edger clippers, she cleaned up the hair under the arch and the curved points at each side. ‘Now that looks good,’ she thought.

“Take a look Ginny. You’re a little far away to see it well. If you need a closer I’ll hold up the cape so you can get closer to the mirror.”

“Ginny looked at the result. “I like it Kate. I’ll need to look at it some more to be sure, and we can adjust it next week if necessary, But it’s just about what I had in mind. I might want to go a little higher next time. But it’s fine for a first try.”

“I want to shave it smooth so you’ll be able to experience what it will be like when it’s waxed. Won’t take a minute.”

Kate got a small quantity of hot lather foam and spread it on Ginny’s nape and around the sides. She quickly shaved smooth everything beyond the outline that she had created.

“There you go Ginny. I think it does look good. Give it a good examination this week and let me know what you think when you come in next week. Now you can try to grab the hair at the back of you head so you’ll know what you started out with.”

“You’re right Kate. It’s so short I can’t get hold of it even with my fingernails. It’s just barely there soft bristle. I didn’t realize how short it is. I love the way it feels at the back of my head. I’ll remember from now on. When it doesn’t feel like that I’ll know I need a haircut.”

“You’ve got it Ginny. You’re done now.” Kate said.

The entire process had taken less than fifteen minutes.

“I need to run.” Ginny handed Kate a ten dollar bill. “Keep the change Kate. You did more than you needed to. Mrs. Quinalt, thanks for letting me in ahead of you. I wish I could stay to see your haircut, but I’d be late for work. Tess, you look just wonderful. Let me feel it. I can never get enough of feeling a beautiful bald girl’s silky smooth head after a perfect shave. Oh, it feels so marvelous.”

Ginny thought it was like touching a baby’s bald head. She loved the feel of it.

“Thanks, Ginny. It does feel good. But I’m still not convinced that I should keep it shaved.”

“That’s OK Tess. It’s your choice. You do what you like and are happy with. Bye all.”

Kate had taken the opportunity to put up her lunch break sign. She wiped off the previous time and quickly wrote in one thirty as the time she would be open again. She latched the door.

“Well Abby, I guess it’s your turn. Do you want to look at some of the pictures of buzz cuts like Heather’s that I have in my collection.? There are quite a few that are a little longer than hers and some brush cuts that are quite a bit longer.”

“I would like that Kate. Maybe you can advise me.”

Kate quickly retrieved her big loose leaf binder contain her collection of pictures and turned to the the section on buzzed styles. They skimmed through them quickly until Abby spotted one that drew her interest. They put a marker there. Continuing their fas survey they found two others. One of them particularly caught Abby’s Attention. It seemed to be cut with scissors rather than buzzed with clippers. The hair was uneven in length at about three quarters of an inch on top and perhaps three eighths of an inch on the sides. The other picture that intrigued Abby was probably shorter and cut with clippers, but featured a feathery fringe of bangs. It also featured pointed sideburns which Abby liked. She was torn. Kate decided to do a little lobbying.

“This one is a little shorter, but that would suit you very well. The little fringe will complement your features very well, and the little sideburns are also very feminine. I can adjust the length if you like. She has the same face shape as you have. Here is another example of a buzz with a very attractive fringe that completely frames her face. I think that would look very good on you.”

Abby look at the latest offering and realized how soft it would look. She was convinced.

“That’s it Kate. I like the other two but this one seems especially nice. Do it like that Kate.”

“What about the back Abby. It has a little fringe there too. Do you want it like that or would you rather have it buzzed.”

“Oh my Kate. I don’t know. I love the way Heather’s looks in back, but having it with a soft fringe would make it softer looking wouldn’t it?”

“Yes it would. Why not go with a fringe this time. If you want to have a nice buzzed back later I can do it for you. This style is very soft and feminine. It will give you the best of both worlds. Its a real buzz cut but with some softness. If you want something more like Heather you can get it later.”?
“I’m glad you offered to do it that way Kate, but I really do want a good buzz cut, so even though I like the soft fringe in front and in back I do want a real buzz cut in back. Can you do that for me?”

Of course Abby. Why don’t I get started on it right now?”

“Yes, please do. I’m in your hands.”

Abby’s hair was styled in the popular spiky layered cut and needed a lot of gel to get it stand up in back and on top.

“Abby, I think I need to give you a shampoo. I can cut it much better if it isn’t gelled. Come on back to the shampoo bowl.”

“OK. I guess it would be a bit hard to work with like this.”

Kate had to lather her twice to get out all the gel, but it was soon done and she blow dried it quickly.

“That’s much better Abby. Now I can work with it easily and give you a fine haircut. I’m going to start with an all over buzz that is quite long. That will be the first step. I’ll leave a section around the front so that I can make the little fringe that you wanted. It will be longer than Heather’s, but you can always get it done shorter next time if you like.” Kate spoke as if she knew that Abby would be back to keep it buzzed. Her experience told her that once a woman came to the decision to have a buzz cut and her partner approved and liked it she rarely went back to longer hair.

Kate carefully combed out a section of hair at the front, dampened it and put on a clip to hold it in place. She repeated this several times until she had secured a narrow strip of hair from ear to ear that would be the little face framing fringe that Abby wanted. Next she snapped on a number six guide that she would use to do the first overall cut. She was sure that it would be too long for the final look, but wanted to start there. She could reduce it in eighth inch increments using the numbered guides and her adjustable clippe
rs. In a few moments she had produced a soft pelt of three quarters of an inch long hair that lay softly against her head and displayed its shape. It was nicely shaped and Kate was confident that the final result would look good. She switched to a number four guide to do the sides and back. Again she though it would be too long, but wanted to start there. She did a nice transition with the clippers, that would need to be finished with scissors, but was OK at this point. Abby had been facing the mirror and could see the result.

“Well Abby, I’ve left it pretty long for a buzz cut, but I wanted you to see it before I do anything more. What do you think?”

“That looks nice Kate, but it doesn’t seem like a buzz cut really. What do you think?”

“You are right. It isn’t really a buzz cut at this length. I have a couple of lady clients who want a really short cut, but don’t want a buzz because their husbands object. So this is what I do for them. They also keep the little fringe in back. That seems to satisfy their husbands. I think you would like it better if I took it down to a real buzz cut, but it’s your call.”

“I do want a real buzz with it just a little longer than Heather’s and with the fringe the way it was shown in the picture.”

“Good. I didn’t want to go shorter than you wanted, so I did it long. Now I have a good idea of exactly what you want.”

Kate snapped on the number 4 guide. She had decided that a half inch on top and quarter inch sides and back with a taper to an eighth inch for a short distance above the hairline would be right. She would make the fringe light and airy by thinning them with the tip of her scissors. She made quick work of bringing all of Abby’s hair except for the fringe down to a half inch. Now it had the right look. It stood up enough to be a buzz cut but not too stiffly not to be soft looking. If she wanted it to be even softer looking she could use her little razor tapering tool to make it look less like a strict buzz. She had gone over Abby’s head several times to make sure it was as even as she could get it with clippers. She might need to do a bit of scissors work because she had felt a bump at the occipital bone and a small indentation at the very top – where the soft spot had once been. Easy to adjust the cut so neither of these slight imperfections would show. She had previously noted that Abby had nice ears. They were a little bit more prominent that Tess’s, but not a problem at all for this style buzz cut. Next step was the number two for the sides and back. The location of the taper from the sides to the top was important, but she would start it lower than where it would for the final precise work that she would do with comb and scissors. She snapped on the number two and set to work. It took only a few minutes to achieve the desired results. To Kate’s practiced eye the transition was poor, although most people would not realize it unless they had a side-by-side comparison.

“Well Tess, how do you think it looks so far?” Tess had been looking at herself in the mirror and Kate wanted to get her attention on something else if she could.

“It’s going to look pretty cool. I liked Mrs. Brower’s cut. Mom’s is a little longer I guess, and if she has a fringe around her face it will be softer. I think she’s going to look a lot younger, just like Mrs. Brower does. It’s funny how a cut like that can make them look younger.” Tess had been watching off and on during the previous steps and had been surprised at the immediate impact that had occurred.

“Of course you are right. Simple short cuts tend to make everyone look younger. Just look at me. You wouldn’t believe I’m sixty-nine years old would you.”

Tess, burst out laughing at this obvious joke. Kate was in her late thirties or early forties. She wore her hair in a medium length brush style with a little fringe of bangs and closely clippered sides and back. The top was almost an inch long and had a lot of lift to it without looking stiff.

“You couldn’t be more than thirty five. I don’t care what kind of haircut you have.”

“Well, I admit I’m not sixty nine but I’m not thirty five either. I’m not telling exactly how old I am, but it’s a fair amount more than thirty five. Your Mom, now she’s going to look like your big sister. How are you going to handle that?”

“I”m OK with that. Mom is pretty cool most of the time. It’s fun to go shopping with her.”

Abby laughed. “I’m going to love having a really cool little sister. She can keep me abreast of all the newest hits, fashion and stuff that I keep missing because I’m old and stuffy.”

Kate had been busy working on Abby’s fringe. She had cut it about about two inches long. Now she was using her razor to make it very wispy and short along her forehead. She was going to make the sides progressively longer until she reached the top of Abby’s ears where the strands would be longest, giving little fringed curls to the middle of her ears. She continued carefully down the right temple area, and then the left, being careful to make the effect similar on both sides. She flicked them up to see where they would fall naturally and made a few small adjustments. She left the underneath side strands the full length but made them light and airy. The rest was cut shorter with her razor so that it blended nicely with the buzzed hair behind it and with the longer strands. It was a very ‘girly’ effect. She was satisfied with the result at least for now. The next part of the cut was the most difficult. She used the scissors over comb technique to blend the sides to the top, combing the hair up and snipping a little at a time until she had achieved a perfect transition. This was the time consuming step. She combed and snipped first on the left and then on the right. Then she blended the back using the same meticulous procedure.

“Wow, Kate, it sure takes a long time to give this haircut.” Abby was surprised. She thought it would take little more than fifteen or twenty minutes.

“It takes a lot of time because I’m doing the blending by hand. I can do a good job with the clippers alone, but this is the better way. I want you to like the result so much that you keep coming back. Later I’ll know your hair and how it should be cut and I can do it faster. I’m about done with the blending now. It looks good if I do say so myself. I’ve got one more thing to do still. I need to use my clipper and a comb to taper up from the hair line and give you a nice edge.”

Kate began to do exactly what she had explained. This was the easy part. It was a technique that she used frequently on both men and women. Five minutes later she had finished the tapering at the hairline and edged around Abby’s ears. The only thing left was the nape line.

“Abby you have a nice hairline in back. I could just leave it natural and it would be a little wispy. Or if you want a sharply defined clippered look like Heather, I can make it a neat rounded look or it could even be almost square. What would you like? Here, take a look.”

Abby examined herself in the hand mirror. She was torn. She wanted the sharply edged line but thought it might be too much for the wispy front that she had requested.

“I can’t decide Kate. I like the wispy look around the front. Would it be better balanced to have it in the back too, or can I have a sharp line. Is there some way to have it defined but not look too hard?”

“Well, I can taper it so that it’s very short at the hairline and outline it. That way it’s less of a contrast. That’s what I did for Heather. That should work equally well for you.”

“Good, do it that way then.”

Kate picked up her her adjustable clippers and set the blades to the triple zero setting. She quickly outlined the slightly rounded line that followed Abby’s hairline except at the very center where she clipped off the slight point that grew there. Once again using the scissors over comb method she tapered the nape area going a little higher than
she had before, and then tapering the bottom inch to as short as she could using the thinnest part of the comb. The result was a very subtle line. It was still a well defined edge, but not so hard.

“Well, I think it look good Abby. Let me check out your fringe one more time. I usually see it a little differently once I’ve been away from it for a few minutes.”

She examined the fringe critically, dampened a few spots and made some tiny adjustments. She realized that the feathery fringes in front of Abby’s ears should be a little shorter and more wispy. Finally she decided that she was finished.

“Well, you’ve watched the whole process Abby. What do you think. Let me show you the sides and back.”

Abby reached up for the first time and felt her head with its half inch buzz. A smile appeared on her face and spread widely. “Oh, I love it Kate! I do look almost like a kid again.” She looked at herself in profile and then at the back. “I love the way you did the back too.” She felt the shortness of the nape and kept rubbing it in delight at its feel. “I feel like a new person. It’s so exhilarating! I can’t keep my hands off it. What do you think Tess?”

“It does look good on you Mom, but if we’re going to be sisters you should have gotten shaved like me.”

“Well Tess if you keep yours shaved I may just join you. What do you think of that?”

“Really? You would get your head shaved if I keep mine shaved. How long would I have to keep mine shaved before you would shave yours?”

“It would have to be at least a month. Let me think about this. I seem to have stuck my foot in it haven’t I Kate.”

“It does seem like that Abby.”

“Yeah. Ginny’s Mom told her that my Mom was so impressed with Steffie, that she was ready to go find a shop that was open on Sunday and have her head shaved,” Tess related the remark that Abby had made the day before.

“My goodness. My silly remark got around pretty fast didn’t it. I did get a little supercharged seeing all those beautiful bald girls and the fabulous bald Steffie. It still excites me thinking about it. Here’s my deal. If you’re still bald and planning to stay bald when school starts, I’ll take you to school the first day as your bald Mother and will stay bald as long as you do. How’s that for a deal. But I reserve the right to go bald before that if I want.”

“Mom, I can’t believe you would do that. What will Daddy say?”

“He’ll be delighted I can guarantee it. He’s going to like my buzz cut and I’m going to tell him that I want to get my head shaved so that I’ll be the sexiest woman alive and all for him.”

“Mom!” Tess exclaimed in embarrassment.

“Come over here Tess and let me feel that gorgeous head of yours. And check out this cute buzz cut that I just got. Then I need to give you a big hug.”

“It’s really neat Mom. You look terrific.” Her anger forgotten, Tess hugged Abby fiercely.

Abby had felt Tess’s head while they hugged. Exactly like Paula and Jan she had the immediate sensation of wanting to hold Tess’s head to her breast. She hugged with one hand and caressed Tess’s head with the other.

“Mom, I’m not mad anymore. I think I’m going to like being bald like Christine. I hope we’ll both be on the swim team this fall. It will be fun to be on the team with her. Two bald girls will make a big splash.” Tess laughed at her joke.

“Did you just make that up Tess?” Abby laughed. “We had better get going. Kate do you have the order for the things that I’ll need? How much do I owe you for our two haircuts and the other things.”

“Here it is Abby. They must be curious about all the shavers and jugs of moisturizer I keep buying. You’re the fourth person I’ve sold the same things to this summer. Here’s the order. The total comes to $99.70 with tax.”

“I could never get out of my regular shop for that little with just a cut and blow dry, a bottle of shampoo, some conditioner and maybe a tube of gel. Thanks for doing such a great job for us.” She handed Kate her credit card. She added a generous tip to the bill.

The left the shop, Abby with a newfound feeling of self assurance and a spring in her step, Tess walking with confidence and a smile as she felt her smooth head once again.

To be continued in Part 11.