Kathy in her mid  20’s was sitting in her kitchen in her blue jeans and red blouse having coffee with her friend Daisy one morning. Now Kathy had past the waist length golden brown hair that today she had up in a big bun. Kathy’s husband had been laid off now for over two months. Kathy took a sip and spoke to Daisy ” I sure wish there was a way for me to make some Fast Money as the bills are stacking up.” Daisy looked at Kathy ” Why don’t you sell some of your long hair?” Kathy did a double take and reached up and touched her bun. “ My hair, who would by it?”

Daisy went over to the counter and took yesterdays local paper and went to the classified. “ Here is the ad. “Dollars for Hair” is what the place is called. I went there with a coworker a few weeks ago and I know where it is. They gave her a good price. Why don’t I call them and see if they can get you in for an appraisal. ? What have you got to lose? You can always say ‘ No”. Kathy gave the ad and her friend a good look and  said ” OK,lets do it.”. Daisy took out her cell phone and dialed the number while looking at the thick brown bun on her friends head. Now Daisy had a alter motive. Many times when they had visited and Kathy had her hair down she had caught her husband looking at Kathy’s hair as she went to and fro about the house. She was jealous of how Kathy’s long mane turned her husband on. She hoped that Kathy would come back from “Dollars for Hair’ with a nice short haircut.

Daisy dialed the number and talked with someone on the other end. She confirmed she knew how to find the place. She hung up and spoke ” OK, they can see you at 10:30 this morning. It will take about  30 minutes to get there from here so we better leave soon. They put on their makeup and took off. Now as they drove Kathy was getting curious. ” How much do you think they will pay me for my hair and how much do you think I’ll have to sell? What will my husband think of me cutting my hair?” Daisy looked at her friend and smiled ” The more hair you sell the better the price. I think your husband will like a new look on you. Calm down we are getting closer. There are two people; Joe is a retired Barber and Mary is a retired hairstylist. They had their own shop before they retired. You will like them.”

They pulled up to the house and it had a small sign out by the mailbox ” Hair by Mary”. They went up to front door with Kathy’s thick brown bun bouncing on her head. Daisy rang the doorbell as it was 10:25am. A middle aged man opened the door and spoke ” You must be Daisy and Kathy. ” He looked at both of them and saw Kathy’s brown bun. ” You must be Kathy the one who wants the appraisal. ” He looked at Daisy ” You look familiar  weren’t you in here a few weeks ago with a friend?” ” Yes” I was Daisy replied. A middle aged woman came forward and introduced herself as Mary. She led them down the hall to a  back room they had turned into a small salon. There was a styling chair, a sink, a counter with haircutting tools on it and a wall with pictures of short styles on it. Mary came over to Kathy and began looking her over and asked Kathy ” Why are you here?” Kathy spoke ” My husband has been out of work over two months now and we need money for bills. My friend told me about your business and I’m here for an appraisal of my hair. I’d like to know how much you can give me for how much length.” Mary came close to Kathy ” Let’s  undo your bun and take a good look at your hair.” Mary went behind Kathy and reached up and took the pins loose releasing Kathy’s soft golden brown tresses. Like a scene from ” The gift of Magi” Kathy’s hair came tumbling down her back to a bit past her waist. Mary took a brush and brushed out the mane and felt the good weight of Kathy’s thick hair. Daisy stood in the background and could only hope that Kathy’s long hair that excited her husband  would be no more in a short time. She crossed her fingers. Joe came over and looked and judged Kathy’s mane. He spoke to Kathy ” How much length were you thinking of selling? What is the biggest bill you have to pay?”

Kathy touched her hair ” I was thinking of selling 16 inches to my bra strap and my biggest bill is the House payment that is due next week and it is this X$ as she wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to Mary.” Joe and Mary went over to the corner and chatted alone while Kathy stayed by the styling chair looking at herself in the mirror. She pulled her long soft brown hair forward over her front. She touched it liked the good friend it was. Joe and Mary came over to Kathy and spoke ” We can give you two money for two months’ house payments BUT you have to let us cut it into a pixie style and film it. How does that offer sound to you?” Joe stepped back and went to the side of the room so the girls could chat. Kathy looked at Daisy” What is a Pixie cut?” Daisy was jumping for joy inside ” It is just a short cut and besides who cares. They are going to give you money for two house payments. Think of how happy your husband will be to get that and how it will relieve the stress your both under. Go for it girl!”

Kathy looked at her long hair in the mirror. She turned and motioned Joe and Mary over. ” OK, I accept your offer Let’s do it.”

Mary sat Kathy in the styling chair  and put a cape tightly around her neck and turned her away from the mirror. Joe grabbed a camcorder and began recording as Mary brushed out Kathy’s thick soft brown hair and began splitting Kathy’s hair into two thick ponytails at the base of Kathy’s neck. The moment had arrived as Mary took a tape and made sure each pony measured 42 inches. No short locks of love pony today. She tied each tail off tightly with bands. Then she grabbed a pair of Golden Shears and placed them at the base of Kathy’s tails. Mary looked at Daisy ” You want to come hold your friends hand as I remove her long hair and Joe are you ready with the camera.” ” OK, Kathy it is time for you to earn your money. Sit still and smile.” Mary pulled tight on the first ponytail and opened the golden shears into cutting position. Shnip, shnip, shnip was the sound that Kathy heard and  the shears chopped their way through her thick mane.

Shnip, ssnip , pop was the sound as the shears finished their cut.

Kathy’s head was instantly lighter and Mary held  up the first pony with the bottom curled up from being in a bun that morning. She held it up in front of Kathy and Joe ” Now, that a ponytail” Joe smiled at his wife ” It sure is dear but it looks so alone let’s give it a friend “. Mary laughed at her husband and Kathy squeezed Daisy hand hard as Mary placed the shears at the base of the second ponytail. Daisy look down and for the first time she could see Kathy’s shoulders with her hair down. Sscnip , schnip, scnnip went the shears as they did their work again. The tail was laid on the counter with the other one. Kathy just sat and looked on in stunned silence. Daisy gave her friend a Devilish smile as she let go of her hand. Soft she spoke to Kathy ” The worst is over my friend. You can relax.” Kathy was going to relax when she heard a strange to her sound. It was a click followed by loud buzzing. She tensed up as she realized that Mary had turned on the Wahl clippers and was bringing them to her head. Mary spoke ” Now don’t fright dear. Your hair is so thick that the only way to cut it quickly is with the clippers. Now that I’ve removed the bulk of your hair we can style into a nice short Pixie that we agreed on. Kathy was beginning to realize what the word ” Pixie” meant as Mary took a comb and began to comb the hair out and up away from her head and then with the comb at about three inches from the top of her head the clippers removed all the hair on top of them. Golden brown hair fell to the cape and on to  the floor. Mary worked around Kathy’s soft tosse
d hair and when she got to the sides the clippers removed anything over an inch long. She tilted Kathy’s head forward and placed a number 2 attachment on the clippers and began working Kathy’s nape. The she removed the guard and loosened the cape and shaved Kathy’s neck area free from any straggly hair. The floor space surrounding the chair filled up with locks of brown. Then Mary took a small pair of scissors and began the final finishing. Mary took some styling  gel and worked it through Kathy’s short hair.  Mary looked at her work ” I don’t know if you have ever had short hair before but you look amazing.” She turned Kathy to the mirror and removed the Cape.

Kathy let out a gasp ” Oh, my God! I look like little boy! Did you have to cut it this short ?! She reached up and felt the sides and her shaved neck. ” I wasn’t planing on cutting that much off and I can see my naked ears.” a shocked Kathy continued speaking.

She turned to Daisy ” Did you know a Pixie  style was this short?”

Daisy reached over and felt Kathy’s new short crop and lied to her friend ” No I didn’t but you look terrific. It will just take a few days to get use to your new look. Besides you told me you needed money fast. Where else could you earn that much money in less than 2 hours.?” Daisy was doing leaps inside as Kathy looking like a boy was more than she could have hoped for this morning. Her husband wouldn’t be looking at Kathy’s long hair anymore. He could keep his attention on her. 

 Kathy started to calm down as she realized it was too late now to do anything but take the check and run it to the bank. She looked at Mary and Joe as Joe handed her a check in the amount she had agreed to short time earlier. She spoke ” Mary and Joe I don’t want to seem ungrateful but the change in style is such a shock to me. It is lunch time and we need to run.” When they got in the  car Kathy looked in the mirror and spoke to her friend. “.I’m debating whether I should have accepted their offer. What I’m not debating is that I know a good bar that has good sandwiches for lunch hour. I need a drink.” Daisy smiled at her short cropped friend ” I think we both need one.”

The End