The Salon – Part 16

It’s Just Hair, Isn’t It?

“You can’t do this to me, man.”

At the sound of Nico’s anguished voice, the salon fell silent in an instant. Rosita pulled her hand back from Lara’s, gripped the back of her chair, and turned around. Dolores, who’d already been on her way out, froze in the doorway, lips parted, watching the young stylist in alarm. Mia stood with her hand clamped over her mouth, staring at Nico and his client — a young man who looked like a college student, with thick, long hair.

Nico let the heavy lock of hair in his palm fall back down, pained.

“Come on…” the young man urged. “It’s just a haircut, right?”

“For you,” Nico replied. His fingers ran nervously through his dark eyebrows. “I’ll do it. Just give me a second to mourn.”

Nico slowly exhaled. Then, resolute, he raised the hand holding the scissors and got to work. Mia’s mouth curled downward as she stared at the mass of hair falling to the floor. As slowly as the process had started, just as quickly a thick, soft carpet formed around the wheels of the styling chair.

“Oh, honey, I hope you won’t regret this,” Rosita whispered.

She shook her head, then turned back to Lara.

“It’ll grow back,” Dolores said, waving it off.

Mia reached for the broom. Horror settled on her face as she swept the thick pile onto the dustpan. She emptied it into the trash, then tapped the dustpan against the side of the bin a few times to make sure not a single hair was left, put the broom back in its place, and clapped her hands together.

“Well, that’s that.”

*

“Had enough of the long hair, then?” Nico asked.

Now that the enviable, glossy mane was gone — swallowed up, memory and all, by the scented trash bag — the words came more easily to Nico.

“No, not at all. I loved it.”

Nico’s eyes widened. That wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Then what?”

The young man laughed.

“A buddy and I came up with a way to prank one of our friends. It’s his birthday tomorrow, and we’re both showing up to the party bald. Everyone’s going to lose it when they see us.”

“Did he have hair this long too?”

“Even longer. He wears a braid that goes halfway down his back. It’s his signature look.”

Nico let out a disbelieving hum.

“And he’s giving that up, just for the joke?”

The client curiously ran a hand over his freshly shaved head.

“Come on, man, it’ll grow back,” he said, a note of doubt creeping into his voice.

“Eventually, sure,” Nico allowed. “Glad your heart’s not breaking over it.”

The guy shrugged.

“It’s going to feel weird, honestly, because up till now my thick, wavy hair was basically my whole thing. Girls loved running their fingers through it. Now I feel a little… exposed. Though I’m hoping,” he added thoughtfully, “there’s still something about me they’ll go crazy for.”

Nico slowly studied his client’s changed face.

“You’ve got a good head shape, and your eyes stand out more now. I hadn’t even noticed they were green.”

A soft buzz came from his pocket. The guy dug out his phone. His face lit up the second he saw the screen.

“It’s my buddy… God, I can’t wait to see each other bald!”

Nico’s eyes lit up too.

“He’s coming here?”

“Yeah!”

The excitement was contagious; Nico caught it too. He wanted to see the other guy. He was curious what baldness would bring out in his face, but even more curious what it would be like the moment the two friends first laid eyes on each other. For that, though, he needed to see where they were starting from.

“Got a photo of him you could show me?”

The guy happily pulled up his phone. In the first picture, his friend wore his jet-black, thick, poker-straight hair loose. Nico stared, stunned, at the cascade of hair spilling over his shoulders. In the next photo, he already had the famous braid. Pulled tightly back, though, it left his rather prominent ears in plain sight. It took every ounce of self-control Nico had not to say anything. Now he knew exactly what would make this guy special once the braid was gone.

*

“Could I use the bathroom?” the client asked eagerly, once he’d settled his bill.

Nico pointed toward the door behind the reception desk. The moment it swallowed the now-bald guy, he got started tidying up.

He didn’t even look up when he heard someone come in. He was done for the day and couldn’t wait to head home.

“Uh-oh,” Mia whimpered anxiously.

Nico turned toward the entrance. A tall, broad-shouldered young man stood in the doorway. His jet-black hair was pulled into a thick braid, leaving his prominent ears completely exposed.

“Is he really here?” he asked uncertainly.

No answer was needed, because at that exact moment the now-bald young man stepped out of the bathroom. The newcomer let out a shout:

“Oh, fuck, you’re insane!”

Shock washed over the bald guy’s face, replaced a split second later by dread.

“You’re joking, right…”

“No,” the other snapped. “You’re the one joking. How could you actually do that to yourself?”

The client’s jaw dropped, and he flailed his arms over his head.

“What do you mean, how could I? We agreed on this, damn it! That we’d both shave our heads!”

The other guy grabbed his own braid furiously and waved it like a flag.

“This? My signature? No way!”

“Then why’d you even say it?”

“How should I know! I thought we were just messing around.”

“Man, you totally screwed me over… How am I supposed to show up now? Girls are going to laugh me out of the room.”

“Alright, alright, we’ll figure something out…”

Nico stepped closer, held up his scissors, and gave them a few clicks.

“I’ve actually got an idea.”

The braided guy threw his hands up in front of him and backed toward the door.

“Don’t you dare touch me!”