While the southern summer weather can be oppressive it also brings
about some unique opportunities.  Darlinda called at twelve-thirty
to make an appointment for 1:00 pm.  She told the receptionist that
she hadn't ever been to our salon or any hair salon and that she
was ready for a big change.  She said she had made other
appointments elsewhere but backed out of them because she had made
them too far in advance and her fears had overtaken her courage. 
She wanted to do it fast before she could change her mind again. 
She was calling from a department store not too far away.  She
sounded intriguing, I was lucky to have the afternoon virtually
free so I took Darlinda's appointment.  I knew I would have an
exciting challenge.

Darlinda was actually there at a quarter to one.  I greeted her in
the reception area.  She said to call her Linda, thank goodness. 
She was an attractive young woman in her late 20s to early 30s. 
Not a great beauty but an attractive woman.  Her hair was a dark
ash blond in color.  She wore her hair without a part, brushed off
her face and pinned into a chignon at the back of her crown.  I
could see her chignon over the top of her head as I approached her.
I thought nothing of it. It looked like a typical little bun
sported by many women with hair about shoulder length.  Then she
turned her head and I saw that I was only looking at the top loop
of her coiled chignon.  She had a monstrous heavy chignon.  It
covered the entire back of her head from the top of the crown to
below the hairline at the nape.  It must have extended out from her
head by four to five inches.  It was massive coils of shiny ash
blond hair.  I think the fingers on my scissor's hand began to move
involuntarily.  There were no artificial hair appliances used here.
I had never seen so much hair on one woman's head.  I knew that
today was going to be fantastic.  

We went back to my chair.  I asked her to sit in the styling chair
and you would think I had asked her to sit in the electric chair. 
I hopped up on the counter top so we could talk.  Saying that her
hair was magnificent I asked her who styled her chignon.  She said
she did.  That she was quite adept at styling her rather long hair.
I asked what kind of style change she envisioned.  She said she
just wanted to be rid of her hair.  Just cut it all off.  At this
point my radar went off.  I could cut her hair off right now and
tomorrow she would hate me.  She was reacting to something going on
in her life.  I asked if something was prompting her decision to
chop off her hair.  She said that she just couldn't take the
weather we were having any longer.  We had had weeks of 90+
temperatures with high humidity.  It was downright suffocating. 
Linda said she was originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
where they never had weather like this.  She had arrived in the
city in November and loved the moderate winter.  But the summer was
just more than she could bear.  When she washed her hair it
wouldn't dry for days.  She slept with wet hair and worked with wet
hair.  When she was out her hair kept her head intolerably hot. 
Her sad realization was that something had to go.  Her long hair
which had never been really cut, only trimmed, and was always a
thing of beauty and joy had become a burden to her.   Thus she
reluctantly presented herself to me to be shorn.  Now that I knew
what the situation was, My approach would be the need for a style
change for her long term happiness not just in response to the
weather.  I asked to see what we had to work with.  With that Linda
stood next to the chair and I stood slightly behind and off to the
right side of her to see everything.  With her left hand she held
her chignon and with the right she began to remove the chignon
hairpins that held her hair.  She removed four massive faux
tortoiseshell hairpins and handed each to me.  With practiced hands
she deftly located the end of her tresses  and uncoiled them from
the base of her chignon.  Then she released her left hand.  The
shiny, thick coils of her hair spilled downward, untwisting as they
fell.  When they came to a stop they were still twisted once or
twice and reached to her knees.  I thought that I would need to sit
down.  This is the dream of every hairdresser.  To have carte
blanche to transform a never before touched, virgin head of hair. 
I couldn't restrain myself.  My hands were immediately in her hair.
At first she instinctively moved away.  I put a hand on her
shoulder and told her to relax, I wasn't going to immediately lop
off her tresses.  I didn't even have the shears in my hand, yet. 
I scooped up her tresses in both hands.  Her hair was so beautiful.
I held her tresses in my hands for a moment and then ran my hands
down the entire length releasing her hair from the final twists of
the chignon.  Her hair was so heavy it felt like it must have
weighed pounds.  Her hair felt like silk.  It was in magnificent
condition.  Obviously, Linda had lovingly taken care of her hair. 
The ends were free of split ends, trimmed in a blunt line and about
as thick as her hair at shoulder length.  She said she deep
conditioned her hair once a week and protected her hair
from the elements.  I raised my chair to its highest level and had
Linda return to the chair. I picked up a brush and began brushing
her tresses.  I was halfway across the salon when I finished each
stroke.  Quite a large crowd of interested patrons and stylists
gathered around us.  The mood was anticipatory of the dramatic
event.  Many could not allow this event go by without
participating.  Many held locks or the totality of Linda's hair in
their hands.  The brush was passed around for all to find out what
the brushing of such a head of hair was like.  Someone said that
Linda's hair would make good wig hair.  Another said she had enough
hair for several wigs.  One woman offered to buy Linda's hair right
there and said she would double the price if she could wield the
shears.  An older woman said she would double that woman's offer
for the honor.  This was just too overwhelming for Linda so I
shooed everyone away or at least had them back up a little.  Linda
and I needed to talk about styles.  I asked what she wanted, how
short would she go in her search for coolness.  She said she wanted
to have her hair off her back and shoulders.  My heart pounded at
her response.  I suggested we look at some possible short bob
styles.  We looked at some style examples and she picked a blunt
chin length bob.  I told her she would love the freedom and styling
options such a cut would give her.  With that she said do it before
she lost her nerve again.  I asked Linda to stand.  A quick
application of the measuring tape revealed Linda's hair was 53
inches long.  I brought her hair smoothly back and tied it just at
the base of the neck.  I separated the huge ponytail into three
tresses and began to braid her hair.  Braiding such a head of hair
was exhausting.  When the braid was finished I tied the end of
Linda's braid with a matching blue ribbon.  The braid hung down
Linda's back.  I measured a braid circumference of seven and three-
quater inches.  I asked if she was ready.  She bravely nodded yes
and with that I picked up the scissors.  I held the braid just
where it was tied at the top.  The volume of the murmuring from the
gathered masses was growing as they jostled for position.  I
positioned the shears just above where the braid was tied.  Once
again, I asked Linda if she was ready.  She said yes.  With that I
began cutting.  The braid was so thick I had to cut and cut.  My
hand grew tired and I hadn't severed her braid yet.  Finally after
what must have seemed like hours to Linda, her braid came free in
my hand.  The braid was so heavy I don't know how Linda had held
her head up.  I displayed the braid to the gathered throng and then
handed it to Linda.  Linda held the braid with both hands and for
a minute looked like she would burst into tears.  Then she looked
at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.  She said he head felt
so light.  She laid the braid on her lap and ran her hands through
her short hair.  There were no regrets over the decision she made
now. I asked if she was ready to continue and she said yes.  I
lifted the braid from her lap and asked what she wanted to do with
it.  She said she wanted to keep it for a memento.  I said OK, but
I was crestfallen since I coveted her hair for myself.  I gently
laid the braid into a box.  I had to double it over because of
it's length.  I couldn't close the box completely so I then tied
the box with a blue ribbon and set it on the counter top.  I told
Linda that her hair would make a perfect hairpiece for her whenever
she had that urge to have long hair again.  I said if she ever
wanted to make her shorn braid into a hairpiece to bring it back in
and I would see that a quality piece was made for her from her own
hair.  With that I had Linda change into a salon frock.  I needed
to even the line of the cut.  I set the line of the bob at chin
length.  As I cut little wisps of her hair slid down into her lap. 
Linda played with these tufts as I graduated the bob just slightly
around the face to enhance her styling options.  When I was done
with the dry cut, I took Linda back to the shampoo basin and washed
her bobbed tresses myself.  We talked about how much simpler
shampooing would be for her and how quick her bob would be to dry. 
I wrapped her head in a towel and we went back to my styling chair.

I combed out her hair in a minute with nary a tangle.  Linda said
she certainly wouldn't miss the comb outs and tangles of her long
hair each time she shampooed.  I checked the lines of the bob, made
just one or two touch-up snips and we were ready for styling. 
Using a blow dryer I first styled an everyday look for Linda.  From
a right side part I styled her bob smoothly  turning the ends
under.  Very smart and professional.  Then for that special
occasion I did a quick roller set.  For the brush out I had her
flip her head upside down applied a small amount of hairspray and
brushed through.  When she flipped her head up we used the brush
just to give some definition.  The final style was slightly messy
with lots of height and volume.  The smile and Linda's face
indicated we had done the right thing.  We talked about other
styling options.  I told her that to maintain her style we would
need to trim her hair every four to six weeks.  With that we were
finished and Linda got out of the chair.  Reluctantly, I handed her
the box that contained her braid and escorted her back to the
receptionist.  As she went out the door, boxed braid in hand, I
hoped that I would she her again.  A month later Linda was back for
a trim.  As the cut progressed she talked excitedly about how her
hair cut had transformed her image of herself and her life.  She
said she had missed her long hair for a couple of days but now she
couldn't understand how she had ever lived with that long hair. 
She found her bob very easy to work with.  When we were done and
her hair was styled she got up to leave.  From her large leather
tote bag she pulled a small shopping bag and smiling handed it to
me.  She said she didn't want to be reminded of her past anymore. 
In the bag was her braid still tied as when I had cut it.  Linda
said I could sell it, have a wig made from it or do what ever I
wanted with it.  I gave her a hug and said thanks.  

I still see Linda about every four weeks and of course I have her
gorgeous thick heavy braid to remind me of that special day we
shared.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
              
A Challenge from TB .. send concluding chapter to me and I'll award a
prize.
  
Diana's First Trip to the Barber 
                                 
To say the least, I was surprised when Diana called and asked me
about cutting her hair while her hairdresser was gone on holiday. 
She was always complimentary about the way I cut her boys hair
and had joke about having me cut her hair, but I really hadn't
taken her seriously, after all this is a barbershop, for men! She
was always delightful when she called and assured me that she
trusted me completely with the scissors. I'd had noticed her
watching me rather intensely lately as I worked on the lads and
would respond with a coy smile when I noticed interest, one day,
to my surprise, she even winked at me.   
  
She always came early in the morning, before regular business
hours, and today her car was waiting when I arrived at the shop. 
She looked lovely as she stepped out of the car, those sexy long
legs and smile that could melt anyone's heart. I noticed right
off that she hadn't brought either one of the boys.  She sent her
driver on his way and we went into the shop. Diana asked I had a
changing room and somewhat embarrassed I directed her to the
restroom in the back of the shop.  What can I say this had never
come up before. When she emerged she had changed out of her
street clothes into a very stylish blue wrap around frock with
lace trim. As she climbed into the chair her garment opened
slightly to expose the full length of her leg.  I grabbed the
cape and before I could cover her she announced "That's not
really necessary is it? I am wearing a frock? I returned the cape
to it's resting place and began turning the chair around. As I
gazed downward her nipples showed and it looked as though she was
wearing nothing under her meager covering, I found this quite
arousing. "I want it cut short, very short" Diana proclaimed as
she smiled, sat back in the chair and adjusted her smock trying
to cover up just a little.   
  
I laid the chair back and gently placed her head into the shampoo
basin and began rinsing her hair. Diana closed her eyes and
relaxed as the warm water saturated her hair.  I gently massaged
her scalp shampooing her hair thoroughly and then rinsed and
conditioned it.  Sitting her back up my scissors began their
work. Her classic features and rare beauty made it easy to cut
her hair in a flattering light at any length.  I cut it as short
as I could in the same softly layered style that it had when she
came but surprisingly it had made quite a dramatic change in her
appearance. As I worked on thee last bit of shaping in the back I
noticed Diana admiring herself in the mirror. Suddenly she
announced "You don't understand, I want you to cut it short, like
the boys get" with an almost sinful grin.  Her face was flush and
she began to squirm a bit in the chair. "Its seems warm in here,
doesn't it?" she asked fidgeting with her frock and watching for
my response in the mirror as continued to make the last few cuts
with the scissor. 
 
 
 
In a cautious tone I warned her, "I'll have to use the clippers
to take it any shorter, are you sure you want it that short?"
"I'm sure!" she said, "I want it quite short' she commanded. I
went to the counter and got the large clippers and the number
three guard and took my position behind the chair. I flipped the
clippers on and pushed her head forward into her chest and held
her head firmly in place. "Hear we go" I announced. Her eyes were
locked on the mirror as I began to run the clippers up the back
of her head, pass after pass, carefully tapering it just enough
to blend nicely with 2" top layers and not look to drastic. I
used a comb with the clippers to work the taper on sides short
enough to blend with the top, but, hopefully allowing enough bulk
to provide her with some styling options. When I finished with
the large clipper I got a out smaller pair out and proceeded to
defined the line around her ears and down the nape of her neck. 

Shutting off the clippers I asked "How's that look now, short
enough?" as I moved over to the counter and retrieved a dollop of
mousse and began working it through her scalp. Still smiling
Diana sat contently and watched the mirror as pulled my fingers
through what remained of her hair shaping it.  I finger combed it
all back and spiked it on top with just a hint of bang pulled
forward for dramatic effect. As she watched it take shape She
exclaimed "Wow, I absolutely love it, I look like a youngster
again!". 
 
As I moved around to the side of the chair she reached out and
gave me a loving peck on the cheek. I turned the chair around
facing away from the mirror and moved over to the counter. "Are
we done", Diana asked, then blushed boldly as she realized what
was to come next. The groan of the lather dispenser was familiar
sound to her and her heart raced as shave cream billowed into my
cupped palm. Steam rose from my palm as I carefully outlined her
hairline using two fingers to apply a generous lather around her
ears and down her long lovely nape. Her body was tense now and
the sexual energy was apparent, her nipples were erect and
protruding from slinky garment. She gripped the arms of the chair
in anticipation as I stood behind her and strapped the razor.
Obviously flush, almost crimson in spots, Diana cooed, "That
piping hot shave cream feels delicious but that razor looks a
little dangerous. You will be careful, won't you? I've never been
shaved quite like this before".   
 
Without responding, I leaned her head forward and turned it
slightly to one side.  With a bold stroke I took the first pass
down the hairline behind her ear, "Oooh" Diana cooed in a
sensuous subdued tone. "Hold still now" I teased as I wiped the
blade on a towel and continued working around her ear with short
careful strokes following her hairline. Shifting position I
repeated the process on the other side. The only interruption of
the intense silence was the rasp of the razor doing it's work
Diana was visibly excited,  She clung tightly to the arms of the
chair and grimaced slightly trying to restrain the almost
overwhelming level of her arousal. 
 
I moved behind her and grasping her head leaned her forward and
held her firmly as I shaved the back of her neck with long
careful strokes. "There, know that should do it!" I announced as
I grabbed a towel and gently wiped around her ears and down the
back of her neck. 
 
I swung the chair back around to face the mirror again and Diana
gazed with astonishment into the mirror. I went to the counter
and got some lotion and gently applied it to the freshly shaved
areas and massaged it in to minimize any razor burn to her
delicate skin. Diana reached back and caressed my hand then began
exploring the feel of her clipper-shaved hair. 
 
I moved around in front of her to help her up. Suddenly she
wrapped her arms around my neck, lifted out of the chair
slightly, and pulled me close. We kissed passionately and as she
settled back into the chair she loosened the tie on her frock.
"Surely you can't be done with me?" Diana questioned in a whisper
as she opened her sheer garment exposing the full length of her
tight, trim, body. Again we kissed and continued with heated
passion...................... 
 
                Ladies, if you want more, finish 
                 the story for me and give me a 
                 feel for what's out of bounds. 
               Let's share our obsession!!!!!!!!!! 
 
                                                     TB