It was that
and nothing more, I thought, but I was wrong…
Many years
ago I realized an undeniable truth of my existence, my hair grew and it was
always going to be like that, you know, growing.
My mother
dragged me out of my room, and when I say that she dragged me, well, I am being
as truthful as possible. She seemed to enjoy that atrocious torture. Making a
little lad go for a haircut has to be labeled as a crime, don’t you think? But,
maybe, just maybe… she knew something I did not.
Every third
day of every second month after the last haircut was done she appeared as a ghost
haunting me, taking me as her copilot to what was of course a traumatic experience.
I could see those kids from around the block playing in the streets, that
little pink and gorgeous ice cream truck making them all happy, and even good
old Mr. Nolan telling amusing stories to those who walked without a clear
destination, they were all happy, they were all outside and I… I was going for
a haircut.
As I
approached “Stylish” as it was called, I started to feel as if my soul wanted
to escape, I knew that something was terribly wrong about that place, I could
hear those little babies crying and yelling and punching everyone in their
path. Being completely honest with you, my dear reader, I even desired to be
five years old again, you know, to be able to join them, “the weird punching
and kicking crowd” as I liked to call them.
The people who worked there told
my mother something that disturbed her a lot; she seemed shocked and sad… I of course
thought of something magical, maybe I was going to be able to dodge that curse,
at least just for that day even though I would have had to go there the very
next day of course. Then a big colored woman came towards me and with a huge
smile and an even bigger kiss she introduced herself.
Her name was
Julia, I remember it clearly. She sat right next to me and looked me in the eye
like no one had ever looked me before. She told me that haircuts were part of
my life and whether I liked my hair long or short I was going to have to go for
a haircut every now and then. I did not quite understand that mature speech, it
was way too complex for me to digest, at least at that short age, but I closed
my eyes and delivered my soul to that razor blade.
Very
interesting, don´t you think? You close
your eyes and trust a person who’s moving a sharp razor around your skull, you
are literally giving that human being the option of ending your miserable life
in one soft move. I find it very creepy, it is almost as if you entered another
dimension, another space within another time.
I loved
Julia and she loved me, that day a very beautiful friendship was born, as she
said, I went for a haircut every third day of every second month after the last
haircut was done.
We spoke
about almost every single thing that was contained in our little universes. We
broke and rebuilt every concept, ever single idea and paradigm. There was something about Julia that I admired, she
held my life between her hands, as if she was some kind of a blacksmith forging
a sword throughout the years, she cared for me and she saw me rise from the
shadows of ignorance, she was a teacher, a friend.
I still
remember the very last time I spoke with her. She was weak but still had that
huge smile in her face. And she told me something that broke my heart in a
million pieces. She said that her task was done, that I was ready to walk
without her by my side and I did not understand it; just like that old speech
about responsibility, she was way ahead of me.
Then she
took her little yellow bag, gave me one last huge hug and looked me in the eye,
just like that day, the day we met. She said everything without saying a word,
and so, Julia started walking towards the bright light, stood under the silver
gateway to the world and left forever.
Today I sit
in the same chair as always, still having my haircut, my white hair is weak but
the memories I hold with me are young and vibrant, I can still hear her and now
I am proud of being the new guide to my grandchildren, and let them discover
the true importance of a haircut.
It was that
and nothing more, I thought, but I was wrong, it was one of the most
spectacular things that I have ever learned in my life, a cycle, an adventure…
A haircut.
