#ConfessionFriday
A barber cut my hair so bad, it made me cry real tears.
I was 9 years old. By that point… I had always rocked the Even-Steven low cut and my waves were poppin! But, in my 4th grade year, I wanted an Afro. So, I went on for months without getting a haircut. In the summer, right before 5th grade, I asked Ma to take me to the barbershop. I had the intention of only getting a round-up for my hairline, because my Fro was coming along nicely. Mom dropped me off and said she’ll be back. Cool.
I walked in and all of the barbers were busy, except one. It was a female barber who I had never seen before. So I didn’t go to her. I just sat down in a waiting chair. Then she yelled out to me ‘Hey, you’re waiting on someone in particular?” I was like “Nah”. She was like “Come on, I’m free. I can cut you.” I was like “You sure?” She laughed and was like “Yea, come on.” And so, I went and sat in her barber chair. She asked me what I wanted. I said “a Shape-Up”. She said “Cool” and put the barber cape thing around me and grabbed some clippers. The first thing she did was hack off hair on the side of my head. Immediately I was shocked and thinking to myself “What the heck!!!???”, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. I was 9. My Mommy wasn’t there. And this was an Adult Female Barber. I kept quiet. Then she continued to cut all the hair on both sides and the back of my head, leaving all of that bald. And she light skimmed hair on the top of my head used some scissors to make it even. In the end, she gave me a Flat-Top haircut (like Kid and Play: Mine was more like Play’s height). When she finished cutting, she was sooo proud. I mean, she was smiling, excited to turn me around to the mirror and give me the other handheld mirror so I could see the back. I was super saiyan furious! But still, I didn’t know how to express my feelings correctly. So, I just smiled and said “Thank You”.
Barber told me the cost, but I let her know that my Mom was coming back to get me and that she had the money. Minutes later, when Mom arrived, I told the Barber that I saw Mom’s car pull up so I’ll go outside and come right back. Barber was like “OK”. When I got to Mom’s car, the first thing Mom said was “What is that?” with a real confused look on her face. I got in the car and sat down and was like “Ma, drive off!” Mom was like “What, did you pay him?” I was like “Naw Ma. It was Lady Barber and she messed my hair up. This aint what I asked for! I don’t wanna pay her.” So then Ma said something about wanting to go in there and give the Lady a piece of her mind for screwing up. But I convinced Mom to calm down and not make a scene and just leave without paying her. *Of course… after that, we never went back to that barbershop.
When I got home and had time to be alone and look at myself in the mirror in my bedroom… I cried. I hated my hair. I already knew that the kids at the playground, the basketball court, and in school were gonna tease the crap outta me. I wanted to go back to the barbershop and head-butt that Lady for doing that to me.