HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW
Emergency situation that called for drastic action.
Appu’s head was beginning to sport a realistic afro and his tiny little face was lost somewhere in all those curls. Repeated entreaties to both men in the family were met with a “later, we are busy.”
Never one to give up once I got something into my head, I decided to take Appu to the nearby barber’s. This decision was met with a scandalized reaction from my dad. “What?” “Youre going to go into a men’s saloon?” “ Are you out of your mind?” “What will people think?”
“That I came in to get my son’s hair cut, that’s what.” Proud of myself for having come up with a witty retort at least this once and feeling distinctly superior for breaching yet another male bastion, off I went.
As I parked my bike, I was filled with trepidation. Had I bitten off more than I could chew? Was I ok with being stared at by all the resentful men waiting for their haircuts? What if Appu decided to kick up a fuss and refused to sit still?
Praying to all the gods I could think of, I set foot inside the saloon and surprise, surprise!!! Not a single patron around. It was a Tuesday, when most people do not get their hair cut.
My heart rate returned to normal and I made myself comfortable while my son got his hair cut. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t move a muscle for the next 15 minutes. Were there any more surprises in store for me?
As I sat around waiting for the barber to finish, I looked around the saloon. No girlie pictures, not even a calendar. But every single brand of hair dye and bleach I had ever heard of was displayed on the shelves. It was weird to see all those female faces on the boxes stare back at you in an all-male saloon. Whoever thought of fairness creams, bleaches and shampoos for men is certainly going to be laughing all the way to the bank!!
Appu’s head was beginning to sport a realistic afro and his tiny little face was lost somewhere in all those curls. Repeated entreaties to both men in the family were met with a “later, we are busy.”
Never one to give up once I got something into my head, I decided to take Appu to the nearby barber’s. This decision was met with a scandalized reaction from my dad. “What?” “Youre going to go into a men’s saloon?” “ Are you out of your mind?” “What will people think?”
“That I came in to get my son’s hair cut, that’s what.” Proud of myself for having come up with a witty retort at least this once and feeling distinctly superior for breaching yet another male bastion, off I went.
As I parked my bike, I was filled with trepidation. Had I bitten off more than I could chew? Was I ok with being stared at by all the resentful men waiting for their haircuts? What if Appu decided to kick up a fuss and refused to sit still?
Praying to all the gods I could think of, I set foot inside the saloon and surprise, surprise!!! Not a single patron around. It was a Tuesday, when most people do not get their hair cut.
My heart rate returned to normal and I made myself comfortable while my son got his hair cut. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t move a muscle for the next 15 minutes. Were there any more surprises in store for me?
As I sat around waiting for the barber to finish, I looked around the saloon. No girlie pictures, not even a calendar. But every single brand of hair dye and bleach I had ever heard of was displayed on the shelves. It was weird to see all those female faces on the boxes stare back at you in an all-male saloon. Whoever thought of fairness creams, bleaches and shampoos for men is certainly going to be laughing all the way to the bank!!
posted by newatthis at 9:37 PM
1 Comments:
I like your attitude of challenging the unsaid rules. By the way, I hate it when people stereotype any men's place as a haven of uncivilized jerks.
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