By John Mercer
It was a warm summer afternoon, and I decided to get a haircut right after work.
I left my office just after five and started to walk the short distance to my regular barbershop. Along the way, I saw a new barbershop I hadn’t seen before. It had a sign on the pavement out in front, which read:
“Haircuts £10. Hot towel shave £15. Full treatment £20.”
I thought, what the hell. I may as well try a new place- at that price it’s hard to refuse.
I opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately my senses were awash with the sounds and scents of barbering- the aroma of lemon cologne, the faint hint of barbicide, the buzz of clippers and the clicking of scissors.
Don’t really know how I ended up where I did. Sometimes I think i’m crazy to stay here, and other times I think i’m just where I should be. I didn’t plan this: I just sort of slid into it. Not even sure how much further into slavery I can slide. Maybe tomorrow i’ll decide to call it quits, but I might just decide to stay put and ride it out. Kind of surprised how far i’ve gone. It just didn’t happen by accident though, I think it’s a bit like a storm. You can sense that one is approaching, seeing the clouds gathering and all, and you can either head inside and batten down the hatches or you can stay out in the thick of it. I guess I don’t know enough to come in out of the rain but I like splashing around and getting wet.