I was driving along the road, heading home, deciding if I should do a little shopping for proper nourishment or hit the drive thru circuit, the voice on the radio was droning on about women’s basketball and how unimportant it is, without realizing that actual make it a topic makes it relevant. I notice a kid (re: about 19-21) holding a sigh waving it with the smallest of effort, looking very forlorn, very bored. It was a sign offering 6.99 haircuts, (it’s a barber college which goes by the name of Better U, I had often thought of going to a barber college but I had this irrational fear of having a bald head which actually happened once due to a faulty no. 7 guard). I circle around, drop in, why? Because, well I don’t know why, but I feel badly for the kid. I walk in, and I’m waiting at the front counter, there are about 15 people wearing these smocks, and no one is at the front, back in the office I can hear this conversation with this guy saying he is dating a porn star, and then backtracking that she really isn’t a porn star but has done porn, and he isn’t sure if that makes her a star, but yeah she done porn, and is fine. Apparently the guys in the office date strippers, (who apparently do porn on the side) they have lots of tattoos . The kind of look me over and call to the back and a man about my age comes up asks what I need and I ask for a shave and a haircut. I was seated and a very nice young man who was very polite, and he talked about opening his own place some day, there was something vaguely familiar about the part of the tattoo I could see, but he asked me how I wanted my hair (2 one the sides 8 on top spiked, square the bottom), he was hesitant about the shave but the man my age says he’ll help. He finishes the haircut and does an ok job, just needs some practice, but was very thorough. He never does the shave, but the teacher takes his time and shows him what to do (keep the skin tight), but I was a bit bothered by the lack of a usable blade with reach, the kid had a new blade, but was not prepped, the teacher finds a blade and pulls out an old leather strap, and I don’t see what he is doing, but he shaves me and does ok. I pay and pull out 6 bucks for a tip offer ½ to teacher, but he tells me to give it all to the kid to encourage him.
Back to the tattoos, the part I saw was the number 13, which is a gang reference, a discussion started as I sat down, which centered on someone going out to get a bite to eat and a few of the students couldn’t go because they had to see their PO, this started of a bunch of hoots and hollers on what a hassle it is to see a PO 3 times a week.
I guess I’ll go back, and I’m glad to see troubled youth learning a trade, cause people need to get their hair cut right?, and they looked like a bunch of youths livin in the moment, which took me back a few decades. Some people tell me if I’m not talking I have the stone face of a vato, where I get very animated talking
