Old School Barber

Hollie and I have lived in Wake Forest for three years now, and the entire time we've been going to the same Mexican restaurant in downtown. Well, for the first time the other day, I noticed a small barber shop tucked away a couple doors down from the Mexican restaurant. I decided I would go in and check it out the next time I needed a haircut. Well, today was the day.

I walked in to an empty shop with one man eating lunch over in the corner. The man wearing a barber shirt and was quite old, and he greeted me when I walked in. As soon as he said hello, he was back to his sandwich. Given his lack of interest in giving me a haircut, I assumed there would be a barber coming in from the back room any second. That never happened, and it became clear soon enough that the old dude was THE barber and he wasn't about to allow me to interrupt his peanut butter and jelly. I didn't want to sit there forever, but I didn't want to be rude. I was in no rush and decided to just let the man eat his lunch. Twenty minutes of silence later he got up, opened a small cabinet door. He had two cups and a vitamin bottle in it. He took a vitamin and washed it down with some water from one cup. After he had sufficiently gargled and swooshed the water around, he grabbed his teeth from the other cup and put them in. No words were spoken.

Next, he went into the back room. I was tempted to get up and leave, but decided that would be rude. After he was back there a minute or two, I hear him start peeing. The door was open and he was sure enough doing #1. I decided that I had to hear some hand washing or I was out. Well, he washed and I stayed. When he came out, he put on some SERIOUS coke bottle glasses. The lenses were busting out of the frame, they were so thick. He grabbed a towel and started busting the barber chair removing the hair from the previous customer. In doing so, he looked at me, and that's when I knew it was time....finally. No words were spoken. Earlier on I thought he looked about 70 from across the room, but I had to change my mind to at least 75 years old.

He asked if I wanted a short cut like "military GI style". I told him I wanted it a little bit longer. He starts cutting with only clippers--no guard. He was free handing it. I had no idea what it looked like b/c he had my back to the mirror the entire time. He told me he graduated from barber school in 1948 on scholarship from the GI Bill. He has been cutting hair for 60 years. That puts him at least 80 years old, maybe older. About that time, he took the straight razor and starting shaving my neck line. Talk about nervous...Thank the Lord, the man still has a steady hand.

As for the results, well, Hollie has been pointing out some rough looking spots several times this afternoon. I probably won't go back again, but the experience was worth the $10 he charged.