Daki looked out the window as her mother started the car up to take her into town. The girl shifted her legs and adjusted her blouse nervously. She slid a black curl away from her face and shyly asked,"Where are off to?"
Her mother looked at her in the mirror above the dashboard, smiling,"We are going to spruce you up for your date tonight"
The girl's eyes widened,"Date?!"
"Well",chuckled her mother,"Blind date.Maybe I shouldn't have said blind; I set you up with Mrs. Nobisuke's son.You know Mrs. Nobisuke's boy, don't you?"
"I-I",Daki stuttered.
"The salon lady I go to",her mother cut in with no hesitation,"In fact, she's our first stop"
She did not speak another word, Daki watched as the car slid out of the driveway and headed south into town.A quaint town like that of the northwest's. The salon her mother talked about was wedged between two other establishments, a woman in a black Samue held open the door for them.Daki was quickly ushered into the place and her mother only stopped her to talk to the hairdresser.
"She's gettin' ready for her date?" Daki's mother asked with a grin.
"She's nervous but other than that, Now, this little one is definitely overdue for a trim" said Katsumi
"Oh, yes",laughed the girl's mom,"Be a dear and give her a style that'll make her attractive to your boy"
"Right this way", Katsumi gestured towards the styling chair,"Let's get her caped up"
Mother herded her daughter to the beige chairs and the daughter, nervously climbed into the seat.The lady grabbed a comb and slicked all the little girl's hair back into her palm.It was a fair length of curly mass in her palm; she held it tight and reached into her utility belt, pulling out a long pair of sharp, shearing scissors. Daki's heart skipped a beat as the hairdresser halted her hair length at the halfway point.
The hairdresser let the mass she held cascade down to the pale ground.They lay dead as the hairdresser opened a cabinet beside the mirror, she took a vinyl cape from it.Daki still had a lot of hair so the barberette clamped all that to her head as she swung the back fabric around the girl.Fastening the cape, she pumped up the chair to a suitable height.
Black curls that Daki had fell almost over her eyes. She saw, in the mirror, as they soon were pulled away by the force of the pink comb; the hairdresser was separating her crown from her sides.The clamp soon secured the crown to the top of her scalp.Her mother smiled warmly at everything this woman was doing to her daughter.
The barber lady wiped her nose and said,"I will using a zero-zero guard on her sides"
Daki couldn't believe her mother when she replied,"Do whatever you think is best"
With the consent of the mother, the hairdresser went to a counter just below the mirror and pulled out a drawer.The clippers were in the charger inside, she pulled them out and set them to her purpose. She turned them on and got straight to work, going up the girl's right sideburn to the clip line.What was left behind was really short stubble, very short stubble.
Doing the same thing to the left side, she tilted Daki's head down slightly.The clippers ate up the nape to the clip line, the barber made a few extra passes before she was satisfied that she buzzed everything.When Daki could look at herself proper, she only bare sides.But her stylist thought differently.
She tucked a sheet of tissue paper into the cape and gave Daki a sort of neck massage before going to a new cabinet across the one that held the cape.From it, she took a cab of shaving cream; she shook it a sprayed a line right across the back of Daki's head.It was cold and she shivered as the barber lady spread it evenly.On the counter, a tiny, wooden box was laid; she opened it and took out its content: a straight razor.
Unfolding it, she put one hand atop the little girl's head to tilt it down again. The razor went down through the cream and was wiped off on the tissue paper.Again and again; back, right, and left, Daki soon had skin-bare sides.Her barber made sure no remnant of stubble was on her nape or sides.
With the sides shaven, her mother ran her fingers on them to test their smoothness. She awed at the handiwork and anticipated what the hairdresser was going to do next. The hairdresser did not want to disappoint her, taking the clamp away and ruffling what was left.
Shears and comb in hand, the barber lady chopped away much of the remaining length. She stopped, leaving the girl with very short curls on her head. Daki didn't what to think, so much was gone.
Her mother called her 'perdy' so she thought she had to like the short cut. The hairdresser used a straightener to flatten out the curls and gave her a quick trim and finishing touches before taking off the cape, and even then, the hairdresser spritzed her with a bit of hair spray before letting her go.
"Do you like your new haircut, sweetie?"Daki's mother asked, quickly turning to the barberette,
"It's on the house",the barberette replied,"She is ready .I'd like to see her to come back in every four weeks for trims, okay"
"Excellent",smiled the mother, holding onto her daughter's hand,"We're off to pick up her dress"