The Local Barber
I'll take you to the Barber shop
I'll letcha be slick and fop
Go 'head barber, dont you stop
Keep snipping 'til I make girls hop
-50 Cents
I like my trips to my barber shop. I usually go around 3-4 pm when the shop is usually empty, the 'off-peak hours'. This way, I get extra attention. He usually takes longer, does a more patient job, and also throws in extra 2-3 minutes of awesome head massage.
As I seat myself in the comfy chair, he flings the white cloth around me as if throwing a fisherman's net, and tightens the cloth around my neck up to a gentle squeeze. Then his busied hands scissor away, left hand repeatedly combing up waves of hair, so that the right hand can snip out wisps that are out of sync. his cool, scented fingers occasionally touching my nape. And the drone of traffic in Kupondol creates a drowsy effect through the flimsy curtains that hang on the doorway.
Once in a while, when the hair's extra dry, and the comb meets much resistance, the barber grabs the (champagne?) bottle that has a cork and a metal coil pipe through it, and he pumps out an aerosol of water, mistifying my head, which is especially pleasurable in summer days. I always feel like begging for extra sprays!
I never get bored sitting on the chair and tilting my head in directions that benefit the barber. The shop usually contains paraphernalia of items; scissors, combs that are tapered to one ends, posters of Asian models with outdated attire and hairdos, bollywood actresses, and mirrors that reflect each other infinitely. The mirrors also allow me to look at the back of my head. It's strange to look at your head's back, isn't it?
The barber recognizes me as a regular customer. He knows that I do not use razor to shave my nape. So without my cues, he whips out the electric shaver, which makes me feel quite special.
Although the shop is generally devoid of customers around late afternoon, there always are visitors. Most are friends and acquaintances of the barber himself. They usually converse in Maithili. It is also an interesting puzzle to work out what they're talking about. Usually they talk of movies, like 'Dus', and 'Salaam Namaste'... which stands out from their conversations, and I secretly get amused. The visitors usually end up using one of the items in the shop. In this particular visit, this one was fiddling around with one of the stainless steel snippers. He had an immaculate moustache and carefully combed long hair, and he was closely inspecting his face in the mirror as he was talking in a torrential Maithili.
I paid the fee, and as I went out, I happened to glance at Immaculate Hairji. He was using the scissors to ensure his eyebrows were of equal length. And I thought this guy must be obsessed with his face.
I'll letcha be slick and fop
Go 'head barber, dont you stop
Keep snipping 'til I make girls hop
-50 Cents
I like my trips to my barber shop. I usually go around 3-4 pm when the shop is usually empty, the 'off-peak hours'. This way, I get extra attention. He usually takes longer, does a more patient job, and also throws in extra 2-3 minutes of awesome head massage.
As I seat myself in the comfy chair, he flings the white cloth around me as if throwing a fisherman's net, and tightens the cloth around my neck up to a gentle squeeze. Then his busied hands scissor away, left hand repeatedly combing up waves of hair, so that the right hand can snip out wisps that are out of sync. his cool, scented fingers occasionally touching my nape. And the drone of traffic in Kupondol creates a drowsy effect through the flimsy curtains that hang on the doorway.
Once in a while, when the hair's extra dry, and the comb meets much resistance, the barber grabs the (champagne?) bottle that has a cork and a metal coil pipe through it, and he pumps out an aerosol of water, mistifying my head, which is especially pleasurable in summer days. I always feel like begging for extra sprays!
I never get bored sitting on the chair and tilting my head in directions that benefit the barber. The shop usually contains paraphernalia of items; scissors, combs that are tapered to one ends, posters of Asian models with outdated attire and hairdos, bollywood actresses, and mirrors that reflect each other infinitely. The mirrors also allow me to look at the back of my head. It's strange to look at your head's back, isn't it?
The barber recognizes me as a regular customer. He knows that I do not use razor to shave my nape. So without my cues, he whips out the electric shaver, which makes me feel quite special.
Although the shop is generally devoid of customers around late afternoon, there always are visitors. Most are friends and acquaintances of the barber himself. They usually converse in Maithili. It is also an interesting puzzle to work out what they're talking about. Usually they talk of movies, like 'Dus', and 'Salaam Namaste'... which stands out from their conversations, and I secretly get amused. The visitors usually end up using one of the items in the shop. In this particular visit, this one was fiddling around with one of the stainless steel snippers. He had an immaculate moustache and carefully combed long hair, and he was closely inspecting his face in the mirror as he was talking in a torrential Maithili.
I paid the fee, and as I went out, I happened to glance at Immaculate Hairji. He was using the scissors to ensure his eyebrows were of equal length. And I thought this guy must be obsessed with his face.
posted by Milan at 6:57 PM
2 comments
