It was a lazy afternoon my wife and her mother had decided to spend the day together shopping and my father-in-law, Jim, asked me over to help him clean out his garage , I gladly agreed to help since me and my wife had only been married for a year and I thought this would be a good time for me to really get to know my father-in-law better , We had always gotten along but we really didn't talk much , But that afternoon we really talked about work , sports , wife's , and ourselves "It was great" I had lost my father 3 years ago so it was nice to have someone to look to as a father-figure.

Well we were going through some box's keeping some and trashing others, when I opened one box and found a pair of Barber Clippers. They were still in very good shape. Jim looked over and laughed a little , "Boy they bring back memories" he said. Why, I asked ? “Well son, I use to be a Barber but that was before I got my job at the factory, I just couldn't make a good living on a Barber's salary” . Boy !!! that was something I didn't know about Jim "A Barber". I would have never guessed it. I asked him , “Do you still cut hair?” He just smiled , “Not really, I still cut my own hair” But it doesn't take much skill to cut my hair. He was right he wore a very simple crewcut and it was really the only haircut he ever had , at least for as long as I had known him. I wore my hair a little on the long side, I'm not talking hippy long !!! Just over the collar and riding over my ears with my bangs always falling in my face.

Jim was always very cool he never made comments about my hair , however my wife always said I needed a haircut "BADLY". Before I knew it, I asked my father-in-law if he would mind giving me a haircut , He almost dropped the box he had in his hands , "What did you say son?” Jim asked looking at me. “I was just thinking that if it wouldn't be to much trouble. I'd really like you to give me a haircut” I ran my hand thru my hair. “As you can see I'm really over due, So would you mind Jim?” He rubbed his crewcut a little and said "Well it's been a while since I cut anyone's hair but my own, but if you really want me to do it, I'll give it a shot !”

We decided to stay in the garage for the haircut, Jim pulled over an old bar stool near his work bench. As Jim was getting ready and taking the clippers out, I got on the stool not believing what I was going to do. No one but my stylist had ever cut my hair and here I was about to let my father-in-law take the clippers to me. After he was done getting things laid out, he turned to me, “Son are you sure about this?”  I gave him a little smile, “I'm very sure!!!”  “Well the first thing , if you want a cape around you I need to go into the house and get it or you can just take your shirt off?”

Before he said other word my tee-shirt was off , And I gave him another smile , “O.k. I'm ready !!!!” , Jim just laughed , “Well, what kind of haircut do you want, , a trim?” I took a deep breath and said , “I want a crewcut just like yours”. He took his hand and rubbed up the back of his stubbly head and said: “my haircut isn't really a crewcut. It is called a H&T it's just grown out some, I really think you’d like just a trim, wouldn't you?” I looked up at him "No sir, I really think you have a great looking haircut and I want my hair cut just like yours , I'm so ready to get rid of this long hair and I want you to do it”.

Jim smiled at me and turned on the clippers , "O.k. son lets do it" , I noticed the clippers had no attachment on just the bare blade. He put his hand on my head and push it forward. My chin almost resting on my chest and I felt the clippers touch the base of my neck (something I'd never felt before, but buddy it felt great) he slowly pushed the clippers up the back of my head and I felt the cool blade go up and almost to the crown of my head.

He kept passing the clippers up in the back of my head till there was no hair left to cut , then he started around my right ear and up the side of my head , Now there was hair rolling down my chest, and I mean lots of hair. I was a little scared at what was happening mostly because I was wondering if I was going to look as good as my father-in-law did in a H&T. But I really trusted Jim so I just relaxed and let the Barber work.

As the clippers worked their way up the sides of my head, it dawned on me that my long sideburns had now been shaved off. He stopped a minute and took a small brush and swiped off my shoulders and the back and sides of my head. Then I saw him putting an attachment on the clippers , it really didn't look all that much different then the bare clipper. He rubbed the back of my freshly scalped head and said , "Now were going to get rid of some of that hair on top".

He then took the clippers right down the middle of my head and he just kept repeating this action. I didn't have to worry about my bangs being on my face anymore and  I was having a great time. This was the best haircut I'd ever have.

Next, Jim took a pair of scissors and blended the sides and back a little. After that, he brought out a smaller pair of clippers. I hadn't seen them in the box before. He called it an edger. Holding my ear down, he worked some more on the sides of my head and also in the back of my neck. I really didn't think I had any hair left on the sides and back to cut but to my surprise little hairs were still rolling down my chest. The clippers turn off and Jim took the brush and cleaned my shoulders off again. Then he took a cloth from his work bench and wiped the back of my neck and sides off. Jim looked around and picked up something. “Here's a mirror, take a look and make sure I did a good. job”. I didn't have to look at the mirror, I knew he had done a great job, I could tell by the way I felt. Anyway, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled: "Jim, this is great, just the way I wanted it, Heck !!! I don't look like a kid anymore, I look like a man”. Jim patted me on the back "Son, I agree you don't look like a kid anymore.... “

We cleaned up the hair and put the clippers up and head towards the house , And I asked Jim: “Would you mind if I came over next week for a trim "Dad" ? He put his arm around my shoulders and said , "Anytime Son , Anytime...”