The Last Mon Standing

cafter the previous hellish encounter with the barber, i kept myself busy for sometime and tried to forget about my last visit to the barbershop….

i even got the idea to grow my hair a little longer… just to make a difference…

but today, was the start of our summer classes… i have to take a major subject which is NCM200… that’s why i was advised to have my haircut and shave my facial hairs…

this cannot be… i planned to have my next pruning by the end of May… who the hell do they think they are? they are just my college professors… big deal… i am a college student now and no one can make me eat what i dont want to eat, to drink what i dont what to drink, and further more, nobody has the right to tell me when to have another haircut…

so after the orientation, i went straight to the barbershop… lol

the barbershop…

the realm of torture and punishment for me…

even though it has been exactly 69 days since i had my last haircut, the traumatic incidence still keeps on haunting me…

when i was finally in front of the barbershop’s untidy facade, my heart started to beat faster. my bones begun to shook violently. my blood pressure sky rocketed. i knew it, i was in the brink of extinction.

i decided to act as if nothing happened… i should be cool… i should not tremble… i should do my best to hide my increasing uneasiness as i walk towards that open door…

i entered the cursed place…

i saw that he was having his best time doing his evil deeds on a customer… i was shocked that the man was not complaining or anything… or maybe he was just intimidated… yeah that’s it… he was just intimidated..

the loud sound from the barber’s old AM radio trembled as the commentators gave their opinion about the everyday blabbing of our politicians… as the commentators talked about sen. pimentel suggesting about the police ranks or something… the barber, old and greying he was but still strong in appearance, howled and made a distinct and malevolent comment about the news… oh boy, how i love to know that there are things that simply irritate him…

it was now finally my turn, he did not ask me why i was there… nor did i tell him what i was doing there… we knew each other by business…

he has no use of me but business.. and i have no use of him but a cheap haircut… the cheapest in town… (i am an ilocano- kuripot)

he put some metal polish in his electric razor… aaahh… that smell, i wonder why it always lolls me into loosening up and relaxing… my body started to be intoxicated by the fantastic odor that was complimented by the mild vibration of the razor’s blade as it gently shear away my 69 day old hair…

after 20 minutes or so, the barber signaled that the session was over… i looked at the mirror..

in a total disbelief…

GASP!!!

am i dreaming…!!?

the barber cut my bangs… without me telling him what to do…

hmm… does this mean peace?

i doubt it… maybe he’s trying to mimic the american’s stategy in conquering the philippines- BENEVOLENT ASSIMILATION…

NOOOOOO!!! i wont ever give in…