I heard her and Rose talking, but my mind was on the article I was reading.
When I turned the page I looked up to see Rose cutting mother's hair just below her ears. She had gotten her hair cut this length a few times before, but that was years ago. Dad liked her hair at that length. I remember how he would stand behind her and kiss her neck. He always seem to do this when she was fixing something to eat, or when she was busy doing was ironing things.
So, I did not think much of it, until I heard that sound .....
"CLICK" .....
I looked up just as Rose combed a section of hair off her face, then combed it outward until the comb was about two inches from her head. She ran the clippers over the comb sending two inches in mother's cape covered lap. She combed another section, a little higher, then ran the clippers over the comb. I did not want to seem too interested in what was going on, so I went back to reading the magazine.
But, I could not keep from peaking to watch Rose as she worked her way around the back of mother's head. I don't know if I was surprised or not. It had been years since mother had gotten more than a trim.
Then, we did not talk that much about our hair, as many of my girlfriends and their mothers did. Mother seem please with her hair at the length it was. She could do a lot with it, because it was not too long nor too short.
I took more interest as Rose begin combing and buzzing over the comb, when she started on the left side. Mother was beginning to look like someone I did not know. Someone who was younger, with attention catching eyes. Her soft face begin to show. I could see a slight smile on her.
When she was finished, Rose walked around combing a section out and looking it over. If it looked too long she would comb the section out and quickly run the clippers over the comb. Reaching the right side she combed her hair back off her face.
With the clippers turned off, Rose combed the hair on top of mother's head forward from the crown. I thought she was going to cut some bangs, but she placed her comb on the side of mother's head and started combing a part. She stepped to the side of the chair were she was able to comb the new part better. The new part looked a lot better than the center part mother had been using.
Again my attention was taken away from the magazine, when I heard Rose click the clippers back to life. I looked up as she combed a section of hair, combed it out stopping until the comb was about a half inch from mother's head, and ran the clippers over the comb. This cut her hair shorter than I thought mother wanted, as her expression was of surprise when her eyes followed the cut section down into her lap.
Rose combed another section, a little higher, then ran the clippers over the comb. She repeated this one more time, again a little higher, then begin doing the same thing as she worked back over her ear.
I set the magazine down as I was becoming interested in mother's hair cut as it unfolded.
Rose pushed her head down as she begin combing and clipped the back. I was now looking mother in her eyes, looking for some sign. Some thing that would tell me something. But, there was none.
Her head was lifted as Rose begin combing and buzzing the left side. I watched as my mother begin looking like a woman I did not know. But, a lovely woman.
Then, just when I thought Rose was finished with the clippers, she combed a section of hair upward from the hair line. The comb was almost laying flat on her head when Rose ran the clippers over the comb. She combed upward again, ran the clippers over the comb. She repeated this again and again until she had reached the arch of her head.
Then, she repeated this over her ears, working around her head until she finished on the right side.
Rose turned off the clippers and laid it on the shelf. She picked up a hair brush and began brushing mother's hair from it's new side part. This, the brushing, made her hair look softer. Her face looked brighter, she smiled at what she was seeing and it was bright and pleasing.
As Rose walked around to the back of the chair, she stopped. I saw her put the hair brush down, as her left hand removed something from the glass cabinet. Then, her right hand picked up something, and they met. She turned and walked to the right side of the chair, pushing mother's head a little to the left.
When she stopped and was standing facing mother, I saw the clippers in her right hand. It had a small attachment on it. She "click" the clippers to life, again. Quickly she brought the clippers up to her head and pushed it upward, clipping the side of mother's head shorter. Just a little longer than she had clipped the top of my head.
She worked quickly around mother's head, tilting her head forward as she pushed the clippers up the back of her neck and head. She did not go as high as she did when she used the comb and clippers, just a little below.
I quickly realized Rose was cutting mother's hair like dad got his hair cut years ago, when I was a child of five or six. I remember how mother liked dad's hair cut like this. How she would gently running her fingers through his hair, tell him "how nice he looked".
I had never head her say any thing about wanting her hair cut like that, like I had mentioned many times about wanting a crew cut. I never seen her with her hair combed back off her face, nor asking how she looked.
Soon, Rose was clipping the left side of her head.
With the last pass of the clippers, Rose turned it off and hung it on the hook under the shelf.
She undid the cape and let it slide to mother's lap and across the arms of the chair. She took a large towel from the pile on the shelf and begin tucking it in mother's blouse.
I looked at her as Rose did this, she took a deep breath as she moved a little in the chair.
Rose begin spread the warm lather along her hair line. But, she did not spread it high up her neck, as she had done to mine.
As with me, she sharpened the straight razor until it was as sharp as she wanted. Then, she begin shaving just a thin line along the hair line. With each stroke of the razor mother took a deep breath until Rose was finished.
She wiped the excess lather from along the hair line, then dusted around her head. The chair was lowered and mother stepped from it. Like I did, she ran her finger tips over the sides and back of her head. She smiled, one that said she was pleased.
We did not say any thing, we just smiled. She picked up her purse and handed Rose two ten dollar bills. I started to hand Rose a ten, but mother reached out and told me, "The hair cut is on me".
I gave her a smile as she told Rose to keep the change, of four dollar. When she turned, to face me, I gave her a hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek. We stepped back a little and looked over each others hair cut.
We laughed and hugged again. I felt very close to her, more than I had ever before.
Part 3 will shortly be published.
