The rough cut!
I was way behind. The fact of the matter was that there was a problem in that very part of the anatomy that required the action, so it had to be postponed indefinitely. Paban’s wife had been complaining a lot; that she looked horribly upset, the weeds flowing around her uncontrollably and so on. She understood her problem, but looking at him in that state day after day she seemed to temporarily forget the unfortunate event. Paban often explained to him: ‘Let me recover reasonably well first. Then I will definitely complete the task. Are you sure.’ But, as so often happens with wives, his teasing and despair continued unabated, and Paban agreed.
Paban also had a somewhat contrasting situation. Some of his friends always appreciated his appearance in that state and exclaimed that he really looked very handsome. One of them even took a photo of Paban at a family event and proudly displayed it to justify his claim. Paban also liked the look of him. He showed the photo to his wife, but she remained expressionless. He wasn’t at all surprised by her indifference.
One fine morning, Paban felt that this long-awaited action could finally be carried out. So he headed for the nearest salon, which was fairly well-kept and air-conditioned. Yes, it was the heady excess growth of him that needed trimming. One of the youths made him sit on the empty spongy chair in front of the mirror and waited for his instructions. Paban told her very clearly that his hair had grown too long and due to the summer heat he was facing a lot of problems besides losing control when setting it up. So he gave strong instructions to keep it very short. “No need for styles or looks, just keep it short.” The boy confirmed it again and then went on with his operation. Paban hoped that normal scissors would be used as on all previous occasions. However, before he could foresee any lurking danger, the boy picked up the motorized hair clipper and applied it to the right side of his head. The machine was buzzing around his right ear and he still had no idea of anything serious. He was quite happy that the machine, which was first used on his head, did not scratch the skin on his head at all.
The operation on the right side completed, the boy stopped and asked Paban to look in the mirror and approve the completion of the operation. Paban picked up his glasses and looked at himself hopefully. He was in a great shock. He had never experienced such a haunting sight in all of his haircut history.
The machine almost cleaned it on the right side, leaving perhaps only the scalp. He was furious; even more so since the boy was asking for his approval only after completing the horrendous deed. He calmed down the next moment. It was my instruction to keep it very short, he thought. How could the poor boy know exactly what “little thing” Paban wanted? Then there was the overwhelming fact; with his right side embarrassingly bare, he could not have restraint in all other parts of the head. You have completely destroyed me, you have exposed all my gray hair too. Why didn’t you use the scissors? In all the salons I visit they always use only those manual things. Anyway, there’s nothing to be done now, keep going, my dear! Paban said sadly. The boy justified the increased speed and efficiency of the electronic device.
When Paban returned home, his wife was working. Seized with an almost vindictive desire, she very tenderly took a selfie on her smartphone showing her head prominently and touched it on her mobile phone. Quickly came her angry response from her: ‘Why did you leave so much hair? You should have cleaned yourself up completely! You are a bald little bird!
As it happened a few days later, Paban met with his photographer friend regarding a job. His friend immediately expressed her surprise and dismay at the hearing presented by Paban. ‘How can you do this? Is there no respect for appreciating friends? How heavenly you looked the other day… and now! My God!
Paban always had this dilemma regarding his haircuts. Some, mainly his wife and mother, never approved of his uncontrollable long hair saying that the excessive growth hid his handsome face. While some friends, both men and women, always appreciated his hair, particularly when it was too big. Who is right and who is wrong is the eternal question on his mind. Once his wife made a caustic comment: ‘Don’t believe your friends. They don’t want you to look smart; They like to keep you as a normal person!
To this day, Paban does not have an answer.
