April 25, 2024 • 10 mins
THE HAIRCUT, a simple tale on the surface, in fact teems with tension, highly charged emotions, and fear of the unknown.
THE HAIRCUT is a timeless tale of fathers and sons, domestic strife, loss of innocence, and the long haul to manhood.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit mini novels on steroids.
Today's story is entitled The Haircut, a simple tale on
(00:47):
the surface, but in fact teeming with tension, highly charged emotions,
and fear of the unknown. The Haircut is a timeless
tale of fathers and sons, domestics, rife, loss of innocence,
and the long haul to manhood. The Haircut. They pull
(01:11):
up to the curb outside Lenny's barber shop on Maine. Lou,
tight fisted, drags a fin out of his wallet, hands
it to Tommy haircutting. The shaves two bucks kid, two
bits for a tip. Make sure you get the change,
and you tell Lenny to cut it tight and make
(01:32):
your face just as smooth as a baby's butt. Tommy giggles, Wait,
huh a shave I'm only ten, I don't shave dad Well,
Lou wants to cry, but he's a tough guy and
he wants his kid to be a tough guy. So
instead he laughs and says, just messing with your tea man,
(01:53):
just messing with you. Tommy laughs too, Well, you're always
messing with me. Dad Lou gently slugs his boy on
the arm. So go ahead, now, go on in there.
Huh wait what you're not coming? Nope, not this time.
Time for you to step up and be a man,
go about the business of a haircut all on your own.
(02:16):
But dad, Tommy trails off, he feels the earth quake.
It's okay, kid, you can do it. Go ahead, but
but but but we always go to Lenny's, you know,
together from like from like, since you know, I was
just a kid. Oh, hell, tom it's just a haircut,
(02:37):
no big thing. Well it is a big thing, it's not.
Tommy says, well, you need a haircut too. I'm growing
mine out one more time before I go bald. Oh
I don't need a haircut either. I'm going to grow
mine out too. Tommy doesn't exactly know what desperate is,
(02:59):
but that's exactactly how he's feeling, even though he doesn't
really know why the earth quakes again. Now here's the thing,
tom I guess the thing would be manhood. Yep, good
old manhood. Going in there, so loo with your shoulders
back and head up is part of your passage to manhood.
(03:20):
You know. You just march right in there. Give Lenny
a big AlOH, ask him has things, Maybe tell him
a joke, the one about the priest and the rabbi,
and then and then take a seat, pick up the
latest issue of Car and Driver and read about the
new Mustang till till Lenny calls you to the chair.
(03:41):
Tommy's pretty sure he's going to cry, but knows if
he does, his father will get all ornery and tell
him not to be a sissy, to take it like
a man. So he pulls back hard on those tears
and says, but, but, but I never say anything to Lenny.
You always say everything you say, stuff like, well that
(04:02):
pitching staff the Yanks should win a hundred games easy,
or or Lenny, a man a man needs a wife.
But for the life of me, I can't figure out
why a cook and a right hand offers the same
deal for a whole lot less trouble and money. Yeah,
you always say that and Lenny laughs, and he has
(04:23):
that big grumpy laugh. You know that's what happens, yeah,
says Lou. Marriage And then after a while, listen, kid,
that's sore inside your mouth. It always feels one hundred
times bigger than it really is. I don't have a
(04:43):
sore in my mouth, right, Yeah, I know. I'm just
like I'm using a metaphor or something. Now, now come
on out, you go. I see there's a couple guys
in front of you, So just go on in there
and sit tight, you know, Lenny. He cuts fast and
never says a goddamn word learned at home, but most
(05:04):
of us never do. Long as you keep your trap shut,
you can't say the wrong goddamn thing. Well, it takes
another minute or two, but eventually Tommy pulls on the
handle and pushes open the passenger side door of that
Chevrolet bel Air had a boy te man at a boy.
(05:25):
Tommy climbs out, steps up onto the sidewalk. He wants
to ask his father if he's going to wait right here,
but he's afraid of the answer, so instead he turns
quick and says, I'll see you. Lou says, remember, kid,
cut it tight and face as smooth as a baby's butt.
(05:47):
Tommy manages to smile. He knows what it's been like.
He sees them, he hears them. He's not some blind,
deaf mute. Still, he pulls open the barbershop door. The
bell over the door clangs. He looks up at the
barber hovering over his barber chair, but when Lenny Tall
(06:10):
and dour makes eye contact, Tommy quickly averts his gaze.
They both glance out the window and watch the bell
air two door pull away. Tommy picks up A Boy's
Life and nervously paus his way through the magazine without
seeing a thing. He wouldn't mind going into the little
(06:31):
bathroom in the back and throwing up, but he can
hardly breathe, let alone find the courage to go all
the way back there. Ten minutes later, Lenny gestures for
him to come and take his turn. Tommy, shy and
so scared, he practically trembles climbs up into the chair.
(06:52):
It's not the haircut, or Lenny. It's not even that
his dad didn't come in with him this morning. Lenny says,
how do you want a kid? Well, Dad says, to
cut it tight. Dad, huh, well, where's Dad. Like, I
guess he had some errands, right errans. So let me
(07:12):
ask again, how do you want it? How do I
want it? How do you mean? Man's got to decide
what kind of haircut he wants for himself. Son, can't
be worrying about the haircut somebody else wants him to get.
Tommy thinks about this, glances at his hair in the mirror.
It's so short. It's always so damn short, the way
(07:36):
his old man likes it, like like he's in the
army or something. Well, asks Lenny, standing there with scissors
in one hand, long black comb in the other. What's
it gonna be? Kid? Tom t Man reminds himself about
the whole manhood thing. Shoulders back, head up. You know Lenny,
(08:00):
He says, he's never called Lenny Lenny before, never called
the barber anything. Really, I don't want it shorter. I mean,
I mean, look at it. They both look at Tommy's
hair in the mirror. There's not much to look at,
after all, when you get your hair cut tight every
Saturday morning. Well, Lenny offers the slightest hint of a smile.
(08:26):
Okay by me, kid, But I gotta tell you. I
got no way to make it longer short of putting
down my scissors and pointing the way to the door.
Tom nods, and then, all pumped up and with a
fin in the front pocket of his dungarees, he climbs
down off that big barber chair and practically skips over
(08:47):
to the door. He pulls it open, steps outside, looks
up and down. Maine doesn't see Dad's car, but he
does see Mom's station wagon parked up and across the street.
Neither the car he doesn't see, nor the car he
does see, surprises him. Upsets him some maybe sure, but
(09:11):
doesn't surprise him. It's just mom and dad. Mom and
Dad calling it quits again, calling it quits again, No
big thing. Thanks for listening to this original audio presentation
(09:36):
of the Haircut, narrated by the author. If you enjoyed
today's story, please take a few seconds to rate, review,
and subscribe to this podcast. The Ten Minute Storyteller is
produced by Andrew Paglici and Josh Colodney and as part
of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network in partner ship with
(10:00):
iHeart Productions. Until next week, this is Bill Simpson, Your
ten Minute Storyteller.
Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit mini novels on steroids.
Today's story is entitled The Haircut, a simple tale on
(00:47):
the surface, but in fact teeming with tension, highly charged emotions,
and fear of the unknown. The Haircut is a timeless
tale of fathers and sons, domestics, rife, loss of innocence,
and the long haul to manhood. The Haircut. They pull
(01:11):
up to the curb outside Lenny's barber shop on Maine. Lou,
tight fisted, drags a fin out of his wallet, hands
it to Tommy haircutting. The shaves two bucks kid, two
bits for a tip. Make sure you get the change,
and you tell Lenny to cut it tight and make
(01:32):
your face just as smooth as a baby's butt. Tommy giggles, Wait,
huh a shave I'm only ten, I don't shave dad Well,
Lou wants to cry, but he's a tough guy and
he wants his kid to be a tough guy. So
instead he laughs and says, just messing with your tea man,
(01:53):
just messing with you. Tommy laughs too, Well, you're always
messing with me. Dad Lou gently slugs his boy on
the arm. So go ahead, now, go on in there.
Huh wait what you're not coming? Nope, not this time.
Time for you to step up and be a man,
go about the business of a haircut all on your own.
(02:16):
But dad, Tommy trails off, he feels the earth quake.
It's okay, kid, you can do it. Go ahead, but
but but but we always go to Lenny's, you know,
together from like from like, since you know, I was
just a kid. Oh, hell, tom it's just a haircut,
(02:37):
no big thing. Well it is a big thing, it's not.
Tommy says, well, you need a haircut too. I'm growing
mine out one more time before I go bald. Oh
I don't need a haircut either. I'm going to grow
mine out too. Tommy doesn't exactly know what desperate is,
(02:59):
but that's exactactly how he's feeling, even though he doesn't
really know why the earth quakes again. Now here's the thing,
tom I guess the thing would be manhood. Yep, good
old manhood. Going in there, so loo with your shoulders
back and head up is part of your passage to manhood.
(03:20):
You know. You just march right in there. Give Lenny
a big AlOH, ask him has things, Maybe tell him
a joke, the one about the priest and the rabbi,
and then and then take a seat, pick up the
latest issue of Car and Driver and read about the
new Mustang till till Lenny calls you to the chair.
(03:41):
Tommy's pretty sure he's going to cry, but knows if
he does, his father will get all ornery and tell
him not to be a sissy, to take it like
a man. So he pulls back hard on those tears
and says, but, but, but I never say anything to Lenny.
You always say everything you say, stuff like, well that
(04:02):
pitching staff the Yanks should win a hundred games easy,
or or Lenny, a man a man needs a wife.
But for the life of me, I can't figure out
why a cook and a right hand offers the same
deal for a whole lot less trouble and money. Yeah,
you always say that and Lenny laughs, and he has
(04:23):
that big grumpy laugh. You know that's what happens, yeah,
says Lou. Marriage And then after a while, listen, kid,
that's sore inside your mouth. It always feels one hundred
times bigger than it really is. I don't have a
(04:43):
sore in my mouth, right, Yeah, I know. I'm just
like I'm using a metaphor or something. Now, now come
on out, you go. I see there's a couple guys
in front of you, So just go on in there
and sit tight, you know, Lenny. He cuts fast and
never says a goddamn word learned at home, but most
(05:04):
of us never do. Long as you keep your trap shut,
you can't say the wrong goddamn thing. Well, it takes
another minute or two, but eventually Tommy pulls on the
handle and pushes open the passenger side door of that
Chevrolet bel Air had a boy te man at a boy.
(05:25):
Tommy climbs out, steps up onto the sidewalk. He wants
to ask his father if he's going to wait right here,
but he's afraid of the answer, so instead he turns
quick and says, I'll see you. Lou says, remember, kid,
cut it tight and face as smooth as a baby's butt.
(05:47):
Tommy manages to smile. He knows what it's been like.
He sees them, he hears them. He's not some blind,
deaf mute. Still, he pulls open the barbershop door. The
bell over the door clangs. He looks up at the
barber hovering over his barber chair, but when Lenny Tall
(06:10):
and dour makes eye contact, Tommy quickly averts his gaze.
They both glance out the window and watch the bell
air two door pull away. Tommy picks up A Boy's
Life and nervously paus his way through the magazine without
seeing a thing. He wouldn't mind going into the little
(06:31):
bathroom in the back and throwing up, but he can
hardly breathe, let alone find the courage to go all
the way back there. Ten minutes later, Lenny gestures for
him to come and take his turn. Tommy, shy and
so scared, he practically trembles climbs up into the chair.
(06:52):
It's not the haircut, or Lenny. It's not even that
his dad didn't come in with him this morning. Lenny says,
how do you want a kid? Well, Dad says, to
cut it tight. Dad, huh, well, where's Dad. Like, I
guess he had some errands, right errans. So let me
(07:12):
ask again, how do you want it? How do I
want it? How do you mean? Man's got to decide
what kind of haircut he wants for himself. Son, can't
be worrying about the haircut somebody else wants him to get.
Tommy thinks about this, glances at his hair in the mirror.
It's so short. It's always so damn short, the way
(07:36):
his old man likes it, like like he's in the
army or something. Well, asks Lenny, standing there with scissors
in one hand, long black comb in the other. What's
it gonna be? Kid? Tom t Man reminds himself about
the whole manhood thing. Shoulders back, head up. You know Lenny,
(08:00):
He says, he's never called Lenny Lenny before, never called
the barber anything. Really, I don't want it shorter. I mean,
I mean, look at it. They both look at Tommy's
hair in the mirror. There's not much to look at,
after all, when you get your hair cut tight every
Saturday morning. Well, Lenny offers the slightest hint of a smile.
(08:26):
Okay by me, kid, But I gotta tell you. I
got no way to make it longer short of putting
down my scissors and pointing the way to the door.
Tom nods, and then, all pumped up and with a
fin in the front pocket of his dungarees, he climbs
down off that big barber chair and practically skips over
(08:47):
to the door. He pulls it open, steps outside, looks
up and down. Maine doesn't see Dad's car, but he
does see Mom's station wagon parked up and across the street.
Neither the car he doesn't see, nor the car he
does see, surprises him. Upsets him some maybe sure, but
(09:11):
doesn't surprise him. It's just mom and dad. Mom and
Dad calling it quits again, calling it quits again, No
big thing. Thanks for listening to this original audio presentation
(09:36):
of the Haircut, narrated by the author. If you enjoyed
today's story, please take a few seconds to rate, review,
and subscribe to this podcast. The Ten Minute Storyteller is
produced by Andrew Paglici and Josh Colodney and as part
of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network in partner ship with
(10:00):
iHeart Productions. Until next week, this is Bill Simpson, Your
ten Minute Storyteller.
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