Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Good-Bye & Thank You!

I'm a creature of habit. I truly am. I watch certain TV shows, read books by certain authors, buy my clothing from the same places... in the same colors. I get my hair cut every other Monday... by the same barber.

Yesterday was Monday. Haircut day. My day to get a haircut and enjoy the buzz of the clippers against my scalp soooo much, that I normally fall asleep in the chair. You might think that falling asleep would be a risky thing to do while you were getting a haircut... but it isn't a problem for Aleda. Aleda does a good job... always. she has never given me a bad haircut. She has been cutting my hair for about two years, since the previous owner of the shop (Soccergirl's Godmother) sold the shop and opened a restaurant.

Aleda is a nice young woman from Bolivia, with whom I have never had a deep conversation, because my Spanish isn't good for much more than asking questions, and her English was even worse. Our lack of communication was never an issue though, because, well, we didn't really chat much beyond questions about our children.

When I got to the barbershop yesterday, I was greeted by an unusual sight. There were two male barber's cutting hair... and neither of them were the two male barber's that I know. As a matter of fact, one of those guys was using MY barber's chair! This was a bad sign. The two female barbers saw me come in and looked at me with some alarm, because they knew that under normal circumstances, Aleda always cuts my hair.

As soon as I walked in the door, both Doonia and the other young woman, whose name escapes me, started to speak to me in Spanish. Telling me, in Spanish, which took a little deciphering, that Aleda doesn't work there anymore.

Bummer!

The young lady whose name I don't know cut my hair (you can bet your ass I didn't doze off) but just before she started to cut, she went into the drawer of her counter and retrieved a package and said that Aleda had left for me. Turns out it was my knife! The knife that I had been trying to find for the last two weeks.

This knife...

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Which wasn't cheap, believe me!

It must have fallen out of my pocket while I was getting my haircut a couple of weeks ago. It was very nice of her to make sure that I got it back.

I don't know the reason for the abrupt departure, I hope it wasn't because of... immigration issues, but I wish her well.

Adios y muchas gracias, Aleda!

8 comments:

super des said...

Finding a good haircutter is like finding a good doctor. I had a hairdresser in CA for about 6 years, and then I moved. Last time I was in CA though, I went back to him. I had one here in NY that was good at what he did, but too racist and drugged out for my tastes.

I hope you find out what happened and that everything is ok, and that you get a new haircutter that's just as good!

soccer mom in denial said...

I've been going to the same hairdresser for, yes, 24 years. I started going to her when I was 14 and she was 19 and just out of school. I spent my junior year in Italy and didn't get my hair cut once. When I returned with my rat's nest hair Jacquie yelled at me for not getting my hair cut. "You were in ITALY for Christ's Sake!" she fumed.

But I didn't want to cheat on her. I'm that loyal.

And oh how I hope Aleda is o.k. The irony if she was, ahem, asked to leave. Good luck with the new barber.

Jenn in Holland said...

Oh, bummer. I still haven't found anyone to cut my hair here. I am a creature of habit like that too and just don't make the change so easily. So, yeah, I generally end up cutting my own hair.
Usually, it's not bad, and when it is, I know it will grow. :)

Middle Girl said...

Since chopping, er I mean cropping my hair short, I have visited two barbers (three if you count my son).

I'm still not satisfied, but not up to looking, again, yet.

Hope the new barber works out!

jessabean said...

I've never been able to find a haircutter that I always go to. I'm very picky!

I hope Aleda is alright. It was kind of her to get your knife back to you, even though it looks scary. :-p

Desert Songbird said...

It is very much like a good doctor, a good therapist, or even a good mechanic. I hate to find replacements for any of those.

I'm glad you got your knife back; Aleda was most trustworthy, as are the woman still there. Perhaps you will find a new cutter to trust...

Amie Adams said...

I haven't had a hair cut since September when my stylist abruptly left town. I still haven't recovered.

That knife is kinda scary. What does one need to carry it around for?

Gunfighter said...

ML,

The purposes of the knife are legion, but here are some.

1. Opening ammunition crates.

2. Cutting someone out of their seatbelts at an accident scene.

3. Cutting clothing or body armor away in order to adnminister first aid.

4. Stabbing the living crap out of some guy who decides to lunge foer my gun. While I hold the gun down with one hand, I'll be doing surgery all over the other guys throat or chest.

Sorry about that last, but there it is.

GF