Eighth entry in my anthology series of people living under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sorry if this story seems a little dated, considering how far we've come in this pandemic. I began writing this story during the height of the pandemic but thought I accidentally deleted it on my computer. Then recently, I found it in another file the whole time and decided to finish it as it was. Considering how far we've come in this pandemic, this is going to be the last story in this anthology series.
...
"How's it going, shaggy?" asked Tom.
"Shaggy? Wow, that's original," Bryce replied sarcastically.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're hearing it all the time now, but I couldn't help myself."
Bryce was speaking with Tom through Zoom Chat, one of the most preferred video chat sites since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of social distancing, most people weren't meeting with each other in public, out of risk of catching or spreading the virus. So, for the time being, most people are using video chats to stay in touch.
"You need a haircut badly," said Tom. "Why aren't you using those trimmers like you were doing before?"
"I can never do it right because I have to do it myself. I messed up quite a few times, if you remember."
Tom laughed. "Yeah, of course I remember. That's why I was hoping you'd do it again. You looked so ridiculous."
Ever since the lockdown, all non-essential businesses have shut down, which includes barber shops and hair salons. Most people who were lucky enough to be living with other people during this time have resorted to giving each other haircuts. Sometimes they turn out alright, but other times, very badly.
Bryce had a small beard and used a beard trimmer that came with multiple attachments to maintain it. He decided it was his best option to give himself a haircut until he could get a professional to do it for him. But since he was living alone, he had to give himself his own hair cut using those trimmers, and the first two times he did it, it did not turn out so well.
So, this time, he decided to just wait it out and see how long he could last without a haircut. This decision resulted in his hair getting extra-long, including his bangs, which were getting in the way of his eyes.
"You look like a homeless person who's squatting in someone else's apartment," Tom joked.
"That sounds about right," said Bryce.
"Maybe you can go to your parents' place and let your mom give you a haircut," Tom suggested. "I spoke with your brother recently; he said your mother gave him a good one."
Bryce laughed. "And I bet he told you this on the phone, not through a Zoom chat where you couldn't see how my mother butchered his hair."
Tom laughed as well. "I thought that sounded fishy."
"My dad wants to give me a haircut badly. He keeps talking about wanting to give me a military buzzcut. He's very excited about doing it too."
"I didn't know he was in the military," Tom responded.
"He wasn't; that's what's so weird about it."
Bryce got a good look at Tom on the screen. The last time they video chatted with each other over a week ago, his hair was getting a little long also. It was not like Bryce, but it was noticeable. Now, his hair was short and perfect.
"By the way, did you get a haircut recently?" Bryce asked. "If you know of a place that's open, please tell me. Did you have to go out of town somewhere?"
"No, I stayed in the whole time," Tom replied. "I got lucky. I got a hair stylist in the family. You remember my cousin Emily, don't you?"
"I barely remember her," said Bryce. "She was a grade below us back in high school, wasn't she?"
Bryce actually remembers her perfectly. She was a sexy redhead with a killer body. All of Tom's friends, including Bryce, couldn't help commenting on how hot she was which was why he made sure none of his friends went after her throughout high school.
"That's her," said Tom. "The salon she worked at got shut down because of the pandemic, and to make some extra money, she's been doing it on the side for a few select customers."
"Is she allowed to do that?" Bryce asked.
"Yes, she just can't work in a location that has a lot of foot traffic. So, instead, she's been going to other people's houses."
"Now that can't be safe for her to do," said Bryce.
"It's OK, she's only been doing it for a few customers she knows well and a few family members like me. And she only comes to their place after she makes sure they take proper precautions to stay safe."
"Still sounds very risky," said Byce. "But I'm desperate. Do you think she can give me a haircut?"
"I don't know. She's been very selective since she started doing this," Tom replied. "She doesn't want to risk getting infected herself, so she's keeping her clientele very small."
"I'm kind of desperate here. I really need a decent haircut," Bryce pleaded. "I'm willing to pay extra if she comes here to give me a haircut."
"Are you sure about that? She's already charging $100."
"What?!"
Bryce was shocked, but not entirely. He knows people all over the country are making money in any way they can. They've even been overcharging people for some basic services that were a lot cheaper before the pandemic.
"Yeah, and I'm not getting a family discount myself, so I have to pay up too," said Tom. "But I don't know how long this pandemic will go on for, so I'm not going to use her that much, only when I really have to."
Bryce had to think about it for a moment. He was desperate for a haircut, but not so much that he wanted to pay an exorbitant price for one. Bryce wasn't trying to be cheap; he just didn't want to spend that kind of money on something like this.
"I can probably convince her to take you on as a client. But are you sure you want to pay that price?"
"That's a lot of money for a haircut. I have to think about that now," said Bryce. "I may try to do it myself again. I'm sure I can do it better next time."
Bryce was wrong as he gave himself another terrible haircut. It was so bad, he refused to do a video chat with anybody without a hat on. But it didn't matter; his friends and family knew why he was wearing the hat and made fun of him for it.
He tried to hold out against having to get another haircut, hoping businesses would open up again very soon and he could get a professional cut for a decent price. But again, his hair was getting too long for his own good. Finally, when his parents threatened to break into his apartment and shave his head, something he was afraid they might actually do, he decided $100 for a haircut was worth it.
"I give up," he told Tom in another zoom chat. "I'm willing to pay anything. Can you talk to your cousin for me?"
"I already did," Tom replied. "I figured this was going to happen and asked her if she could give you a haircut, and she said yes. She's just waiting for you to call her."
"Thank you," Bryce said, with a sigh of relief.
"By the way, she has a boyfriend," Tom told him.
"I wasn't even asking about that. Why did you tell me that? " Bryce asked.
"Because when you see her, you'll probably want to ask her out the first chance you get."
"Is she really that hot?"
"She's my cousin, and even I wanted to bang her."
"You probably would you perv," said Bryce. "I remember she was pretty back in high school--"
"Just admit you thought she was hot back then, too. You all reminded me of that whenever you could," said Tom. "And she has only gotten hotter since then. I'm just letting you know as a friend that she's seeing someone, so you wouldn't embarrass yourself."
Bryce made a small laugh. "Yeah, I probably would've flirted with her or something if she was really as hot as you say she is. So, thanks for the warning."
Tom sent Bryce her number, and he texted her immediately after they stopped the zoom chat. She got back to him a few minutes later, and they scheduled a time for her to come by his place in a few days. He tried to convince her to come over sooner because he was so desperate, but that was the best she could do for him.
It was a rough three days, and he was sure his hair was getting longer. He was able to keep his beard trimmed, since he at least knew what to do with that. And he did cut his bangs a little to keep them from going over his eyes, but not too much since he didn't know how much to cut off. He figured he'd just leave it all to Emily to fix up for him.
Emily came on time that day. When he opened the door to greet her, he was surprised by how she had gotten more beautiful from the last time he saw her back in high school. Emily, on the other hand, was shocked to see the shaggy monster before her.
"Oh my God, what happened to you?" Emily asked. "I'm sorry, that was rude. Tom told me it was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad."
"Yeah, it got out of control."
Emily joked, "You look like one of those guys they show on the news right after they find a bunch of bodies in his basement. Should I be worried about being alone with you?"
"I live in an apartment, so I don't have a basement. So, you're safe... for now," Bryce replied, with a joke of his own.
Bryce invited her into the apartment, and she entered, pulling a small carry-on suitcase that contained her tools of the trade, as she put it. But before they went any further, she insisted that she take his temperature, something he agreed he'd do in their text exchange. She also asked him some typical questions about symptoms and if he had any exposure to people with COVID, and he answered them all. Bryce didn't blame her for any of that; she was just trying to be careful. If she was going to visit some people's homes in private, she needed to be extra careful.
Bryce also asked her questions to be certain himself that she wasn't exposed to COVID and might have spread it to him. He asked how many clients she had and how often she saw them. She told him she only had twelve customers, which included three family members, such as Tom. She sees them sporadically and always takes their temperatures and asks them the same questions that she asked Bryce about.
They had a beer in the kitchen first to catch up since they hadn't seen each other since high school. Bryce thought Emily had gotten much sexier since then. He remembered how he and his friends were lusting after her, but Tom made sure none of them would go after her. He couldn't control who she dated in high school; he wasn't her brother, after all. But he was going to make sure his own pervy friends wouldn't try to take advantage of her.
Emily was 28, a year younger than Bryce. She had short red hair, a slim body with decent sized D-cup breasts. She wore jeans and a tight, low-cut t-shirt of her favorite band that showed a small amount of her cleavage. Tom was right; she was extremely hot and Bryce would've hit on her immediately. He was glad Tom warned him about her having a boyfriend, so he wouldn't embarrass himself if he ended up asking her out.
After they finished their beer, they decided to begin. She suggested the kitchen as the perfect place to give him that haircut, because the floor would make it easier to sweep up the cut hair afterwards. He gave her the money they agreed on, and he sat on a comfy chair that was low enough for her to stand over him to give him his cut. She tied a cutting cape around his neck, the apron-like cloth that professional haircutters use to wrap around their customers to make sure the hair doesn't fall on their clothes.
