Quite a good number of women are now flocking the barbershop to get their hair cut. A few that I have interacted with have different reasons for going short. Some cite harsh economic times that leaves them without enough cash to go to the salon.
Another one said she has a busy schedule that she doesn’t have a whole day to sit in the salon in the name of making her hair. Then this interesting one came from a housewife, who complained that nowadays the men in their lives aren’t playing their roles to ensure that they look pretty. She said that reminding baba watoto about one’s bad hair, especially when rent and school fees are due, might easily earn them a sudden slap or a whole two week of dry spell.
Most male clients are not happy with the emerging trend and they always rant about how their once safe space is being invaded by women. They say the women are just interested in the young male barbers and not necessarily the haircut as they claim.
The men are sort of insecure. The other day, the barbershop was a buzz with activity as the men were getting groomed. It was obvious there was some little gossip here and there, in the barbershop we call it bossip though. Baba Junior was complaining about his wife’s bad behavior of yelling at him over little things like throwing socks anywhere after arriving home from work. I then interjected by defending Mama Junior because I personally know her and she doesn’t seem to be a noisy woman.
“Wewe! Don’t be fooled, that’s a serpent who is always ready to spit venom. I am her husband and I know what I am talking about,” Baba Junior angrily remarked. At some point he got mad when I referred to Mama Junior as a serpent. He simply put me off by saying that he is the only one allowed to use that name on her, not anyone else. I had finished shaving his hair so I was trimming his beards and, with his eyes completely closed, he was still talking trash about Mama Junior. Then coincidentally, Mama Junior walked in holding Junior’s hand. She just smiled and waved at me and quietly sat at the waiting lounge. Her husband, who had not noticed her, continued talking about her.
My efforts to signal him to zip up his loud mouth were ignored. I finished up and immediately he realized that Mama Junior was around, he acted as if he was in a hurry and he tried to pretend that he had not seen her.
He paid his bill and, at the moment he was rushing to the door, she cornered him and ordered that he pays for her haircut as well. He turned to me and told me not to worry as he would sort me out later. He hurriedly walked away. He would then call me a few minutes later and requested that I get outside. He didn’t want his wife to hear what he was to talk to me about.
“Tedd, sasa umeanza kunyoa hadi mabibi zetu?” he asked. ”Just shave my wife’s hair but do it awfully so that she doesn’t come back there again,” he added. I just laughed it off and got back to my business. I did exactly the opposite of what Baba Junior expected me to do and his wife liked her new hairstyle. “Asante sana. From now on, we shall be coming all of us, including Junior,” she said while admiring herself in the mirror.
I just wished she knew what her hubby’s bad thoughts were about her coming to the barbershop.