Hair Cut

I had just finished teaching two English classes at a Chinese university and was hiking across campus, carrying my backpack loaded with my projector, laptop and cables. It was a load and I was going to stop at the bus stop near the main gate and catch a bus going in the direction of where I would eat supper. It was only two bus stops, but the load was heavy and I was tired.

As I approached the gate I realized how little I would gain by taking the bus. It was a short distance down the road to the right where the bus stop was and then I had to walk back from the bus stop where I would get off. As I thought about this I kept walking and found myself walking down the street toward the restaurant where I would have a western meal. Along that stretch of road is the barber shop where I get my hair cut when I am in China. I have stopped there enough over the past two years that the barber has gotten to know me. I wasn't even thinking of a haircut, but happen to be looking up to the shop as I walked by. The person who cuts my hair had just finished with a customer and was standing at the door looking down at the street and noticed me. A big smile from recognizing me formed on her face and as it did I found my hand checking my hair for length. It needed cutting so I turned around and went back to the short set of stairs leading up to the shop and went in.

She excitedly started talking to me in Chinese and then realized I didn't understand her. I sat down and in a few minutes I had a great haircut for about 70 cents. Even though we couldn't have verbal conversation, we both enjoyed the brief time together. I set my backpack on her table by the mirror and backed up to it and put the straps over my shoulders and pulled the waist belt tight around my waist so the load was carried on my hips and not on my shoulders, connected the strap that holds the shoulder straps together across my chest and I headed to the door. My load seemed much lighter as she stood in the doorway watching this guy from the West walk off into the growing darkness of evening, wondering if I would return next year for another haircut.