The Flip (the sequel to Hair Cut)

Yes, some of you ladies know about this. Some of you call it a “bad hair day”. I call it the “flip”. When it happens it means it’s time to get a hair cut. If I don’t recognize it in time I have a built in reminder, Gary. So my hair was flipping out, and Gary said it was “sticking out in back” so I knew the dreaded time had come. Dreaded because the last time I had it cut was in the U. S., and that time I had it cut short for the first time in 30 years. I wouldn’t know what say about cutting it even in English, except that I wanted it shorter. Finally, I decided I could pantomime “shorter” in any language, and that should be enough.

Gary seemed to enjoy walking great distances to get his hair cut, to give him plenty of time to agonize over the coming event. I felt no need to torture myself like that since there were plenty of hairdressers for women within two blocks of the apartment. Convenient, yes, but how good were they? I remembered one up the nearby road to the right that had several ladies in it one evening. Banking on the old theory that having customers might show expertise, I chose to go there. I forgot that our landlady said that she didn’t like that place and recommended the one across the street instead.

So, at the corner I turned right and was in front of the beauty shop sooner than I expected. Most shops here don’t have front doors or even front walls. When I stopped on the outer floor in front of the shop I caught the eye of the older lady standing in it and saw a man sitting in one of the chairs with a towel over his shoulders. I couldn’t tell if she was the hairdresser or not. Having thoroughly prepared a Thai phrase to say to the hairdresser, this confusion stopped me cold. She came up to me and said, “What are you doing?” Was it that obvious I didn’t know what I was doing? I tried to answer, but French came out. That’s what usually happens when I try to speak Thai fast without thinking out the words first. This only confirmed to the lady I did not know what I was doing.

The lady gave me a blank look and left. Well, Gary had warned me I might have to wait for my haircut since I didn’t go first thing in the morning. I think he meant waiting for my turn, not waiting for the hairdresser to show up. Anyway, I had some Thai materials with me to study just in case, so I decided to take a chair and wait to see what would happen next. A short time passed and the lady re-appeared with reinforcements, a Thai man who could speak English. I guess they are as afraid of trying to speak to us as we are of speaking to them. With the help of the man, I could tell the lady I wanted a hair cut only, without a hair washing. Then the lady told me to go sit in the chair next to the man with the towel on. My obedience tendency took over so I did what she said without stopping to ask about the price. That was a mistake. Once she started cutting my hair, my negotiating power for a good price would be gone. The man who spoke English started cutting the hair of the man next to me. I wondered if he was the regular men’s barber and if she was going to get him anyway when I walked up.

I pantomimed to the lady how much I wanted cut off. I was kind of glad she couldn't

understand English or my Thai. Then I didn’t have to try to explain what I wanted her to do. Part way through I said, in Thai, I wanted the top a little shorter. I don’t know if she understood my Thai or my pantomiming again, but she did cut some more off. She carefully made sure the sides were even and then, using a blow dryer and a round bristled brush, curled the whole hairdo under. I don’t know if she realized that my hair would flip out again as soon as it got wet or infused with the humidity.

When she was done I said it was good (that’s an easy word, “Dee”). The barber next to us agreed. I’m sure he would have said anything looked good. He wanted me to be happy to pay a good price. I turned toward him to find out what they were going to ask for. He said. “120 baht.”

I think they saw my jaw hit the floor in shock. Gary had just paid 60 baht for his cut. Only a few fancy shops downtown charge 120 Baht. Then the lady said something in Thai to the man. He said, “Oh, you only had a cut. That’s 80 baht.”

“Thank You Lord!” I thought to myself and gladly paid the 80 baht to the lady.

“Where you go?”

The man asked me. Later I found out that is a regular polite question of the Thais, right up there with “How old are you?”

“Klap baan,” (returning home) I said and pointed around the corner. He nodded and smiled. I hurried home to get a picture of my hair before it decided to flip out again.

I figure I can put off my next cut until about June. I hope I will be better at Thai and at bargaining by then.

:J (with help from Gary)