The bell above the door jingles, but no one enters. O4M doesn’t look up.
So keeping it long is keeping him alive.
Another snip. More hair falls.
You want me to tell you it gets easier?
You’re holding your helmet like it’s a bomb. And you sat in the middle chair. First-timers always sit in the middle. They think it’s neutral. It’s not. The middle chair is for men who can’t decide what they want.
That’s why you’re here.
Ezra pulls out a twenty. Lays it on the counter. Then, without asking, he picks up the small hand mirror from the hook and looks at the back of his head—something most men never do.
He picks up the folded apron from the armrest. Shakes it out. Holds it for a moment—like a man remembering a handshake.