Sarge’s Apprentice
Sarge removed the black cape from the barber's chair and ushered Sam to sit down. Sam took his place in the chair; Sarge draped the cape over his customer and fastened it around his neck. Sam closed his eyes while Sarge walked over to his station, retrieved the comb, and began to go through the young customer’s hair.
“Quite the length of hair you got here.”, Sarge began the conversation.
“Yeah… haven't felt motivated to cut it until I saw… your $5 sign.” Sam seemed to exude complacency in his speech as much as in his hair. Sarge knew he had a young man in his chair who could use his “guidance.”
Sarge finished getting Sam’s hair in place for a high-n-tight, but Sarge had options on how to cut his first customer’s hair. He could just go standard military style like you might see on a base: short on top and faded on the sides. Or he could use the length to give the young man a faux hawk, since he didn’t have to follow military protocol. This option could cover the mental changes he would make through the cut.
Sarge turned the chair to the mirror and looked at Sam and his hair. The young man’s reflection reminded him of a younger version of Charlie Hunnam. Hmm, Sarge thought, I’ve got a young Jax Teller here; maybe that’s the way in.
“You kinda remind me of Jax Teller.”, Sarge spoke his thought out to Sam.
“Really??!!”, Sam was shocked. “You watch Sons of Anarchy?”
“Watched a couple of seasons with the guys on base. Good show, and it’s true that a number of military guys started MCs when they got out after Vietnam. They wanted that bond of loyalty and company to carry on.”
“Never would’ve thought a Marine like yourself would watch a show like that.”
“Marines are people just like you, we gotta relax and let off steam too. That’s why I started my shop here. I wanna give something back and show that Marines aren’t always the tight, proper soldier.”
“Cool.”
“So, you up for looking like Charlie Hunnam, the guy who plays Jax? He’s got a high-n-tight but it’s a cool kid high-n-tight, not so military.”
Sam looked at himself in the mirror; not only was he about to lose his long hair, he was promised to look like a Hollywood actor. His face started to beam with the prospective change. “Go for it, Sarge!!”, he announced enthusiastically.
“You got it.”
Sarge reached over to his station, pulled his electric clippers, and began to cut Sam’s hair. Working the clippers straight up, Sarge began to fade Sam’s right side.
“So what grade are you in, Sam?”, Sarge inquired.
“I’m a sophomore.”
“And grade-wise how are you doing?”
“Average, not really acing things but not failing either.”
Ah-hah! Sarge recognized the problem. Sam didn’t have focus; that’s where Sarge could begin his changes.
“Well, seems like you don’t have focus; you’re just going with the flow. This new hair style is going to bring attention to you; you are going to have to focus to meet that attention, aren’t you?”
With each mention of the word “focus”, Sarge pushed his thoughts in the young man’s mind; the word and attached thoughts embedded into Sam’s brain and made him feel he needed to be focused.
“Well, I want to be more focused, especially as you’re giving me this haircut.”
Sarge cracked a smile as he moved the clipper fading the back of Sam’s head. His transformation of Sam’s mind had begun; he set the goal of getting Sam to come to work for him as his “apprentice”; that’s where the real transformation would begin.
“I could help you get that focus; you just need a little training with a Marine, you’ll get that focus in no time. You might even get Marine level focus.”
The next three times “focus” and the thoughts attached to it embedded into Sam’s brain along with “Marine” and its accompanying thoughts; slowly focus became linked with Marine. Sam was feeling that he needed the focus and Sarge as a Marine could help him get it; it began to make sense as he talked to Sarge while Sarge cut his hair.
Sarge was finishing the left side of the fading when Sam inquired of Sarge.
“Hey, Sarge, I would like to get some of that focus; you think you could train me to get that focus?”
Sam finished asking the question just after Sarge turned the clippers off. Sarge suppressed a smile as his ability had done its job; Sam had just “signed up” to be Sarge’s apprentice; Sarge could shape Sam into a future Marine as Sam helped him keep the barbershop running.
“Of course, I can train you to get that focus, but you got to be committed. I can’t work with you if you’re just going to go with the flow. If you are committed, you’ll get the focus you’re looking for. So, are you going to be committed to training with me?”
“Yes, Sarge. I’ll try not to let you down if you give me the chance.”, Sam said with a sincerity that showed Sarge’s methods had gotten deep inside the young man.
And with that Sam did what Sarge wanted him to: sign up to be his apprentice. Sarge continued to shape the high part of Sam’s high and tight as he promised, shaping it with his comb and scissors. As he did, Sam sat still, looking down waiting for Sarge to finish his cut. Sarge left an inch and a half on the top of Sam, combed over to the right, giving a look like he promised.
Sam looked at himself as Sarge turned him around; he did look sharp as Sarge promised. Sam knew he would have to work to get the focus that his new look would bring, but he knew that Sarge would help him with that.
“It looks really good, Sarge, just like you promised. I don’t think I’m as sharp as Charlie Hunnam, but I’ll definitely get looks when I go back to school on Monday.”
“Good to hear.”, Sarge said as he removed the cape from Sam and began to brush the hair clippings off Sam with a medium size hand brush. Once he finished, he lowered the chair and let Sam step out.
Sam reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed Sarge a $10 bill; Sarge walked over to his cash box, pulled 5 $1 bills and handed them back to Sam.
“So, Sarge, how are you going to train me to get that focus?”, Sam asked.
“Well, you help me around the shop, keep it clean to military standards and keep it stocked, that’ll be the start. The moments the shop is slow we can go into the back and work on some military drills and exercises. Does that sound doable?”
“Yes, Sarge. How soon can I begin?”
“You can start tomorrow. Can you be here at 8:30?”
“Sure.”
Sam was about to say goodbye to Sarge and look forward to returning tomorrow to begin to work with Sarge for his training. But a thought crossed his mind: Sarge could use some business; maybe taking a selfie of my new cut and posting it could bring some more business his way. More business for Sarge could mean more training for me.
But then another thought crossed Sam’s mind: Maybe Sarge could start training me today; he’s got time today as I was his only customer so far.
Choose what happens:
Sam posts a selfie of his haircut
Sam asks Sarge to start training today
Sam starts his training with Sarge tomorrow