The Story Of A Hairdresser

 

It had been a while since I last had a haircut. My mom also kept on disrelishing my grotesque appearance and after all was said and done, I visited my nearby Salon. My Dad went to this Salon about a month ago for his haircut. It was then that I came to know of it. The Salon is run by two tall and handsomely looking gentlemen, one of which is the owner and the other a helper. Sometimes the acolyte(Anmol) also performs tasks of the owner. As the owner had some work(he had to go to the distributor to exchange some defective bottles of hair spray), I got a chance to interact with the acolyte. It is said that one should not judge others by just glancing at their looks. He is humble and a feeling of conviviality runs through his veins. As I was conversing with him, he told me something that takes courage to be told. Here is his life story(I may miss out on certain minuscule details but that will not change the essence of this entire excerpt):

He said, "Going by my looks, I may look well-heeled. But I am not. I belong to a very impoverished family(and there's no shame in telling this. Not everybody has a house and gets to eat three meals a day). My whole family(including me) lives in a small dwelling of one room. Sometimes, when it rains the water on the rooftop seeps through the cracks and makes it difficult for us to have a night's sleep. My school fee was 100 Rupees and on multiple occasions, I was not able to remunerate it on time. As my family was in Queer Street, I had to work here and there to discharge my school debt. One day I was in my classroom and the teacher was teaching. He suddenly turned his attention toward us and asked whether we had paid the school fees or not. He ordered the defaulters to stand and I, owing to my several fears one of which was: What would my friend say about it, did not get up from my seat. Somehow the teacher found about about my mischief and slapped me in front of my whole class. I was dismayed. I didn't dare to look my classmates in the eye and break the ice. What could I say! I felt helpless. I could not tell my friends that my family was going through a financial crisis. I was afraid of what my friends would say. Would they empathize with me or make me an object of ridicule. The next day, I absented myself from school and worked in a resort to earn some money. The very next day, I gave my class teacher the fees and somehow mustered the courage to tell him the truth. I still remember his reaction. He was dumbfounded when I told him the truth and pardoned me for my mischief, which seemed so trivial at that very moment, and also asked for my forgiveness. He also said, "Had you told me that day, I would not have scolded you the way I did. I even could have helped you in clearing your dues." I was happy not because he asked me for my forgiveness but for understanding my situation. Let me tell you one more instance where I was faced with a similar kind of situation. As I was not regular in school, I used to attend tuition classes to cope with my studies. Sometimes the things you are terrified of, happen to you again and again. One day my friends asked me where I abided? I was fear-stricken once again. I didn't dare to tell them and used the art of circumlocution to steer me clear of such questions. A day came when they found out about where I lived. I opened the main and only door and found them standing there. For a little while, we exchanged glances, and then we started talking to one another. I was happy once again as they didn't judge me based on where I lived and commiserated with me. So, to make both ends meet I came here in search of a job. I found him(the owner). And I must say that he takes care of me like an elder brother. He has taught me every bit about hairdressing that he knows and thanks to him, I have become an adept hairdresser. I am still learning and will continue to do so till I get a feeling that I can teach somebody the way he has taught me. It has been 4 months since I last met my family. With my meager earnings, I can't afford to rent a room so I am staying with my Aunt these days. In all these years, I have never given up and will never give up, come hell or high water. I look forward to steering my family clear of such a financial crisis and having a house of my own one day. I believe in God and his immense power for one day he will set everything right and show me the right path. I often go to shrines to cleanse my soul and my mind. I think I have said enough. It was a pleasure having a conversation with you, Sir and I look forward to seeing you soon. Till then, take care."

With his last words, I bid him farewell and wished him luck on his herculean journey. Every story has a moral associated with it or a lesson to be learned. This one sheds light on his(acolyte's) fierce will of not to give up. I hope you would also not give up so easily in your life. With my last few words, I bid you farewell too and look forward to posting more such motivational content.