When I took this picture, I was a little self conscious because I am really not that mom that documents EVERY haircut of her child's life. Sure, I took pictures of his first haircut...maybe even the second...but the reason for the photograph was to remind myself later of the craziness that was going on behind me at that moment.About half way through Davis' haircut, a senile old man walked in to Great Clips.
Side note: Great Clips is known for cheap haircuts. Not necessarily great haircuts, but cheap. What they are not known for is GREAT customer service.
So this old man walks in and doesn't know his phone number, which apparently is a must at Great Clips. Without a valid phone number, the scissors will not cut hair. "They just can't do it." Don't ask questions. The "system" won't let them.
I still have no idea how senile old man even arrived at the store, but after hearing his exchange with the owner of Great Clips -- also an old man, probably in his late 60's -- I, along with a few other fellow patrons started getting very annoyed and defending the helpless old man.
He knew his name was Bob, but people call him Mr. Bob. He knew he was a veteran that once fought in the war when he was 19. He bought a house in Frisco 18 years ago and the price of his home doubled since then. He knew he had been married to his wife for 48 years but she had a broken hip. But what he didn't know was his phone number.
"Can you just use dummy phone number for crying out loud." One of the annoyed customers suggested.
Nope. The "system" won't let him use a dummy phone number.
Senile old man didn't have a drivers license in his wallet but did have a picture to prove he was in the military when he was 19. He passed his wallet around to show everyone as he repeated the fact that he bought his house in Frisco 18 years ago and the price has doubled.
"Maybe you could set him up as a new customer," another customer offered as a solution.
Nope. The "system" REQUIRES a last name.
By this time, Senile Old Customer and Senile Old Owner were nearly yelling at each other.
I can't give you a haircut until you give me a phone number.
It was getting ridiculous. I was about to "remember" that he was my Granddad and offer to use my flipping phone number when finally some other form of identification revealed Bob's last name. Actually, it revealed that his first name was William too.
The whole room breathed a sigh of relief.
About this time, Hayden and Davis were finishing up on their haircuts. I was paying and the boys were searching through the jar of DumDums for their favorite flavor (the ultimate treat after a haircut) when Mr. Bob William, who's lived in Frisco for 18 years, offered them each a dollar "to buy candy at the store." I declined but Mr. Bob William became insistent. Finally, I reluctantly agreed and Hayden and Davis cautiously and wide-eyed walked up to him to collect their loot.
The whole event was very surreal, but interestingly enough, this was not the first time Hayden had been gifted something after a haircut. For his very first haircut when he was five (kidding, kidding, he was only one...but he was bald for what seemed like forever), we took him to a real barber shop. See, this is the kind of stuff that you do with your first born.
Anyway, we took him to a real barber shop with a real red and blue barber pole where the average age of the clientele was roughly 75. After his haircut, one of the old men in the shop asked if would be okay if he gave him a little surprise. Naive and a little flattered, I agreed. That is when the old man went outside to his truck and retrieved a POCKET KNIFE.
A POCKET KNIFE....for a ONE YEAR OLD?!? You've got to be kidding me??
Maybe we should celebrate his first trip to the dentist with a book of matches, I thought to myself as I graciously accepted his gift.
So, there you have it. The story of when Hayden received his very first pocket knife and a reminder that you should always know your phone number before attempting to get your haircut at Great Clips.
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