September, 13-th

     My name is Anna. I'm 26. I've been married for 2 years. I work in model business, though I'm a biochemist and graduated university. I'm tall, slim green-eyed blond with natural light ash hair that grows as long as my waist. Why am I telling you all this about? Only for you to have the clear picture of the tragic and comic situation I once found myself in.
     It all happened on the 13th of September. I woke up rather late. My husband has already left for his office, having left a message for me on the kitchen table which said: "Ani, Nick called. Asked to be in his office by 5 o'clock. I could be late. Be on time. Kisses, Alex". All is clear. I must be irresistible. Nick is a big boss in perfume cosmetic company and in case of favorable circumstances a nice job is waiting for me. Two year contract for the advertising of hair care production. Just think - huge advertisement are everywhere with various bottles of shampoos, balms, beautiful boxes and I am in the middle with my gorgeous, glossy curls. That was my chance.
     I got nervous and started rushing about the house. Shower, light breakfast and search for what to put on. It took me nearly an hour - I hadn't expected to manage all this fuss so quickly. To visit Nick I chose an exquisite business lilac suit with narrow skirt above knees and classical high heeled shoes. And this very moment I encounted the first trouble. I had no flesh colored tights in my wardrobe! Any colors, any shades but not a single pair of flesh colored! I'll have to drop at the supermarket. I'll buy some milk for my kitty Alice too.
     Before leaving for the supermarket, I made a call to a friend of mine, Cathrine. She's the owner of a small beauty salon and I could entrust my hair only to her. Having made an arrangement for 3 o'clock I put on the stocking with a girdle and a short silk open dress. I gathered my hair up into a high tail and made a long plait. I looked into the mirror, felt satisfied with my appearance, drove the car out of the garage and set off.
     I forgot to tell you that we live 15 km outside the city, and we get to it along a picturesque, but deserted road. Hardly had I covered one third of the distance when the engine started sniffing and coughing. I haven't got the slightest idea as to the mechanics of a vehicle but I was clever enough to stop and without stopping the engine and opened the hood. I cannot tell you even now what I wanted to find there. But at that moment I was meaninglessly, stupidly examining the trembling inside of that iron horse. Then I bent forward, put my head into the mouth of a roaring monster. And the whole thing started.

     I felt an abrupt jerk at my hair and the same moment my head was pressed to the engine. First, I had a strong blow on my head, secondly I couldn't move my head since it had been pushed deep inside this horse. Fortunately the engine suffocated very quickly. The situation was terrible. And dangerous! I was standing bent forward down through the front panel of my car with my head down inside. My dress went up much higher an acceptable level. Can you imagine the picture?
     A car is standing on the roadside and two seductive uncovered legs are coming out of the open hood. One of my hands is trying to reach the source of my troubles so as to set my poor tail free, while the other hand in vain is trying to cover my slips and girdle with the hem of my dress. I realized that I needed assistance, but on the other hand I was easy target for any indecent male. I spent an hour in such position which seemed to be an eternity. It was but natural that I did not succeed in getting myself free.
     Suddenly I had good luck for the second time. A car stopped and a policeman came out of it (I couldn't know it at that time, I could see only lid of the hood). He came up to me, and inquired: "Am I disturbing you, lady? May I ask you if you feel comfortable and how long have you spent in such position?" Hurriedly I started murmuring something unintelligible like "I'm in trouble, help me, don't touch for Goodness sake..." Some time later the situation became clear to him and he came to the conclusion what to do and this came as a shock to me: "Your scythe is under the belt of the generator. To set you free we'll have to sacrifice your hair. I'll try to find smth sharp". I tried to prove to him in thin and high voice that I cannot part with my pride and beauty in such a way. But he didn't seem to hear me. I realized the the inevitability of the forthcoming loss when the policeman started moving smth behind the back of my head. That was a knife, and a very sharp one! I drew the picture of myself being a poor innocent victim on scaffoldings, where a giant hangman has holding a terrible huge axe over me in the air.
     In a minute I was free. I sat down on the grass, my forces failed me. Tears were running down my cheeks. I was in horror and I was very much afraid to touch the place where my beautiful luxurious plait used to be. My dress that was high up and the rubber from the harness were of no confusion for me in no way. I was in abyss For how long, I don't know. I came up to my senses and realized that the policeman was asking me: " Are you all right? Are you hurt? Is there anything wrong with your head? Do you hear me?" There were no tears any longer. I said that everything was o'k and simultaneously I felt prickly crew cut on my crown. I gave a terrible shrick, like Tarzan, which could be heard far around. I was crying for such a long time that I stopped realizing the very reason of my strange behavior and only wondered how I managed to give off such sounds.
     Finally I calmed down and tried to assess the situation soberly. I decided to answer the question: "What is to be done?" The policeman being reassured that I was all right retreated. On the grass in front of me was my miserable much suffered tail, that had been extracted from the evil car. I was staring at it, afraid to take it into the hands. I could hardly stand up and approached the car. How I hated it at that moment!

     And still, the voice of reason took the upper hand. I had to resign myself, admit with my loss and, having put plait into the glove box, I stared into the mirror. The sight was no good at all. Tears in the eyes again. The hair was below the cheekbones at the front, then there was a sharp rise backwards assembling the haircut of the 20's. On the neck - torn strands looking in different directions. And the crown...! Crew cut far enough short, that you could hardly grip my hair in the fingers. I needed a scarf or something like that urgently! I was lucky again, if I can call it luck on such a day - I found my husband's white baseball cap in the boot. What a sight I was presented! The only thing I missed was a tennis racket or a golf club. No one could actually guess what I had on my head. One might think that under my cap I had a very stylish inverted bob, disheveled after a fascinating game of tennis.
     I started my car and drove to Cathrine's beauty salon. The engine was running evenly and quietly. The policeman had managed to fix my car. I had no time to spare. I couldn't think about the contract. My visiting card was peacefully taking its rest in the glove box. Anyway, I felt like visiting Nick in any case. And I had to do something with my hair and find suitable clothes to match my future image. I had only 2 hours left!
     A deathly still pause at Cathrine's lasted several minutes. She was opening her mouth like a fish and couldn't utter a sound. At last she realized what had happened. She collected herself and approached my head, combing my hair in different directions so as to decide what to do to find the way out of this grievous situation.
     The result was beyond our expectations! My haircut could produce a shocking impression if only I didn't think about the contract and my future in model business which seemed to be in question now. Now I hadn't more than half an hour left to change my cloth (make-up was made in the beauty salon) and another half an hour to be late for the appointment with Nick.
     When I entered Nick's office he was sitting in the armchair and this saved him. He had nowhere to fall down. He had a double shock: first, from a stunning woman, second, from from the fact that it was Anna! I had to introduce myself and to prove that I was the one he knew for a long time. He refused to believe either to me or to his eyes!
     You may ask how I looked after all this? My hair was clipped very short on the sides and on the back of my head. The neck up to the back of the head was cleanly shaven. The crow had a thick crew cut. The bangs remained long and was cut asymmetrically - it was above the left brow coming gradually down to my lips on the right. All short hair and several locks of bangs were colored black, which created unusual effective harmony contrast to the shade of my own hair. I put on a super short closely fit bow cut black dress with open back. The hanging earrings, necklace and bracelets were made of pearls. I had black tights and extra high heeled black sued shoes with platinum decorations on. To match there was a small handbag in harmony with my shoes.
     When Alex entered the office, Nick and I were having such a lively discussion of the details of our advertising campaign that we didn't notice him. My new contract was beyond my expectations several times! Alex was dumb-founded. The only thing he could do was to come up to me and kiss me. His hot lips didn't miss a single cm on my face and neck. One hand was around my waist, the other was caressing the back of my short cut head. Christ! That was terrific! I have never experience such bliss. I was in the seventh heaven!
     And at home! We had a second honeymoon. It was heaven! The greater parts of our weekends we spent in love game caressing each other. There wasn't a single place in the house where we didn't make love! Alex couldn't wait 5 minutes so as not to touch and kiss the shaved neck of my shorn head. I didn't imagine that a short haircut could be so erotic and stimulating. If I knew that I would have told "damn" to my splendid tresses and had them cut every week!
     Several days later my new contract started. They made me sit in the barber chair and the rest of my hair was removed with the help of Oysters. After shaving my head clean they took me to the pavilion. We were to advertise hair growth remedies: shampoos, balms, special mixtures. Over a month I was smoothly shaven, then I started growing my hair. Alex couldn't stop complaining about it. He managed to persuade Nick to introduce some changes into my contract. Now I was allowed after a year to wear any hair style, to my discretion. Thus, next summer Alex will take the clippers into his hands and my locks will be on the floor once again.

     In the meantime, our business is soaring. Everywhere on advertising screens you can see my photos and read: "Ani is using the products of our company. How quickly does Ani's hair grow!" "Would you like to have Ani's gorgeous hair? Grow your hair together with Ani!" In one moment I became one of the most famous and highly paid models! I had to turn down the endless offers every day. My bank account was growing in geometrical progression.
     Now I'm convinced that the ill fated September 13-th has become one of the luckiest day in my life!

( Copyright © 1999-2012. "September, 13-th" by Selena )