[ WP ] A man is secretly in love with his barber . He begins to bald .

You get a lot for twenty dollars and a tip. 
 Happened last June or so. I was new in town and the wife was starting to make comments about the hair so I went out looking for a barber. Found one, and did n't think too much of it, made pleasantries and sat down in the chair he directed me to. But there's something oddly intimate about getting your hair cut is n't there. As he first raised my hair to comb he must've activated some sort of strange neuron up there because I realized that I was in love. With him! Or something like that. 
 
 Anyways I kept going to the same place. Started to develop a parlance with him, got to know him better. Father of two kids apparently. I have none of my own, but there's been discussion... He started to regularly comment on the state of my beard, like `` I could fix that up for you if you like'', but I kind of enjoyed the unkempt nature of it, it was back when everyone was doing the mountain-man craze so I felt pretty vindicated of it. Plus the wife liked it. Or so she said. 
 
 Well, one day he stopped mid-cut and I feared the worst: I had lice. The thought of it made me rather self-conscious and I found it difficult to ask him what was wrong, him being a professional and all. But I found the courage and he replied that I was balding. I did n't say anything to that. He apologized even though it was n't his fault. 
 
 Since then, I've grown completely bald. I've looked into hair transplants and everything, but the technology does n't seem worth it yet. One day, as I lay balding, I decided to go back to the barbershop. Even shaved my beard. The shaving cream can said something about gentle strokes; I took it as advice for the day. I walked into the barbershop and when he noticed me, his face brightened. He said, `` New customer?''. I did n't take it too personally though, he being a professional and all. He only saw the hair. I excused myself. 
 
 I have n't made any such attempts to get in contact with him since. But these days I notice hair on other people a lot more. But it's not the long haired fools that I am jealous of. No, it's the short haired ones that are lucky, because they know what love feels like.
