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

Her name was Alice, and I only knew that because that's what the other barbers always called her. It might've not even been her real name, but it was a pretty name, and that suited her really well. She had long black hair, always pulled up neatly behind her head. Her makeup was always done so perfectly, and though I did n't know much about makeup, I could tell that she was very careful with hers. 
 
 She was just as careful with my hair. I always got the same haircut, mostly because I did n't know what else would look good on me. And she did it the same way every time, never even getting close to cutting me. I could tell that she was the type of person who did n't like change. She wanted everything to be the same in her own orderly way. 
 
 We made small talk as she did her work, me watching her focused eyes and careful fingers. She was younger than I was, that part was obvious, but it was n't all that difficult to come up with things to say. She was nice, and even if she hated me, I knew she would n't show it. 
 
 I wanted more than anything to see her outside of her workplace, to see her with her hair down, to see her not worrying about being so careful. But how could I ever accomplish that? How could she ever want to be with someone like me? 
 
 Alice was young while I was old, and beautiful while I was not, and despite her niceness, she was most likely not afraid to turn someone down. 
 
 So instead of making any action to try and get closer to her, I just got my usual haircut every few months and only ever touched her soft skin in my dreams. 
 
 But one morning as I looked with horror in my bathroom mirror, I realized that even that would n't be possible soon. I was starting to bald, and eventually, I would have no reason to go to the barber. No reason to see my secret love. 
 
 I thought of my possible solutions; I thought of getting hair-growing pills and hair-growing lotions and all the other chemicals that could put hair back on my head. The ideas relaxed me, reassuring me that it would all be normal soon. 
 
 -- -- 
 
 I headed to the store, trying not to worry. *What if I wo n't be able to see her again? * 
 
 I thought of myself passing by the barbershop window, not being able to go in, and only being able to see her from outside the glass. I thought of never being able to watch her careful hands and hear her soft voice and watch her hair sway gently from behind her head as she moved and -- - 
 
 *Wham! * 
 
 I was so lost in thought that I had slammed my car into something. It rolled up the windshield with the impact and then fell back onto the ground. I slammed on my breaks, more panicked than I'd ever been before. Putting my car into park, I hopped out quickly to see what I hit and what damage I did to my car. 
 
 My heart broke in two as I saw what I had hit. 
 
 `` Alice,'' I cried weakly. 
 
 -- -- 
 
 My hair fell from my head slowly... gently... never needing attention from careful fingers again.
