Season 2021-22 Opinion Talking Points

Ken’s Californian Haircut

My Californian brother-in-law needed a haircut. He phoned his usual barber in Arcadia, California, who told him he was too busy over the weekend, but if in a hurry he was welcome to use one of the other stylists.

Ken took him up on the offer and arrived at the premises to find it was hectic. All the barbers were hard at it, but Edgar (who’d been lined up for our Ken) told him to take a seat as he wouldn’t be too long.

The salon was large and at the far end was a kid kicking a football, but stopping every now and then to take up a broom and sweep the cut hair (mostly grey, said Ken) out of the emergency door. Between clients, the kid carried on working on his football skills, juggling the ball or hitting it hard against the salon wall.

A few minutes elapsed and then Ken was called to sit down. Edgar started to work on his hair… well, to be exact, he started to work on one side of Ken’s head. My brother-in-law watched his reflection lose almost all the hair beyond the parting. The barber seemed nervous, and Ken was no better, as it was 45 minutes since he’d sat down, only to have one side of his head nearly shaved down to the skin.

In the chatter that developed, it turned out that the barber had learnt his trade in the navy, a detail that just increased Ken’s concern. All the time the barber worked, other clients came and went, and the kid was either brushing up the hair or volleying his football.

At last, Edgar switched to the other side of Ken’s head.

Almost in relief, Ken started up a conversation about the kid’s skills at sweeping up, and of course, adeptly juggling the football. This was right up Edgar’s street. He got going on this one too, saying how much the barbering team liked ‘soccer’.

“LA Galaxy?” asked our Ken, “Or one of the other MLS sides?”

“Oh no, we're into European soccer,” said Edgar.

Ken did another quick scan of the stylist staff, wondering if the background Spanish chatter which he’d heard whilst he was sat there meant that maybe they followed Real Madrid or Barcelona? Or possibly PSG or Lyon from France?

“No,” said Edgar, and pointed down the salon beyond the kid, to a blue and white shirt proudly framed on the wall.

“We all follow Everton.”

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