Torquemada in chair #2

Samson desperately needed a haircut, so this morning I bundled him and Jane out into the cold for a trip to see Mr. Garry (two Rs, just like Garry Moore, the Carol Burnett show impresario; for all I know, they could be the same guy).

Anyway, we get there around 10:15, and there is, as usual for a Saturday, a line of kids waiting to see the two barbers who specialize in cutting kids' hair. We give Ms. Annette a wave, but we're looking for Mr. Garry. No dice. Apparently his mother-in-law died, and he was attending her funeral.

This news caused at least two or three families who arrived after us to skip the visit altogether. I just figured we'd wait and see who we got. Turns out, we got the owner, Chuck, who is the guy I go to. Nice guy. Old school. Not a real talker. Which is fine, as my haircuts usually take about 10 minutes and so don't require much more conversational effort than weather and sports scores.

I can only assume he thought he was getting the same deal with my son.

He was not.

Jane and I hung out eating lollipops and looking at Highlights Magazine while Samson had more of a conversation with this man than I have had in five years of sitting in his chair.

I'm not saying they discussed the federal bailout plan or anything, but I had no idea that Mr. Chuck kept different scissors for different kinds of hair. Nor had I ever seen the sharpening wheel that is kept over by chair #4 (most recently held by Wayne, whom I'm ashamed to say I never went to because he only had one eye, and, while I don't really have a hairstyle, per se, that was a greater leap of faith than I was willing to take).

Samson told him about school and asked if he liked Power Rangers; he told him about being a big brother to Jane and --- this was my favorite part --- when Chuck pointed to the buzzer and made a comment about fuzz, Samson informed him that he enjoyed digging fuzz from his toes. I only heard that part but wish I could have seen the look on Chuck's face.

That child never ceases to amaze me.

And he couldn't wait to get home and tell Vicki that he'd had his hair cut by the grown-up barber.