It was Saturday. Seema and I tiered from office stress and planned to rest the whole day. No plans to go out to visit friends or such. I was lying on the Sofa reading, and She was searching for something in the cabinet. After a few minutes, she stopped. It seems she found it. Then she sat on the bed and started reading the book. The book looked old. Maybe it was from the time of her college. I went in and asked her,
"What is that?"
She looked at me and gave me a seductive smile. She said it was a storybook. She and her friend Priya used to write their fantasy into this book in the form of stories. I asked her If I could read it. On which she replied,
"Sure, but I doubt you will understand."
My left eyebrow raised with curiosity and, then I took the book from her hand. She was correct. It was written in her regional language which didn't know to read, write or understand. I returned her book and went back to the living room. After some time she came and told me that she wants to visit a village nearby. She had lots of memories of that place. I stared at her and said,
“You planned to rest this weekend and now you are changing it.”
She said with a convincing voice, “I know but, I want to go. Please… Please.”
It is hard to say no after looking at those brown eyes. I agreed and we got ready. The village was not too far. It hardly took 2 hours to reach there. We parked our car at the lodge and started exploring the places on foot. She was telling me about the places and her memories. While exploring we reached one place. It was a kind of religious place. People were carrying flowers, Coconuts, and other stuff. I asked Seema,
“Is it a temple?”
She didn’t reply, I again asked her. This time she reacted as if she was in deep thinking and I awoke her. She said,
“Yes, it is. Why don’t you pray for your promotion?”
I laughed and told her, “Ok, let's go.”
I saw a big smile on her face and a strange look in her eyes. She said,
“Really? you want to pray.”
I don’t know what kind of question was that what is there to think so much for praying.
I said, “yes.”
Then she took me to the room next to the temple. It was a big hall. The crowd was less. She told me,
“You have to cut your hair before going in.”
I was a little confused hearing that. I never heard something like this before. I said, “Why? Is it necessary?”
She said, “yes, how can you ask for something without offering.”
She was correct. It was just a haircut so agreed. We went in and she took me to one lady sitting on the bench. Seema told her something in a different language. I couldn’t understand a word they spoke. While talking to Seema that lady was looking at me and smiling. I don’t know why she was doing it so I also smiled back so that she doesn’t feel bad. After discussing with Seema, she said something to me, but I couldn’t understand so, I looked at Seema. Seema said,”
“She is asking you to sit in front of her”. I sat down. Then that lady started spraying water on my hair. Meanwhile, Seema came to me and covered me with her scarf. I asked her,
” Why this scarf for a little haircut?”
She said,
“Sit quietly.”
Now that lady bent my head and started spraying water on the back of my head. While doing that she was talking to Seema and laughing but, I didn’t understand a word they spoke. Then that lady stopped and Seema asked me to stay still don’t lift my head. I was sitting there with my head down. Now that lady again placed her hand on my head and started setting my hair backward and in the front. Then after a pause of 2 to 3 seconds, I felt something different in the center of my head. It was like something is scraping my scalp. It happened and again and this time was bigger than before. After a few strokes, a big pile of hair fall on the ground in front of my eyes. I knew that My head is getting shaved. In the same position, I asked Seema,
“Is she shaving my head?”
Seema laughed loudly and replied,
“Yes, she is.”
I asked her, “Why did you do this to me?”
Seema slowly stopped laughing and said, “
“Come on. Don’t be a baby. It's just a headshave. Trust me after getting your head shave you will look more handsome.”
I didn’t know what to tell her so I kept quiet and got my head shaved. The razor was moving very swiftly and my hair was falling like crazy. Within a few minutes, she Shaved my head from the front, and then from the center, she started shaving toward the back. Now I knew why Seema wrapped me in her scarf. The shaved hair was still falling on my shoulder and then on the ground. A few minutes back the floor was so clean and it is completely covered in my shaved hair. After shaving my head completely, she ran the razor again on the back of my head, and then she made me lookup. Before she could shave my head from the top, she started laughing and even Seema couldn’t hold herself and she joined her laugh too. I was feeling so embarrassed that I can’t even look at that lady’s face. After a few seconds, she placed her hand on my shaved head and started shaving it again. She was making my shaved head smoother. After shaving and smoothing, she folded her straight razor and told Seema something. I guess she said that he's completely bald now.
Seema said,
“Get up. There is no hair on your head to shave.”
I got up and started cleaning myself. While cleaning the barber lady came started applying Sandel wood past on my shaved head. I don’t know what was doing so asked her to stop. Seema quickly said,
“She is applying Sandel past. This is good for your shaved head.”
After applying the past, Seema and I went to pray. After praying we came back to the lodge got fresh and headed back to our home. I was quiet this whole time. Seema started noticing this and said,
“Why are you so quiet? Say something”
I remain mute. Then she placed her hand on my shoulder and said,
“I always wanted to see you in bald look and I know it wouldn’t have agreed.”
Then from my shoulder, she took her hand and placed it on my shaved head, and started rubbing it. It was feeling good but, I don’t want her to know that so I remained silent. After reaching home, Seema got busy preparing dinner and I was continued reading my unfinished novel. Soon dinner was ready. Seema and I had dinner. I was in the kitchen doing dishes when Seema came from the back and hugged and said sorry. I stopped and turned toward her. Seema had some magic in her eyes. I looked into her eyes and smiled and kissed her forehead. Soon I cleaned the dishes and went to Seema. She was sitting on the chair waving an oil bottle. I went to her and sat down and laid my head on her lap. First Seema ran both hands all over my shaved head and took some oil and started massaging it. That day was the most relaxing Saturday I ever had.
