The first and only haircut I have given was to my mother, and because we were both nervous I took my time setting up a single-seat beauty parlor in her room at the hospital in Las Cruces, New Mexico. First, I settled her in a chair by the window where the light was good, and handed her a mirror so she could supervise my work. Then I arranged my tools. The Walmart barber’s kit came with scissors, electric clippers with attachments for varying lengths, a dozen cheap combs, and a nylon cape to...
