I went to the salon the other day for the first time since coming back to Kampala from Dar-es-salaam and my barber was happy to see me again. You see, the relationship I have with my barber is even stronger than the one I am currently in with my girlfriend. If it’s even a relationship(but that’ll be a story for another day). You can read about how we(me and my barber) almost broke up here.
There's nothing better than going to the salon and not having to explain to the barber what kind of haircut you want in your head every time you’re there. You just sit in the chair and he does his thing and it always comes out exactly how you want it.
That wasn't the case when I went to the sandy coastal city of Tanzania. First of all, I had a problem of language barrier. Yes I knew a few words in Swahili but I couldn't perfectly elaborate on how I want my hair to be shaved. He couldn't speak English either as we all know, English isn't their preferred language of communication.
When we failed to understand each other, I ended up pointing on one image of a man with a great haircut, you know those haircut charts they always put in their salons, that have Will Smith, a younger Chris Brown with a great hairline and Ludacris.
Even so, I didn't get exactly what I wanted. I also felt like I was cheating on my barber back in Kampala.
I left the salon a broken man. You know how you can cheat on your partner but you leave your side dish's house disappointed because they weren't all that you had expected? No you don't know because you beautiful people don't cheat. I also don't know because I don't cheat either, but we can imagine that kind of feeling. It's terrible, filled with regret and guilt.
So when I entered my barber’s salon here a few days ago, he welcomed me with a smile so big like a father welcoming home a son who had gone astray. He told me to wait on him because he was working on another customer already.
A few minutes later, my turn came and when I sat in the chair, he asked how life is and work and everything else as he wrapped a clean cloth around me, a bit tighter on my neck so I had to tell him to loosen it a bit.
He asked, “Still our old haircut or you adopted a new one?” I liked the fact that he referred to my haircut as ‘our' haircut. He obviously had a different haircut but you get the point! So I replied, “Yes, exactly that one.” And he got to work.
Halfway through, he couldn’t help but ask what felt like a burning question, the one he had wanted to ask ever since I stepped foot into the salon, “Aye man, you’ve been a way for quite some time, I thought you had found a better salon.” And there it was. Yes there are way better salons around town but no, I don’t go around giving my head to just about anybody. OK that didn’t come out right! Aha. I mean, I chose him because he knows how to handle me, he knows what I like, he understands me, and even better, he fits perfectly in my budget, so well that on some good days, I tip him.
So after a laughter that made him pause a little because my head was shaking, I replied, “No man! I didn’t find a better salon. Ok I see better salons around but I didn’t find a better barber. I had travelled. Just got back about a month ago.”
To which he replied, “Oh I see. Glad to have you back.” After a few minutes, he was done and yes, it was a perfect cut. I paid and left a happy man.
And then it hit me! Most times we mess up good relationships because we keep on searching for better. It’s true, there’s better. There will always be better. But if you find someone that understands you, someone that takes their time to know you, someone that knows what makes you happy, and what you like, please hold on to that person.
You’ll see a better face tomorrow but you may not have a connection. You’ll want a clean shave but she’ll give you a Mohawk. You’ll like to have braids someday but all he’ll want is an afro. You'll want to ride in his Ford Mustang but you may find ridiculous rules like taking off your shoes first, and your dignity, and your peace of mind, and etc.
I don’t know much about relationships but I know they last longer when you all want the same things, find excitement from the same things and have a real bond, a mutual understanding of each other, the way my barber understands me.
There's nothing better than going to the salon and not having to explain to the barber what kind of haircut you want in your head every time you’re there. You just sit in the chair and he does his thing and it always comes out exactly how you want it.
That wasn't the case when I went to the sandy coastal city of Tanzania. First of all, I had a problem of language barrier. Yes I knew a few words in Swahili but I couldn't perfectly elaborate on how I want my hair to be shaved. He couldn't speak English either as we all know, English isn't their preferred language of communication.
When we failed to understand each other, I ended up pointing on one image of a man with a great haircut, you know those haircut charts they always put in their salons, that have Will Smith, a younger Chris Brown with a great hairline and Ludacris.
Even so, I didn't get exactly what I wanted. I also felt like I was cheating on my barber back in Kampala.
I left the salon a broken man. You know how you can cheat on your partner but you leave your side dish's house disappointed because they weren't all that you had expected? No you don't know because you beautiful people don't cheat. I also don't know because I don't cheat either, but we can imagine that kind of feeling. It's terrible, filled with regret and guilt.
So when I entered my barber’s salon here a few days ago, he welcomed me with a smile so big like a father welcoming home a son who had gone astray. He told me to wait on him because he was working on another customer already.
A few minutes later, my turn came and when I sat in the chair, he asked how life is and work and everything else as he wrapped a clean cloth around me, a bit tighter on my neck so I had to tell him to loosen it a bit.
He asked, “Still our old haircut or you adopted a new one?” I liked the fact that he referred to my haircut as ‘our' haircut. He obviously had a different haircut but you get the point! So I replied, “Yes, exactly that one.” And he got to work.
Halfway through, he couldn’t help but ask what felt like a burning question, the one he had wanted to ask ever since I stepped foot into the salon, “Aye man, you’ve been a way for quite some time, I thought you had found a better salon.” And there it was. Yes there are way better salons around town but no, I don’t go around giving my head to just about anybody. OK that didn’t come out right! Aha. I mean, I chose him because he knows how to handle me, he knows what I like, he understands me, and even better, he fits perfectly in my budget, so well that on some good days, I tip him.
So after a laughter that made him pause a little because my head was shaking, I replied, “No man! I didn’t find a better salon. Ok I see better salons around but I didn’t find a better barber. I had travelled. Just got back about a month ago.”
To which he replied, “Oh I see. Glad to have you back.” After a few minutes, he was done and yes, it was a perfect cut. I paid and left a happy man.
And then it hit me! Most times we mess up good relationships because we keep on searching for better. It’s true, there’s better. There will always be better. But if you find someone that understands you, someone that takes their time to know you, someone that knows what makes you happy, and what you like, please hold on to that person.
You’ll see a better face tomorrow but you may not have a connection. You’ll want a clean shave but she’ll give you a Mohawk. You’ll like to have braids someday but all he’ll want is an afro. You'll want to ride in his Ford Mustang but you may find ridiculous rules like taking off your shoes first, and your dignity, and your peace of mind, and etc.
I don’t know much about relationships but I know they last longer when you all want the same things, find excitement from the same things and have a real bond, a mutual understanding of each other, the way my barber understands me.
Now that's writing.
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