Tryst with the Italian Barber

On the eve of my birthday, I happened to find myself wandering through the streets of Seattle. Situated on the north western edge of the United States, Seattle is a modern metropolis that has managed to retain its old coastal charm. In fact, it is a blend of opposites - sleepy yet vibrant, modern yet traditional, commercial yet cultural. And on that pleasant sunny evening, I found myself navigating through the steep downhill roads that led from downtown towards the Pacific coast*.

As I walked and half-trotted down the steep road, I saw my reflection on the glass windows of a boutique store. My reflection looked back at me and seemed to shout out in rage : "Dude, it looks as if you've got a nest up there, on top of your head. For heaven's sake, at least for once try to look neat and smart. Tomorrow is a big day!" **

So instead of continuing with my mindless jaywalking, I decided to find myself a barber who could give me that nice corporate look. And after a good half an hour of exploration, I entered Luca's barber shop (name changed). The barber shop was inside an old rickety looking building, a complete contrast to the glass megastructures that stood a couple of hundred meters away. As I was contemplating on whether to go in or not, a big booming voice caught me by surprise, "Hello there! Welcome to Luca's Barber Shop!"

Luca was a man in his late forties with crisp short hair, horn rimmed spectacles and wide friendly smile. I stepped inside the shop. "What can I do for you, today?" He spoke in a thick accent. I presumed he was Italian, because of his name and how his accent seemed to remind me of Marlon Brando's role as Vito Corleone.

"I need a haircut." I replied back gingerly.

"Then you have come to right place! Come have a seat. I’m Luca."

“I’m Sri.” I shook his extended hand.

Luca was a very talkative chap and kept on talking while he trimmed my hair.
"So, what brings you here to Seattle?" he asked as snipped away with his scissors.

"What makes you think that I don't live here in Seattle?" I gave a mischievous retort.

"I can tell, man! I've been running this shop for 10 years. I've met a lot of people and talked to a lot them!" I saw him smiling back from his reflection on the mirror.

"Does that mean that only tourists come to your barber shop?"

"Ha! You're a funny guy. It is easy to spot tourists by the way they talk and move around."

Well, I guess he was true to some extent. Tourists do stand out, for they betray their sense of unfamiliarity by their body language. But then again, Luca could be just making an educated guess.

"I'm here for an interview." I replied.

"Aah. Microsoft?" Luca inquired.

"Bingo! How did you guess?"

“Microsoft is huge man! They got so many people working here.” He pointed his scissors and looked at me through the mirror, “and a lotta them from your country. It's like you guys are born with computers man!” He gave a hearty laugh.

I simply smiled and nodded.

Luca continued, “Good thing, you came to me man!” He stepped forward and opened his drawer.

“Why is that?” I frowned as he picked up another pair of scissors and slotted them through his fingers.

“You need to look like a geek man and not like a hippie, if you want to make a good impression.”

“You bet!” I replied.

And after a few more minutes of scissor work, Luca was done.

“Everything good?” He asked as he held a mirror to the back of my head.

“Yup. I guess so.” I replied with satisfaction.

“You look good man. Those nerdy chicks are gonna dig you.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Yeah! You got plenty of them nerdy chicks here in Seattle. All the best for your interview man!”

I thanked him and handed him the money. As I was about to leave the shop, Luca interrupted, “Hey Sri!”

I turned around thinking that I might have left something back at the shop.

“Don’t forget to bang one of those nerdy chicks after your interview.” He winked.

I smiled, shook my head and walked out of the shop.

* I was walking from the City centre towards Pike Place Market.

** I had an interview for an internship position with Microsoft, the next day.