I spend a lot of time on Central Avenue in downtown Belton. Jalisco’s has some of the best breakfast tacos around. The AutoZone is right next door so I can get oil filters for my tractor, mower or 77 GMC. Most of the time I go downtown to get a haircut. I’ve been going to the same place for nearly 8 years and refer to the place as “high and tight”. This is the only type of haircut they do. I went there this week and when I walk in, I sit down in the chair and wait my turn. The Rifleman was on the small TV hanging in the corner of the shop. The episode was the one where the Japanese nobleman and his servant come to the west to learn their ways and become victims of racism. The rifleman must step in and defend the Japanese nobleman and his servant.
At one point High and Tight had three working stations with Paul, Gilbert and Marta. Gilbert died and Marta experienced a death that made her retire. I’m pretty sure that’s correct. Anyhow, only Paul is left. Paul is very old and I don’t know what I’m going to do when Paul retires. I’ll probably just start cutting my hair myself. If Paul goes on vacation or needs to run errands he shuts the shop down. You can show up on a Thursday afternoon and there may be a note on the door that says, “Back tomorrow.” I’m okay with that. I’ve never needed a haircut so bad that I couldn’t wait a day or three.
When it was my turn to get a haircut, I sat down in the chair and didn’t say a word. Paul cut my hair in silence while I watched The Rifleman. As he was finishing up, he decided to put hairspray in my hair. He’s never done this before, but felt like it needed it, I guess. I walked next door to the meat market and got a pound of bacon and two steaks to take to the deer lease this weekend.
As I walked back to my truck I looked at the non-denominational ATM drive-thru and decided it was worth taking a photo of. This was the most interesting thing that happened to me on this day.
Well, I did find a chicken with its head eaten off earlier that morning. I just threw it out into the woods and went back to doing my chores.