Storymania - Look Beyond The Surface by Matt D Schumacker

Look Beyond The Surface
Matt D Schumacker

Look Beyond The Surface
Matt Schumacker
He stepped off the bus, bundled up in his wool overcoat and hat, surrounded
by his steamy breath that penetrated the cool, crisp air. As the
bus drove away, Joe stood still, slouching on the corner of the sidewalk,
gazing into his father’s shop. The chipped red letters painted on the
large glass window read Charlie’s Barber. His father, Charlie, had owned
the shop for almost twenty-?ve years.
Joe waited for a second, then sighed a deep breath and walked through
the doorway. Just inside the door he hesitated a little, anticipating the
old rusty jingle of the bell on top of the door, which had been there since
the shop opened. Mr. Henderson and two other regulars were, as always,
sitting in the same leather chairs at the front of the shop that they sat in
everyday. They always went to the shop whether they needed a trim or
not. Joe’s father was talking about the Celtics with one of his regulars.
Eddy was trying to ignore the unnecessary advice of another customer
who always found something wrong with his work. The shop seemed to
be in its usual state.
When the door opened, the bitter cold air collided with the warm
atmosphere of the shop. A sign that read No Rap Music greeted Joe as he
strolled through the doorway, heading for the back room.
“Close that door boy. What do you think, this heating bill pays itself?
Shoot. Back in the day…” Eddy was cut off in the middle of his thought.
“Yeah, yeah, back in your day… you didn’t even have heat, and if you
did, you had to make it yourself,” Joe butted in. He had heard the story
a million times before, and knew it was coming every time he went into
the shop.
“You’re darn right I had to make it myself, and it was hard work. But it
taught me what working for something really meant. It gave me a sense
of pride when I was done, too,” Eddy said in response. “That’s the difference
between your generation and old school fellas like me. You kids
don’t appreciate the things you are blessed with,” Eddy could have kept
going on and on about the difference between his generation and today’s
generation if someone hadn’t interrupted the conversation.
That’s how conversations went at the shop: everybody had something
to say about everything, and nobody could wait to share it. Someone
was always talking over someone else, and almost every opinion expressed
in the shop was challenged by a counter opinion. Joe said hello
to his dad, and then slipped into the back room to start his homework.
He stayed at the shop until six o’clock when his father closed things
down. In the car on the way home, Charlie asked his son how school
went, and if he got all his homework done.
“It was ?ne. And yes, I got everything done,” Joe replied.
“That’s great. Then you’ll have time to relax tonight,” Joe’s father said.
“It was another good day at work,” Charlie said with a smile. “That old
Eddy, he’s a real jokester.”
“Yeah, he’s hilarious,” Joe said somewhat sarcastically. “So dad… how
many customers came in today?” Joe inquired.
“Maybe six or seven.”
“That’s like 45 bucks plus tips, right?”
“Well… Mr. Henderson only got a little trim around the ears, so I didn’t
charge him anything. And one of my regular youngsters came in today
as well, and I didn’t charge him either.”
“Why not?” Joe asked in a testy sort of tone.
“Joe, it isn’t about making as much money as possible everyday,” their
regular argument about money would soon begin.
“Yeah, but there were two opportunities to make a few more dollars.
You let them go. You passed them up, dad.”
“I didn’t pass anything up. I enjoy what I do. I enjoy the people I work
with. If my goal in life was to make money, then I wouldn’t have spent
the past twenty years being a barber.”
Charlie turned the corner and eased into the driveway. His eyes,
normally bold and full of color, now seemed blank. His chin was red,
irritated by the constant rubbing of his hand as his thoughts circulated
through his head. The unusual shifting of his lower back in the seat
cushion and the heavy air that shot from his nose revealed his disappointment.
His son had been blinded by the world’s desire for material
wealth. He only saw the material value of the shop, and not the true
beauty and richness that lay within it.
. . .
An obnoxious beeping sound spread throughout the room, attacking
Joe’s ears. Joe rolled over, only to be greeted by an early wake up call. It
was Saturday, and Joe had to work with his dad at the shop. On Saturday
mornings, it was also Joe’s job to check over the book, which had the
earnings from the past week marked in it.
“Joe!” Charlie’s voice was raspy and softer than usual, as it echoed
from his bedroom when Joe walked past it on the way to the kitchen.
“Yeeaahh,” Joe answered.
“Come here for a second,” Charlie’s voice faded in and out as he
struggled with a stuffy nose and a scratchy cough.
“What’s up?” Joe said as he walked into his father’s room. “You’re still
in bed?” Joe asked as he pulled up the shades.
“Ahh,” Charlie groaned as the early morning sunlight hit his face.
“Sorry,” Joe said. “You’d better hurry up dad. We’re gonna be late
opening the shop,” Joe said jokingly.
“I’m not going to the shop today, Joe. I feel horrible. This old body
of mine is starting to catch up to me. You’re going to have to open the
shop alone today. Sorry, pal.”
“It’s alright dad. Are you okay?” Joe asked, a little bit concerned. “Is
your head warm? Do you have a fever?” Joe walked over to the bedside
and covered his father’s forehead with his cool palm.
“I’ll be okay. Your mother is calling the doctor’s of?ce in a little while,
after I get some more sleep. Can you handle the shop alone for an hour
or so until Eddy gets there?” Charlie loved when Joe worked with him at
the shop on Saturdays. Joe knew that his dad had always hoped that his
son would appreciate the shop as much as he did, even if he didn’t end
up owning it.
“Dad, I have everything under control. I promise.”
It was another frigid morning. Joe sat on the frost-covered bench,
hiding underneath the thick layers of winter clothing that protected him
from head to toe as he waited for his bus.
“What the heck am I doing out here?” Joe thought to himself as he
started to doze off. “It’s 7:30 AM on a Saturday morning, and I’m sitting
on a ?ipping ice covered bench in the middle of February.” Joe looked
down at his watch and then looked up; the bus was there.
It felt even colder when he stepped off the bus to go to his father’s
shop. He was trapped in the shadows of the buildings that surrounded
him. The sun didn’t top the buildings near the shop until around ten
o’clock or so, especially in the wintertime. Joe found himself in the same
exact spot as the day before, staring at the faded red lettering painted on
the front window of the shop.
As he opened the door, the bell jingled, welcoming him into he shop.
Joe walked straight into the back room and dropped his stuff on the
?oor. Then, paying no attention to the sign about no rap music, Joe
twisted the stereo knob, and Chris Brown ?lled the front room. “Is your
man on the ?oor… if he ain’t let me know,” Joe sang along with his favorite
rapper. He didn’t hear Eddy come in through the front door and the
loud music hid the familiar jingle of the bell above the door.
“Boy, what the heck do you think you’re doing?” Eddy yelled to compete
with the booming bass. He had to walk over and turn down the
music to be heard. “Joe,” Eddy said with a certain sharpness, “Don’t you
know how to read? No Rap Music.”
“Ahhh, come on Eddy. There’s no one even here.”
“Exactly. If there’s no one here, that means it should be quiet and
peaceful. You know just as well as I do that it’s too early on a Saturday
morning to be listening to some rapper rap about how he got shot nine
times, while the sound of bullet shells hitting the ?oor rings in the background…”
“Yeah, but Eddy, Chris Brown didn’t get shot and he isn’t…”
“I know. Chris Brown isn’t a rapper, and neither is half a dollar,” Eddy
said sarcastically. “I don’t care who’s voice is blaring over the stereo…
if the bass is loud enough to rattle the razors on top of my counter, then
you aren’t going to play it,” Eddy said with a sense of superiority. Eddy
was one of the older employees of the shop and the kind of person who
could make a guy laugh when nobody else could get him to crack a smile.
He was a man of wisdom and knowledge: a people’s person.
“Okay, okay, I’ll turn it off and get the shop ready.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Eddy chuckled as Joe went into the
back room to get the barber jackets.
By 8:15AM, each chair had a jacket draped over the top of it, the ?oors
were sparkly clean, and all the razors and scissors were neatly displayed
on the counter tops. Joe was in the back room reviewing the book
that held every week’s pro?ts and dues. He mumbled the rap songs to
himself that were not allowed in the shop. Little by little, Joe began to
hear the jingle of the old rusty bell, signaling the arrival of the “crew.” By
10:00AM, everyone was at the shop, except Joe’s father.
The customers continued to come in the shop. Although Eddy’s back
was to the door when one man came in, Eddy knew it was Mr. Henderson
who had hobbled into the shop.
“Heeyy, Mr. Henderson. How’s it going?” Eddy asked, happy to have
the company of Mr. Henderson for the morning.
“Now wait a second,” Mr. Henderson demanded as he slowly made his
way into the center of the room.
“What’s on your mind?” Eddy knew he had stumped Mr. Henderson on
this occasion and was trying to soak it up as long as possible.
“You know damn well what’s on my mind. How on earth did you know
it was me who came through that door and not some other guy?”
“Mr. Henderson, although you are not the only person who has
stumbled over that door step while entering the shop, you are the only
person who has stumbled over it every time you come in here. You’re
also just as slow as me coming through that door. I knew it was you.”
“Well then,” Mr. Henderson cleared his throat, “I guess I’m not the
quick and stealth-like man I used to be.”
“Used to be? When? Twenty years ago when you were sneaking
around the kitchen looking for the cookie jar your wife hid from you?”
The whole shop burst out laughing. Even Mr. Henderson cracked a
smile.
“So what brings you in here so early? Did you come to get another
trim, or did you just want to get away from the wife?” Eddy asked.
“Nope, no trim for me, at least not for a while anyway. I thought I’d
come down here and check up on you boys,” Mr. Henderson grinned at
his reply. The day was off to a normal start.
By 3:30 PM, Joe had ?nished reviewing the book and was now rocking
back and forth in the of?ce chair killing time. Meanwhile, their busy
hours had come and gone, and action in the shop would be slow for rest
of the late afternoon. All was quiet except for the low playing classical
music coming from the radio. The front room was like the ocean during
low tide, subtle and undisturbed.
“Hey Joe… come on, get up, let’s go,” Eddy disrupted the silence as he
made his way into the back room.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to get some food. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Thanks,” Joe muttered as he tied his shoelaces. The
two of them ?ipped the sign to “Be back in 30 minutes,” locked the door,
and walked to a small sandwich shop down the street from the barber.
The feeling of his arms touching the cool edge of the table at the
sandwich shop sent chills up Joe’s spine as he sat down in the booth.
“So, why did you want to take me out to lunch?” Joe asked, somewhat
suspicious of Eddy.
“Well, I just ?gured you were hungry. And I knew you would be done
working pretty soon so I thought I’d ask you to come along. Plus, the
shop is dead at this time of the day. It’s good to get out of there every
once in while. Why? Did you think I was up to something?”
“No. I was just a little bit surprised, that’s all,” Joe said as he opened
up the menu.
“Are you gentlemen ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?”
the woman asked politely.
“Do you know what you want, Joe?”
“I’ll have whatever he has,” Joe handed his menu to the server.
“Will that be the usual for you both, Eddy?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’ll be back with your food in a minute,” the server turned around and
disappeared behind the kitchen doors. Joe watched her glide through
the room and past the double doors; it reminded him of the back room in
his father’s barbershop.
“Joe,” Eddy reeled Joe back in from his reveries. “How’s school going?”
“Fine,” Joe stated plainly, still a little confused as to why Eddy invited
him out to lunch.
“Things aren’t too hard? Everything going smoothly?”
“Yep, things are going ?ne.”
“Well, that’s good. My ?rst years of high school were real rough,” Eddy
recalled.
“How do you mean?”
“Well, you know, I didn’t pay much attention in class, I didn’t always
complete my homework, that sort of thing. Things got better, though, in
my Junior and Senior years, but I still didn’t know where I wanted to go
to college, or if I even wanted to go to college at all. I decided to go to a
Junior college for a while, where I studied business and barbering. Then
I met your dad, and everything changed. He told me about how he was
going to open up a barbershop, and convinced me that I should go along
with him.”
“And that’s how you ended up here?” Joe ?nished Eddy’s thought, quietly
presuming that Eddy didn’t have any other choice, and had gotten
stuck at the shop with Joe’s dad.
“Yes, sir.”
“Here you are gentlemen, two patty melts, and two chocolate shakes.”
“Thanks,” Joe and Eddy replied in unison.
“Enjoy your meal. If there’s anything else I can get for you, just let me
know.”
Not one word came from their table for two whole minutes as they
dove into their patty melts. The only sound that came from either of
them was an occasional “ummm,” or “whew,” as they chewed their food.
“Eddy… let me ask you something.”
“Sure. Shoot.”
“Why have you worked at the shop for so long? I mean… I just don’t
understand what makes the shop so enjoyable. You guys work hard everyday,
all day, yet the pro?t is so little. I check the books. I know that
my dad barely pays you anything.” It was the ?rst time that he had so
openly expressed his opinion about the shop.
“Joe,” Eddy had been caught off guard. “It isn’t about the money. If
my goal was to make a lot of money throughout my career, do you think I
would have chosen to stay at the barbershop for so long?”
“Look, Eddy, I know that you and my dad have worked at the shop
through good times and bad times for reasons other than making large
sums of money. What I don’t get is why you chose to work at a place
that makes so little money.”
“Life isn’t about looking for every opportunity to make money, Joe.
At least it shouldn’t be. Knowing your father, I would expect you, of all
people, to know that.”
“Okay, but what about my question?” Joe pressed.
“Life isn’t worth living if you get caught up in material things. Life is
full of so many rich and beautiful pleasures, that for someone to look
past it all because they got caught up in material wealth would just be
criminal. That’s the problem with today’s society, man, everyone gets so
tangled up with money. That’s not where true beauty is.”
“True beauty? What are you talking about?”
“The beauty within the barbershop. If you would just forget about
material wealth and take the time to really look beyond the surface, you
would see the richness within the walls of the shop,” Eddy ?nished off
his thoughts as he got up from his chair and tossed ten bucks onto the
table.
“Where are you going?” Joe asked.
“It’s getting late, and I have to get back to the shop. It’s going to get
busy again in the evening because a lot of the guys in the neighborhood
come in and hang around on Saturdays. I’ll see you Monday at the shop,”
Eddy’s voice trailed off as he turned and strolled out the door.
“Yeah, see ya later.” Joe looked down as he turned back around in the
booth and let out a great sigh. So many thoughts now circulated through
his mind. He raised his head, only to be met by the empty booth space
across from him. Joe sat, staring into a sea of red that covered the
booth’s cushioning, just he and his thoughts.
Much time had passed before Joe ?nally left the sandwich shop. He
put on his big overcoat, and headed out the door. The sun had already
started to set behind the buildings that lined the orange and purple skyline
of his neighborhood.
As he made his way down the sidewalk, Joe kept thinking about what
his father had said to him last night in the car and what Eddy had said
to him today at lunch. Joe had never really thought about it before,
but Eddy was right. Joe saw it all around him, on the television, in the
newspaper, everywhere. His generation’s society had gotten wrapped up
in material wealth.
The shop was now in sight, and Joe could see people walking in. He
walked up to his father’s establishment, and looked through the large
front window, the barber poll turning and turning, the chipped red lettering
staring him in the eye. The shop was full. As Joe gazed through
the window, he was surprised to see his father sitting back in his barber
chair, laughing and talking with some of the guys in the shop. Joe moved
toward the front door of his father’s shop and strolled in. The air that
surrounded him went from bitter cold to warm and comforting, as the
silence that Joe had been walking in turned into cheery conversation.
Everyone yelled at him to get inside and close the door.
“How’s it going Joe?”
“What’s up big fella?”
“Hey. Not much, how ‘bout you guys?” Joe was glad to see the guys
from around the neighborhood. He walked over to one of the empty
barber stools and sat down next to his dad.
“I thought you weren’t coming in today, dad. You were coughing and
snif?ing like crazy this morning.”
“Son, I always feel good when I am at the shop with my friends.
There’s just something warm and comforting about sitting here in my
barber chair surrounded by my buddies. I thought you were going
straight home? I didn’t know you were going to stop in.”
Joe saw the extra spark and liveliness in his father that had not been
there that morning.
“Well, I thought I’d stick around for a while, if that’s cool with you?”
Joe said as he looked around the room and then up at his father.
“It sure is,” Charlie replied, catching the grin on Eddy’s face in the mirror.