entire head with。 It might leave weird red track marks all over his skull； or shave his head
unevenly so that it looked like his hair had been eaten rather than cut。
Sure he wanted to look hard…core； but not chewed…head hard…core。
He debated whether or not to continue。 If he stopped now； the shaved parts could be pletely
concealed by the rest of his hair until he bent over； and then； voila… a shaved neck。 It was kinda
cool knowing the shaved part was there without being able to see it。 Then again； an unnoticeable
hair…cut wasn't exactly the look he was going for。
He put the beard trimmer down； propped a Camel between his lips； and reached for Jenny's phone。
If there was one person who knew anything about shaving heads； it was Vanessa。 She'd kept her
own head shaved sine the ninth grade； and； shunning the expensive salons like Frederic Fekkai
and Elizabeth Arden's Red Door that her coiffed classmates frequented； insisted on shaving it
herself。 Secretly he's always thought she looked prettier with a little more hair； but she obviously
thought she looked great bald； he wasn't about to say anything。
〃If this is about the apartment…share； I will be calling you once I've reviewed your online
application；〃 Vanessa said robotically when she picked up。
〃Hey； it's me； Dan；〃 Dan responded brightly。 〃What's up？〃
Vanessa didn't answer right away。 She wanted to give Dan space to grow and blossom into the
next Kurt Cobain or John Keats or whatever the fuck he weanted to be； but breaking up with her
and kicking him out of her apartment hadn't been exactly been easy for her。 The casual
lets…be…friends tone in Dan's voice made her heart feel like a deflated balloon。
〃I'm kind of busy actually。〃 She typed a bunch of nonsense into her puter to make it sound
like she was drastically preoccupied。 〃I have a lot of applications to go through… for the new
roommate… you know？〃
〃Oh。〃 Dan hadn't been aware that Vanessa was looking for a roommate。 Then again； with her older
sister Ruby gone on tour with her band； it would be kind of lonely and boring living all alone in
the apartment； especially without him to keep her pany。
For a fleeting moment Dan was so overe with regret he felt like grabbing a pen and writing a
tragic breakup poem using the words cut or shaved； but then his newly shorn neck began to burn
and prickle； and he remembered why he'd called Vanessa in the first place。
〃I just had a quick question。〃 He took several quick puffs of his cigarette and then absentmindedly
dropped it into a vase of daisies wilting on Jenny's desk。 〃You know when you shave your head？
Is there like； a certain kind of razor you use？ Like a certain blade？〃
Vanessa's first impulse was to warn him that with a shaved head he'd look like a skinny
seven…year…old leukemia patient who'd just been through chemo； but she was tired of protecting
him from his own mistakes； especially now that they were 〃just friends。〃 〃Wahl blade number ten。
Look； I gotta go。〃
Dan picked up his beard trimmer。 It was from CVS and didn't have a blade size。 Maybe he'd be
better going to a barber。 〃Okay。 See you at my gig tomorrow night though； right？〃
〃Maybe；〃 Vanessa replied breezily。 〃If I get this roommate thing figured out。 Gotta go。 'Bye！〃
Dan hung up and picked up the beard trimmer once more。 〃Crack me like an egg！〃 he shouted；
holding it in front of his chin like a microphone。 He whipped off his t…shirt and struck out his pale；
skinny gut； trying to look saucily bored and rebellious； like a shorter； thinner； less…fucked…up Jim
Morrison。 〃Crack me like an egg！〃 he wailed； falling on his knees。
His dad； Rufus； suddenly appeared in the doorway； wearing a cigarette burned gray Old Navy
sweatshirt and the pink terrycloth headband that Jenny used to keep her hair back hen she washed
her face。 〃Good thing your sister's too busy to hang out with us after school anymore。 She might
not be too thrilled to find you stripping in her room；〃 he mented。
〃I'm rehearsing。〃 Dan rose to his feet with as much dignity as he could muster。 〃Do you mind？〃
〃Go right ahead。〃 Rufus stood in the doorway； scratching his chest fingering the unfiltered Camel
tucked behind his left ear。 He was a work…at…home single dad； the editor of lesser…known Beat
poets and esoteric writers no one had ever heard of。 〃I think if you put the emphasis on every other
word； it might be more effective/〃
Dan cocked his head and handed Rufus the beard trimmer。 〃Show me。〃
Rufus Grinned。 〃Okay but I'm not taking my shirt off。〃
Thank the Lord。
He held the beard trimmer away from his face as if worried that it might turn on by itself and buzz
off his famously unkempt beard。 〃Crack Me like an Egg！〃 he howled； his brown eyes gleaming。
He handed the trimmer。 〃Try it。〃
Of course Dan's dad had sounded just exactly the way Dan wanted to sound。 He tossed the
trimmer on to Jenny's bed and pulled his shirt back on。 〃I have homework to do；〃 he grumbled。
Rufus shrugged his shoulders。 〃Okay； I'll leave you alone。〃 He winked at his son。 〃Decide where
you want to go next year yet？〃
〃No；〃 Dan answered hollowly； then shuffled out of Jenny's roomand back into his own。 His dad
was so gung…ho about the whole college thing； it was seriously annoying。
〃Columbia's close！〃 Rufus called after him。 〃You could live at home！〃
As if he hadn't already mentioned that a thousand times。
Alone in his room； Dan found a rubber band in his desk drawer and tied his hair up into a stubbly
ponytail； leaving the shaved part exposed。 He picked up the beard trimmer again。 〃Crack Me like
and Egg！〃 he whispered； imitating his father as best as he could。 He grimaced。 There just wasn't
ebough gristle in his voice to sound convincing。
Trading the trimmer for the pile of college catalogs he'd been thumbing through for the past three
months； he flopped don on his bed。 Only one more week to choose between NYU； Brown； Colby
or Evergreen。 He flipped to a picture of a tweedy； intellectual…looking Brown student； his back
propped against the trunk of agiant elm tree； scribbling away in a notebook like a young Keats。 He
looked exactly as Dan had envisioned he'd look himself next year… before he'd been discovered by
the Raves and before he'd just shaved the back of his head。
He ran his finger over the shaved part of his head and glanced down at his outfit。 He'd have to go
shopping； because none of his clothes went with his hair anymore。
And you thought that was something only girls worry about。
If only Jenny were there to help out； Dan thought grimly。 But his little sister was too busy being a
supermodel to go through his closet with him and tell him what was lame and what was acceptable。
Dan picked up a cup of Folgers instant coffee that had been cooling on the floor since that
morning and took a sip。 He grimaced at his reflection in the mirror； and for an instant he could
almost envision himself up on stage； giving the audience the same annoyed； pissed…off grimace。
Maybe； just maybe he could pull this off； without his sister's help。
Or maybe not。
V TAKES THE ROO