Taking One Old Man to Another for a Haircut

I took Pap into the city again to Frank's to get a trim. Disappointed with all the other barbers he's met within 20 miles, he thinks Tony, who is now the only guy working at Frank's, is one of the best barbers around. Pap is 94. Tony is also 94, or maybe 93. I'm not sure. His age has changed a few times since I started going there. According to this article from 2009 Tony is probably 93 (though he told Pap they're the same age). Maybe after, I don't know, 90 years a digit or two difference is, forgive the pun, a matter of splitting hairs.

The important thing (I think) is that there's a guy approximately the same age as Pap who, like Pap, has his wits about him and wants to work. There's also an understanding of what it means to be old and what needs to be done with the body at a certain age, for instance trimming stay and wild ear and nose hairs as well as feral eyebrows. I imagine that if Pap could keep his hearing aids in during the haircut – Tony's use of mechanical clippers requires they be removed – these two guys would have a lot to talk about.

They usually part with a handshake and mutual slap on the shoulders. Then Pap complains about me paying for him. It only costs $8.25 for the cut.