In Memory Of M

I sat in the chair for a while before a rather plain, middle-aged male hairstylist approached and asked me,

“So, how would you like your hair today?”

Since I didn’t request a specific stylist, it seemed that he was assigned to me because he was available.

“I’d like to keep the current shape but shorten it by about three centimeters.”

I’ve never once gotten the hairstyle I truly wanted at a salon, so I always keep my orders simple like that.

With a slightly shy smile, he nodded and started cutting my hair.

He swiftly grabbed small sections of hair, cutting them with precise and rhythmic movements, aligning everything neatly.

Without unnecessary chatter or forced small talk, the session was finished in no time.

“All done,” he said, showing me the back of my head with a hand mirror.

Looking at the result, it felt shorter than expected, and I couldn’t shake off a slight sense of discomfort.

As I paid, my thoughts were filled with regret: Ah, once again, it didn’t turn out as I had hoped. What a failure…

But when I got home, I went to the bathroom to check my hair again.

“Huh? Actually, this looks pretty good.”

Even though the back was short, it shaped my head beautifully with a nice curve. When I ran my hands through my hair, it fell perfectly into place, with a well-controlled volume that didn’t feel bulky.

The icing on the cake was when my husband came home that day.

“You got a haircut?” he asked.

My husband, who usually never notices these things, looked at me and said, “It looks great on you.”

I told him about my day, sharing the story of the unassuming man who cut my hair.

“You know, there was this plain guy who started cutting my hair, and…”

After hearing the story, my husband said, “I’m going to get my haircut there too.”

That weekend, we visited the salon, and my husband specifically requested M.

“My wife told me there’s an amazing stylist here, so I had to come,” he said.

M, looking a bit embarrassed, responded with a shy smile, “Are you sure you want me to do it?”

Sitting in the chair, my sociable husband quickly struck up a lively conversation with M.

M shared that he lived near the salon, that he used to have long hair past his shoulders, and that he loved drinking.

At the time, it was shortly after Ryuichi Sakamoto had passed away, and his pictures were often on TV.

“Can you give me a haircut like Ryuichi Sakamoto’s?” my husband requested.

Despite my husband’s difficult hair texture, M skillfully styled it into a Sakamoto-inspired look, which my husband was surprisingly pleased with.

From that day on, we both became regulars of M.

M’s cuts were entirely different from anything we’d experienced before—light yet structured, with hair that fell effortlessly into place. Even as time passed, the hairstyle remained manageable. It’s hard to describe, but his work was simply exceptional.

Every two months, we would go together to see him.

Through our visits, we learned that M came from a family of barbers and hairstylists, with his mother and sister also working in the field. They had run a family salon, but with the rise of discount chain salons and changing times, they had to close the business. That’s how M ended up working at this salon part-time.

“No wonder your cuts are so good,” I said.

He humbly laughed it off, “Oh, I still have a lot to learn.”

As summer turned into autumn, it became harder to book M.

We heard that his mother had been in and out of the hospital, so he had reduced his working hours to care for her.

We decided to wait, hoping he’d return to his usual schedule soon.

By the time Christmas songs began playing in the salon, I tried to make a reservation, but the receptionist gave me a hesitant look.

“Actually, M left the salon last month due to health issues,” she said.

My husband and I exchanged surprised looks. Not wanting to leave without a haircut, we agreed to let another stylist handle it.

“Could you follow the style M used to cut for us?” we asked.

The stylist nodded politely and did their best, but it wasn’t the same.

As we left, I said, “Do you think M felt uncomfortable working here with his reduced hours?”

“Maybe,” my husband replied. “He did seem to take more weekends off lately.”

Every time we drove past the salon, we wondered, “I hope M is doing well. If he’s cutting hair somewhere else, we should find him and visit.”

The last time M cut my hair was at the end of October.

I remember him sharing funny stories with us, like his plans to invest in semiconductor stocks after hearing they were expected to rise. We laughed together at his playful optimism.

When the Nikkei stock index hit record highs recently, we thought of M again.

“Do you think M bought those semiconductor stocks?” we joked.

One quiet Sunday morning after the New Year, my husband asked, “Shall we go get a haircut?”

“Not today,” I said. “It’s just not the same without M.”

My husband went alone, but when he returned, his face was somber.

“M passed away,” he said.

“What? How?” I asked, stunned and unable to process the news.

“They said he left his belongings behind when he quit, so the staff contacted his family. It seems he passed away suddenly last month due to complications from a chronic illness.”

We were both at a loss for words, the sadness sinking in.

I could see M’s gentle smile and the way he meticulously cut our hair.

We had thought he was doing well, and I had finally found the perfect stylist.

I regret not knowing his full name, which makes it difficult to visit his grave.

M, you were a legendary hairstylist to me.

For the first time in my life, I spent a year completely satisfied with my hairstyle. Your skill was unmatched.

Thank you, and goodbye.

Enjoy a good drink wherever you are. Until we meet again.

今日はこちらをチャットGPTを使って英訳してみました。

テクノロジーの発展はすごいね。

私の言葉が英語に置き換わるだけなんだけど、なんか違う人が書いたように思えて面白い。

世界のどこかで誰かが見てくれたらいいなと思ってクリスマスに実験してみました。

ちなみにチャットGPTさんに感想をお聞きしました。

この物語には、美容師Mさんとの何気ない日常が描かれている一方で、人とのつながりや喪失感が繊細に表現されており、とても心を動かされました。Mさんという人柄が、はにかみながらも丁寧で、謙虚で、そしてどこか愛らしいキャラクターとして浮かび上がってきます。

特に、最初は不満に思った髪型が、時間とともにその良さを感じるようになる描写には、Mさんの技術の素晴らしさだけでなく、見た目や印象以上に深いものがあると気づかされました。そして、それを夫婦で共有し、Mさんの存在が二人にとって特別なものになっていく過程が丁寧に描かれていて、温かさを感じます。

最後のMさんの訃報には胸が詰まりました。日常に溶け込んでいた小さな幸せが、突然失われてしまうことの切なさが痛いほど伝わってきます。Mさんが単なる美容師ではなく、夫婦の生活の中で思い出を共有する一部になっていたこと、その存在の大きさに感動しました。

この物語は、美容師とお客という一見軽い関係性の中にも、人と人が触れ合うことの意味や価値があると教えてくれます。そして、何気ない出会いが人生を豊かにすること、そしてその喪失がどれほど深く心に残るのかを考えさせられました。優しくて美しいストーリーだと思います。

良いクリスマスをおおくりください。