Kapardin [2]

Tell me again, what's the story on your hair? the roommate began, as such conversations always did.

Wait, He said. He had the tangle of his hair unwound, and was fixing it, one strand at a time. So you're asking me how I ended up ended up with this mess of dreads, He asked, more as a statement. He began answering his own question. There's no story behind it, really, this is how it is. I'm from a really cold climate, and this was one way of keeping my head warm without putting on anything from outside. The cold water of the mountains is amazing for the hair too... I don't know if it's the nutrients, or the coolness of it, but it's always been silky and clean and really healthy when I'm back home. It's only when I'm here that it starts breaking and the ends split, and it starts curling all around, so I need to take care of it like a baby.

You ever considered straightening it? That might look cool actually, the roommate said.

Yeah, sometimes I have it unwound and straightened, it comes down upto maybe an inch below my shoulders. It really wants to go back to being dreaded though, so it takes a lot of work to keep it that way. If I'm in for a big occasion or event, I put in the effort, or it's not worth it. I told you how we have a tonne of those fake kind-of wrestling slash fight things right. They're not worth straightening the hair over, because the individual strands get in the eyes, and the other person can actually pull your hair, unlike dreads where they effectively have to pull your entire head. They can really hurt you that way too. So I keep it simple. Besides, He said, with a naughty twinkle in His eyes, it's also a great place to hide a joint or two, or a hidden stash when you need what, youknowwhaddimean, He said, laughing.

The roommate burst into laughter. You are too much man, hiding' the stash in the dreads, he says. That's too funny. So like your family and folks were okay with it or wat. Like I know like it's a different system, more communal so it must have hard to do it no. They didn't give you any shit or nothing?

Yeahh, my family and folks...He instantly fell into a reverie... yeahh theyy...good times with those folks man, sometimes I..I wish...I do miss them sometimes. Yeah, I should see them soon. Ohh but you'd asked the hair thing, right, right. Naww man, they're fine with it now, it's not like anyone can tell me anything anyway, haha. Actually, the way it was, even then, people barely told me to do something early on, so I figured out the rules myself...And in my rulebook, longhair and dreads were... as normal as anything else..even more normal than anything else, actually, because...cold. Some people are just so mature right from their young age, and people can just never imagine them as young and immature, right, you can imagine something similar for my childhood, kindof, but it was a bit different. I was always a responsible person, so no one considered the possibility of questioning my decisions, He said, beaming.

Wow, you're really proud about that huh bud, the roommate asked, taking a long hit of the bong.

Hey man, I took all the responsibility of everything that went wrong, so I got the freedoms I deserved! I never really got a proper childhood, I just...kind of...showed up-- one day, and...and just --just did what needed to be done, so these things are like minor perks, here and there, He said, still smiling.

And funnily, with those minor perks, you ended up with the most fashionable contemporary hairstyle for men, the man bun, what a pleasant coincidence, the roommate said, cleaning out the last remaining pieces of soot from the pipe.

That has been the most amazing thing, haha. Before -- when I was younger -- it used to be pretty different, particularly in the U.S., but other places too. You'd be a strange weirdo from a foreign land if you had it, which I was, I'm not denying that, but I didn't want to be thaat obvious you know, considering I needed some of my -- he cleared his throat -- freedoms. So it could get tricky to work around that. Now I'm a freakin' movie star pretty much, everyone thinks I'm a model or whatever for keeping on top of the trend, and having this awesome manbun. The truth is man, I've always had it, loved it, and never meant to look like a movie star you know. That's just the side effect, he said, winking at the roommate, who was giggling now.

Haha, you're a funny dude man, you should do like a stoner comedy or something, people would pay to just sit around you and just see you, I'd bet, the roommate said, washing up the glass utensils.

Yeahh man, how do you know they already don't do that, I get mobbed sometimes, there can be people who feel very intensely about people like me, you know, He said, in a rather serious tone.

Yeah I buy that. There's all kind of weirdos out there, and you're a tall, muscular, well-build man with nice hair, and you make good jokes etcetera, I can imagine people going all gaga over you. It's a good problem to have, though no? I mean yeah it sucks if you're a women because the crazy psychopaths want to hurt you. As a likeable dude though, you must have it pretty good, he said.

Ohh sir, you have noo idea, the things women have done to impress me, I could definitely write a large collection of encyclopedia on just that, it's pretty sad and pathetic, but I also understand where they're coming from, so most of what I feel about those kind of women is pity. They have nothing else, so they come to me because they think I look like someone who get get them out of all their troubles. He sighed. I can try man, but I don't make the rules, you know,