At the Barber's (Chekhov)
Short summary
A small Russian town, early morning. Makar Kuzmitch, a young barber, was cleaning his small, unclean shop when his godfather Erast Ivanitch arrived, asking for a haircut.
During the haircut, Erast Ivanitch casually mentioned that his daughter Anna had been betrothed to a man named Sheikin. This news devastated Makar, who had been in love with Anna and believed they had an understanding.
Makar reminded his godfather that he had always respected him and cut his hair for free, while Erast Ivanitch dismissed him as a poor match compared to Sheikin, who had money. Overcome with emotion, Makar could no longer continue the haircut.
Makar Kuzmitch takes up the scissors, stares vacantly at them for a minute, then drops them again on the table. His hands are shaking. "I can't," he says. "I can't do it just now. I haven't the strength!"
Erast Ivanitch left with half his head shaven, promising to return the next day. When he returned, Makar demanded payment in advance. Refusing to pay, Erast Ivanitch left and attended his daughter's wedding with his hair still half-shaven, considering it extravagant to pay for a haircut.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The barber and his humble shop
Early one morning, before seven o'clock, Makar Kuzmitch Blyostken was already busy in his barber shop. Though there was little to clean, the young barber exerted himself, polishing surfaces and brushing away bugs from the walls.
The barber's shop is small, narrow, and unclean. The log walls are hung with paper suggestive of a cabman's faded shirt. Between the two dingy, perspiring windows there is a thin, creaking, rickety door.
Yagodovs visit and the shocking news
The shop's bell rang, and an elderly man wrapped in a woman's shawl entered. This was Erast Ivanitch Yagodov, Makar's godfather. After exchanging greetings and kisses, Yagodov explained that he had been ill with fever for a month and needed his head shaved as the doctor advised it would help his hair grow back stronger.
As Makar began cutting his godfather's hair, they engaged in casual conversation. Yagodov mentioned that his daughter Anna had recently been betrothed to Sheikin, and the wedding would take place in a week. He invited Makar to attend the celebration.
This news shocked Makar, who turned pale and stopped cutting. He explained that he had intended to marry Anna himself and had even received a promise from Yagodov's sister. Makar reminded his godfather of their close relationship and how he had always cut his hair for free.
"I had intentions," he says. "It's impossible, Erast Ivanitch. I... I am in love with her and have made her the offer of my heart.... And auntie promised. I have always respected you as though you were my father."
Makars heartbreak and unfinished haircut
Yagodov dismissed Makar's concerns, explaining that Sheikin was a much better match financially. He pointed out that Makar had neither money nor position, while Sheikin was a member of a union with considerable savings. The barber was devastated by this practical assessment of his worth as a suitor.
Overcome with emotion, Makar took out a handkerchief and began to cry. Despite Yagodov's attempts to comfort him and encourage him to continue the haircut, Makar's hands trembled too much to hold the scissors. He declared himself miserable and lamented that he and Anna had been separated by unkind people without pity.
"We loved each other, we had given each other our promise and we have been separated by unkind people without any pity. Go away, Erast Ivanitch! I can't bear the sight of you."
Unable to continue, Makar asked his godfather to leave, promising to finish the haircut the next day. Erast Ivanitch departed with half his head shaven, looking like a convict. He wrapped his head in the shawl and left the barber shop, while Makar remained alone, quietly weeping.
The next days confrontation and aftermath
Early the following morning, Erast Ivanitch returned to have the other half of his head shaved. When he arrived, Makar coldly asked for payment in advance, refusing to cut his godfather's hair for free as he had always done before.
"Kindly give me the money in advance. I won't cut it for nothing." Without saying a word Erast Ivanitch goes out, and to this day his hair is long on one side of the head and short on the other.
Unwilling to pay, Erast Ivanitch left without a word. He continued to live with his half-shaved head, considering it extravagant to pay for a haircut and waiting for the hair to grow back naturally on the shaven side. In this peculiar state, with long hair on one side and short on the other, he even attended his daughter's wedding.
He regards it as extravagance to pay for having his hair cut and is waiting for the hair to grow of itself on the shaven side. He danced at the wedding in that condition.