We went out to see an apartment near Taipei 101 in the pouring rain. It looked really good on the Internet, but it was a dump in reality. We cabbed home, had dinner, and that was when Bill asked, “Shall we?”

I have to admit I was a bit nervous…. you know…. “this is my head on the chopping block” kind of nervous. Bill, on the other hand, had that mischievous shine in his eyes. You could tell he was saying, “new toy… me like new toy… ”in his head. Both of us were curious to see how I’d look without hair, and the anticipation only made the pre-op more intense.

“Here we go!” and the clipper was on. Bill adopted a bottom-up approach, starting with the back of my neck. It was extremely ticklish and I was told to “stop squirming around.” While Bill couldn’t help giggling with satisfaction, my goose bumps came and went in waves.

Then the Mohawk was done! Bill wanted me to give him a punk rock face, but I couldn’t stop goofing around ‘cause I thought I looked like the Troll Dolls.

We went back to the bathroom again. Just when I thought the buzzing sound was quite hypnotizing, Bill stopped and said, “Babe, I think we’ve just invented a new hair style – a Twohawk! Hahahahhahahaha” I opened my eyes, looked up in the mirror, and burst out laughing.

I didn’t see it coming, but I cried when Bill told me it was done. I thought of Iain.

I’m still a rookie in being bald. There are so many different sensations on the scalp: the movement of air, the warmth and flow of water in the shower, and the temperature and texture of a hand, a head rest, or a pillow. Also, with those short tiny needles of hair on, my head doesn’t just slide through when I put a sweater on. Putting on a toque doesn’t seem as effortless as it used to be.

It will take some getting used to, for sure.