I had really long hair when I was in ninth grade. My mom took me to a barbershop out of the blue one day. Mom told her to cut her hair short like a boy. The barber asked to make sure, “Like a bob?” “No.” “Cut it off above her ears.”

Mom kept telling the barber to cut it shorter while I cried. People around us began to stare. The barber asked, “Is that all, ma’am?” “No,” my mom said as she got up from her chair. “Cut mine the same way she did.”

It turned out that Mom was getting us ready for a Halloween party with her daughters. She wanted both of us to have bowl cuts. Many people at the party praised how hard we worked on our outfits. We won “The Best Costume” award, of course. I guess it was all worth it, but I miss my mom a lot now.