She looked up, her tear-streaked face marked with surprise. The young barber reached up and swept his own hair back, revealing a length of soft brown locks tied at the nape. With a swift motion, he grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped through the tie, letting the hair fall freely before handing it to her. It was a gesture she didn’t understand at first, but then he spoke again.

“It’s yours now,” he said softly. “A reminder that strength isn’t about what we have on the outside, but what we carry within.”

The gesture resonated deeply within her, and she felt a flicker of hope amid her despair. The other barbers, caught in the wave of this unexpected solidarity, began to nod, their expressions softening from stern professionalism to something akin to brotherhood.