A Visit to 5 Rivers
I walked into 5 Rivers not knowing what kind of experience awaited me. I didn’t catch anyone’s names exactly, but I remember two barbers—one tall, maybe named Sahil, and a shorter guy who seemed more active. He was the first to acknowledge me.
“Have a seat,” the shorter one said casually, and I took a chair in the waiting area. Just as I sat down, he picked up his phone and launched into a loud conversation—something about his insurance. He wasn’t whispering either. Everyone could hear the details about his coverage, premiums, and some ongoing issue he clearly wasn’t happy about.
Eventually, he hung up, waved me over, and began my haircut. For a moment, it was quiet—then, out of nowhere, he started talking about machine RPMs. I had no clue what he was referring to, but he seemed pretty passionate. The topic shifted again—this time to batteries. Apparently, his trimmer had died way too soon, and he was frustrated.
“These cheap batteries don’t last,” he muttered. “Next time I’m putting a Duracell in it—those last forever.”
As he vented, the tall barber joined the conversation from the other side of the shop. He started complaining about another barber who worked there—possibly named Rohan—saying the guy never cleaned his machines.
“It’s disgusting,” he said. “I don’t know how he even uses them.”
Before long, they were back on the insurance topic. Then the short guy mentioned a friend of theirs who got scammed while sending money through Remitly. Apparently, the money never arrived, and the friend couldn’t get a refund. The whole situation became a cautionary tale as they shook their heads and laughed in disbelief.
Then, mid-conversation, the tall guy said, “Put some music on, yaar, it’s too quiet in here.”
There was a pause, and… nothing. Nobody moved, nobody put on music. The shop stayed silent—except for the ongoing stream of chaotic conversation. At that point, I started to wonder if I was actually at a barbershop or had somehow walked into a live version of one of my science lectures. The randomness, the switching of topics, the sudden deep dives into technical stuff—it had that same energy. Only difference? I was getting a haircut while it all unfolded.
It wasn’t the calmest or most polished place, but it was definitely one of the most entertaining.
2 years ago
