In Montana, an elderly man walked into a barbershop for a haircut and a clean shave. Before the barber began, the old man leaned in and said:
“Make sure you look closely at my face. See these here? My cheeks are hollow.”
The barber nodded. “Oh yes, I can see that from here. They’re quite sunken.”
“No matter what I do,” the man continued, “I can never get a proper shave. The razor always misses the spots around the hollows. It feels unfinished every time.”
The barber smiled calmly.
“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll give you the closest shave you’ve ever had.”
The man sat down, the barber washed his face, and then handed him a small wooden ball.
“Put this in your mouth and press it inside your right cheek,” the barber instructed.
The old man did as told, and the barber began shaving the right side of his face with ease. After a moment, the barber said:
“Now shift the ball to your left cheek.”
The process continued smoothly—ball on one side, then the other—until the shave was perfectly done.
When the barber finished, he gently ran his hand over the man’s cheeks.
“All right, sir, you can spit the ball out now.”
The old man touched his face, amazed at how smooth it felt. He smiled, paid generously, and handed the wooden ball back.
Right before walking out, he asked casually:
“What would you do if someone accidentally swallowed that ball?”
The barber grinned.
“Oh, that happens every now and then. But don’t worry—they always return it the next day.”
He added with a wink:
“The one you used today came back just last night.”