Pete! A.K.A. Santa

The very first time I met Pete, I was doing a fundraiser out side of Bashas' (a grocery store for those of you who aren't living in Arizona) for my trip to Russia to teach English to children. He had just moved here from California, had a Mohawk that was "fuchsia" down the sides, blond down the center, and claimed he was Santa Clause! He told me would give me 30 bucks if I would retouch his color for him and give him a plate of chocolate chip cookies. It sounded like a deal to me!
After doing his hair for a year, I'm not sure yet who is getting the better bargain! I'm thinking its Pete! Anyways, about a week later, he comes into my salon to get his cookies and to get his roots touched up. He proceeds to tell me that he calls himself Santa Clause because back home in Cali, he would dress up during the month of December as Santa and walk around the airports, grocery stores, beaches etc "bringing good cheer to all he met!" =] At first glance, you would think of him as just another crazy Californian (no offense to my Californian friends and family!), but he is a sweet, single old man with nothing better to do with his time then to attract unnecessary attention to himself!
He comes in almost weekly to get his head shaved around his Mohawk, to get his head oiled and Mohawk re-spiked. About every 3 weeks or so, we color it! We have taken him green for St. Patty's day, purple for the heck of it! purple and fuchsia for Easter, hot pink with black tips, blond,...you name it, we've done it! It doesn't take long to do Pete, but every stylist in the shop looks forward to his antics and visits! He is a riot! Today while he waited for me to finish the client before him, he sat in the waiting area and knitted a scarf with "stained glass" colors!
One of the conversations I remember having with him went a little something like this: "I tell ya, I have never seen so many babies in one area in all my life!"
Me: "What are you talking about Pete?"
P: "just that! I see babies and baby momma's all over this place! There must not be a whole lot to do here! If your catching my drift"
Me: "hahahahahahaha! well, Pete, that's because there isn't much else to do here!"
P: "That's sad. Maybe I will give them one of my books (Pete has written like 10-12 books on Christ and the end of the world with scriptural proof and is very Christian). What do ya think?"
Me: "well, if ya do, you only have how many days to get it done?"
P: "730 days" (this is Pete's estimated time for the end of the world)
Me: "well, you do whatcha gotta do Pete!"
I think my favorite thing about him is that he drives a Chrysler convertible with "READ THE BIBLE" plastered across his bumper in yellow vinyl and the date of the end of world on the hood of his car! Life doesn't get much better then that!