It was while leafing through the pages of a fashion magazine that Shalini noticed the boy. He'd just handed the barber a 20 dollar bill, and he was making his way to the exit. His hair was unevenly cut around his ears, and his left ear was covered in a white bandage.
The barber waved goodbye to the boy, then turned a grinning face to her. "Are you Shalini?" he asked.
"Yep, that's me!" Shalini sat up from her seat in the waiting room and returned her magazine to the rack. Then she followed the barber to the sinks, where he shampooed her hair.
Normally, Shalini found haircuts to be awkward and uncomfortable, but today, she was too tired to care. She settled into the barber's chair, closed her eyes, and let the day's events wash over her mind.
Earlier that day she'd been stressed out. Shalini was a zookeeper, and one of the monkeys under her care, Peter, had fallen ill. Shalini blamed herself and wondered whether Peter's poor diet was to blame. She resolved to consult the zoo's resident nutritionist as soon as she had a chance.
When Shalini opened her eyes, the barber was putting the finishing touches on her haircut. Shalini noticed then that everything was wrong: her bangs were too short, and her hair was longer on one side than it was on the other. Overall, her haircut looked awful!
"What do you think?" the barber asked her.
I think I need a new barber, Shalini thought.
Question: As a result of Shalini and the barber's differing perspectives, the mood at the end of the passage is
a
Amusing
b
Confusing
c
Calming
d
Upsetting