I have had facial hair for the past six years.   Adam has never seen me without it and Isaac can’t remember that far back.  I started with a full beard and three years ago around Jessica’s birthday I started shaving parts of it off.  It started with just the chin, like someone from the Civil War era.  Then last year everything came off except the mustache.  Jessica has always hated it but when I went full mustache it set something off, she didn’t hold back her feelings toward my facial hair.

The decision to shave off the mustache came to me a few days ago.  I hadn’t bought her anything, not because I am a bad husband but because I am broke.  I figured this would be the best present I could give her.

I woke up early yesterday and drove to a village about ten miles from where we are staying in France, I was told that there was a farmers market there every Saturday.  I found a florist, which is awkward for me only knowing very little French.  I know how to be polite and that is it, which is all it takes really, the people here are very helpful.  When I got back to the bed and breakfast I quietly went up stairs and started to hack away.  It took about ten minutes and I saved the trimmings in a film canister for Jess, maybe that’s weird, I guess I just can’t totally let go.  It didn’t feel any different it was just strange to look in the mirror, I hadn’t seen this face in a while, it looked older than I remember.

When I was done I went downstairs to wake Jess up.  I had set the flowers on a table at the end of the bed.  I laid down next to her and whispered “happy birthday, I got you something.”  She looked up at the table, not at me, and said with a smile “oh, thank you,” then back at me and yelled “OH MY GOD.” She then just kept laughing.  This was definitely the best present I could have gotten her; I would have never gotten that kind of reaction from anything else.