De-bearded

First published in Column 8, Sept 1993.  

Fooled into thinking Iwas good-looking - even handsome - by photographs more than a quarter of acentury old, my wife and family hadlong nagged me to shave off my beard. I resisted the conspiracy to tame this full-bloodedfeature of masculinity.

However, while my wife was awayoverseas, I decided (quite unaffected by outside pressures), to see if shewould know me at the airport if I met her beardless.

The weekend before she came home, Itook scissors...