Once we’re settled I undo myself. It’s such a relief to take off the hat and gloves. Appearances are so bothersome. There was a time I didn’t have to work so hard to maintain them; youth has its own simple value that we never fully appreciate until it’s gone. I had many proposals when I was young, but said yes only to Edwin. Now I am Dear or Madam, the words of people who look through instead of at.
