I owe J an apology. I may have overreacted. Just a tad bit. A few weeks back something came up. I’d been working late frequently…and the long days resulted in an aching back. Well, achier than usual. For my birthday I’d received a gift certificate for a one hour massage, but had been too busy to use it. So one day I decided enough was enough and scheduled an appointment. That I then had to cancel at the last minute, as, unplanned, and inconveniently, I had to work late. So I rescheduled. Only this time the little man really needed to get his hair cut, as picture day was fast approaching at school. Suddenly I found we were doublebooked. On the night before picture day. Our appointments were at the same time…and my back was really bothering me. But P couldn’t possibly have his photo taken with such a moptop. J came to the rescue by graciously agreeing to take P, without me, to the salon. When he’d done so another time I was pleased by the results…but I’d told J it could have been, you know, just a little shorter. P’s hair just seems to grow out so quickly. So this time around J made sure that it was shorter. Much shorter. Much much shorter. When I arrived home to discover this I was not in the relaxed, zenned out mood I’d been hoping for. Instead I was just as tense and frazzled, if not more so, than I’d been to begin with. I’d arrived to my appointment to find the masseuse had canceled on me. There’d been a voicemail left late in the afternoon that I hadn’t received. I hadn’t had time to check my home voicemail from work. So I’d driven back all sulky and sullen and disappointed. When I walked in the door to find my firstborn nearly bald…well my coping skills had already shorted out for the day, so I couldn’t conceal my shock. And perhaps dismay. He looked like a completely different kid. With a sense of trepidation I took him into school the next day. Then I pushed it to the back of my mind and didn’t think much about it for a few weeks. But just yesterday I received the results. I opened the envelope from the photographer to find my sweet son smiling back at me. The photos are perfect. So J, I am sorry darling. But I am glad P’s hair is growing back.
