Dad hated shaving. His sensitive baby skin sprouted blood when the razor glided by his chin.  Leftover adult acne that caused oil to seep from his glands added to this phenomenon. Even with the home remedy use of Desitin cream, his skin rebelled against the knife. Small wet toilet paper peppered his face after the bludgeoning. When electric razors were introduced in the 1950’s Dad experimented with the invention. The mechanical razor caused dark heavy growth to reappear at the magic 5 o’clock hour. The unsightly and itchy razor burns made this option intolerable. Dad’s adult acne made the use of desintin a requirement.

I inherited the sensitivity but found the ultimate solution. Shaving in the shower prevents any bloody outbursts. The scalding steaming hot water molds my face into a loose moisture laden plateau. If any nicks occur, the water soaks up the blood. The shower is elongated and the risk of shaving a wrong area is minimized by my slow meticulous ritual of feeling my face like a blind person.

The walls of the bathroom are soaked when I depart the shower. Mirrors are clouded. But each of the hair follicle on my face are removed. I can stare at my face and witness my father.