The Night Before I Took Command, My Husband’s Mother Shaved My Head While I Slept—Twenty Minutes After I Arrived at the Base, He Appeared at the Gate Using a Child’s Stolen Name
The night before I assumed command of Fort Ashbourne’s intelligence unit, my husband’s mother entered our bedroom carrying electric clippers.
I woke to the vibration against my skull.
For several confused seconds, I thought I was hearing machinery outside.
Then a dark length of my hair slid across the pillow.
I tried to sit up.
Marjorie pressed one hand against my shoulder.
“Stay still.”
My husband, Daniel, stood in the doorway.
He did not look shocked.
He did not rush toward me.
He watched.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
Another section of hair fell.
The clippers scraped too close to my scalp, leaving a thin line of b.l.o.o.d near my temple.
