Johnny Mustache

I laughed all weekend at JP's latest obsession - his mustache.  It's all he talks about.  For a while now, he's had few whispy, dark hairs on the very corners of his upper lip.  I've ignored them and after Jude kidded him about it one day, I suggested to her to leave it alone because he might well be a little sensitive about it.  I think a couple of friends at school had remarked about it, too, and I wasn't quite sure how JP was taking it.  

Sure enough, because it's the way of things, a fine line of dark hair has been appearing above JP's top lip, seemingly a little more each day.  One day, it's still the outside edge of winter.  The grass is dead.  No maintenance needed.  Another day, you walk outside and, suddenly or so it seems, the grass is turning green, growing, and needs to be cut because the yard looks shaggy.

Well, that's where we are with JP, or so it seems.

Over the weekend, if he asked me once, he asked me 30 times, "Dad, can you see my mustache?"  I leaned in close, took a long look, paused, then pronounced, "Nope!  Nothing there."  He protested and, of course, Joe, always in on the act and on JP's side, protested even louder.  

"Wait a minute," I said.  "Let me get my reading glasses."

 I made a show of putting my reading glasses on and leaning in even closer this time.  I gave it a long look the straightened up and paused dramatically.  "It's dirt," I said.  "Just wash your face better at night."  Then I burst out laughing.

"DAD!!"  

I have no recollection of shaving for the first time, although I recall it was with an electric razor that my mom bought for me.  I'm thinking I was in 9th or 10th grade but I'm not sure how old I was.  I am certain, though, I was older than 13, JP's age.

I've always had a reasonably heavy beard and mustache, though, so it's not surprising that JP apparently does, too.  I just never imagined him having to shave until high school.  Still, here we are and there's no denying it.

For so long - forever, it seems - our roles have been so clearly defined.  Father.  Son.  Man.  Boy.  

I'm strong.  Infallible.  Impervious to all misfortune.  Bigger, stronger, faster.  

Time passes, and the gap between father and son begins to close.  Slowly at first, then more quickly until I can almost feel it - tangibly - closing each day.  The boy - my boy - grows ever closer to becoming a man.  

Now, we run together, like we did on Sunday.  As equals.  As father and son, yes, but also as two individuals.  

And now, it's time for JP to start shaving.  

He's become Johnny Mustache, bother of Joey Mustache, a character in the bedtime stories I used to tell Joe at night.

Time marches on and one day, soon, JP will be a man and I will lean on him for strength and balance as we walk together through life.  And I will remember these days forever, these days I've written about in this space over the last 13 years of my life.