A strange hair grew from my chin.

Although the school has already closed down, my high school had a volunteer class, and once a week, I would go to a nursing home.
Being in my late teens, I was in charge of combing the hair of the grandpas and grandmas after their baths and drying it with a hair dryer.
When I was drying the hair of the first group of grandpas, they smelled of a mix of Kao shampoo and Shiseido aftershave lotion.

“The staff cleaned up my beard too. I always miss spots when I do it myself, like under my chin or on the side of my neck.”
“It’s true, those are hard places to see.”

The grandpas' mouths, wrinkled but soft like habutae mochi, were smooth, and their nose hair was neatly trimmed.

The grandmas who came out next would look into the large mirror placed in front of them, pat loofah lotion onto their faces, and say with pink cheeks, “Next, please dry my hair too.”
I replied, “Sure!” and at the same time, I muttered, “Oh.”

“Oh dear, there’s a hair growing in a place like this.”

Saying that, she stroked the downy hair under her nose.
Some grandmas use razors to shave their faces, but many leave the downy hair alone because it’s a hassle.
When I looked at what I thought was just a slightly long piece of downy hair around her mouth, a single hair was growing out, black and thick, with a presence that couldn't be covered by the word “downy hair.”

It was a beard.

In an instant, I became a clam.
Even as a high school girl, I have underarm hair and downy hair around my mouth, but I hadn't yet climbed the stairs of adulthood enough to grow a full beard.
That said, I wasn't philosophical enough to reply to the grandma, “That’s a beard.”
Simply put, it was sensitive.
Deciding that, I chose to immediately ignore it, switched the hair dryer from soft to hard for no reason, and launched a strategy to drown out her voice with the sound.
However, the home helper at this facility who was working the hair dryer with me laughed with a devilish voice and slapped the grandma on the shoulder.

“Mrs. ○○, you’ve got a beard growing!”

I was astonished by her courageous remark, not knowing if she was a hero or a great demon king.
She was a senior with a wealth of life experience born in the early Showa era, and even if it were the truth, you shouldn't say that lightly to a former maiden!

However, the grandma also laughed along and grabbed the beard with her fingers.
“It really is! A woman becomes an aunt, then a grandma, and finally a grandpa!”
And then she plucked it out with a pop.
“I’m on the rise! Well, I wonder what I’ll become next!”
“Stay tuned?”
“Haha, before you know it, I’ll become a Buddha!”
“Oh, Mrs. ○○!”

Near their pleasant conversation, another grandma was also laughing, saying, “Oh, me too! Look, my chin!”

I heard from that helper later that some women start growing beards after menopause when they lose hormones.
I learned about the female heart, that since it’s common here, for those who don't care, you turn it into a laugh like that, and for those who do care, you quietly take care of it as part of the care.

Many years have passed since then, and I have become a proper middle-aged woman.
The body hair that I worried about removing when I was young has become thinner day by day, and it’s enough to remove it only when I go out wearing a skirt or have plans at night.
I’m not at the age of menopause yet, but since I had a total hysterectomy early on, the risk of menopausal symptoms is high.
I was told various things by doctors and seniors, but I’m living carefree without being particularly troubled.

However, recently, while listening to the menstrual situations of my friends and older sister, I began to realize that menopause, which I had completely forgotten about, was visiting me too.
Just as I was feeling restless, thinking that those around me would soon catch up to me, who had graduated from various things a step ahead, I discovered the strange hair mentioned in the title.

It was on the bone of the jawline from the sideburns; it was too low to be hair, and for downy hair, it was thick, coarse, and as firm as nose hair.
I was surprised at first, but when I thought back, this was a hair I was familiar with.
When I pressed it with the pad of my finger, it had a firm resilience and bounced back, and it was black, thick, and glossy.
When I left it alone to see what would happen, it grew to 2 centimeters.
This grows longer than nose hair, and if this were nose hair, it would be too magnificent!

“Nami-san, you’ve got a beard growing!”

I am much younger than that grandma was at the time, but thanks to that day’s experience, I was able to face my own aging and the female heart.
By the way, I only remove the beard before meeting people, and otherwise, I let it grow and watch it while doing my skincare every morning.

Maybe I should give it a name soon?

#WhatAreYouTalkingAbout
#LivelyBand