the smile sliding off my face
Last spring I noticed my face was sagging. I felt it, first. A heaviness around my cheeks that was dragging down all the skin around it. The muscles around my mouth felt loose and droopy. And when I looked in the mirror I saw it wasn't my imagination. Deep shadows had appeared either side of nose, down past my lips towards my chin. I took it to be a sign of ageing and I was a bit pissed about it. I didn't like the fact that I had aged seemingly overnight and in a way I hadn't expected. I could see the wrinkles coming on over the years, lines being etched across the smoothness, and I had been able to accept them. I was earning my stripes, and that was ok with me. I liked the wisdom I was gaining with every year and my body was welcome to come with me. But this was something else. Then another symptom came that shed some light on what was happening. My mouth had become dry around the corners. The skin cracked slightly when I moved my lips. And now I remembered