Many years ago, in a quiet village in the English countryside, our new life began with an unexpected stir among the neighbours. “A man is living with an underage girl! You must come at once!” they cried, rushing to inform the local constabulary.
My wife and I, after our wedding, had spent months searching for a cottage and finally secured one with a mortgage. For a long while, I travelled there alone to oversee repairs and manage the workmen. My wife visited less often, so I became acquainted with our elderly neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins. Wishing to celebrate our new home, we decided to invite them over, as they were the only familiar faces in the area.
No sooner had they sat down at our table and met my wife than their demeanour shifted. There was an unease in their manner, though my wife, with her gentle kisses and warm embraces, soon distracted me from dwelling on it. They left in haste, and we, too blissful in our newfound happiness, thought little more of it.
At dawn the next day, a sharp rap at the door roused us. Standing on the threshold was the village sergeant, eyeing me with suspicion.
“Good morning, Im the local constable,” he announced, flashing his badge. “Kindly present your marriage certificateyou and your ‘wife.'” Bewildered, I rummaged through unpacked boxes until, after ten minutes, I found it. The sergeant studied the document, then my wife, twice, before raising a brow and declaring, “Thank you for your cooperation. This will suffice.”
“Pardon me, but whats this about?” I asked.
“We received a report that a man here is cohabiting with an underage girllikely not even sixteen.”
I laughed aloud at the absurdity. In truth, my wife was a year my seniortwenty-three to my twenty-two. Petite, with a youthful face and little makeup, her hair in a loose ponytail, she mightve passed for a schoolgirl. Meanwhile, the stress of securing our cottage had aged me prematurelymy weary face and unshaven beard making me look a man well into his middle years.
That evening, I resolved to rest properly and shave, lest I appear a grey old fellow beside my darling wife.
