“You cut my hair while I was sleeping.”

Evelyn folded her arms.

“You act like that uniform makes you more important than your family.”

The sound of our voices woke my husband.

Julian came into the bedroom rubbing his eyes.

He looked first at his mother.

Then the clippers.

Then the hair covering my pillow.

Finally, his eyes moved to me.

“Mom shouldn’t have cut that much.”

For several seconds, I honestly believed I had misheard him.

“That much?”

He shrugged.

“You’ve changed since the Army started promoting you.”