Telling the Hairdresser Your Husband Died

In the intangible book of widowhood, they left out a chapter. It’s the chapter on telling your hairdresser your husband died. As women, hairdressers are our confidants. We talk to them about our day, our love lives, our kids, and anything else we can cram into that blissful time of being pampered. We were chatting about the conversation going on behind us when suddenly she asked, “How’s your husband?” I stopped. I hated to even say the words. Not so much because it brought all the emotions to the surface, but it’s such an awkward moment. How do you SAY it? “Well, my husband isn’t doing too great – he died.” Or do you just go for the jugular? “He’s dead.” End of conversation. In the end, she could tell something was dreadfully wrong and I said something along the lines of, “he passed away in March.”. She knew his history so I didn’t have to explain any further. We were silent for a while and then she said something about new hairstyles and we continued on with our conversation. And so it goes…