Paddy was a married man, but that didn’t stop him from visiting his girlfriend whenever he thought he could get away with it.

One evening, while they were sitting together on the sofa, his girlfriend ran her fingers through his thick beard and sighed.

“Oh, Paddy,” she said softly, “please shave it off. I want to see your whole handsome face.”

Paddy immediately shook his head.

“No chance,” he said. “My wife loves this beard. If I come home without it, she’ll ask questions… and then she’ll probably kill me.”

His girlfriend smiled, leaned closer, and whispered, “Please? Just for me?”

Paddy tried to stay strong.

“I really can’t.”

But she kept pleading, using her sweetest voice, telling him how much younger and better-looking he would seem without it.

Finally, Paddy gave in.

He went into the bathroom, shaved off the beard, looked in the mirror, and barely recognized himself.

Later that night, he quietly returned home.

The bedroom was dark. His wife was already asleep, so Paddy carefully slipped under the covers, hoping she wouldn’t notice until morning.

A few minutes later, she stirred.

Half asleep, she reached over and touched his smooth face.

Paddy froze.

His wife smiled in the dark and whispered:

“Oh Michael… you really shouldn’t be here right now.”

Paddy’s heart almost stopped.

Then she added:

“Paddy will be home any minute.”