Blame for the beard

My big bearded colleague arrived at work one day with a seriously trimmed beard. Previously it had been more than an inch long all round, he often combed it at lunch time and after prayers. I didn't think anything of it or think it had any connection to our travel by road to the capital that week.

Once we had arrived in the capital and were sitting with the other staff who commented on his new look, he blamed it on me, saying that previously he kept it long for security reasons - so that people would think he was adhering to the religious rules of the previous regime, to fit in and draw no attention to himself. "Now, I am travelling with her" he said, throwing a thumb in my direction, "so what is the point, I used to try and run away from danger and now I am walking straight towards it."