The Bald Lover

A man’s mid-life crisis leaves him a little ... exposed.

Introduction

A MAN had reached a time of life when he was no longer young, nor was he exactly old, but somewhere in between, with silver among the black of his hair.

He still kept a busy party diary, and had lost his head over two ladies, one young, and one of more mature years.

The young one did not want her lover to look too much older than she was, however, so in intimate moments she would go through his hair playfully plucking out the silver threads.

The older one, on the other hand, did not want him to look too much younger, so when they were together she would go through it plucking out the black.

They both went on doing this until the man was quite bald.

Based on ‘The Bald Man and his Two Mistresses’ by Aesop, as given by Babrius.
Précis
A middle-aged man with a healthy head of salt-and-pepper hair managed to get two lovers, one younger and one older than he was. A little shamed by the age gap, each woman tried to make him match her own age by plucking out his grey or his black hairs, and before long he was as bald as a billiard ball.
Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

How had middle-age affected the man’s head of hair?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

A man was middle-aged. He did not settle down. He found two lovers.

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