“A man here has started living with an underage girl! Come quickly!”—that’s what the neighbors told the police.

My wife and I spent months after our wedding carefully searching for a flat and finally found one, taking out a mortgage. For a long time, I went there alone to oversee the renovations and manage the workers. My wife visited less often, which is why I ended up getting to know our elderly neighbors across the hall—an old man and his wife. Since we didn’t know anyone else in the building but still wanted to celebrate our new home, we decided to invite them over.

Once they sat down at the table and met my wife, their behavior changed. Honestly, I was a bit unsettled by their odd reactions, but my wife’s tender kisses and hugs distracted me, and I stopped worrying. They left in a hurry—no idea why—but we were too happy to dwell on it.

We woke up early the next morning to loud knocking. I knew our new life was off to a strange start when I opened the door to find a constable eyeing me suspiciously.

“Good morning, I’m the local constable. Here’s my badge. May I see your marriage certificate, please—yours and your ‘wife’s’?” he asked. Surprised by the request, I had no choice but to dig through piles of boxes to find it.

Ten minutes later, I handed it over. The constable studied it—and my wife—twice, eyebrows raised. “Thank you for your cooperation. That’s all I needed to know.”

“Sorry, but what’s going on?”

“We received a report yesterday that a grown man was living here with an underage girl, likely under sixteen.”

I burst out laughing at the misunderstanding. In reality, my wife was a year older than me—I was 22, she was 23. She was petite with a youthful face, and without makeup and her hair in a ponytail, like yesterday, she could pass for a schoolgirl. Meanwhile, the stress of flat-hunting and renovation had left me looking haggard, with an unshaven beard that made me seem twice my age.

I resolved to rest properly and shave more often—no one should mistake me for my lovely wife’s uncle.

Life lesson: Appearances can deceive, but a little effort—and a good shave—can save you from awkward misunderstandings.