I sustained very bad injuries to the face this month. I'm in the stage of healing when the scar tissue has formed, but it's still very tender, new skin. I'm going to have very obvious facial scarring for the rest of my life. The injury starts about an inch above my hairline, goes down over my brow so that on part, hair will not grow. It continues down my cheek where it is the deepest. I'll always probably have an indentation in the fullest part of my cheek. Then it continues to my jawline. In some ways, it's okay. I'm happy it's just cosmetic damage. My friends are super reassuring telling me how bad and sick it's going to look. They say I'm still as hot as ever, now a little more sexy and mysterious. But in some ways, it really sucks. I know that I'm always going to be seen as the girl with the scar, and it feels especially bad when people look at me differently. This week, I had to fly home for a family thing. It was the plan I made long before my injury. I wasn't really looking forward to the pity or people making a big deal of it. I'd rather not be acknowledged. I also met with my dermatologist who said that I was at the stage of the scar tissue formation that I no longer should be dressing the wounds. The skin was healing, and instead I needed to be applying topical cream and vaseline to keep the site clean and moist. It also looks a bit ugly. The building scar tissue is very red and tender, and with vaseline over it, it looks slick and shiny. So, I get on this flight. I had the window seat, and I put on my headphones and drift off to sleep when the plane is still boarding. I woke up to this kid, maybe four years old, sat next to me, throwing a tantrum. I didn't catch the first part of it, and honestly, I couldn't understand what he was yelling about. His father said to me, Can you cover you that injury? I said that my dermatologist recommends I don't, so no, I don't think I will. He started snapping at me, saying, There is no need to be so rude. That injury is graphic and is scarring my little one. I said, This is my face. The only damn face I've got. It sucks being told I'm so ugly I can't show my goddamn face in public. He started to backtrack, saying, Just until it's healed. And I said, It'll always be with me. Maybe teach some fucking compassion and respect of telling a girl half your damn age what you think about her face. That's rude. He actually got up after that, and I think went to a stewardess about a seat change because a young couple came to sit next to me on a few minutes later. I've gotta admit, I felt so low that I put on my sunglasses and had a quiet cry for a few minutes. Am I the asshole for not covering my healing scar and for being confrontational about it?