Fact

When I was young, I learned what different faces meant.

A mouth turned upward meant I had done good.

A mouth turned down meant bad.

Low eyebrows meant strong.

High eyebrows meant weakness.

High eyebrows and upward mouth meant happiness.

High eyebrows and downward mouth meant sadness.

Low eyebrows and upward mouth meant confidence.

Low eyebrows and downward mouth meant anger.

I reveled in the rare and fleeting occasion that I would see any of these.

The expression I knew best of all was

a flat mouth

neither up nor down

and level eyebrows

neither high nor low.

The dull, smoldering gaze of disappointment.