Page 105

I hear Bug’s shower running so I go downstairs and pick at a cookie as I call Marti. It goes to voicemail, and I decide not toleave a message. Then I convince myself that calling anyone else would be a mistake. Darla might be upset with me if I did. If this is her first period, she’s probably embarrassed and confused, not to mention hormonal.
Fifteen minutes later, I hear the water stop upstairs so I trek back up yet again. But before I can knock, I hear her voice. Her phone must not be on speaker because I only hear one side of the conversation.
“I don’t have anything, Mel. And Aunt Marti isn’t answering her phone.”
“I’m not about to go to the store.”
“No way am I asking her. She’s pregnant. She won’t even have that stuff.”
Blowing out a long sigh, because I’ve now done this far more than any pregnant woman should have to, I descend the stairs, head to my bathroom, and gather various size pads I’ve accumulated over the years along with the smallest size tampons I can find. I fish around my underwear drawer until I find a pair of brand-new period underwear I’d never gotten around to opening. I put it all in a small box and head back up to Darla’s room.
No longer hearing her on the phone, I knock. “I have some things you might need. Can I come in?”
“Just leave it by the door.”
I contemplate doing just that. But she seems pretty freaked out. Has no one ever talked to her about this? Until I know, I can’t just leave her to fend for herself.
“It would be nice if I could come in and show it to you.”
She laughs disingenuously. “You want to give me a demonstration?”
“I just thought I could explain some stuff. You know, in case nobody has. I mean, we’re sort of lucky if you think about it. When my mom was my age, it wasn’t so easy. Now they haveunderwear and even swimsuits that are more absorbent than tampons.”
The door opens hastily, but at least this time she doesn’t practically rip it off the hinges. I guess the thought of watching me fall on my face two times in one day doesn’t excite her.
“Easy? I have to bleed between my legs every month until I’m what… sixty? And I don’t even want kids.” She shakes her head, then takes the box from me and sifts through it.
“You don’t have to have a period every month.”
Now I seem to have gotten her interest, though she still doesn’t respond.
“There are pills you can take that will allow you to go a long time between periods. But it’s birth control, and I’m not about to counsel you on that.”
“How can I get it? Can your doctor give it to me without Dad knowing?” She cocks her head showing a hint of excitement. “Can you take me?”
“Hold on. It’s hardly my place—”
“Oh, right. You’re living with my dad. You’re trying to be my friend or whatever. You want to marry him, right? But you don’t want to help me with this one little thing.”
“It’s not little. This is a big deal. It’s your first period. I’m kind of surprised you haven’t had one until now. Has nobody spoken with you about this?”
She shrugs. “Aunt Marti sat me down about five years ago. Mel got hers when she was ten, but she didn’t warn me about all this. She claimed it was no big deal.”
I lean against the wall, my feet hurting from all the up and down, but I don’t presume I’m welcome in her room enough to take a seat. “It’s different for everyone. Some women get bad cramps, some get migraines, some get nauseous. But a lot of women, like Mel, don’t have any problems their time of the month. I’m somewhere in between. I’ll usually get a bitdepressed and crave chocolate. I do a lot of binge-watching TV.” I nod to the box in her hands. “Do you want me to show you how to use any of that?”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Of course not. It just might be confusing to figure out what sizes you need. If you choose to use tampons, always use the smallest size that will work. And never ever leave it in longer than eight hours. You could get really sick from something I can’t remember the name of.”
She rolls her eyes. “Great. More crap to worry about.”
“Believe me, you’ll get used to it after a few months. You’ll figure out what works the best. My advice, be sure to always carry a few things in your school backpack. And when it’s approaching your time, wearing period underwear or a small pad might ease your mind.”
One of the babies kicks hard, and I rub my stomach with a small wince.
Her eyes follow the motion. “Dad’s going to be so pissed at me.”
“That you got your period?”