"My period?"
Ruth didn't know if she should be relieved that Katie knew what she was getting at.
Or if she should be mortified.
"Yes." Ruth was still feeling a little 'off' about broaching the subject. "I know that you've been living with your dad for years, I just didn't..." Ruth wanted to push the rewind button and start over. She really wasn't good at this people thing. "I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable? Nah." Katie put the plate on the nightstand beside the bed and scooted off the edge of the bed. "Actually, my dad knows he'd be horrible at that kind of 'talk.'" Katie walked over to the closet and Ruth stepped back to let Katie have complete access to the meager offerings hanging inside. "He told me if I have a friend at school who's got a mom, I can ask them 'those' things." She sighed, sounding much older than her years. "And I have friends at school, but none of their moms are the kind of person I can talk to. This school is kind of weird.
"The classmates that I like all have moms that look like they ate a lemon every morning and stayed sour all day. So I don't really have a 'mom' that I can talk to."
Ruth nodded. She wanted to offer, but she definitely wasn't a mom. So maybe she didn't count.
Katie's voice was muffled a little when she leaned into the closet to pick out a dress on a hanger. "...think I could ask you?"
Ruth was staring at Katie, confused to say the least. "What?"
Katie lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back up at Ruth. "Could I ask you questions about that kind of stuff? When I need to know?"
Ruth felt a whole bunch of conflicting emotions bubbling up inside.
"Uh... I should probably talk to your dad first. This kind of thing... People can be really sensitive about it."
"Sensitive? My dad? I bet he'd be relieved!" Katie folded the dress she'd pulled from the closet over her arm and fished her cell phone out of jeans pocket.
With a smile and a TAP TAP TAP she held the phone between them.
Ruth read the word DAD on the screen and a moment later, she heard Nick's unmistakable voice coming from the speaker.
"Katie? You okay? Did you get into Miss Baker's house, okay?"
"Yep. I put in my code like she told me and I slipped right in."
Ruth heard the relieved exhale.
"Good. I figured that since the cavalry didn't come down the street with lights and sirens."
"Oooor," Katie sighed dramatically, "you watched me through the windows and already know that I got it just fine."
There was a moment of pause before Nick's voice rumbled through the speaker. "Guilty."
Ruth smiled. She had an idea that Nick had watched Katie come over to her house and get inside. He was that kind of man who was concerned about his little girl. And if he wasn't, she probably wouldn't have agreed on a date.
Ruth gave her head a shake.
No, she definitely wouldn't have agreed to a date.
In fact, if it hadn't been for Katie, Ruth doubted that she would have said more than two words to him.
Katie gave her a big, toothy grin as she spoke in the direction of her phone.
"Dad? I was wondering if you'd be okay with me asking Miss Baker questions about period if I-"
"Yeah. Uh. Sure. Go ahead and ask her. That's good with me."
Katie pointed at the phone with her free hand in an 'I TOLD YOU SO' way.
Ruth nodded.
