“Okay. I think maybe you need a second to process, too. Why don’t you run to the store and pick up a few things for her? Heating pad, maybe some chocolate or a salty snack that she might like. A magazine or a new book. Something to pamper herself with.” He nods, cataloguing everything in his mind. God he’s cute. “I have some pads and tampons here, I’ll take a small stockpile over and she can decide what she’s comfortable using, and then I can text you what to get while you’re at the store.”
“I’m so glad you moved in next door,” he laughs, wrapping his arms around my neck and pulling me against his chest again. “Thank you. Again.”
I nod into his chest, practically suffocating, but totally happy being right here.
Two minutes later, I have a small bag of necessities in one hand and my iced coffee in the other, walking across the lawn to Zach’s house. He climbs the stairs with me, opening the door, and then he grabs his truck keys.
“Girls, I’m running to the store. Lou is here until I get back,” he tells Bailey and Chloe, who both look up from where they’re sitting on the couch, watching Hotel Transylvania. Turning to me, he leans down, kissing my cheek. “Abi is in the bathroom. She wouldn’t come out. I’ll be right back. Call me if you need anything else, or if I need to rush home.”
I lean into the kiss. “We’ll be fine. Remember, chocolates and salty treats. Heating pad. Self-care. Oooh. Get her some new comfy pjs. Something soft and fuzzy.”
He repeats the list, mouthing the words silently, committing everything to memory. Then, he shakes his head. “Text me.”
I laugh, nodding.
He’s out the door, and I head down the hallway toward the bathroom.
I knock lightly, calling quietly through the door, “Hey, sis, you okay in there? I’ve got some stuff for you, if you want to open the door. We can talk for just a second, if you want.”
I hold my breath, not entirely sure if she’s going to open the door or not. Abigail has come around a lot, since Zach and I started, well, whatever this is. But… I know she’s still hurting over the loss of her mother. Grieving someone while they’re still alive is a different kind of pain. One that’s not fair that these three girls have had to feel.
The door opens just a crack, and her blond head and blue eyes pop up in the space. “I’m okay. Is Dad out there?”
I lean against the doorframe and murmur quietly, confidentially, “No. I sent him out to the store to give him something to do to make him feel like he’s being helpful. Hope you like chocolates and salty treats. When I’m on my period, I can eat through awhole bagof Cool Ranch Doritos. And those Lindt chocolate balls? Theyhateto see me coming.”
The snort of laughter that escapes the bathroom is what I was hoping for.
I hold up the small bag of essentials. “I have a couple things, if you want to go through them. Answer any questions you might have.” I shrug, trying for nonchalance. “If you want.”
Abigail opens the door wider, and I step into the bathroom. She closes it behind us, and then sits down on the edge of the bathtub. Handing over the bag, she opens it, rifling through the products I had pulled out of my own vanity. I flip the toilet seat down and take a seat opposite her while she goes through what I brought over.
“There’s different size and flow pads, the higher the number, the heavier the flow capacity it can hold. Those might be easier to start with than tampons, but I can show you if you’d like.” Abigail shakes her head, wrinkling her nose. I laugh. “Yeah, I don’t like tampons either. I have them for emergencies. I like theflex cups best, but we’ll get to those later. There’s also a bottle of Midol, if you’re feeling crampy. Just one capsule will work, but I make sure to take it with food. It makes me feel kinda icky if I take it on an empty stomach.” She nods, looking up at me, and my heart aches for her. I clear my throat and continue, “I put a couple bath bombs in there, too, and shower steamers. Those are my favorite. I just toss one in the bottom of the shower and just sit on the floor and let the hot water beat down on me for a while.”
She nods again, gathering the bag closed and setting it in her lap. My phone buzzes, and I flip it over, seeing a text from Zach.
Grumpy Pants
*selfie of Zach holding an overflowing Wal-Mart bag like a prized fish*
Grumpy Pants
I have the loot. On my way back.
Unable to stifle the smile, I grin, then stuff my phone back into my pocket.
“I also cry a lot, like, the couple days before my period,” I tell her, rolling my eyes dramatically. She laughs. “Do you need me to go over anything specific? Like, the birds and the bees…? Do they even still call it that?”
She rolls her eyes then, making me smile. “Nah, our school counselors pulled all the girls last year for a sex-ed class. And Dad had ‘the talk’ with me a couple months ago. So I know all that stuff.”
“Okay, well, if you do have any questions, you can ask me. You have a cell phone, right?” I ask, knowing full well has a cell phone set up through Zach’s family plan. “Do you want my number? That way you can text me if you have any questions that might be too like, cringey to ask in person.”
Abi rolls her eyes. “Nobody says cringey anymore, Lou. That’s a millennial thing.”
I gasp in feigned outrage. “I am not a millennial! I’m Gen Z, thank you!”
“Dad’s a millennial.”
“Yeah, well, he’s old, and grumpy ninety-nine percent of the time, so that tracks,” I tease, and she laughs. I hitch my thumb at the door. “I should probably check on the other members of the alphabet out there. Do you need help with the pads or anything?”
