9
I’ll never forget the day I got my first period. I made the mistake of calling Izzie as soon as I spotted blood on my panties. I was just so excited, and so were Izzie and her mom, as it turned out.
A celebration of womanhood,Adele called it. Since I didn’t have a mother, Adele often took it upon herself to adopt a motherly role with me.Adele had done this celebration before, for Izzie. I was there, giggling the whole time. She had proudly organized the celebration ritual in honor of her daughter’s first menstruation, and had been more than delighted to hand her her first box of sanitary napkins.
Smiling widely, she sent me to the washroom. “There’s instructions on the box. You go figure it out. It’s easy.”
“Little Abby is all grown up,” she cooed, and I cringed a bit. It was a bittersweet moment. I was happy to finally be a woman, but was not looking forward to bleeding every month. And I knew my stupid brothers would have a field day with this. I’d just have to hide all evidence of the shedding of my uterus lining every month.
Adele busied herself working on the preparations. She had to make a special cake and prepare the circle of womanhood. She also had to clean up. When I came back from the washroom, I was an awkward mess, wiggling in my underwear. It just felt so foreign. I didn’t like it one bit. I studied Adele’s art books to distract myself. Her art supplies were scattered here and there. Adele was not only a mom, but she was an artist too. Little Abe was watching television and surprisingly, Izzie offered to help clean up and make the cake. Izzie’s Dad was sleeping. He often worked night shifts when he was around.
“We are quiet little mice, and we don’t want to wake the big grumpy cat,” she told Abe and he giggled quietly.
“Do I have to wear these things all the time now,” I asked Adele.
“Just a few days a month, sweetie.”
“This sucks.”
Adele smiled. “That’s the PMS right there. It makes your hormones go all blunky.”
“Can you tell I’m wearing it?” I asked Izzie.
She laughed. “It looks like you’re wearing a diaper.”
“It does not. Izzie’s just being a pest.” Adele assured me. “I can’t even see it.”
“Me neither,” Abe added, and I smiled.
“Plus, if you’re not comfortable, you can always were a sweater around your waist,” Adele suggested.
I perked up. “That’s a good idea.”
“Plus think of the wonderful gift you’ve been given. You can now give birth to a child, my love.” Adele was still emotional. “But not too soon. Not until you’re a least twenty-five,” she was quick to add.
The room was dark and warm. Adele had set lit candles on the tables all over the living room. One sat in the middle of the coffee table. The thick white drapes were closed. Adele brought a tray of cheese and crackers and green seedless grapes over to the living room. She had bought the grapes special for the occasion that morning because she knew they were my favorite. They were a treat since they were a little cost prohibitive. Bananas and Macintosh apples were the regular fare at the Reed home, which was a lot more than most other households in the neighborhood had.
She settled the tray down on the coffee table, a rustic piece. At its center, lay a beautiful stain glass design; a red tulip. I never dared set anything on the table, but loved to admire it. Adele had made the table from scratch, and I applauded her for being able to create such beauty.
“Ok. Let’s all sit around the table,” Adele instructed.
We sat down on the beige carpet. Adele and Izzie on one side, and me on the other. Adele stretched her arms out. “Let’s all hold hands and close our eyes.” She reached for our hands, and Izzie hesitated a second before surrendering her hand. “This is a little lame, Mom.”
“I know it may seem silly to you, but this is an important event in a young woman’s life and we should celebrate it.” We all closed our eyes. We had grown accustomed to Adele’s eccentricities.
“Today...” she began. “July 14th, 1998, we celebrate Abby’s official entry into womanhood.”
“Are you going to make her a certificate?” Izzie quipped.
Adele payed no attention and continued on. “She is now changed forever as she can now give life. She can play an important part in building our future generation. She has a power that no man will ever own.”
“She can get knocked up by the first guy who feels her up.” Izzie interrupted again, smirking.
Undeterred, Adele went on. “She can experience life growing inside her and treasure it. Today we celebrate the future.” She lifted her arms and shouted. “Congratulations, Abby, on your first menstruation.”
I bet they don’t make a Hallmark card for that one,I thought.
We all opened our eyes, as if woken from a trance. We glanced over to the door in the kitchen.
