I woke, made my bed, stretched and touched my toes, turned side to side, but didn’t do my jumping jacks in case that made the blood come back. In the bathroom, I checked my panties. Nothing there for the second day, so I was free. Over a breakfast of eggs and toast, I thought about the rest of the summer, thought about two days ago when Mother took me to the drugstore and I saw the ice cream shop that just opened. As we drove by, I’d wanted one of those ice creams more than anything. We’d gone to the drugstore so Mother could teach me how to buy my own sanitary napkins, as if I needed a lesson in front of everyone. I told her I was not using any more of those little saddles. She said I could lose my innocence if I used tampons, and when I asked her what she meant by that, she blushed and said, “I think you know what I mean.” I wasn’t stupid, but I just wanted to hear her say it. She was in the dark ages, for I’d read in magazines how things like that didn’t happen. She pointed to the pads, and not wanting to draw any attention with her there, I took the box from the shelf.
