This story added a new layer to Troy, and it explained a lot about some of his behaviors in high school, why he’d acted out.
“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, though.”
“How she died or why she left?”
Pushing my plate away, I said, “Both, I guess?”
Before Troy could answer, my niece ran out of the bathroom.
“I’m bleeding!” she announced from the hallway.
“What?” I jumped out of my seat and ran over to her.
My first instinct was to look at her nose, but when that appeared clear, I looked down and spotted the red spot on her pants.
It can’t be. “Oh no.” I rushed her back into the bathroom.
“What’s happening?” she cried.
I lowered my voice. “You’re not hurt. I think you just got your period.”
“My what?”
“Remember that time you found my tampons, and I explained what happens to older girls each month?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s what this is. It’s just earlier than I thought you’d get it. A lot earlier.”
I knew it was possible for girls to get it as young as eight, but I assumed that was rare. I’d been eleven myself, which I’d thought was on the young side. So, I was less than prepared for this. Not to mention, I didn’t have a single maxi pad in the house, since I only used tampons.
Patting her on the shoulder, I said, “Stay here.”
I ran into the kitchen for a bunch of paper towels and returned to the bathroom. I instructed her to place them in her underwear.
“Is everything okay?” Troy hollered from outside the door. “Do you need anything?”
“Everything’s fine. Be right out!”
Of course, this has to happen the one night he’s here.
I opened the door. “Kiki, go to your room for a bit and watch some TV, okay? I’ll be right in.”
“Can I have ice cream?”
“Sure. Are you done with your pizza?”
She nodded.
“I’ll bring some in to you,” I said, giving her a hug before she disappeared into her room.
I caught up with Troy back in the dining room.
“Hey,” I said, a bit out of breath.
He looked up from cleaning some of the mess we’d made. “What’s going on?”
“So, unfortunately, it seems she got her period,” I whispered.
His eyes went wide. “What the heck? Really? She’s practically a baby.”
“I know. But it is possible to get it as young as eight. She’s eight and a half.”
“Okay…” He blew out a long breath and stared off. “Well, shit.”
Pulling on the top of my hair, I sighed. “I wasn’t prepared.”
“Yeah, I can understand.”
“I mean, I’m literally not prepared. I don’t have any pads, and she’s too young for tampons. I need to go to the store.”
“I’ll go,” he immediately offered, officially making tonight even more bizarre.
Normally, I would’ve called my mother and asked her to run to the store, but my parents were away. I didn’t want to send Troy, but taking advantage of his offer made the most sense.
“I hate to do that to you, but it would be great. I just need maxi pads. Nothing fancy. Any kind.”
“There’s more than one kind?” Confusion crossed his face.
I suppressed a smile. “There are lots. But just get any kind that’s medium absorbency.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” He lifted his keys from his pocket and tossed them into the air. “This is my first official maxi pad trip. Do you need anything else while I’m out?”
“No, thank you.”
He flew out the door as if there was only one box of maxi pads left in the world, and he needed to rush to seize it. I watched from the window as he drove off.
Then I went to the kitchen to make Kiki’s bowl of ice cream. A few minutes later, I entered her room and placed the bowl on the table next to her as I sat at the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She sat up against the headboard, pulling her floral comforter in closer.
“I sent Troy to the store.”
“Did you tell him what happened?”
“I had to. He was worried, thinking you were hurt. It’s okay. He knows what it’s all about, even though he’s a guy. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It happens to every girl.”
I spent the next twenty minutes answering Kiki’s questions about the monthly cycle.
“You might not be regular in the beginning. But it usually comes every twenty-eight days or so.”
“How do you know exactly when it’s going to come?”
“You don’t.” I frowned. “It’s sort of like a surprise you don’t really want.”
A look of worry flashed across her face. “Like I’ll be in school, and I’ll just start bleeding?”
“Yes. But you can wear something a couple of days ahead of time just to be on the safe side.”