As soon as I got to the car, papa got out and opened the door for me. Joyce was in the backseat. I was happy to see her but still upset that she didn’t have to do sessions with me. We’ve always done everything together.
“Hey, Mary. How did it go?” whispered Joyce. Papa had just buckled in the driver seat and we waited for mama to come down. She had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a white and blue striped shirt with jeans. She had done this on purpose because I had been wearing the exact same thing. She had still wanted to wearing matching clothes and we were almost 12 years old.
“Would you rather switch places with me?” I snap and say with an attitude. Instantly making her feel bad, I apologize.
“Sorry, I just hate having to go by myself. I don’t see the point of all of this.” Papa had been staring at me in the rear view mirror with a funny look on his face. The same look he always gave me.
“You don’t have to be such a bitch about it! It’s not my fault they make you go!” shouted Joyce. Ms. Goody had finally cursed. She had never cursed before, especially at me. Mama and papa have both caught me swearing a couple of times and threatened to do stuff but the worst would only be mama popping me on the lips.
Before I could say a curse word or two back to her, mama opened the door and slid in the car. As soon as she closed the door, it seemed like a bucket of water poured from the sky out of nowhere. The rain was beating against the car as if it were trying to get inside. Finally getting to leave this stupid place, papa cranked up the car and headed home. Mama didn’t say a word the whole car ride.
“I don’t feel like being in this car with you anymore. You’ve changed. We used to have fun and stuff but now, all you do is whine about going to therapy. Did you ever stop to think if you really needed to go?” said Joyce. Papa had just stopped at a red light and an old woman had just started crossing the street. Her shoulders were leaning forward and she had a hump in her back. She walked slower than a slug moving along.
Before I knew it, Joyce had crawled over to my side of the backseat, opened the door and leaped from the car. Mama turned around and screamed as if she had been struck upside the head.
“Mary! Have you lost your mind?! CLOSE THE CAR DOOR THIS INSTANT!” As soon as Joyce heard mama scream, she started running down the street towards the ice cream shop.
“Mama! Joyce is getting away! She’s such a big baby about everything!” I said. Joyce had never acted this way before. She had cursed for the first time and now she was trying to run away. Taking off my seatbelt, I had no other choice but to go after her. Papa had already gotten out of the car with mama on his heels.
The rain slapped me in the face and stung my skin trying to catch up to Joyce. Cars were swerving and slamming on their brakes trying not to hit the both of us. Horns were blaring and a man had the nerve to roll down his window screaming.
I was fast at running but she was even faster. Turning around to see where mama and papa were, they were closer than I had thought. I turned back around and Joyce ran inside of Freddy’s ice cream shop.
“Mary! STOP! You’re gonna get hit!” screamed mama.
They didn’t understand. Nobody ever did. I didn’t want Joyce mad at me. Running into Freddy’ behind her, butt-face Beetle was standing behind the cash register looking butt-faced as usual. He was one of Joey’s weird friends.
“Where is Joyce?” I screamed. Beetle had the worst acne and had a mouth full of metal. His braces always had food stuck in them but somehow, Freddy still gave him a job in his place. He was standing behind the counter with a confused look on his face and said nothing.
“HELLO?! Didn’t you hear what I just said?! She just ran in here, so where is she?!” He stood there and still said nothing. I had the urge to jump over the counter and jack him up by the collar if he didn’t start talking within the next few seconds.
Before I could carry out my thoughts, mama and papa both busted through the door and were panting.
“Mary! You can’t just run out in the middle of traffic! You could’ve been hit and killed! What were you thinking?!” shouted papa. His face was bright red and he was soaking wet, just like me and mama were. He had on a white button up shirt, a bright red tie and those black fancy pants. He was so wet, that you could see his skin through his white shirt.
“Joyce ran in here and this bozo won’t tell me where she is! I bet she’s behind the counter hiding” I said. Before mama or papa could stop me, I jumped up on top of the blue countertop to see if Beetle had helped her hide. Just as I was about to jump down to look under the counter, papa caught be by the back of my jacket and pulled me down from the countertop.
“Mary, let’s go. NOW!” he shouted. He went from looking tired to angry. “It’s pouring down outside and you’ve led your mother and I in here on nonsense! We’re leaving!” His voice had become deep and his eyes were bigger than an owl’s eyes
“I’m not going anywhere until Joyce comes out!” Screaming at the top of my lungs, I begin to yell her name. “Tell them! Tell them she ran in here! I’m not leaving without my sister! She looks JUST like me and has on the exact same thing!” Yanking away from papa’s grip, I move to the table near the door and sit down. I wasn’t leaving without her.
“Sir? ….ma’am? Ummm. I didn’t see anyone that looks like her come in here. To be honest, we haven’t had many customers through here today. Could be because of the rain. Yesterday was prettier. Although, I do love the rain because it seems to calm to body. Do you all like the rain? Statics say that…”
“DO WE LOOK LIKE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE RAIN, BEETLE?! Just tell us where Joyce is so we can go!” I had had enough of this. Maybe she had ran out the back door. If she did, she was probably long gone by now.
“Joseph, can you please go get the car and pull it around front before someone steals it or we get a ticket?” Mama’s voice had become way too calm. Taking a napkin off of the counter and wiping her face, she sat down at the table with me. Storming out of the store, papa did what she had asked him to do.
“Mary, by the time your daddy has brought the car around to the front of the store, you better be out of this chair and ready to go home. I don’t want to hear another word. Sit there and argue with me another second longer and I’ll whoop your behind right here in front of Beetle. I said we’re leaving and that’s that.”
Her voice was low and she didn’t even blink. For a moment, I thought about running towards the back door to see if Joyce had run outside. But, the look on her face was enough for me to stay glued to my seat. Honking the horn, papa was outside.
“Now, get up and walk out of here or I’ll drag you out myself.” Not saying another word, I headed back towards the car where papa was waiting with my door open. Smiling as if she didn’t just run away, Joyce patted the seat and motioned for me to get in.
Chapter 8: The Talk.
February 26, 2001
Joseph had put up with enough. His wife’s happiness meant the world to him but he could no longer allow her to stifle the truth. He was soaking wet and it only angered him even more.
Lovette had looked over to him a few times during the car ride but he had refused to break his stare on the rainy road. Looking into her eyes would only make him continue to do things her way. Pulling into the driveway, he hadn’t yet calmed down but he still had taken the time to open the car doors for his wife and daughter.
He had hurt for his daughter daily. Because she was the only family member unable to accept what had happened, this had constantly bothered him.
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May 3, 1999
“Mary, wake up. My stomach is hurting sooooo bad! Mary! Get up!” yelled Joyce. The terrible pains had started right after dinner but she thought it was just their father’s cooking that upset her stomach. Joseph wasn’t the world’s best cook but once in a while, he would step in the kitchen to give his wife a break. Hoping the pain would go away, Joyce decided not to
tell anyone and went to bed.
“Well, what do you want me to do?! I was over here having a dream about Tom Cruise and just as he was about to kiss me, here you come messing stuff up! I better be able to fall asleep at the exact same part or you owe me a date with Tom,” whispered Mary.
Looking over at the alarm clock, it was 1:47 am. Sighing and rolling over to face Joyce, she was sitting in the middle of the floor between their beds.
“He isn’t even that hot! Now, go get mama before my stomach explodes!” hollered Joyce. Before Mary could react to the insult about Tom, she had thrown her legs across her bed and stood up. Standing up too quick and losing her balance, Mary had fallen over onto Joyce.
“Ouch! Get OFF! You saw me sitting here and still fell over on me,” said Joyce. She pushed Mary off of her and stood up but was still hunched over in pain. Mary managed to get up and flick on the light. As soon as she noticed the red smudge on the light switch, she had swiveled around to face her sister. Joyce’s brand new white pajama shorts were covered in blood.
Mary couldn’t find the words to say. Her eyes were glued to Joyce’s shorts. Eventually, Joyce looked down to see what her sister had been staring at. Feeling stuck the same way Mary had been, Joyce eventually began to cry.
Lovette had just sat them both down about a week ago to talk about what a menstrual cycle was but neither one of them thought they would get it so soon. Just as Mary was about to go get their mother, Lovette had pushed the door open to see what the noise was about.
“What’s going on in here? It’s almost 2 in the morning,” whispered Lovette. Mary had still been silent and Joyce continued to weep.
“What’s the matter, Joyce?! Were you two in here fighting? Mary, what happened to…?” As soon as she looked down to see the stain on her daughter’s shorts, she instantly calmed down and smiled.
“Awww, baby, it’s okay! Remember the talk I had with y’all last week? Well, I had the talk just in time because it’s happening to you! You’re turning into a young woman now, Joyce. Honey, don’t cry. This is a good thing! Well, sort of. Besides the stupid cramps and hormones, but you’ll be fine. Your body is working as it should. You’re gonna be fine,” said Lovette as she hugged her daughter.
Lovette had decided to talk to them because she had noticed the girls had begun to get curves and now had to wear a bra. She knew that their first period was just moments away and didn’t want it to alarm them. They had known what a cycle was but she knew she had to go in depth with the topic. They both had listened and took to it better than she thought they would.
“Mama, I ruined my bed and my new pajamas!” cried Joyce. “Please, don’t tell papa. I don’t want him knowing,” she said in between sniffles. Mary had been stuck in the same place the entire time before she had noticed the blood was still on her hand. Running out of the room to wash it off, she was in disbelief that her sister had started her period already.
Scrubbing her hands while grossed out, she dried them off and sat on the toilet to release her full bladder. She was still shocked that Joyce had gotten her period. The thought of her having to wear those pads made her giggle. The ones mama wore were huge and looked uncomfortable. Taking some tissue to wipe herself, Joyce stood up and pressed the flush handle. Looking down into the bowl, she caught a glimpse of the red toilet tissue being sucked down the toilet.
“MAMA!!!” screamed Mary. Her hands began to sweat and her stomach was in a knot. She hadn’t moved an inch away from the toilet when Lovette came running in the bathroom with Joyce right behind her.
“Wait…YOU GOT YOURS TOO?! Both of you in the same day?!” shouted Lovette. She was happy and felt a little sad at the same time. The emotions were going to be all over the place in the house from now on. The girls were still young but were headed to their teenage years soon. She knew this mix could sometimes cause more tension.
“What’s going on in here?! And why does everyone keep screeching?” Joseph had gotten out of the bed and was staring at the girls through a fuzzy vision. He didn’t have to go in to work today and was thankful because they had interrupted his sleep.
“Oh, it’s nothing. The girls saw some spiders and we got them. You can go back to bed. Everything is good here,” lied Lovette. Since the girls didn’t want their father to know just yet or even at all, she would wait as long as she could to tell him.
She had felt the exact same way the first time her period had started but, unfortunately, her mother blabbed it all to her dad the exact same day. He bought her a carton of chocolate ice cream and a big bag of pads. Lovette just knew she’d die from his gesture. Satisfied with her answer, Joseph shook his head and headed back to bed.
Waiting on the sound of her husband closing the bedroom door, she turned her attention back towards her daughters. To the outside world, they had the exact same face and were always referred to as a set. To Lovette, they were two completely different people who were easy to tell apart. They had been born together but were nothing alike. All of this was why she would’ve never guessed that they would start their periods on the exact same day. She wondered if…
Shaking her head, she rid herself from thinking way too deep into this. Comforting the girls and helping them clean up Joyce’s bed was all she needed to worry about right now. As soon as they had finished putting new sheets on her bed, Joyce went to go take a quick shower. Getting dressed in new clothes, she had instantly felt better. The only thing bothering her was the thick padding under her.
“So, who wants ice cream?!” said Lovette. If getting ice cream at 2 o’clock in the morning was one of the perks of starting their cycle, Mary thought she was going to love this thing besides the horrible pad she had to wear. They followed their mother to the kitchen and all grabbed spoons.
“Mama, why did Joyce’s stomach hurt and mine didn’t? I’ve heard of most girls cramping but why didn’t I?” said Mary.
“Well, some girls just don’t. Everyone’s bodies are different. Trust me; it’s a good thing. Sometimes I cramp and sometimes I don’t. Hopefully you don’t ever experience cramps and I hope Joyce’s cramps will lighten up. Even better, I hope they go away,” replied Lovette.
She was eating this bonding moment up. Her heart was full and grateful because she had been able to experience these moments with her daughters at the same time. This would be something that they both would remember and it had included her.
“I’m going to schedule an appointment for the both of you tomorrow,” mumbled Lovette through a mouthful of ice cream. They all had taken turns digging into the carton until everyone had decided that they all had eaten enough.
“As far as school, you both can stay home for a couple of days and I’ll let your teachers know. Eventually, I am going to have to tell your father. He does need to know. It’s important to him too.” The looks on both of their faces were completely over the topic. They knew it was only a matter of time before she had told him anyway.
“Tell dad what?” said Joey. He had just walked up to the kitchen when he heard his mother and sisters talking. He was wearing a dark hoodie, jeans and sneakers. Joey had snuck back into the house almost undetected. Lovette thought he had been in his bedroom the entire time.
“Never mind that. Where have you been?” questioned Lovette. She didn’t want to upset him but as her mother, she had every right to know where he kept sneaking off to. He didn’t appear to have done any drugs or drank alcohol, which was a plus, but she just couldn’t understand why he would sneak out so much on school nights. Weekends made more sense to her.
“I just went on a walk. I woke up feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I knew you were sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake you and dad. Sorry,” said Joey. He had appeared to be telling the truth and Lovette believed him.
“Next time you need some air, let someone know. We have a lot of land but anyone could walk up at any time or even an animal could try to attack you. It’s not safe being alone out in the night, Joey. Okay?” She knew her son was dealing with a
lot mentally and didn’t want to add any extra stress on him. The last thing she needed was to trigger him. He nodded his head.
“Are you hungry? We just about ate all of the ice cream but I can fix you a sandwich,” said Lovette. Shaking his head, Joey went up to his room and got back into bed.
“Mama, what’s really wrong with Joey? I know he has to take medicine and stuff, but why?” asked Joyce.
Lovette and Joseph had both told the girls that Joey had to see a therapist before and that he takes medication but they avoided telling them exactly what was going on with him. They didn’t want to alarm or scare the girls. They had agreed that the less they knew, the better things would be.
“You both know he just needs a little medicine to help him get through the day,” said Lovette. She was tempted to tell them the full truth but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had a habit of sheltering them from the world’s truth. All she ever wanted to do was to protect them from feeling disappointed, scared and any type of pain that she had once felt.
“Anyway, it’s late. You both should get your beauty rest. Not that you NEED it. Y’all were blessed with your mama’s good genes but don’t tell your papa that,” said Lovette while laughing. She winked at them both and motioned for them to head on up to bed.
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Storming into the house, they followed Joseph into the living room and sat without saying a word. He had told them both that it was time for them to sit down and all talk again as a family again.
Mary had almost gotten them killed today running through traffic and it had been the breaking point for Joseph. He didn’t care how his wife felt about this any longer. The truth needed to be embedded into Mary.
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