The maxi pad was folded into itself in thirds. My mom unfolded it to show me how to put one on. "You take the adhesive strip off," she said, "and then put this part onto your underwear." She was holding a clean pair of panties, inside out, and the maxi pad fit perfectly into it. "Here, now you try and practice."
I was 10 and my mom could have been speaking in Martian. I had no idea what I was doing, or why I was doing it. She had called me into the bathroom and said, rather mysteriously, "I think it's time I showed you something." I thought it would be something cool, like a hideous birthmark or an extra toe, but no.
a true story by Karell Roxas
