The Day I Stole From My Mother

Neither my mother’s talk nor experience from my peers would have adequately prepared me for the most uncomfortable day of my life. That day I woke up as usual and prepared myself to go look after my parents’ goats, the norm when I was on holiday. I also had a novel to keep me company. I was sixteen, full of energy and with full appetite for books. That day however, I felt a little bit tired and my back was painful. I ignored it, associating the pain to the different chores at home that involved a lot of bending. At midday, the pain had spread to my hands and legs, my joints ached and I felt cold even though the sun was high up. I didn’t understand what was going on with my body. I was all alone and had a few hours before taking the goats home. Then I felt some wetness between my legs, I was shocked and confused at the same time. I had seen my schoolmates with blood stains at some point while in school and I quickly concluded that I was having my period at last! They all tied their school sweaters around their waists when this happened so I followed suite. Looking back, I can’t stop laughing at myself for thinking that the stain was the tell sign of menstruation and it would always be there! I started scheming on how I would steal my mother’s pads. Though my mother had been keen on buying me sanitary pads, I had left them all in school. Furthermore, I always thought that menstruation only happened while in school! Even my mother is a teacher! My mother had also given me a few talks on what I should do when I noticed blood. I was used to receiving the ‘blood talk’ a day before the schools opened, after making sure I had included sanitary pads in my school shopping list. I thought I was prepared but not about the pain, clearly. Back to my first day, I went home, lied that I had a terrible headache and headed straight to my bedroom. I quickly took off my sweater, checked my dress and alas! there was my red stain. I was happy, disappointed and ashamed at the same time. Happy because I was a normal healthy woman! I was disappointed and ashamed that I didn’t know when this was coming and readied for it. Anyway, I tiptoed to my mother’s bedroom and stole her open sanitary pad pack- the whole of it. I just assumed that she would notice and keep quiet about it and that is exactly what she did, if she even noticed at all. I am the only daughter to my parents so I assumed that she wouldn’t come asking me why her pads were missing. Next, I donned a few painkillers and took a nap. I woke later at the call of my mother asking me whether my headache had subsidized. I felt okay. I checked how much my pad was stained and realized that it was not even soaked as I had heard my schoolmates talk about theirs in school. I told her I was okay hoping that she wouldn’t dare open the door and see my stained dress. She didn’t, giving me enough time to hide my stained clothes. The following day I woke up, cleaned up my stained clothes together with the rest that were dirty so that no one would notice. I considered myself a pro to have pulled this all without anyone noticing. I was happy that now I had a story to tell at school. What I did not know was that this would continue every month of my entire productive life and the pain would always be there! Now I am not ashamed to tell anyone that I have crumps and I wouldn’t be able to do whatever I am expected to do. Though the pains are still there, I can manage. I also have an App that helps me record my feelings, start and end dates of my period and anything strange that happens to my body within the cycle.