I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale

Author:Fleur Beale [Beale, Fleur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781869796549
Publisher: Random House New Zealand
Published: 2012-03-01T11:00:00+00:00

Seven

MS CHANDLER’S EYEBROWS HIT HER hairline when she read the note. ‘Are you able to tell me just what the Lord’s work was, Esther?’

I glanced at Damaris and Charity who were watching me with serious faces. ‘My aunt was taken to hospital and had an emergency Caesarean,’ I said.

Ms Chandler gave me a hard look that said, and what’s the rest of the story? but all she said was, ‘I wish her a speedy recovery’.

It was hard to keep my mind on things that day. My thoughts kept whizzing off to Mum and then I’d find myself thinking about Aunt Naomi and Zillah. Then Daniel would swim into the picture. Altogether I was relieved when the bell went for hometime.

‘We will pray for Aunt Naomi and the baby,’ said Damaris.

‘And for you,’ Charity said. ‘You are worried in your soul.’

A little diversion occurred that evening. I got my period for the first time since I’d been in that house. ‘Where does Aunt Naomi keep the pads?’ I asked the twins. I somehow couldn’t imagine she’d have tampons.

They stared at me. ‘Writing pads?’ Rebecca asked.

‘No, dopey! For when you get your period. Pads. Or tampons.’

More blank stares. ‘What do you mean? What are tampons?’ Rachel asked finally.

Well, it didn’t surprise me that Aunt Naomi didn’t use tampons. Too modern altogether. ‘Pads then,’ I said. ‘You know — so that you won’t bleed all over your knickers. I’ve got my period,’ I explained patiently.

‘But what do you mean?’ Rebecca demanded. ‘You are speaking in riddles, Esther!’

They didn’t know what periods were. So I told them. ‘And I need pads,’ I said, ‘or I’ll have blood all over my skirt.’

They were stunned and didn’t know whether to believe me or not. And they were no help. Which left me with a bit of a problem. I stuffed toilet paper in my knickers until I could think what to do. Luckily, Aunt Dorcas came over with bags of groceries and I explained the problem to her.

‘Sister Naomi will have provisions put aside in the linen cupboard. I will look, if you like.’ She went to the linen cupboard and fished out squares of white towelling, an elastic band and a couple of safety pins. ‘Here you are,’ she smiled and explained how to fold them and how to soak the used towels in cold water.

‘I can’t use these!’ I said, horrified.

‘There is nothing else to use,’ she pointed out.

‘Can’t I buy some pads or tampons?’

‘We do not use such things,’ she said, and that was that.

The only good news in the entire day was that Aunt Naomi was a little better and the baby was still alive.

On the way to the bus stop the next morning I told Damaris and Charity about how the twins didn’t know what a period was. And guess what — I got blank stares from them as well. Nobody had told those girls about getting their period and they were both nearly fourteen.

‘Do you know how babies are made?’ I asked.

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