Well, if Melanie isn’t going to be in charge, then I’ll have to be. After all, Mama can’t have the baby right here in the kitchen. “Mama, you said the baby wouldn’t come until you go to the hospital. So don’t let it!”
Mama chuckles. “The baby’s not coming right this minute, silly.” But she grabs her belly with both hands and screws up her face like she’s hurting all over.
Melanie grabs Mama’s elbow and says, “Move, Birdie. Let Mama sit down.”
Finally, Mellie is realizing this is an emergency and she needs to do something. I jump out of the way.
But Mama doesn’t budge. She just stands there with her eyes closed and all of a sudden pink water gushes from between her legs.
I scream and hug Mama’s legs. “Don’t die, Mama. Please don’t die.”
“Don’t worry, girls.” Her face is relaxed now, but I’m so scared my teeth are clicking together. “That’s normal. I’m not going to die.” She pries my arms away and walks carefully to the dining room chair to sit down.
Mellie sucks in a deep breath. “But what happened?” Her voice sounds as shaky I feel, but she keeps talking, sounding more certain with every word. “Is the baby coming right now? What do you want me to do, Mama?”
Mama sighs real hard and rests her hands on her knees. “My water just broke.”
“It broke?” I scream. “How do you fix it?”
“Birdie.” She puts both her hands on my cheeks and dries my tears with her thumbs. “Birdie. It’s okay. I’m fine.”
Melanie stands by the puddle in the kitchen floor like she’s frozen there. At least I’ll be right next to Mama, touching her if she dies.
“Melanie, would you clean that up, please?” Mama says. “I don’t want anyone to slip and fall.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Mellie grabs paper towels and drops them on top of the water. Quickly, they turn pale pink and Mellie’s face looks even whiter than it did before.
Mama slides her feet out of her sopping wet bedroom slippers. “Birdie, go get my sandals for me, sweetheart. And bring the dress that’s hanging on the bathroom door.”
I choke back a sob and run through the house. Right now, I really want to run away. Things have to be calmer in the circus.
MELANIE
Mama takes another deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mellie. What a mess I made for you. My water’s never broken this early before.”
I can’t look at her. I don’t want Mama to see my tears. I don’t want her to see how terrified I am. Not just about Mama and the baby coming, but how everything’s changing so fast.
What am I going to do about my period while Mama is in the hospital? I can’t tell Daddy.
The car door slams. “Norah!” Daddy shouts, as he rushes into the house. “Are you all right?”
She smiles at him, and he leans over to kiss her. When he lifts his head, he’s smiling, too. Birdie runs back into the dining room with Mama’s sandals and dress.
“Daddy, the baby’s coming right now,” she shouts.
No, God. Please, no.
I can’t even imagine having to deliver the baby here.
Please, God, no!
“Not right this minute, sweetie,” Daddy says. “You girls are real troopers for taking such good care of Mama.”
I can’t believe all this pink water just exploded from my mother. Is this what my period is going to be like? It didn’t seem like water earlier today, but maybe it changes. Gosh, I wish Mama had time to talk to me about this.
But Daddy’s helping her stand up and tells us to turn around so she can slip on the dry dress. I toss the bundle of wet paper towels into the garbage and wash my hands. Birdie grabs the overnight case and runs ahead of them to the front door. With Daddy’s help, Mama waddles to the car. I’m right behind them, holding my hands out so I can catch Mama if she starts to fall.
Daddy opens the car door and helps Mama inside. She has to sit still for a minute with her face tight with pain before she can swing her legs around. Daddy closes the door.
“Mellie.” He turns and grabs me in a big hug. He kisses my forehead and holds my shoulders. “Max is bringing Flossie over to stay with you girls. She’ll spend the night, because we don’t know how long this will take. She’ll be here to help you get ready for school tomorrow, okay? You need to watch Birdie until Flossie gets here. It might take about an hour. Y’all stay in the house and everything will be fine. Understand?”
“Okay, Daddy.” I look around him to see Mama resting her head on the back of the car seat, rubbing her hand in circles on her tummy.
Birdie climbs in the back seat on the driver’s side. “Daddy, I want to go, too. I don’t want to stay here.” She’s clutching the overnight bag with white knuckles.
He frowns. “Time to get out, Birdie.”
Birdie starts crying again, like she’s winding up to throw a temper tantrum.
“Not now, Birdie.” Daddy reaches for her and she stops crying immediately. “Get out of the car.” She looks from him to Mama. Mama blows her a kiss, then Birdie climbs out of the car.
I lean in through the open window and give Mama a kiss. Daddy cranks the car. Mama says, “I’ll be home soon. Love you.”
Birdie stands next to me like a wooden doll as we watch our parents drive away. I put my arm around her shoulders and offer the only comfort I can think of. “They’ll come back with our baby brother.”
“I don’t want him anymore.” Birdie turns around and stomps into the house.
“Too bad,” I mutter to myself.
Inside, Birdie parks herself in Daddy’s chair and cuddles with her blanket while she watches afternoon cartoons. She’s scowling so fiercely, I think her face might freeze like that. At least, that’s what Mama would’ve said to get her to stop being so pouty.
But Mama isn’t here. It’s just me, and I’m not about to tackle Birdie’s mood when I have my own problems to cope with. Like, where does Mama keep the
girl stuff
? She’d forgotten to mention that during her
time of the month
talk. Plus, I don’t guess she’s needed any girl stuff since she’s been pregnant. But, I sure need greater protection, or Birdie will be crying and asking me if I’m going to die.
I feel sick and achy like I did in math class, but I trudge to my parent’s bathroom to begin my search for supplies. I kneel in front of the cabinet, and the doorbell rings. Maybe it’s Flossie. Maybe she’s early.
Birdie opens the door.
“Hey, Birdie.” Steph’s voice rises over the cartoon
boinks
on the television. “Where’s Mel?”
From the hallway door, I see Birdie wave her hand my way and crawl back into Daddy’s chair, pulling her blanket up around her.
Steph nods in my direction. Walking toward me, she mumbles, “What’s her problem?”
“Mama and Daddy have gone to the hospital. The baby’s coming.”
“Really? Neat.”
I motion for her to follow me back to the bathroom. She leans against the door as I kneel in front of the cabinet again. “What you lookin’ for?”
“You know, some stuff.”
Steph sits on the bathroom floor beside me. “Hellfire, Mellie, are you too embarrassed to even say
pads
? No wonder you couldn’t tell me you got your period. What in the world did you do about it at school today?”
“I made do, but I need something better now. And pretty quick, too.”
Setting aside hemorrhoid treatment and cocoa butter lotion, I finally pull out a dark box with what looks like a Greek soldier’s head on it. I open it to find a jumble of foil wrapped packages.
Steph looks over my shoulder and laughs. “Well, I guess your folks haven’t used those for a while, huh?”
I pick one out of the box. “What are they?”
“Rubbers.”
Oh, my gosh. I toss it into the box like it might burst into flames.
Steph pulls out one of the foil wrapped packages. She examines it, holding it between her fingers, squeezing it gently, but she doesn’t open it.
A scarlet blush burns my face while I watch Stephanie fingering my dad’s rubbers. Rubbers meant that Mama and Daddy did IT.
Of course, they did IT, Melanie, you idiot
. But they must have messed up, because they’re at the hospital right now.
Casually, like it was an old Kleenex or something, Steph slips the rubber into her pants pocket.
I pretend not to notice. I don’t want to know what she’s thinking.
Honestly, the amount of embarrassment for me to experience in one day seems infinite. Then I think, what a stupid way to finally understand an abstract algebraic concept: unlimited mortification with no boundaries, humiliation expanding as far as the universe and beyond.
Steph pushes up from the floor. “Looks like your mom ran out of pads. She hasn’t needed them for a while, you know.”
“I know. That’s what I was afraid of.” I sit on the toilet and rest my chin in my hand. I need to think. “What am I going to do, Steph? I can’t ask my dad to get me some pads, for goodness’ sake.”
“Why not? It’s not like he doesn’t know what they are.” Steph picks up one of Mama’s lipsticks and slides it over her lips, holding her mouth open while she looks in the mirror.
“Don’t do that. It’s not yours.” I groan and clutch my belly.
She shrugs and puts the tube back on the shelf. “Cramps, too?”
“Yeah, they hurt bad.”
“I know. Cherie complains about them all the time.” Steph tucks the lipstick-marked paper into her pocket along with the rubber. I have no idea why she’s collecting these things.
Then it occurs to me that Steph’s never said anything about having periods. “Have you had your period yet?”
“No, but I’m sure it’ll come soon now. Cherie says that friends always get their periods together. Some mysterious female bond that we share or something.”
“Probably more like misery needs company.”
“Maybe.” Steph shrugs again, so nonchalant. “Listen, come home with me and I’ll get some pads. We have lots at our house.” She leaves the room, as if she expects me to follow. I do.
“I can’t leave Birdie. Daddy said for us to stay in the house until Flossie gets here.”
“Flossie’s coming? Neat. She gonna spend the night?”
“That’s what Daddy said.”
“All right. I’ll go get some stuff for you and come back. I guess you can’t go over to Marvin’s with me, either.”
“Why are you going to Marvin’s?”
“Oh, Mom’s still crying and sitting by the phone. I can’t stand it anymore. She even said I wasn’t allowed to go to the dance tomorrow.”
“Really? Why?”
“I guess she thinks I’m going to run away from the dance and get married or something. Boy, am I going to let Cherie have it when she finally shows up. If things keep going like this, she’s gonna ruin my whole life.”
Steph opens the front door and pauses. “Take some aspirin. It will help with the cramps. Want me to bring the hot water bottle, too?”
“We have one of those, I think.”
“It’s in the hall closet,” Birdie says. “What do you need the hot water bottle for?”
Count on Birdie not to miss a thing.
Smooth as silk, Steph says, “She has a tummy ache. You will too, Birdie, once you start eating junior high school cafeteria cheeseburgers.” Steph winks at me then heads out the door.
“You get cheeseburgers at junior high?”
I nod.
Birdie sighs. “I can’t wait. We had meatloaf for lunch today, with peas. I hate peas.”
“Yeah, I know.” I motion for Birdie to scoot over and I sit beside her in Daddy’s chair. She tosses the corner of her blanket over my lap.
“I’m hungry.” Birdie puts her head on my shoulder. “Do you think Flossie will make us some fried chicken for supper?”
“I don’t know, but fried chicken sure would be good, wouldn’t it?”
“Mashed potatoes, too.” Birdie turns her attention to the Popeye cartoon.
Today added a bunch of stuff to the long list of things I need to sort out. Now I’m worried about Mama, the new baby, and Cherie, wherever she is.
There’s at least one thing I can be relieved about: I don’t have to worry about the stupid Sadie Hawkins dance. If Steph can’t go, then I don’t have to go. I haven’t told her about Robert’s kiss. It’s too special to talk about. I don’t know if I’ll ever tell her. And, now I don’t have to worry about her pressuring me anymore.
The second thing is, I got my period before Steph. I feel almost like I scored a point in some kind of big game. I probably have two points already, now that I think about it. I doubt Steph has gotten Buzz to kiss her yet, or she would have told me.
Two points for me, zero for Steph. Even though I can’t tell her. Still, not bad.
Birdie and I sit staring at the television for a while. In kind of a trance, I watch Popeye and Olive Oil and Bluto fight and kiss and make up. For the first time all day, my mind is a complete blank, like I’ve thought every possible thought.
The phone rings, making me jump.
Oh, no. Something’s happened to Mama or the baby.
I run through the kitchen to snatch the phone off the wall.