HOLD IT FOR ME
A story
I sat on the white plastic chair with my head bowed on the green and white table. My head was throbbing and my stomach felt like it would split open. I had already drank three liters of water thinking it was constipation. I felt nauseous.
My teacher walked into the classroom escorted by a group of women from P&G company. The women were talking but I could barely concentrate on the topic.
One of the ladies brought out a fancy blue and pink item flanked with a picture of pampers. There was no baby at home so the product was irrelevant to me, even if there was a baby, I had no money to buy what they were selling.
The boys in the class were disgusted at the subject being discussed while some girls were visibly embarrassed.
"This product helps to protect you from ruining your clothes. There are two types; the blue for overflow and the pink for those with lightflow. You just stick it on your panties and strap the wings under your underwear to make it firm. You can only wear it for eight hours and you'd be rest assured that there'll be no stain. Always, no stain."
I had no idea what she was talking about. After a few more minutes, one of the ladies started distributing the products and a fancy pamphlet to the girls in the class. I strained back in my chair as the lady handed me the item and pamphlet. I thanked her and opened the pamphlet.
The pamphlet was a sort of diary with flowery markings for calendar dates. A girl was smiling amidst a backdrop of white bedsheets and sunny weather. I wondered what made her so happy and confident. I shook my head slightly before tucking both items in my bag.
A girl behind me giggled as her twin brother made a puking face. How I wish my stubborn brother was my friend, but he was older and we never saw eye to eye.
The ladies thanked us for our time and walked out of the classroom to the next. My teacher walked over to the white board and wrote 'Mathematics'. I wasn't ready to crack my brain thinking of finding 'x' or 'y', I didn't take anything from them so why was my teacher always making us find them?
I felt the need to pee but my abdomen ached. On my forehead and cheeks, big pimples sat like big cats in an Egyptian palace.
Jonathan was calculating something on his book. He looked so adorable. His caramel skin was glowing and his glasses gave him an academic look. He wasn't smiling, I craved his dimpled smile but that was a rare occurrence. Linda sat beside Nurudeen exchanging flirtatious gazes.
I looked back again at Jonathan but he was in his own little world.
"Find the simple interest on N500 for 2 years… Can anyone help us out?"
I felt warm liquid escape into my panties. It felt different and sticky. I needed to use the toilet. I raised my hand and my teacher noticed.
"Do you want to give us the answer, Jumoke?"
I shook my head slightly, "Please sir, I need to use the loo."
"Oh, you want to escape the question now? I have been watching you since morning, you are acting off, very unlike you. I hope all is well?"
"My stomach hurts, I need to use the toilet? Please…"
"Vibe killer, bloody Samaritan…", I could hear Yemisi and Tolani singing in whispers behind my back. Something was amusing them.
"Alright, you can go but make it snappy", my teacher said, turning his attention back to the equation on the board.
"Danger, that's all I see on Jumoke…", I wondered what Derrick was babbling about.
I went to the female toilet at the end of the hall. I took off my panties in a hurry and sat on the toilet without lining the sit with tissues. My pant was a pictorial representation of the Nigerian map. A wave of nausea made me puke on the floor beside my black leather containers.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, how was I going to go back to the classroom? Who would help me? Why did this have to happen on a school day?
My mom and sister had already taught me about periods but I figured it would not be visiting me anytime soon.
I sat on the toilet for a while longer, thinking of the next possible option but there was none. I reluctantly wore the soiled pants and cleaned the vomit on the floor. I felt so disgusted. I walked out of the bathroom into the empty hallway.
"Young lady, young lady…"
I turned back and saw the cleaner with a wrapper in her hand. She wrapped the dirty brown cloth around my waist.
"You shouldn't be walking around like this. Do you have pad?"
"What is pad?" I asked, confused.
"Sanitary pad to help absorb the blood? I thought they came to the school today?,” I looked at the lady and for a split second, I had no idea what she was talking about until I remembered 'Always, no stain’.
"It's in my bag. A lady gave me today!"
"That's nice. You will need it. I doubt you can stay in school like this, you will have to go to the principal so she can sign leave of permit for you and call your parents to take you home. I heard you vomiting in the toilet. How are you feeling now?"
I wanted to roll up and cry. I wasn't feeling well. I wanted to be with my mommy, she would know what to do. Tears gushed out of my eyes.
The lady walked me to my class, she made me wait outside while she entered the class and spoke to my teacher in his ears. He nodded and pointed to my table. She went to my table, packed my stuff and cleaned something off my seat. I caught a glimpse of Jonathan as he stared at me through the window with sympathetic eyes. I looked away.
Mayowa excused herself from the class and met me outside.
"Are you sick? Why is a wrapper around your waist?", She asked as she unwrapped the cloth before my brain could register.
She gasped as she saw the bloody mess behind my skirt. She smiled knowingly as she hugged me.
"Finally, the late bloomer has bloomed. I was wondering when you would finally see yours. It's supposed to be a happy sickness, at least, that's what my mother usually says."
I couldn't smile, I felt sick to my stomach. She smiled at me, hugged me again before she went into the classroom. The cleaner brought my things and took me to the principal's office with the teacher right behind me.
In the principal's office, the teacher and cleaner explained my situation and my mom was called. The lady took me to the toilet and taught me how to fix the pad.
A while later, my mom's sienna pulled into the school compound and I sat at the back. She tried to cheer me up with ice-cream but Jonathan's sympathetic eyes kept flashing before my eyes.
Later that night, my mom gave me catfish pepper soup, I wished she would treat me like this everyday but these sort of treatments only occured in sick times, I would still wash plates the next morning.
I no longer felt any pain and there was no blood on the pad when I went to urinate. I needed to sleep and the material was itchy, making me sweat under. I went to my room and lay down. Thankfully, tomorrow is a Saturday.
"How are you feeling, sugarplum?"
I turned on the bed and found my sister standing by the door while my mom had already placed a plastic chair beside my bed.
I scratched my hair as I sat up.
"I feel alright but I can't sleep because I'm sweating."
"You may need to take off your clothes and wear only the pant."
I nodded as I pulled my pants and removed the empty pad before placing it on my mother's hands. Her face was contorted in horror. I need to sleep and she said I can take off my clothes. The pad was to prevent any stain so it was to me a nylon cloth.
"What is the meaning of this Jumoke?"
"You said I need to take off my clothes and wear only my pant. I don't feel any pain anymore and I'm sweating buckets under that place."
"This child…"
"To think I'll be like this every month of my life, oh, sorrow. I can't play with boys again. My life in the outside world."
"Olajumoke, kini rubbish?"
"Hold it for me, I cannot sleep with that thing, tomorrow I will continue from where I stopped."
