That night for dinner it was silent. Brielle was cranky from the long day she had and Dwayne was tired of things being so awkward.
"So how did your little bonding session with Kim go?" Dwayne asked.
"Fine just fine." Brielle muttered.
"Are you ok?" Dwayne asked.
Brielle slammed her fork on the table tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm fine dad ok just because I got my period doesn't mean I'm some kind of moody hormonal monster I'm fine!" Brielle snapped getting up and leaving the room.
Dwayne looked at the direction where Brielle left and sighed. Thank god whitley is coming home tomorrow. He thought.
It was 1 Am in the morning and Brielle woke up feeling weird. She turned on her lamp light and sure enough her pajamas and sheets were stained.
Tears welled in her eyes and they threatened to fall as she ripped the sheet off her bed and flipped her mattress over. She walked into the hallway and then went inside the linen closet and found herself some new sheets. She then made up her bed and found some new pajamas and then took a shower.
Once she was finished she decided to wash her sheets so that her father wouldn't find her and make things more embarrassing for her than they already were.
Brielle went into the living room, grabbed the house phone then went into the laundry room.
The first thing she did was call Kim but she didn't answer figured Kim wasn't a night owl at all. The next person she called was Freddie and luckily she did answer and she was wide awake at that.
"Freddie?" Brielle asked.
"Oh hey Brielle what's up?" Freddie asked.
"I have a question." Brielle said. "It's a girl question?" She added.
"Oh ok well what is it?" Freddie asked.
"Do you know how to get blood out of sheets?" Brielle asked.
It got silent between the two of them until Freddie said: "you started your period! Omigod that's so exciting."
"Freddie there is nothing exciting about this." Brielle said irritated.
"Yes it is I mean you are a woman now you have blossomed." Freddie went on.
"Freddie can you tell me what to do!" Brielle snapped.
"Ok ok my god what did you have for dinner PMS soup." Freddie said.
"Freddie-"
"Fine fine sorry sorry here's what you're going to do." Freddie said.
The next morning Dwayne woke up and didn't hear Brielle watching tv in the living room something she would usually do. He looked in her room and didn't see her there. Suddenly Dwayne panicked he went into the kitchen and saw that the laundry room door was opened. He walked to it and that's when Dwayne saw Brielle sleeping on the floor with her old hello kitty blanket wrapped around her.
"Brielle?"
Brielle suddenly opened her eyes and saw her father looking at her.
"What are you doing in here?" He asked.
Brielle sat up and leaned her back against the washing machine.
"Uh nothing." She said.
"Are those your sheets on top of the washing machine?" Dwayne asked.
Brielle didn't say anything.
"Did you wash them? Brielle did you have an accident?" Dwayne said.
That's when Brielle snapped.
"Dad why do you keep questioning me my god are you a cop do you want me under arrest for sleeping in the laundry room!" Brielle yelled.
I guess Dwayne lost it too.
"You know what Brielle I've been letting you sass me around for the last couple of days and now I'm getting tired of it you are not an adult I can question you if I wanted to last time I checked I was the parent not you!" Dwayne yelled.
"Good I wouldn't want to be your parent anyway!" Brielle exclaimed.
"And I wouldn't want you too." Dwayne yelled back.
Brielle stood up and grabbed her sheets from off the washing machine and when she turned back to Dwayne she had tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Since you want to be so mean go by yourself to get mom!" Brielle yelled storming out of the laundry room.
Dwayne immediately felt bad. Why couldn't whitley be home this week. He thought.
Dwayne arrived at the airport an hour later to go get Whitley.
"Where's Brielle?" She asked as the two carried her luggage to the car.
"Home." Dwayne answered putting Whitley's suitcase in the trunk.
"Home?!" Whitley said. "I thought you said she was dying to see me."
"She was." Dwayne said. "It's just- I'll tell you in a minute."
Whitley was confused what had happened while she was gone.
When the two got in the car Whitley wanted answers.
"So what happened?" Whitley asked.
"Brielle started." Dwayne said.
"Started what?"
"You know her- her-"
"Well spit it out Dwayne for Christ's sake."
"Her period Whitley she started her period!" Dwayne shouted.
It got silent between the two of them.
"And me and her got into it this morning because I caught her sleeping in the laundry room." Dwayne said. "I think I made her cry."
"Dwayne how did you make her cry?" Whitley asked.
"She said to me I wouldn't want to be your mother so I said back to her I wouldn't want to be your son, that's when she told me she wasn't coming with me to get you and I saw that she was crying." Dwayne told Whitley.
Whitley facepalmed.
"Dwayne I know we don't normally tolerate back talk from Brielle but her emotions are fragile right now you got to try your best to bare with her." Whitley said.
"You're right." Dwayne said.
"Now start driving I got to go talk to Brielle." Whitley said.
When they arrived home Whitley walked to Brielle's bedroom and heard her softly crying.
She knocked on the door, normally she wouldn't bother but she felt like she should.
"It's me." Whitley said.
"Mom?" Brielle said.
Whitley opened the door.
"The one and only!" She said her face then softened. "Why are you crying?"
"Because this has been the worst weekend ever!" Brielle exclaimed bursting into tears again.
Whitley sat on Brielle's bed next to her and Brielle rested her head on Whitley's shoulder.
"I started my period and I've been having the worst cramps and when we went to go get me pads I didn't know what to get so Ron saw us and told me what kind to get-"
"Wait a minute Ron knew what kind of pads to get?" Whitley asked.
"Yeah, he said he buys them for Freddie." Brielle answered.
"Wow I hate to say it but how is Ron man enough to buy pads and your father isn't." Whitley said.
"And then." Brielle continued. "I leaked through my sheets in the middle of the night and I called Freddie and told her to help me but she kept being so happy about the whole thing she said she'd throw me a period party."
"Typical old Freddie." Whitley said.
"It's not fair I'm the first one in my friend group to get it and what if it happens at school then what, what if I leak through." Brielle said and Whitley cradled Brielle in her arms.
"Aww baby everybody develops differently your friends will catch up with you in no time." Whitley said.
"Well it doesn't feel like it." Brielle said.
"I'm gonna tell you a story." Whitley said. "The first time I got my period I was wearing white shorts and I was at school."
"Oh god." Brielle muttered.
"Oh god is correct." Whitley said. "I remember we had to present our projects and it was my turn to go. When I got up nobody said anything so I presented my project and when I finished everybody clapped when I turned around however to take my project off the board I heard a bunch of giggles go around everywhere."
"Is this where you started your period?" Brielle asked.
"Yup." Whitley said. "That's when this boy in my grade yelled 'Whitley got her period!' And all the boys started laughing and some of the girls did too I don't know why it was bound to happen to them soon."
"And then what happened?" Brielle asked.
"My mother had to pick me up and I was so embarrassed I didn't want to talk about it with her and eventually I did and I felt better." Whitley said.
"Brielle women are strong people we deal with this once a month carry a baby for 9 months the female race is awesome." Whitley said. "And baby getting your period is wonderful thing because one day when you are out of our house have gone to college, have a steady job, have graduated highschool, make sure you find a man that loves you did I say be out of our house?"
"Mom get to the point." Brielle said and Whitley laughed.
"My point is one day you'll be able to have a beautiful baby girl just like the one I have right next to me." Whitley said and her and Brielle hugged.
"Thanks mom."
"You're welcome sweetie." Whitley said. "Now that you're feeling better we are now going to celebrate you starting your period."
"I'm not having a party." Brielle said.
"Not like that you can choose whatever you want to do the rest of the day is ours." Whitley told Brielle.
"Well- I need some new pajamas cause the ones from last night are ruined so we can go to the mall and then we can go out to eat." Brielle said. "Because I have a lot of questions."
Whitley smiled.
"Ok get your stuff together." Whitley said. "And baby congratulations you are now a woman."
Brielle got up and examined herself in the mirror.
"You know I do feel a little bit more mature now that I think about it." She said.
"Oh hush." Whitley said throwing a pillow at Brielle.
—————later that night—————
"Hey baby." Dwayne said walking into Brielle's room.
"Oh hi dad." Brielle said.
"Look Brielle I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier I didn't mean it." Dwayne said.
Brielle abruptly stopped what she was doing.
"Dad it's fine." Brielle said.
"No it's not I shouldn't have gotten so mad I know this is a delicate time for you." Dwayne said.
"Dad you don't have to say it like that." Brielle said getting up. "My god it's not like I can't handle my emotions."
Dwayne sat down on Brielle's bed.
"I know I have been a little moody for the last couple of days just because of my period but I'm still the same Brielle." Brielle told Dwayne. "You don't have to walk on eggshells around me just because you think the littlest things are gonna set me off, because trust me they aren't." Brielle said.
"Brielle this is all confusing me I just wish you were my little girl again." Dwayne said.
"Dad I am your little girl still all I did was get my period I didn't change." Brielle said.
Dwayne made a face.
"Much." She added and Dwayne laughed. "But Dad you should be proud you handled my first period pretty well."
"I did?" Dwayne asked. "I mean I did." He said deepening his voice.
"Yeah if it wasn't for you I don't know what I would've done." Brielle said. "And even though I would've rather had mom there to help me you were the next best thing Thanks dad."
Brielle and Dwayne hugged.
"After school do you want to go out to eat?" Dwayne asked.
"Sure." Brielle said. "So its a date."
"It's a date period." Dwayne said laughing at his corny joke.
"Dad get out." Brielle said playfully.
"So how did you and Brielle's womens day go?" Dwayne asked Whitley later that night when they were in bed.
"Good we discussed how at school I'll keep some things with me just incase her visitor comes unexpectedly." Whitley said. "We also talked about what she should do if she's home alone with you and she starts again."
"Good I don't know how I survived this weekend." Dwayne said.
"Well you did and you did a good job as well I mean you were there for Brielle this weekend and she and I appreciate that." Whitley said she then gave Dwayne a kiss.
"You know if you're gonna be this affectionate during this time of the month then." Dwayne said.
"Oh Dwayne." Whitley said she shut off the lamp.
