Teen Angel (24 page)

Sonny pulled down her underwear and there, in the blue cotton crotch, was a spot the size of a subway token. And it was reddish-brown. Either her
thing
was beginning to rust from all the rubbing or she had gotten it. IT! Her period. The curse. Her red letter day. Her bloody Mary. IT! If she hadn’t had the seat on top of the bowl, she would have fallen in from shock.
Teenage Girl Drowns in Toilet Bowl!

“MOM! COME HERE! HURRY!” She screamed on top of her lungs.

Her mother rushed down the hallway and turned the doorknob. “What’s the matter? Are you all right, Sonny? Open the door!”

Sonny ran to the door with her panties curled around her ankles and unlocked it. Then she opened it half an inch and peeked out at her mother.

“So where’s the fire?”

“Mom, I got it!” Sonny cried out.

“What?”

“My period!” Sonny broke down into a quivering mess of sobs. Her mother came in and put her arms around her.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s good. It was time for you. You’re such a big girl. Now everything else will come. You’ll even get something there,” she said, tweaking Sonny’s breasts.

Sonny tried to wipe away the tears with her sleeve but her mother grabbed some toilet paper and did it for her. “It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry. You’re going to become very beautiful, very soon. My big girl,” she said, kissing Sonny.

“What should I do?”

“I’ll be right back,” her mother said. “Just sit down on the seat and wipe yourself. Put your panties in the sink and run cold water on them. That way the blood won’t stain.”

She followed her mother’s instructions. And when she returned she had a box of Modess, a clean pair of panties, and a white satin belt with clips on both sides. “That should do it,” she said. “Put
the pad on and when you’re finished, come out. I have something for you.”

Sonny read the instructions on the box over and over again. Then making sure that the blue line on the pad was facing away from her, she carefully stuck each tab into a clip. She put on the fresh pair of underwear.

At last, she was a full, card-carrying member of the exclusive and you-can’t-fake-this-one female sex. She had it. And D.B. could no longer lord it over her like she was some undeveloped pigmy. Sonny washed her face and joined her mother in the kitchen.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Not bad. Not bad at all,” Sonny said like she got her first period every day of her life. “It was simple.”

“Be sure not to flush the pad down the toilet because it’ll clog it up.”

“Mom, I flushed my try-out one. I didn’t know what else to do with it. But it went down after a couple flushes.”

“Okay, but don’t do it again. Just wrap it in toilet paper and put it in the garbage.” Her mother brought two crystal goblets to the table. “I want us to celebrate your becoming a woman.” She poured maroon-colored liquid in them.

“This is blackberry brandy. It’s very sweet but if you drink too much, you can get sick from it. Let’s make a toast.” They raised their glasses and her mother said,
L’chayim! Mazel tov!
” which meant something good. That’s what they always said when a baby was born or there was a marriage, particularly if the girl was ugly and had a huge hook nose.

It was the most delicious thing Sonny had ever tasted. And she felt so adult sitting there with her mother, sharing a drink. It was different from when she had gone to the bar with Ruben. That had been sneaky, and the bar was ugly. Here she was, drinking with her mother from a beautiful goblet in the afternoon. She replaced the bottle on the highest shelf of the cabinet.

“Sonny,” her mother said, sitting down. “Being a woman means
you can wear pretty dresses and go to dances. But there’s also a responsibility. I’m going to have a baby soon, but your father and I want it very badly. You can have a baby too if you’re not careful.”

Sonny began to wriggle in her chair. How come her mother could be so nice and then she had to say something which made her sick. She didn’t want to hear about the baby. Why did they want it so badly anyway?

“I’m not old-fashioned,” she continued. “I had my boyfriends before your father. But, Sonny, a woman must be careful. Men can do anything they want. They never have to pay a price for it. Women do. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m right here. All right? Do you understand?”

Her mother was taking it so seriously. Like she really was a woman and not just some drippy teenager making it with someone in the school staircase. It frightened Sonny at the same time that it made her feel important.

“We so rarely get a chance to talk anymore. We used to be so close …” Her mother’s voice sounded full of regret. “Remember?”

“That’s because you’re always screaming at me,” Sonny said. “Whatever I do, you pick on me.”

“You’ve asked for it, Sonny. Do you think I like being angry at you? My favorite girl. These last few months you’ve almost made me lose my mind.”

“I’m sorry,” Sonny said.

“I’m sorry too. I just haven’t known what to do with you. You’d gotten so-well-wild. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Anyway,” Sonny said, standing up, “I’ve got to make some phone calls.” The world had to know that she, old stringbean Palovsky, was on her way. Why, in a matter of weeks, she could start
growing
. Wait till she told D.B.
36-22-36
. She’d
die. Move over Monique Van Vooren, Jayne Mansfield! Va va va voom!

Sonny carried the telephone into the hallway closet. There she sat on the floor, leaving the door open a crack. The coats and
jackets surrounded her like a forest. She tried D.B.’s number but as usual her line was busy. Between Ruth and her sister, Rita, and D.B.’s own big mouth, you had to make a reservation several weeks ahead to call her. Who could she call? Mary Kelly? That might make her feel bad, since she hadn’t gotten it yet. But, on the other hand, she could gloat a little without being mean. Sonny dialed Mary’s number.

“Hello. Is Mary there?”

“Just a minute,” a woman’s voice said tiredly. Her mother always sounded like she was about a drop from exhaustion.

“Hi, Mary.”

“Thonny? Hi.”

“Guess what happened?”

“Ya got knocked up.”

“No, I got it!”

“What?”

“My P-E-R-I-O-D!”

“Terrific!” Mary said. “I sure wish they’d send one to me too. But then I’d probably get knocked up.”

“Listen, I was totally surprised. It came, just like that. It’ll happen to you too.”

“I hope so,” Mary said wistfully. “I feel like a retard.”

“Well, I gotta go.”

“By the way, did you hear there’s a bull session at the Gooch’s tomorrow?”

“Yeah? How come?”

“I don’t know. She and D.B. called it.”

“Okay.”

Sonny tried D.B. again but her line was still busy. She dialed Dot’s number. Dot had had hers for about a year. “Dot, hi. It’s Sonny.”

“Hi, Sonny!” she said, as happy as if Bill Cullen were calling from
The Price is Right
.

“You’ll never guess what–”

“What?”

“Guess.”

“You and Ruben went all the way.”

“No, you get one more guess.”

There was silence. Dot was probably biting her nails, trying to think of something. “It starts with a p.”

“Oh, I know,” Dot said. “You petted.”

“No, no. I got my period.”

“Great. Does it hurt?”

“Not too much.”

“You coming to school tomorrow?” Dot asked.

“Sure.”

“Could we walk together sometimes, like we used to. I mean, I know you and Ruben are going steady. But couldn’t we walk together again?”

Sonny felt terrible. She had been ignoring everyone since Ruben came on the scene. Even if Dot was a creep, she was still her friend. “Of course,” Sonny said. “Not tomorrow, though. How about the next day?”

“Do you mean it?” Dot asked.

“I promise.”

“Did you hear about the bull session?”

“Yeah. What’s happening?”

“Listen, Sonny, the Gooch is pissed. Ever since you and Ruben started going together, she’s been mad. Be careful. Okay?”

“Dot, you’re a good friend,” Sonny said. “You know that?”

“See you later-alligator!” Dot said. God, was she ever corny.

Sonny tried D.B. again, and this time the line was free. Ruth answered the telephone.

“Guess what?” Sonny said brightly.

“What?” Ruth said.

“I got my period.”

“Welcome to the club. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said, laughing. “Which leaves the field wide open. I’ll call her.”

Mothers aren’t supposed to talk like that, Sonny thought. “Hi,” D.B. said.

“Hi,” Sonny said. “Guess what?”

“I heard,” she said. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah, I finally got it,” Sonny said proudly.

“It happened to me three years ago so I can’t exactly get excited about it.”

“But it just happened to me for the first time.”

“Hallelujah. Listen, I’m in the middle of watching
American Bandstand
, so I’ll talk to you another time.”

“D.B., I don’t get it. Lately you’ve been acting like you don’t care. Real unfriendly. Are you mad at me?”

“I’ve just been busy.”

“So have I.”

“I noticed,” D.B. said pointedly.

“But we’re supposed to be best friends.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Remember in the bathtub that time, how we talked and all?”

“Yeah … So?”

“Well, if that’s the way you feel, forget it.”

“Sonny, don’t get all sensitive. It’s just that I’m watching the
Bandstand
. Wow, Joey Dee’s singing! Besides, I spoke to the Gooch …”

“Yeah,” Sonny said. “What about the bull session tomorrow?”

“Come and you’ll find out. I just spoke to her.”

“What did she tell you?”

“Oh, not very much. We just talked.”

“Come on,” Sonny pleaded.

“Well, she thinks you’ve been acting pretty stuck-up lately ever since you and Ruben started going steady. And you don’t come around anymore.”

“But you’re with Miguel,” Sonny protested.

“I’m just telling you what she said. I gotta go. See ya.”

Sonny managed a weak “bye” after D.B. had already hung up and just sat there in the bottom of the closet, hardly stirring. She was supposed to be her best friend. They had exchanged secrets that she would never tell anyone else. Could D.B. have decided to become the Gooch’s best friend even though she said how she hated her guts and she was a whore and all? They had been so close. Sonny looked down at the shoes she was sitting on and pulled herself up before they all turned menstrual red.

“Did you spread the good news?” her mother called from the kitchen.

“Not really,” Sonny called back.

“Well, you better get washed up. Supper is almost ready.”

“What news?” Mike asked her mother.

“Your sister became a woman today.”

“Sonny? How?”

“You’ll understand when you get older.”

“No one ever tells me anything,” Mike whined.

If this was what it meant being a woman, they could take it back. It was like when it said something cost $4.95 but it was really $5.00 and when you added the tax, it was even more.
You think it’s candy but it’s not. Say that fast
. She felt lonelier than a dog who buried his bone and forgot where he put it. She felt worse than when she had the mumps. Maybe she could run downstairs and tell Gerry.

She was eating breakfast when her father started screaming from the bathroom. “GENIA! COME QUICK! IMMEDIATELY! OH GOD, THERE’S BLOOD!” He sounded like he had stubbed his testicles.

Her mother ran out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “What happened?” she shouted, knocking on the bathroom door.

Suddenly, Sonny remembered leaving her Modess, which looked like it had been used to clean up after the
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
, in the middle of the bathroom floor. She had meant to wrap it up in toilet paper, the way her mother had shown her, but she forgot.

“This,” he said, holding it at a distance from himself by the tab. “How could you?”

“IT’S NOT MINE!” she screamed at him in Polish.

“Then whose is it?”

“Sonny’s.”

“Sonny?” He said, shocked.

“Your daughter is a young woman.”

“Oy Gut!” he groaned. “WELL, IF SHE’S SUCH A BIG WOMAN, TELL HER SHE CAN CLEAN AFTER HERSELF!” He slammed the door behind him.

It was the most serious thing that had ever happened to her body. Sonny wrapped two sanitary napkins in tissues and put them in her pocketbook along with the package of Midol for cramps. It hurt, but she didn’t mind. Particularly when she got to raise her hand in class and walk out with her pocketbook, which meant she had it and the class knew. Some of the creeps would have to wait years until they got it. Like Rose Greenberg and Linda “Crapmouth” Fletcher. They had so little, they were on the minus side. Not that remarkable changes had
yet
begun occurring to Sonny’s body. But any day now. She just wished she had some indication of when.

Sonny passed Mary Kelly in the hallway on her way to Social Studies. “Thonny, you coming?”

“Where?”

“You know, the bull session.”

“I almost forgot about it.”

“We’re all meeting outside at three. Then we’ll go to the Gooch’s.”

“Right,” Sonny said, with a shrinking feeling.

Bull sessions were official Teen Angel functions like the Slam Book. But they were more personal. You were supposed to say what you thought about everybody.
I hate your guts, Gooch. I wish you’d die. You uglify everything. Go to hell. How come you hate me so much?
Or to D.B.:
Hey, D.B., don’t you want to be my best friend anymore?
Maybe it was just what the Teen Angels needed. Lately, they weren’t much of a gang. There had been no parties and the last thing they did that was slightly exciting was eat up a storm at
Woolworth’s and rush out without paying the bill. They had to run for four blocks while this guy in a uniform chased them. They lost him by ducking into Mary’s alleyway. Sonny was nervous about the session.

During Study, she split to meet Ruben in the stairway between the third and fourth floors, wondering if he was still angry since she had bitten his tongue and run out of D.B.’s apartment. After waiting for ten minutes, she realized he was not going to come. Sonny peeked into his Shop Class.
Didn’t he still like her, at least?