ANNE'S BODY TALK.

Anne crutched her way over the grass from the nursing home to the white seats on the lawn and sat down in one of the chairs and threw her crutches to the ground beside her

I sat in a chair next to her she had on a blue skirt and white blouse her one leg stuck out from the end of her skirt

the other kids played on the swings and slide or walked around avoiding being near Anne

I wonder if the nuns have periods? She said suddenly

I don't know I said

might explain their crabbiness some days she said

I nodded my head unsure of the topic

periods of what? I asked

she looked at me sternly for a moment you don't know?

I shook my head gazing at her

it's menstruation in real terms she said

none the wiser I looked at her hair dark and almost shiny where she’d brushed it so much

do you know that?

no not heard of it I said

she sighed and looked at me deeply

do your parents tell you nothing?

not about menstruation anyway I said my old told me about the Plague of London in 1665 and rats and stuff

fuck the Plague of 1665 she said this is real stuff it may come handy one day to know

I doubted it but said nothing I looked back at the nursing home for rescue

do you know anything about the female cycle? She said

my friend's sister's cycle didn't have a cross bar I said remembering Jim's sister and the bicycle I sometimes rode

no no Kid not that kind of cycle her body cycle

I noticed as she moved on the chair her leg stump became visible

when a female gets to a certain age her body gets prepared to put an egg in a place in her body ready to be fertilized ok?

I saw the stump clearly it looked like the end of a plump elbow

Kid do you hear what I am saying?

Yes I said

good now if the egg doesn't get fertilized by a certain time her body gets rid of it in a cycle

and she bleeds the whole package out right?

It didn’t sound too good but I nodded what kind of egg? I asked

what do you mean what kind of egg? A bloody human egg what do you think a bloody hens' egg? She sighed deeply

and I wondered where she bought her one shoe

how old are you Kid?

10 nearly 11 years old I replied studying her black shoe and wondering what she did with the other shoe

what's fertilization? I asked looking up at her sitting in the chair her eyes focused on me

go ask the nuns they'll know she said snappily

ok I said I will

she reached for her crutches and said right Kid

let's go to the beach out of the eyes of the bitches and their reach

and so I walked beside her out the back gate and onto the path that led to the sand and sea blue skies white clouds seagullsand Anne and me.