Free Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Page A

nothing to offer since I was gone. She sent me two postcards a week, called every Friday night and promised to be home before Easter.
    Our phone conversations were always the same. I talked first: "Hello, Grandma… Yes, I'm fine… They're fine… School's fine… I miss you too."
    Then my father talked: "Hello, Mother… Yes, we're fine… How's the weather down there?… Well, it's bound to come out sooner or later. That's why they call it the Sunshine State."
    Then my mother talked: "Hello, Sylvia… Yes, Margaret's really fine… Of course I'm sure… Okay-and you take care too."
    Then I talked a second time: "Bye, Grandma. See you soon."
     
    During the second week in January Mr. Benedict announced that the sixth-grade girls were going to see a movie on Friday afternoon. The sixth-grade boys were not going to see the movie. At that time they would have a discussion with the boy's gym teacher from the junior high.
    Nancy passed me a note. It said,
Here we go
-
the big deal sex movie.
    When I asked her about it she told me the PTA sponsors it and it's called
What Every Girl Should Know.
    When I went home I told my mother. "We're going to see a movie in school on Friday."
    "I know," my mother said. "I got a letter in the mail. It's about menstruation."
    "I already
know
all about that."
    "I know
you
know," my mother said. "But it's important for
all
the girls to see it in case their mothers haven't told them the facts."
    "Oh."
    On Friday morning there was a lot of giggling. Finally, at two o'clock, the girls lined up and went to the auditorium. We took up the first three rows of seats. There was a lady on the stage, dressed in a gray suit. She had a big behind. Also, she wore a hat.
    "Hello, girls," she said. She clutched a hanky which she waved at us sometimes. "I'm here today to tell you about
What Every Girl Should Know,
brought to you as a courtesy of the Private Lady Company. We'll talk some more after the film." Her voice was smooth, like a radio announcer's.
    Then the lights went out and we saw the movie. The narrator of the film pronounced it menstroo-ation. "Remember," the voice said, "it's menstroo-ation." Gretchen, who was next to me, gave me a kick and I kicked Nancy on the other side. We held our hands over our mouths so we wouldn't laugh.
    The film told us about the ovaries and explained why girls menstroo-ate. But it didn't tell us how it feels, except to say that it is not painful, which we knew anyway. Also, it didn't really show a girl getting it. It just said how wonderful nature was and how we would soon become women and all that. After the film the lady in the gray suit asked if there were any questions.
    Nancy raised her hand and when Gray Suit called on her Nancy said, "How about Tampax?"
    Gray Suit coughed into her hanky and said, "We don't advise
internal protection
until you are considerably older."
    Then Gray Suit came down from the stage and passed out booklets called
What Every Girl Should Know.
The booklet recommended that we use Private Lady sanitary supplies. It was like one big commercial. I made a mental note never to buy Private Lady things
when
and
if
I ever needed them.
    For days after that whenever I looked at Gretchen, Janie or Nancy we'd pretend to be saying menstroo-ation. We laughed a lot. Mr. Benedict told us we'd have to settle down since we had a lot to learn before we'd be ready for seventh grade.
     
    One week later Gretchen got it. We had a special PTS meeting that afternoon.
    "I got it last night. Can you tell?" she asked us.
    "Oh, Gretchen! You lucky!" Nancy shrieked. "I was sure I'd be first. I've got more than you!"
    "Well, that doesn't mean much," Gretchen said, knowingly.
    "How did it happen?" I asked. "Well, I was sitting there eating my supper when I felt like something was dripping from me."
    "Go on-go on," Nancy said.
    "Well, I ran to the bathroom, and when I saw what it was I called my mother."
    "And?" I asked.
    "She yelled that she was eating."
    "And?" Janie