[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

was any shorter, you d
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
be able to see what she had for dinner last night.
Michael grimaced.  Chastity, I think I like Carlton. Finally he met my eyes.
The doubt, the fear
on his face made my throat catch.  Like I supposed to like girls, I mean. Oh,
God, what I going to
do?
I stared at him and didn t let my face change. Not one bit. Inside, I was
wailing.
Michael s top lip trembled.  You can t tell anyone. Not one soul.
 I won t. My mind was stewing. I didn t know whether I was embarrassed for
him, or
embarrassed at myself.
 Please, Chastity.
 For true! I won t. In Civics class just before lunch, I d been trying on
names, writing them in
my notebook: Chastity Theresa Jasper. Chastity Jasper-Lambkin. Mr. and Mrs.
Michael Jasper.
Shame curdled the food in my belly and chilled my skin.
 Thanks. Michael tried to mash the yam with one of the plastic forks from the
cafeteria. The
fork broke off in his hand. He cussed and threw the broken handle down on his
plate. Stood up.
I touched his arm.  Michael.
 What.
 You know for sure? My voice trembled. If he said yes, I was going to die
right there, I knew it.
He frowned. Frisbeed his paper plate of food into the open garbage can a few
tables away,
alarming the dogs, who ran out of the caf. He got a shrieking round of
overenthusiastic applause
from Gillian and Consuela, who were both hot for him. He scowled at them,
shook his head.
 Don t talk so loud. No, I don t know.
A chance, then. A tiny chance.  Why you don t test it and see? I asked him.
He shot me a look of pure panic.  What? You mad? Carlton would kill me. Then
he would tell
everybody.
I didn t point out that once he was dead, he wouldn t give two shits who
Carlton told.  No, not
with him. Carlton was a pimple-faced idiot who could only talk about cricket
and girls. No way
Michael could like him over me. Right?
I touched Michael s hand. He jumped.  Test it with me, I said.
 It s menopause, said Dr. Nichols.  You re having night sweats, hot flashes.
He smiled.  Though it
might help a bit to think of them as  power surges. ?
I sat across from him in his office, trying to understand what all those words
had to do with me.
 So what I can do about it? I asked him after a pause. I had some vague
notions; stuff I d heard on the
radio and television but hadn t paid much attention to.  Eat lots of tofu, get
eight hours sleep every night,
shit like that? This hot flash stupidness has to stop so I can get on with my
life.
Dr. Nichols blinked at me. He examined the perfectly manicured nails of his
left hand something he
always did when he was stalling for time. He d been my G.P. for thirteen years
now. I could read him
like a friend, almost. Mind you, is how long I hadn t been to see him? Two
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
years? Three?  The hot
flashes will stop eventually, he said.  My wife Miriam 
 Cedric, how many years you been reminding me that you have a wife and her
name is Miriam?
He blinked at me some more, a hurt expression on his face. So many years gone
by, and he still hiding
behind Miriam s skirts. And all I did that one time was bring the man some
chocolate! And a card, and a
Top
Page No 53
new pen, for his old one had been skipping. And a houseplant for his office,
to brighten it up a little. From
then on, I couldn t stop hearing about blasted Miriam. My blouse hadn t been
that low-cut that day. The
ones I used to wear to the club would probably have made him faint.
I relented.  Beg pardon, I said.  This business have me short-tempered.
Cedric nodded.  You can expect irritability over the next little while.
 Bet you nobody will notice any difference in me. So what Miriam have to say
on the subject of
menopause?
 It made her irritable, too. She says she used to get so mad at the slightest
little thing, it would feel like
her head was exploding. And some people get actual headaches. And maybe bouts
of rapid heartbeat.
And flatulence. You might notice you re getting some hairs on your chin, but
the hair will be thinner on
your head and. . . everywhere else. Weight gain, loss of libido, dry vagina.
 I see. And depression is a symptom, too?
 Well, yes. . .
My shoulders slumped.  Lord, just strike me dead now and done, nuh?
 Oh; and you might have irregular periods.
 How you mean,  irregular ?
 Some months it won t come at all, some months it ll come twice, and you might
have breakthrough
bleeding in between.
 Hence the irritability, I muttered.
 Pardon?
 Never mind. Cedric wasn t too quick to get a joke. I wouldn t have enjoyed
being his girlfriend
anyway.  So what I must take to stop it?
Cedric was scribbling on his little doctor pad.  To stop what? he asked me.
 I know both of we getting old, but like you the one going doltish, I
grumbled at him.  What I must take
to make all this nonsense stop?
He frowned at me.  Nothing will make it stop until it s ready to stop. You
just have to wait it out. I can
give you estrogen and progesterone to ease some of the symptoms, but other
than that, you just have to
give it time. Is a normal 
 Yes, I know.  Normal,  maturity, all that shit. How long I going to be
waking up drowning in my own
sweat?
Page 79 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

forum-gsm.htw.pl