In opposition to her feelings of late, she felt a slight cramp, a heaviness in her uterus — a sadness even. Without a second thought, she searched for the nearest bathroom. Since she stopped drinking alcohol, she had consumed more coffee than she should. In turn, she spent a lot of time in bathrooms.

“Let’s find a bathroom,” she said to her sister. Perfect. Her sister spent a lot of time in bathrooms too.

Rushing to the toilet, she didn’t notice the small tampon machine. She just had to pee. Hovering over the toilet, she tinkled — barely a sprinkle. Her eye caught a spot of pink, a spot of regret. Impossible! It was a week early.

Red streamed down into the water.

Hit with a pang of remorse, but not enough to stifle her longing, she wiped away her discharge. Goodbye, nightly plans.

“Hey, sis, please tell me you have a tampon?”