First Time On A Plane

The daughter knew she was in trouble the moment the safety demonstration ended, and seat belt lights turned on. She felt the cramps below her belly button as the stewards showed everyone how to inflate their life vests and felt the wetness once the plane took air.

"Crap," she thinks. At fourteen, you think you know what's going on when you suddenly feel wet and have cramps. But you can't know unless you can go to the bathroom.

Except there's some problems. First, she's in the window seat. Dad got cheap and bought budget airline tickets, knowing how many times she told him her friends' horror stories.

Her dad's not the only person she needs to climb over. He's the first person. A college kid sits in the aisle seat. The daughter had been eyeing this kid from the moment she saw him at the gate. The only thing that kept her from flirting was her father's evil eye when he noticed her staring at the boy.

She was excited when the boy sat in her row. She thought the worst part about the plane ride would be figuring out how to stare and flirt without her dad noticing. Now, she needs to figure out how to get to the bathroom before either male notices she's bleeding all over her seat.

She glances around her. She hasn't seen a stewardess walking running up and down the plane since takeoff started. She hears the call buttons going off around her, but nobody comes.

She looks at her row again. Dad reads his paper, but he's nodding off. The cute college boy sits back in his chair, his eyes closed.

At this point, there's no denying what's going on with her. Her pants felt soaked, and her stomach hurt more. She wants to lift her leg to see how bloody her seat is. She's sure her dad would notice, and that stops her.

The airplane is cold, but she's sweating. No amount of cold is gets rid of the sweat on her forehead. She wants to cry. Of course she's on an airplane when she gets her period! Her mother warned her to always have stuff on hand just in case, but it's in the overhead bin.

So many things could go wrong. What if Dad and the cute boy notice a big red spot on her crotch? What if she tries to climb over them and leaves blood stains everywhere? What if there's a puddle under her, and her dad thinks she's bleeding to death? What if he kills the cute boy thinking he somehow did something to her?

She wants to cry. She feels her eyes filling with tears and looks out the window. She sniffs as slowly as she can and wipes her face. She can't tell if Dad's awake or not.

She's working so hard to not cry she doesn't notice the seat belt lights go off. She doesn't hear the captain telling passengers they can get out to use the bathroom if they need. She doesn't notice the elderly couple watching her. The husband looks confused, but the wife knows.

She hears another call button but doesn't look up. She hears the stewardesses walking up and down the aisles, checking on everyone. She keeps looking out the window until she hears someone ask her, "Are you okay?"

She looks at the flight attendant. The woman is smiling at her and talking low. Neither the cute boy or Dad pays attention to the woman.

"I need help," the daughter whispers.

"Are you in danger?" the woman asks. The daughter shakes her head.

"I think I got my period," the daughter's voice is quieter. The woman nods and gently taps Dad and the cute boy.

"You could've told me you needed to pee," Dad grumbles as he scootches out of his seat. When he and the cute boy are in the aisle, the woman stands in front of them, blocking the daughter from view. The daughter looks back before raising herself off the seat.

Another stewardess comes up the aisle, stopping in front of the daughter. The two women don't say anything, but they keep the daughter between them. The daughter remembers her bag and opens the overhead bin. She quickly grabs a pair of clean underwear. They guide the girl to the bathroom.

"Take as much time as you need," one says. The other hands her a pad and a tampon. Then the two women go to the daughter's row.

The daughter doesn't know how long she's inside the little bathroom. She throws her period-stayed underpants away and puts on the fresh pair.

The daughter sits on the toilet, crying tears of relief. When she stops, she puts on the pad. She'll try the tampon when she sees her mom.

She walks out of the bathroom and back to her seat. The cute boy and Dad see her cmoing and stand up to let her in. She notices her seat is dry.

When she sits down, Dad and the cute boy follow. Dad leans over and whispers, "We'll stop at Wal Mart before we get to the hotel."

"Thanks, Dad." For the first time since takeoff, she's relieved.