Kristie loved her red cowboy boots. She wore them all summer with her light blue shorts and a red halter top with white eyelet trim. She also wore an “I like Ike” button. She was only eight and in the third grade, but she knew about the election and her whole family was supporting Ike for President.
A New Girl had just moved into the court in the upstairs apartment above the garages. She didn’t have a dad, and her mom was divorced which was practically unheard of at that time. She was about eleven and knew facts about things that intrigued Kristie. She was “almost a woman” as they said. New Girl’s budding breasts showed the impending development.
Since her mom worked, New Girl was instructed to stay inside after school, do her homework, and keep the door locked. Working mothers were uncommon then. Kristie’s mom didn’t work, so she was free to ride her two wheeler around the perimeter of the court as long as she didn’t go out into the street or in the alley.
The New Girl was bored after doing her chores and homework, so she opened the window wide and drew up the shade inviting Kristie to play a game. “Guess what this is?” she called down to Kristie as she came around the bend of the court. The New Girl had made a design out of the pull cords on the blinds.
Kristie had no idea what it was supposed to be. It was a large “V” with another string hanging down. “It’s a Tampax string,” New Girl called out. Kristie still did not understand.
When New Girl’s mother got home, she was allowed to go outside to play for an hour before dinner. The two girls headed over to the neighbor’s over grown vacant lot next to the court. They went to the back behind the over growth where New Girl proceeded to explain to Kristie about Tampax, monthly bleeding, and other things that were beyond her comprehension at that moment.
Then New Girl instructed her, “You play the man, and I’ll be the woman.”
Kristie thought this sounded like a fun game. She leaned up to kiss New Girl pretending to be “Scout,” a romantic male figure she had seen on Bonanza. New Girl wasn’t completely satisfied with the kiss and placed Kristie’s hand on her newly forming pubescent breast. Kristie was shy, but compliant, and it made her feel funny, but good.
Just then New Girl’s mother came out looking for her and found the two girls looking sheepish hiding in the bushes. New Girl’s mother was furious. She blamed Kristie for being a “Dyke” – whatever that was. They moved away shortly after that.
Kristie was in trouble again for something that wasn’t her fault. She was not allowed to play outside after school for a week, and she had to eat bologna sandwiches with mayonnaise for lunch everyday. She was really beginning to hate bologna!
(First published 2/26/13)
