The Quiet Goodbye
I still remember being in 8th grade when all the girls were asked to stay back after school for an extra hour. We were puzzled, whispering among ourselves, trying to guess what was going on. None of us had any clue what awaited us. Our questions were answered when the health counselor arrived. She began explaining a phenomenon that would soon become a significant part of our lives—a cycle that would visit us every month for many years. She talked about how to handle it when the time came and handed each of us a packet of sanitary napkins. I vividly recall sitting there, feeling a mix of awe and dread, wondering how I could possibly survive bleeding for four days every month. But I did survive—and eventually, it became second nature. Back then, and even now to some extent, periods were a topic shrouded in secrecy. No one talked about them openly, let alone wrote about them in blog posts like this. I still chuckle remembering how my father would immediately leave the room during televisi...