Did You Get Your Period?

CHAPTER EIGHT.

The week with Dadi had been very busy. Shweta and Shruti both went running in the morning and returned home sweating and huffing, much to the amusement of their mother.

"I didn't for the life of me think that I would live to see this day. But here I am." She said jokingly after Shruti told her proudly that they'd both walked an extra kilometre that morning.

But because it's Sunday, they've both curled up back in their beds after running and taking a shower. There's nothing like catching up on lost sleep. Shweta and Shruti are fast asleep in their respective bedrooms and their mother is curled up on hers with her Kindle. It's a calm morning today. The previous evening had been rather stormy and at night the rains had poured heavily. The monsoon, it seemed, had officially begun.

Shweta's period is officially two weeks late now. Complying with her mother, she's still got another two weeks to wait. But she is still worried and cannot help but wonder if all the pregnancy tests are wrong.

Shweta's phone rings. The loud wailing of I will always looooove youuuuu. Wakes her up and she sits upright on her bed, feeling very disoriented.

"Hello?" She says, her voice sleepy and hoarse.

"Good morning Shweta." The upbeat and extra cheerful voice almost sings through the phone. It's her aunt. Her mother's elder sister Sonia who is currently in Canada, visiting her only son who happens to work there.

"Hello. Maasi. Good morning." Shweta yawns into the phone.

"What is this? Haven't you woken up already?" She asks Shweta.

"No, I haven't, Maasi. It's Sunday today and it's just six o'clock." Shweta says, leaning against her bed and her eyes slowly start to droop. There was no point in telling Maasi that she'd fallen asleep after her morning run. There was only so much laziness that she would willingly admit.

"Well. Lazy girl. But leave that nonsense. And tell me, how are you?" Her aunt asks, her voice extremely sunny and cheerful.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. What about you? And how is Sharad bhaiya?" Shweta asks, inquiring about her cousin who worked in Canada.

"I'm very happy and I'm really enjoying my time here. Sharad, he's just back from work." Her aunt says.

Shweta's frazzled for a moment before she realises that her aunt is in a different time zone.

"How is Canada?" She asks this time her sleepiness has decreased.

"Oh, it's wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I wish you, your sister and your mother were here. You would love visiting this place just as much as I have!" Her aunt replies, enthusiastically.

"Hm. Maybe next time, I'll follow you." Shweta laughs into the phone.

"Yes. But all that is fine. Your mother tells me that your period is suddenly missing?" Her aunt dives straight into business.

Of course, Shweta thinks. Her mother has obviously told her about the entire debacle.

"Oh. Yes." Shweta says, rather glum to be reminded about it. It had slowly started to fade from her mind and now her aunt was reminding her of it.

"Well. Don't worry much about it. Your grandmother is coming to visit you. If I were not in Canada, I'd have come for a visit as well. But your grandmother is going to come there with your uncle. She can't travel alone, you see." Her aunt says.

"My uncle knows that my period is missing as well?" Shweta almost screams into the phone.

"Well, he asked me why he suddenly needed to take your grandmother to meet you. I had to tell him. But what are you fretting about? It's normal! Your uncle is not some idiot who doesn't know what periods are." Her aunt replies, matter-of-factly.