Holly laughed and accepted the tissue.
“You and your dad need to go on a shopping trip for supplies.”
Holly’s eyes widened. “He won’t know what to buy.”
“What won’t I know what to buy?” Harry appeared in the open doorway, obviously drawn in by the sound of laughter.
“Dad! Go away. I’m talking to Alice.”
“Holly’s got some news, Harry.”
“Alice!”
“It’s all good. Holly. Your dad knows all about periods and pads, don’t you Harry?”
Harry threw Alice a look that combined “kill me now” with “how dumb am I?” A dart of sympathy hit her. Harry was a loving and caring parent who was working really hard at being both father and mother to his kids, but he didn’t seem to recognize the great job he was doing. Without thinking, she gave his arm a quick squeeze.
Harry rallied and sat on the other side of Holly. “Your old dad knows a thing or two about feminine hygiene products. I only made the mistake of buying no name pads once and your mom had my guts for garters. She was a Libra girl all the way.”
“Libra makes funky pads in awesome colors,” Alice added, trying to give Harry some street cred. “They’re perfect for arty girls.”
“Congratulations, on becoming a woman, Holly,” Harry said clumsily, raising his hand for a high five.
It was awkward and full of love—Hallmark would have bottled it if they could. Alice’s chest filled with a rush of emotions and she didn’t know if she wanted to laugh, cry or sigh.
“It’s not something to celebrate!” Holly yelled, clearly incensed by the idea.
So much for Hallmark. “Actually, Holly, your dad’s right.”
Holly glared at Alice, clearly skeptical. Harry blinked, equally surprised.
“It is something to celebrate,” Alice reiterated. “Lots of cultures have special ceremonies for girls that can last for days. I remember when my twin got her period first, I was so jealous she got to go out for a special celebration without me. I had to wait another year and a half.”
“What did you do when you got yours?”
“My mom took me out to lunch and then we went shopping and I got a Roxy T-shirt. After that, she bought me a sparkly makeup bag for the pads so no mean girls or stupid boys teased me.”
“Your mom sounds really nice,” Holly said sadly.
Hating that she’d inadvertently added to Holly’s pain, Alice glanced at Harry for some guidance. But he was no use—he just nodded encouragingly, as though saying, “Good job, keep going.” It reminded her of her own father. “My dad was great too. He gave me a “Girl Power” badge and bought me some new paints.”
Holly visibly brightened. “Hear that, Dad?”
Harry laughed. “We can go to Bairnsdale on Saturday if you like.”
“You and Holly should go shopping for supplies now and then go out for dinner,” Alice suggested. “Hunter and I can hang out here.”
“But I thought we were doing the campfire …” Harry’s voice trailed off as Alice shook her head fast over the top of Holly’s. “How about we all go to the Thai place for dinner instead?”
“Awesome!” Holly squealed, her distress vanquished by the offer of dinner out. “I love the Thai place.”
Was Harry utterly clueless? This was supposed to be a father–daughter outing not a family dinner. “Holly, can you please go and grab my handbag for me?”
“Sure.” Holly slid off the bed and left the room.
“Thank you. You were amazing.” Harry’s heartfelt appreciation filled the room. “I hope it wasn’t too hard for you, given what you’re going through …”
Alice glared at him, picturing pearl-handled daggers flying out of her eyes and pinning him to the wall, as she tried to counter her rising tide of shame and embarrassment. She hated Harry’s empathy and intensity—it was too much, too revealing. She had a sudden appreciation for Dan’s easygoing, no-drama personality and their lack of deep and meaningful conversations.
“Can we not talk about me right now?”
“Right. Yeah. Of course.” He took his glasses off and cleaned them on the hem of his shirt before sliding the dark frames back into place. “I thought Holly was all prepared for periods. H gave her the talk and some pads before she died.”
“That was over two years ago. Holly thinks sanitary products expire so she threw them out.”
Harry blanched. “So, that’s why she’s upset? She doesn’t have anything?”
“That, but mostly because a girl at school upset her telling her she had to use tampons.”
“She’s far too young for tampons,” he said emphatically before adding, “isn’t she?”
Alice felt sorry for him. “Using tampons is more about feeling comfortable and relaxed using them than age.”
“Bloody hell. Parenting takes you to places you never expected to go and then it abandons you in the mud without a map or a compass.”
“I’m not a parent, but I can say I never expected to be discussing tampons with you.” Or hot flashes and my failed menstrual cycle.
“My point exactly. It’s a perfect example of going places you never expected to go.”
Alice knew she didn’t want any more sympathy from Harry and decided not to give him any. “Now you’re just being dramatic. There’s both a road map and a compass for puberty. There’s heaps of information either online or in books. The first step is opening the conversation and the best way to do that is take her shopping. Show her that buying pads is a perfectly normal and everyday thing to do.”
He gave a rueful grin. “You’re right. But it’s been years since I bought any of that stuff and all the packaging will have changed. I’ve already let Holly down once by not checking she was sorted. I don’t want to stuff up again.”
Alice thought about the array of pads on the market for the needs of women across their reproductive lives. She took his point. Whatever Holly’s mother had used might not be what Holly needed. “These days they make smaller pads for young girls. Buy those, but get the ones with wings.”
“Wings?”
“They fold
