A Girl's Timeline

At six, girls my age stopped bidding their mother goodnight.
My mom would tuck me in bed before telling me a bedtime story.

At seven, girls in my class stopped playing tag with the boys at recess.
Because I was so slow, I was always “it’.

At eight, girls stopped being friends with everyone and anyone.
I was an outsider and only had one best friend.

At nine, they stopped asking for sweets.
My sweet tooth kept me craving for treats.

At ten, girls started having secrets.
I stared at the empty pages of my diary for hours every day.

At eleven, girls started whispering.
There wasn’t anything I wanted to share.

At twelve, they started checking out guys.
Jacob from Twilight was the only one on my mind.

At thirteen, girls started dating.
Math and I had numbers of dates a month.

At fourteen, girls became interested in sex.
I had to go home with a sick stomachache.

At fifteen, they started being MEAN GIRLS.
Dumb me still lent them my homework.

At sixteen, some girls started having sex.
Unfortunately, I was too scared to try it.

At seventeen, some girls had have abortions.
Kill me a hundred times over, but I never want to know.

At eighteen, some were married.
I hadn’t even had my first boyfriend.

Ten years have passed and I still haven’t changed- much anyway. My mom no longer tucks me in at night and I don’t have time to play tag anymore, but I still love sweets and am still without a boyfriend. I stop fantasizing about Jacob and his ripped abs as I find myself mesmerize by another kind of specie. My stomach no longer feels like it is about to explode as if a volcano is getting ready to erupt within me at the mention of sex. On the other hand, ten years have changed a lot of things. Things I was oblivious to before became clear. And sometimes, things are too clear.

Yeap. Ten years can change a lot of things between now and then.


© N. Hli 2014 All rights reserved.
[Official date of completion: March 2012]