Sister, I Think I Already Know You
I know that walk to the counter, the one where your voice drops before you even reach the front, hoping the woman behind you is not listening too closely.
I know what it looks like when a woman has been taking a pill every day, on time, exactly as told, and still comes back to me in tears, unable to explain the mood changes, the weight that will not move, or the way her body no longer feels like her own.
I have heard the aunties' advice too, the herbal mixtures, the steaming, the things an older generation swore by, without anyone ever explaining exactly what to do or how to know whether it was working.
I have watched women order things from Instagram at midnight, hoping this package would finally be the one that worked, only to add it to the drawer with the others.
And I have watched the quiet exhaustion of feeling stuck between two frightening choices, a method that no longer feels right for your body or the fear of a pregnancy you are not ready for, with no one ever sitting you down to explain what is happening inside you.
Nothing is wrong with you. You were simply never taught the one thing your body has been showing you since your first period.