Chapter 1: Age 14 - Thanksgiving

The first few adults had made it into the foyer but then the circle closed: they were set upon by their extended family, who would broach no delay in sharing words of welcome. Casseroles were shuffled from person to person to free arms for handshakes and hugs. Some attempts were made to remove the heavy winter coats the newcomers were wearing, but there wasn’t room. The foyer was entirely inadequate for this many people, and yet the rest of the house was empty. The only person who managed to recognize the problem was fourteen-year-old Alex, trapped just outside the open door in the biting cold.

Meg was watching from the high ground - halfway up the steps. When her eyes met Alex’s she waved him over.

Alex squirmed through the sea of bodies, shoving and weaving, to join his cousin.

“C’mon,” she said, and led him to her bedroom.

Alex dropped his coat on the floor. He still didn’t feel comfortable, stuck in a dress shirt, slacks, a tie, and never-worn dress shoes.

Meg pranced over to the bed and sat down, hugging a pillow. She was barefoot, wearing shorts and two layers of T-shirts.

“Sorry about the mess,” Meg told him. “Actually,” she amended after a moment of thought, “no I’m not. My mom was being psycho about everything being perfect for guests, and I decided to blow her off.”

Alex chuckled. “It’s cool.” He sat down in the chair at the desk. His eyes scanned the cluttered girl’s room while they talked.

“Uncle Mark says he’s stopped drinking,” Meg gossipped. “He says he’ll just have one or two beers because it’s a holiday. I bet he’s slurring by halftime.” Her eyes twinkled devilishly.

“No doubt,” Alex answered.

Alex’s eye caught something. Inside Meg’s open closet, draped casually across two stacks of books, was a baby-blue bra with red polka dots. He tried to ignore it. It was just a piece of clothing, like every woman wore every day. But no matter where he pointed his eyes, they kept snapping back to it. It meant something to him - a symbol of mystery and wonder. His adolescent boy brain couldn’t help but draw salacious connections.

Meg watched Alex’s eyes dart around while he awkwardly pretended he wasn’t staring at her underwear. Finally she confronted him. “It’s just a bra, dude,” she said with a chuckle.

Alex blushed and hid his eyes. Meg rolled her eyes, and then rolled her body off the bed. She picked up the forbidden garment and tossed it to him, and then watched while he examined it. It was like watching a monkey with a chainsaw, she decided.

They talked about school while Alex continued to examine the strange device, eventually focusing entirely on the hooks. He was having trouble getting both of them closed at once.

“It must take you forever to get dressed with these things,” Alex mused.

Meg shook her head. “No - it’s easy.”

“Show me,” Alex asked, offering the her bra.

Instead of taking the polka dot bra from Alex, Meg sat on the edge of her bed with her back to him. She pulled her shirts up to her arm pits and held them with her teeth while her fingers moved behind her. She unhooked the plain beige bra she was wearing and let the strap ends fall, revealing her bare back.

“See? Easy!” She said with a mouth full of T-shirt. She reconnected her bra and pulled her shirts back down.

Alex felt weird about the whole thing, but Meg felt strangely empowered. She was an adult - in this matter at least - explaining a part of the world to a child who could barely understand it.