I remember the exact day.
It was on a Friday in February.
My mother had told us, ever since we were 10 years old,
That we’d start wearing the hijab as soon as we got it,
Because it’s a religious obligation.
I’d hoped I’d never get it.
I cried my eyes out then.
I hoped it was just an injury,
Not my period.
I stayed at home for two weeks,
So I wouldn’t wear the hijab.
No one ever told me what a period was,
Or why I get it every month.
I found out by myself almost two years later.
I think whatever made sex taboo in Egypt,
Whatever made it inappropriate to talk about,
Is behind why many girls don’t understand what periods are.
It’s why it scares them.
Oh, and by the way,
I took off the hijab a week ago.