Cambiar Las Mareas: The Beginning

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN:

January 7, 1874: First Operation – Convincing Leonardo

Growing up poor in the 2000s made Jimena a non-slacker. She grew up experiencing that not doing things immediately can lead her to starvation, sickness, and suffering. And not doing things immediately can lead her to an early death. So, when the new year came with her failing multiple times to convince Leonardo, Jimena was terrified.

Don't get her wrong, she was already terrified last year. But she can say that she's more terrified now because her brother was not budging despite the subtle (and not subtle) hints that she had sent his way. And quite frankly, she does not know what will happen to her because of this. Sure, she had made significant progress with Carlos and Felipe, but that didn't stop her from feeling scared that her family would revert to their original fate.

This train of thought however came to a momentary halt during the morning of January 7, 1874. They were back in Mindanao for their yearly Christmas break and since she had no schooling for the day, Jimena spent her morning overthinking - as she usually does when there was nothing else to do.

She was on the verge of flipping through her notes when suddenly a sharp pain in her lower abdomen caught her attention. Initially, Jimena did not mind it, dismissing it as a normal stomachache. But when the pain came back mere seconds later and had become the pulsing, familiar kind, Jimena began to suspect that this was an entirely different thing.

Jimena stood up, went to the hidden corner of her room, reached her fingers below her nightgown, and moved it towards her private area. She touched it for a short while before moving back her hands. Sure enough, on the pad of her fingers, Jimena saw red blood. She was indeed on her period just like she had expected.

Jimena had gotten so used to doing things using a child's body that she had forgotten that one of the drawbacks of this was the fact that she was going to go through puberty again whether she liked it or not. Jimena couldn't help but cringe at that – she had horrible emotional outbursts when she had undergone puberty back in her other life.

Carefully, Jimena then opened the door of her bedroom in the hopes of finding a service that will call Maria. Fortunately, someone passed by and minutes later, Maria had come together with her two other companions.

Since it was early in the morning, Jimena could see that with the bathing materials in Maria's hands, they had initially thought that she had called for a bath. However, when Jimena told them of the situation, Maria carefully placed down what she was carrying and proceeded to tell the two servants to call on Jimena's mother.

To Jimena's amusement, instead of preparing the bath she gravely needed lest she will bleed through her nightgown, Maria grimly let her sit down on her desk chair while clasping her hands mournfully.

"Let's just wait for your mother Señorita Jimena." She said. "I think it would be best if you will learn this thing from her. However please know this," Maria paused as if remembering the words her mother had told her when she had gotten her period. "Fruition does not define your worth as a woman."

It took her a while but when Jimena found out that Maria was talking about childbearing and fertility, she cannot stop the blush from climbing up her cheeks. She's supposed to be young! Why was she already talking about this to her?

"I-I already know what is happening Jimena," She recklessly said, remembering her first puberty and the sexual urges that she had engaged with as an adult. "I am not at all blind as to what is happening, of that, I can assure you."

Maria's eyebrow furrowed disbelieving.

"But how did you know Señorita?" She asked. "It's quite impossible for Donya Latisha to teach these things considering that you have just started your woman flowering time." Maria then frowned. "Unless you heard these sinful things from your brothers?"