"Doesn't sound like something bad,"
"He didn't say it was for him. Anyway, the doctor said I'd be all right," I added with emphasis.
"But my mother was still worried what my grandmother might think, but that was something different."
"What?'"
I shrugged. "She was worried I was too young to be able to have a baby and I could get into trouble. That's what Ian said."
"Ian, Ian," Alanis muttered and drank some more whiskey. She stared at me a moment. "Is he funny-looking? Big ears or something?'"
"No. Ian's very handsome. Lots of girls wanted him to be their boyfriend, but he wasn't interested."
"Why not? He gay. likes boys more than girls?"
"No. He said the girls were stupid. He used bigger words. words I can't remember. too. He always says he has no time to waste on stupidity."
"Yeah, well it sounds like he's wasting plenty of time where he's at. He can't be that smart if he got caught."
She sat thinking for a few moments, then she took another sip of her whiskey and sat back again, this time turning the radio volume down.
"So you had a period then?"
I nodded.
"Damn," she said. ""Granddaddy would say you're armed for bear."
"I don't know what that means,"
"Your doctor say you could get pregnant. right?"
I nodded and began to explain it the way Ian had explained it to me.
"You have a period when you're making eggs and--"
"I know all that stuff" she said, waving her hand. Then she laughed. "Can you imagine being a mother? You probably still play with dolls yourself."
"No. I don't. I'm not a baby."
"You were acting like it with your great-aunt, pretending like two children."
"I told you. We were just having fun. Maybe she wanted me not to be sad."
"Right." Alanis stared at me again. "Boys I know ain't gonna believe you're just seven. girl. They'll think you were left back for sure."
"I wasn't,"
"How old does your great-aunt think you are?"
"I'm sure she knows I'm seven," I said even though I wasn't
"Sometimes, I don't think she knows the time of day," she said and drank again from her bottle.
"She said she doesn't care about time, except when it comes to her television shows."
"Lucky her. You're not gonna tell her about me and you being down here and you didn't tell her about me down here with Chad, right?"
I shook my head.