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Show 27 I got a pair but still had to alternate them with overalls. And so that day in the sixth grade, me still decidedly on this side of puberty, I was wearing them when our class rose to march out for recess. Our desks were bolted down, of course, and we all stood at once, faced the back of the room and marched out row by row. When the bell rang I had an erection. Even then my penis had its own life, it did not consult me, and I had to stand and carry it down the aisle, it pushing out my overalls like a miniature tent pole. It looked like I was pregnant with a pointy-headed dwarf. And I didn't have any idea of how to handle it. Sitting in the desk behind me and so marching right in front of me was Rose Cox. While the other girls in the class were still little girls, Rose was a foot taller than me, had hips and breasts and had started wearing lipstick. The most I knew what to do was hope she wouldn't turn around. I hadn't the craft to put my hands in my pockets, grab that thing and throttle it; I just shuffled along and prayed it would go limp. It didn't. I prayed Rose would not turn around. She did. Our row got to the back of the room, had to stop and wait for the row beside us to file out first, and Rose looked back. Sharp eyes, she saw it without hesitation. Of course it was pointed right at her. Like a compass needle points north. I think that was the first time she really noticed me. She gave me a big smile, really very friendly. "I know what that is," she said, and I could only stand there M i and pretend I didn't know what she was talking about. But I knew my body had betrayed me, ruined me forever. I didn't know that Dionysus lives. I didn't know much. I'm sure that Rose in the sixth grade knew a lot better than I did "what that is." By the eighth grade I hadn't learned much more, but I was certainly being pressured to learn something. And there were moments when I felt as if |
