Read Early Spring 01 Broken Flower for Free Online Page A

and nodded at the small settee across from us.
He smirked, closed the door, looked at the settee, and then with an expression of annoyance, glanced at Mama before sitting. He sat back, his right arm over the back of the settee, his left arm at his side. Both my parents sitting in my Tiny Tot children's furniture looked funny to me. It was rare to have them in my room simultaneously. I couldn't help but smile, which he thought was confusing.
"What is it, already?" he asked.
"Recently. I noticed some dramatic changes in Jordan," Mama began.
Daddy's eyebrows rose and closed toward each other. "Changes?"
"In her body. Changes that have come too soon."
"Like what?"
Mama leaned over and unbuttoned my blouse. Daddy gaped. "As you can see, she's developing breasts."
He sat back, his mouth slightly open. "Is that bad?" he asked. "My God, Christopher."
"Well, I don't know about female development, for God sakes."
"It's not only this," she said, closing my blouse. "She has pubic hair, and now," Mama said,
swallowing back and holding in her tears, "she has had her first period."
"What? You're out of your mind. The kid's not even seven years old. I know that much at least.'
"You're right. It's not normal. That's why I'm taking her to see Dell'Acqua tomorrow," Mama said.
Daddy was quiet. Then he brought his arm off the back of the settee and leaned forward.
"Does my mother know about any of this?" he asked in a loud whisper, as if Grandmother Emma kept her ears to the walls or Nancy had been sent up to do so.
"No, no one knows but us. I'd rather it be kept that way for as long as possible, Christopher."
"Of course," he said, and sat back again. "That's very wise. Well, what does Dr. Dell'Acqua think about all this?" he asked, waving his hand at me as though I were a pile of trouble.
"She wasn't overly concerned about her beginning breast development and pubic hair growth, but when I told her she had experienced menarche--''
"Men what?"
"Her first period. When she heard that, she was convinced Jordan is experiencing what is known as precocious puberty."
"Which means what?"
Mama looked at me, obviously deciding how much more to say in my presence.
"She's becoming a woman too early, too quickly."
"You mean, a kid this young could have a baby!" he exclaimed, raising his voice.
My eyes nearly rolled out of my head. I turned to my mother, anxious to hear her answer.
"Let's not get into any of that just yet, Christopher. Physically, Dr. Dell'Acqua's afraid of her having an accelerated growth spurt that rill cause her bones to stop growing and result in her being a stunted adult."
Daddy grimaced as if he had bit into a rotten apple. "You mean she'll become a dwarf?"
Mama looked at me again to see my reaction to Daddy's responses. "You're not helping the situation with this sort of reaction, Christopher."
"Well, what's she want to do?"
"Dr. Dell'Acqua wants to begin with blood tests. She also wants her to have a cerebral CAT scan. There are different types of precocious puberty and we have to determine which she has, what's causing it, and then treat it."
I'll never forget the expression on Daddy's face when he looked at me then. Ere made me feel as if he thought I was a freak. The distaste and disgust in his fact brought tears to my eyes. I felt as if I couldn't breathe.
"Regardless," Mama continued, maintaining her firm demeanor and control, "she is going to have great psychological and emotional difficulty and we'll have to give her all the support and care we can. She might even need professional therapy."
"Therapy! A seven-year-old kid?"
"With divorces and other marital problems these days, that's not as unusual as you might think, Christopher. In any case, that's what Dr. Dell'Acqua told me even before she has looked at her. Jordan will have difficulty adjusting to the changes and the impact they have on her mentally. Besides," she said with a deep sigh, "'her body is beyond a seven-yearold's so you have to stop thinking in terms of her