Page 40 of Written By a Woman

I had recently lost my period cup and hadn’t gotten my newest one delivered yet. I couldn’t remember the last time I needed an actual tampon or pad, which probably explained why I couldn’t find any in the places I would normally stash them.

“Everything alright?” I heard Zaid ask. The two men were now watching me frantically search my desk for feminine hygiene products.

“Fine,” I smiled at them as I double-checked my desk area. Purse. Drawer. Drawer number two. Drawer number three. Drawer number four, which I already knew for a fact only had Hostess pastries stashed in there away from Mary’s grabby hands.

I tried to hide my panic by smiling at Nikhil and Zaid again, who gave me curious looks in return, and made my way over to Mary at her desk cluster where the software engineers worked.

“Hey,” I smiled, before leaning on her desk casually with my elbows as if I was just saying hello, “Do you happen to have a spare tampon?”

Mary’s mouth opened a little and her eyes widened before she ignored whatever code she was working on and started opening her desk drawers. They were all empty, save for a spare pen or empty energy drink can rolling around.

She came up with nothing, even after padding the pockets of her cargo pants, “I’m so sorry,” Mary whispered back to me, “I use a cup, I haven’t needed one of those myself for a while.”

“Damn,” I smiled at her good-naturedly, “I’m in your same position, except I don’t have my cup on me.”

“Oh no,” Mary’s eyes widened, pulling her phone out and thumbing away at it, “I’ll ask Jamie.” I nodded and leaned against her desk. Mary was the only uterus owner on this side of the building. All the other software engineers, except for Alice who hadn’t started yet, were men. Men, with their useless penises that didn’t bleed once a month.

Mary’s phone vibrated in her hand and a second later a frown pulled at her red-painted lips, “Shit,” Mary’s dark eyes lifted to meet mine, “She just used the last of her stock today.”

“Frick,” I sighed, “Maybe I’ll ask Jaqueline.”

Mary nodded and wished me luck as I departed, wondering if I would have to run to the nearest convenience store, or maybe even just call it a day and go home early.

Nikhil and Zaid weren’t near my desk anymore, but now they were standing in the middle of the open-concept area between all the upper management’s personal office spaces. Brandon was with them, and it didn’t look like a particularly fun or happy discussion that the men were having, so I didn’t draw too much attention to myself as I walked past them toward Jacqueline’s office.

Thankfully, her door was open, and I peeked my head inside while I gently knocked my knuckles on the doorframe.

Her head jerked up from her computer screen, and she reached up to remove her earbuds as she said, “Hey.”

“Hey,” I stopped in the threshold of her office and lifted my hand to the side of my mouth to keep our conversation from echoing into the open space behind me, “Do you have a tampon?”

Jacqueline’s lips made an O shape before she reached down into her purse and started rummaging around.

I crossed my fingers in anticipation as she searched.

“I’m so sorry,” Jacqueline winced as she set her purse on her desk, “but there is a box in the lady’s room.”

“Oh,” I nodded and gave her a thumbs up, so she wouldn’t feel too bad at not having a spare tampon for me to use. Heading in the direction of the restrooms, I awkwardly nodded at the men still standing together in the open-concept area, chatting about a Python or something, and made it to the restroom. I didn’t remember seeing a box of feminine hygiene products in the past, but to be fair, I usually avoided using public restrooms at all costs and never lingered. Because gross.

There was no box of pads or tampons to be found, and my whine of frustration was met with another small but unpleasant gush in my underwear.

Fuck this.

I turned around, ready to go home, when I saw what Jacqueline must have been talking about.

Of course!Most ladies’ rooms had a box mounted to the wall. Older ones were usually coin-operated, but surely Sun Steer wouldn’t expect women to pay for hygiene products in their office, right?

I jumped over to the feminine hygiene product dispenser and turned the little knob, but it stopped halfway.

I cursed and tried again.

Nothing.

“Are you fucking kidding me,” I grumbled through clenched teeth before trying a third time.

A quarter was really required for this shit?

Inthiseconomy?

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