In the month of November came the invitation from her home, inviting us all to “Anamika’s” coming of age(maturity? I don’t know the exact Engl...sh word for it) ceremony… To celebrate the adolescent turning into a young woman. One of my cousins even teased me with “yo varun your sali became a woman dude.” I was dumb struck at that comment, but boy was I glad to know that she didn’t know anything and just teasing me. I dressed up my best and my growth spurt kicked over a year ago and was still. .. "Of course, the transformation is designed to last up to a year,at which time I can renew the menstrual packets." A year! When that hitme I flopped on the bed, just staring at the ceiling. I was going to be agirl for an entire year! I moaned to myself, unable to reconcile how Ilooked, and what I was told, versus the reality of the situation. Iquickly got dressed and went to find my mother, and demand some answers.All she did was smile at me, the motion for me to sit down."I cannot see why. "Whoo-hoo! What a great way to start summer vacation!" "Fine. Let's leave these dishes to soak and go change into our suits. Meet you out back." Jenna's mother said. "Okay, Mom!" Jenna sang as she raced upstairs. In her bedroom she rummaged through the closet until she found her bathing suit, a dark blue one-piece that matched her eyes. She stripped out of the clothes she was wearing and shimmied into the suit -- then grimaced. "Hell's bells... I've really grown out of this," she muttered,. "Had reservations. No longer." What were they?" Darla's reservations?" Yes." Only one, really. Darla believes any woman invited into the group should be bisexual. A straight woman would cause dissention, she told me, not among the men, but among the women." Flint chuckled. "She said that there was something about having sex with another woman that eliminates the natural cattiness women harbor and lets love happen between women. Otherwise the natural competitiveness to attract a man comes into.