especially not four.
âIâve tried a thousand times at home and never found it,â she says.
âHow can you really try if you donât even know what a penis looks like?â Ana asks.
âDo so.â
âHow?â
âOK, I donât,â Pina admits. âMy dad wouldnât show me his even though my mom yelled âItâs natural! Itâs natural!â at him. But he didnât want to so that was the end of that.â
âI see my brotherâs all the time. Itâs just like a pinky. How about we try on Luz?â
âWhat if she tells on us?â
âWeâll tell my mom she wet herself and that we had to change her knickers,â Ana says, lifting her sister off the swing.
âAlright,â Pina says, and she proceeds to take the lead refills out of the BIC. She counts them, then puts all eight in her pocket. She doesnât want to risk them breaking inside Luz. Then she has another idea. On the ground near the swings thereâs a drink with a straw in it. Pina puts the pencil in her pocket, grabs the straw from the can and wipes it on her shorts.
Between them they manage to lie Luz down on the wall on top of Anaâs trousers. Pina tries to take off her swimsuit but she gets in a twist. Itâs not the same as undressing a doll. But even so Ana knows how to do it. Watching her maneuver the straps, it occurs to Pina that the secret is not to be afraid; it occurs to her that people with brothers and sisters are the least afraid of all. Luz is still giggling and singing, âon the swing, a-wing, a-wing thereâs a little swinging ladyâ.
âWhatâs she talking about?â Ana asks.
âThat is so creepy,â Pina says.
But Luz carries on singing her song, making it up as she goes along. Ana holds down her knees and joins in the chorus to distract her.
âOn the swing, a-wing, a-wingâ¦â
âStop it,â Luz says. âMy song.â
This vagina hatch turns out to be even harder to open than the last one, and Pinaâs job is made more difficult still by Luz, who squirms the second the straw goes near her. Luz laughs at first, but then starts to cry. Ana pins her down by the wrists. But Pina gives up almost immediately. Nobody has ever really punished her, but she has a hunch that what sheâs doing is worthy of serious punishment. They let go of Luz and tickle her until she rolls and almost falls off the wall.
âMaybe Luz and I donât have holes,â Ana says, âand thatâs why weâre sisters.â
âYou donât get it,â Pina says, now not so sure about anything. She jumps down from the wall.
âIf you donât have holes, youâre never going to have children,â she says, then stands up on one of the swings and thrusts her pelvis forwards and backwards, rocking herself furiously. Sheâs thinking that neither the hole, the penis, nor the tadpoles exist, that itâs all a story for dumb kids; another one of those stories her mom tells her, like when she says sheâs going to pick Pina up from school and instead her dad shows up. Like when she told Pina she could go along to her dance class and then just went without her and without saying anything and Pina was left standing in the kitchen in her leotard.
They hear a whistle. Luz recognizes it and starts to clap. A few seconds later Linda turns up at the swings. Pina is on edge. Sheâs scared Aunt Linda will tell her off. She stops rocking herself but remains frozen on the swing. She clutches hard onto the chains and her eyes bore into her feet, into her shadow on the grass, into Anaâs panties lying there like a dead butterfly. Linda announces that they have to go back to Mexico City. Itâs an emergency: Grandma Emma turned up to surprise them and nobodyâs there to open the door.
âGet dressed, all of you!â she orders. She means all of them bar Pina. Pina is the
âIâve tried a thousand times at home and never found it,â she says.
âHow can you really try if you donât even know what a penis looks like?â Ana asks.
âDo so.â
âHow?â
âOK, I donât,â Pina admits. âMy dad wouldnât show me his even though my mom yelled âItâs natural! Itâs natural!â at him. But he didnât want to so that was the end of that.â
âI see my brotherâs all the time. Itâs just like a pinky. How about we try on Luz?â
âWhat if she tells on us?â
âWeâll tell my mom she wet herself and that we had to change her knickers,â Ana says, lifting her sister off the swing.
âAlright,â Pina says, and she proceeds to take the lead refills out of the BIC. She counts them, then puts all eight in her pocket. She doesnât want to risk them breaking inside Luz. Then she has another idea. On the ground near the swings thereâs a drink with a straw in it. Pina puts the pencil in her pocket, grabs the straw from the can and wipes it on her shorts.
Between them they manage to lie Luz down on the wall on top of Anaâs trousers. Pina tries to take off her swimsuit but she gets in a twist. Itâs not the same as undressing a doll. But even so Ana knows how to do it. Watching her maneuver the straps, it occurs to Pina that the secret is not to be afraid; it occurs to her that people with brothers and sisters are the least afraid of all. Luz is still giggling and singing, âon the swing, a-wing, a-wing thereâs a little swinging ladyâ.
âWhatâs she talking about?â Ana asks.
âThat is so creepy,â Pina says.
But Luz carries on singing her song, making it up as she goes along. Ana holds down her knees and joins in the chorus to distract her.
âOn the swing, a-wing, a-wingâ¦â
âStop it,â Luz says. âMy song.â
This vagina hatch turns out to be even harder to open than the last one, and Pinaâs job is made more difficult still by Luz, who squirms the second the straw goes near her. Luz laughs at first, but then starts to cry. Ana pins her down by the wrists. But Pina gives up almost immediately. Nobody has ever really punished her, but she has a hunch that what sheâs doing is worthy of serious punishment. They let go of Luz and tickle her until she rolls and almost falls off the wall.
âMaybe Luz and I donât have holes,â Ana says, âand thatâs why weâre sisters.â
âYou donât get it,â Pina says, now not so sure about anything. She jumps down from the wall.
âIf you donât have holes, youâre never going to have children,â she says, then stands up on one of the swings and thrusts her pelvis forwards and backwards, rocking herself furiously. Sheâs thinking that neither the hole, the penis, nor the tadpoles exist, that itâs all a story for dumb kids; another one of those stories her mom tells her, like when she says sheâs going to pick Pina up from school and instead her dad shows up. Like when she told Pina she could go along to her dance class and then just went without her and without saying anything and Pina was left standing in the kitchen in her leotard.
They hear a whistle. Luz recognizes it and starts to clap. A few seconds later Linda turns up at the swings. Pina is on edge. Sheâs scared Aunt Linda will tell her off. She stops rocking herself but remains frozen on the swing. She clutches hard onto the chains and her eyes bore into her feet, into her shadow on the grass, into Anaâs panties lying there like a dead butterfly. Linda announces that they have to go back to Mexico City. Itâs an emergency: Grandma Emma turned up to surprise them and nobodyâs there to open the door.
âGet dressed, all of you!â she orders. She means all of them bar Pina. Pina is the
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