It had been one of these slow days. One of the really slow days. Yifan’s work didn’t seem to stop, his boss was nagging and his best friend didn’t stop telling him about his -life. Over his office-phone. And now he was standing in his home and staring unbelievably into the waste basket.

                “Tao.”, he said.

                When there was no answer he shouted louder:

                “Zitao!”

                “Yeah?”

                Tao came into the room, a questioning look on his face. He wore an apron, his bangs clipped back. Yifan loved this look. This was his Tao, his baby. The person he decided to have a family with. And now he had to get Yifan out of an emotional crisis.

                “What is this?”, he asked, almost shrieked.

                “What is what?”, the younger one asked still confused.

                He pointed into the wastebasket frantically.

                “This here! This! This wrapper!”

                Tao looked into the waste basket the taller man almost showed into his face. After a few seconds he looked up again.

                “That’s the wrapper of a sanitary pad.”

                “Why is there the wrapper of a sanitary pad in our waste basket?”

                Tao looked incredulous at his husband. When he didn’t move for a few seconds ha carefully took the waste basket out of his hands and pulled him into their living room, where he sat him down. After he sat down himself he took Yifan’s hands into his own.

                “Yifan, Baby. You should have known that this would happen. We have two beautiful girls and they will be beautiful women one day. And Changying is thirteen years old. Many girls have their first period at that time.”

                Yifan looked at their intertwined hands, sighed lightly.

                “But she’s our baby… Please tell me that at least Daiyu is still our baby, please!”

                “Yifan. She’s eight.”