Coomie sat on a low iron bed called dholki for all four days of her monthly period. We children were forbidden to touch her; which made us all the more determined to do so. She would run away and we would pursue her. During those days, she would use a separate washroom in the backyard with a rusted door stopper which, otherwise, was our favorite spot to hide in. She had four children — the first delivered at age 18 and the youngest at 24. Until she reached menopause 30 years later, she religiously followed this monthly routine. Though most......