Down There

Rochelle Ratner

“Nice girls don’t touch their own genitals.”

Don’t you ever let me catch you touching yourself down there, Mother said. And Daddy slapped her hand if he saw it edge anywhere near there. She got used to wearing skirts or jeans with no pockets. Luckily, this was America and she was white and solidly middle-class. This was the 21st Century. She could wear what she wished, date who she wished, sleep with whomever. But even in sleep, she never touched herself. And she slept soundly. She was a good girl. This was America. She could rest assured no soldier would point his rifle down there.