1999 Mercury Cougar hesitation in shifting from 1st to 2nd

hello, the car has a hesitation in the transmission, when shifting from 1st to second. it pulls good in 1st but when it goes to shift into second theres a hesitation, almost like its hung between gears for a few seconds then shifts into 2nd and works fine from then on. it does it every time when shifting from 1st to second. thanks for your time.