The Annual Exam

Animal style

Photo by the author, Mark Tulin

The doctor, a young woman, probably attractive under her white coat and dangling stethoscope, gazed at my body. Her stare made me self-conscious, and I was not too fond of what I saw.

I had a belly that looked like a huge helium balloon about to explode. I couldn’t see my toes.

“Your ankles are swollen,” she remarked, touching their spongy texture.

“I didn’t realize,” I said. “I just…