"You're very healthy; why did you come here?" asked Dr. Lin.

"Well, I hadn't had a check-up in five years," I answered, "So I figured I ought to make sure my body parts are all still working."

"Hmmm. Well, everything's working," he nodded.

I started to roll down my sleeve. "Thanks. You know, I—"

"Have you ever had unprotected sex?"

I blinked. "Um, what?"

"Do you always use a condom?"

"Why, uh, what, uh, huh??"

"Many young people have unprotected sex, you know."

"Uh, yea, but what does that have to do with…"

"Just the other day, I had a young patient in here who went to the bar down the street and picked up a young boy. They had unprotected sex!"

"Oh. Umm, that's…"

"And she had contracted a venereal disease from this boy. Because they weren't using protection!"

"Ah, I see. Well…"

"You know how it is, right? You're a young man. You go to a bar, you pick up a young girl. People of your generation don't have the same reservations about sex as people of my generation, you know."

"Uh, yea, uh…"

"So you pick up a girl and bring her back to a hotel, right? I know how it is. Then you begin to have sex! Only, you don't use protection!"

"Not me, no, no…"

"Protection is so important! I can't stress that enough. Well, protection isn't 100%, you know."

"Yea, sure, sure…"

"Only abstinence is 100%. But you young people couldn't do that. You just want to pick up strangers in bars and have sex."

"No, not everyone, uh…"

"I tell you, I think it's a big shame, you young people having so much unprotected sex. You catch a venereal disease, and then it's all over. Painful discharge. Blood in your urine. Rashes. It's all over."

"Yea, uh…"

"All because of one night with a stranger you met in a bar. And you didn't use protection. It's a big shame."

"Well, uh, I don't do that…"

"Yea? Yea? Good, don't do that. Though I know you're young and must go to bars. So if you do, always use protection. I can't stress how important it is. Use protection!"

"Yea, uh, of course…"

"Good. Good. Okay, so you're all healthy right now. You can go. Be careful in bars! And don't forget what I said. Okay, goodbye."

"Good, uh, bye…"

And with that, Dr. Lin walked out of the room.

. . .

How was your last check-up?