Full Body Mole Check

Dr. Tina wore winged eyeliner and had her hair in a high pony-tail, an incredibly youthful look for a doctor of dermatology. The lower half of her face was masked, which I simply accepted as missing, having become so used to a lack of mouths and chins in the world.  She burst into the cramped, white-walled exam room, all fresh air and sunshine, but it was her voice that surprised me the most. She sounded like Tinker-Bell doing ASMR, as she greeted me, asking if I would be okay with her performing a full body mole check. I agreed, and then she told me she loved my hair. Disarmed by her charm, I completely forgot about the hysterics that had brought me to her Glendale office, in the first place.

I was awake at 7:30 that morning, kicking off blankets, and squirming out of slightly sweaty sheets, surprised by how warm it was, so early in the day. Sprawled out in bed, and checking the weather app on my phone, I somehow became distracted by a spot on the back of my right calf, accompanied by…