At the gynecologist’s office

“Maddie?” A nurse asks in the doorway of the waiting room.

“Yes?” I ask, standing up.

“You can come back.”

I follow the nurse, and my mother follows along with me.

“Ma’am, you don’t need to come back with us.” The nurse says to her.

“What?” My mother asks her. “She’s my daughter! I have a right to know what happens here.”

“Your daughter is a legal adult now.” The nurse tells her. “Usually we keep these appointments private, as they should be.”

“Wait until my husband hears about this.” My mother scowls and sits back down.

“Thank you.” I say to the nurse sheepishly.

I follow her back and deal with all of the regular bullshit. The doctor comes in and examines me. When everything is done, my doctor asks me to take a seat on a chair in the room with her.

“You’re very healthy.” She tells me. “I just need to talk to you about a few things.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“Are you sexually active?”

“No.” I say, slumping my shoulders.

“Would you like to be?” She asks. “Do you have any plans to become sexually active?”

“I mean, I’d like to.” I tell her.

“You’re planning to?”

“Please don’t tell my parents!” I beg her.

“Maddie, it’s normal for a young woman to be sexually active. Anything you tell me is confidential. Now, is there a young man with whom you’re planning to have relations?”

“Yes.”

“We always recommend our patients to be safe. You’re very young, likely not ready to be a mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m recommending that you begin birth control.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because my parents would kill me if they found out!”

“Kill you?”

“Well, not literally. I would be in big trouble though.”

“Luckily for you, we have a program for young women in your situation. We can get you your birth control secretly.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll write it up and give you your first month’s supply.”

“I appreciate it, I really do.”

“Now, I also recommend that you use condoms. Here, you can have some.” She reaches into a jar and gives me a handful. I stuff them down in my bra.

“The pill alone is no guarantee to prevent pregnancy. Using these in conjunction will make it nearly impossible to conceive. They will also help protect you from disease. The pill will not.”

“Thank you, Doctor… I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s no need, Maddie. I’ll be right back with your prescription and you can be on your way back to school.”