The First Exam

May, lilacs, cappuccino, and a reluctance to go to gym class. An ordinary day for an ordinary student. She decides to pull an old trick: go to the medical office and get a note. The nurse has retired. In her place — a new doctor. He smells of sandalwood, speaks calmly, and looks at her as if he sees right through her. Instead of the usual antispasmodics, he offers direct and honest methods of treatment. The story of a meeting between Oksana, a Russian student, and her doctor — Alexander Ivanovich, a formal patronymic that carries the weight of authority, distance, and respect in Russian society. She came for a note. She got something impossible to forget.