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higher than her own forehead. “Are you feeling okay, sweetheart? You don’t look well at all.”
         She noticed that the fungus was right around the same level as her own crotch and her heart skidded momentarily, but then she remembered that she and Wally hadn’t had sex for a few days so whatever it was, she had a pretty good feeling that she was safe from it.
         To make light of the situation, she said, “You haven’t been fooling around on me now, have you, sweetie?”
         Wally wasn’t amused. He stared back at her blankly.
        “ Aw, honey, I’m sorry. I know you’re probably worried. No need to put on that macho act for me. It’s probably nothing a little topical ointment won’t clear up. But, first, we should wash the area with some good old fashioned soap and water.”
         She did just that, scrubbing the area very gently with a warm wash cloth and saying reassuring things to Wally all the while. “There—how’s that?” she asked, as she scrubbed the fungus away. “Feel better?” She smiled lovingly at the wall. “Now what do you say I make us some dinner? Pork chops sound okay? I know they’re one of your favorites.”
         Stopping at the top of the stairs, she turned around and looked at the wall. “Of course you don’t have to wait for dinner to have a beer! I’ll get you one right now, baby. Don’t you move a muscle!”
     
    * * * * *
     
         They ate while watching sports on TV. Well, Wally watched while the woman daydreamed. They’d been together for several months now and while, admittedly, some of the fire had gone out of their relationship, she was still just as happy as she’d ever been. They didn’t need to have sex every night, after all.
         Of course, watching something besides sports would be nice too. She thought about mentioning this to Wally, knowing that he would be his kind and understanding self, but then, given the scare with the fungus, she didn’t have the heart to bring it up just then. Tomorrow or the next day would be perfectly fine. There was no hurry.
     
    * * * * *
     
         But, the next day the fungus was back.
         The woman did her best to remain outwardly calm, but inside she was growing more and more concerned. What exactly was wrong with Wally? Should she consult a doctor?
         Broaching the subject to him though, turned out to be a mistake.
        “ Honey,” she said. “No one likes to go to the doctor. But sometimes it’s unavoidable. Wouldn’t you feel better finding out exactly what it is, especially since it’s most likely nothing serious? I mean, how could it be? You never even leave the house!”
         Sitting on the couch, listening to his protests, she realized that getting him to a doctor would be next to impossible. “Okay,” she said. “How about a compromise? How about I just call my doctor, who incidentally is a very nice man, tell him your symptoms and just see what he has to say. Does that sound fair to you? Not too scary?”
         Wally didn’t like that idea any more than the first idea but, she decided, that was just tough noogies for him. She was worried about him and wanted some answers. Convinced it was just some weird virus that was going around, she simply wanted to put their minds at ease. He wouldn’t even have to know about it until after she’d spoken with the doctor and learned that, as she’d known all along, it was nothing to be concerned about. Nothing a little cream couldn’t fix.
         She resolved to call the next day from work.
     
    * * * * *
     
         Explaining the problem to the doctor turned out to be more difficult that she’d imagined. For starters, the receptionist would only give her a nurse.
        “ That’s right,” the woman said into the phone, trying to keep her voice down to prevent eavesdropping. “It’s a fungus of some type. Or maybe a…well, I hate to say it, but maybe a mold.” She tapped a pen