The doctor indicated a chair in the corner for me, and gestured for Serena to hop up and take a seat on the edge of the table. She complied, and a pleasantly startled sound came from her throat.
‘Oh! The table is so warm!’
The doctor chuckled.
‘Yes, we want our patients to be very comfortable, and the heated leather table seems to be a big hit,’ he laughed, and took the clipboard with the intake form from her.
Serena used the opportunity to rub her hands sensuously along the leather surface of the table. Glancing from the sheet to my daughter, Dr. Andrew began by making light conversation and getting to know her. He had a comfortable air about him, and I could see her rapidly grow at ease sharing her thoughts and feelings with him. Dr. Andrew went through the intake form and began to explain what he did and why Serena was there.
‘Your father tells me that you’re feeling stressed often-would you agree, Serena?’
She nodded solemnly, and explained that she felt so much pressure from school and her athletics, and that sometimes she just lost her temper and she didn’t know why. Even as she talked, she bit her lip and scowled, as if fighting back frustrated tears. My heart went out to her, and I hoped with everything that Dr. Andrew’s skills would help her.
Dr. Andrew nodded understandingly, taking notes on the intake sheet.
‘I understand, Serena. And I want you to know I have helped many girls like you. You’re going to feel much better after our session today, and I’m glad you came here. You’ve never had relaxation therapy, correct?’
Serena shook her head.
‘That’s okay,’ Dr. Andrew assured her, ‘let me tell you a little about what we’re going to do.
‘Your body is changing in many ways as you grow, and it’s all good changes-even just looking at you from here, I can see that you are a very healthy girl, and your development into a woman appears to be progressing very well.
‘But the cause of all the changes on the outside, like your breasts growing and your pubic hair coming in, is a whole complex set of chemicals inside your body that are preparing you for your duties as a woman. And that can be a messy process sometimes, and it’s helpful to be able to ‘reset’ your chemistry, so to speak, by guiding your nervous system through a series of cycles. When we do this correctly, you may feel clear-headed, more satisfied in general, and better able to deal with people and situations. Does that make sense?’
Serena nodded uncertainly.
‘How does that work? Like, with electricity? Will it hurt?’
Dr. Andrew put his hand on her thigh and shook his head.
‘Absolutely not. We use trigger point techniques, similar to a massage. Certain areas of your body are rich in nerves, and by carefully, gently touching them in different combinations, we can create these cycles. The entire process is designed to feel very enjoyable.
‘Feminine relaxation therapy was actually a common and respected area of medical practice until about a hundred and fifty years ago, when certain ideas about the female physiology got mixed up with poor science and social theories, and the result was many decades of frustration and even suffering by girls like you. Fortunately the techniques have been rediscovered, and now you have the chance to experience a whole different level of health than even your mother and her mother, let alone further back.’
Serena looked around the room, and glanced at me. I nodded.
‘This is supposed to be really helpful, honey,’ I said. ‘I think you’ll like it.’
Indicating the books on the shelves around us, Serena turned back to Dr. Andrew.
‘So these books tell you where all the right places are on me?’ she asked.
‘That’s a good question, Serena. The books give me a good idea of where to start; but every young girl’s body is different, so this is really a team effort. I’ll use my expertise as a starting point, but you’ll be communicating with me as we go to let me know how you feel at various points, and along with some tools that I have, we’ll discover the exact areas of your body that will get us the result we’re looking for.’
Serena nodded and smiled, placing her hand on his in a sign of trust.
‘Okay, that makes sense,’ she said, ‘thanks for explaining that. I’ve just never done this before, and I was kind of scared for a minute. Have you done this for other girls?’
‘Oh goodness yes,’ Dr. Andrew assured her, ‘I’ve been practicing feminine relaxation therapy for fifteen years. These days nearly all my patients are your age. I usually help about six girls each day. And remember, everything we do is designed to make you feel better. Shall we get started?’
Serena nodded, and began to lie back on the table, but Dr. Andrew raised a hand to stop her.
‘Actually, Serena, before you lie down, I’m going to have you hop off the table here and undress first.’
Serena froze, and looked at me. I agreed with Dr. Andrew.
‘It’s okay, honey. He’s a doctor. Remember when you were younger and Dr. Morris first got you started on your birth control?’
Even though it was illegal to have sex with a girl before her Festival, sexual culture had grown so open in our society that mistakes could sometimes understandably happen-and unplanned pregnancies were simply not acceptable. A young girl’s body was too valuable to be compromised in that way. Thus, the law required that every girl begin contraception when she reached maturity and she became fertile and capable of impregnation, and for that purpose they underwent an annual physical examination with a physician.
Dr. Morris was our family practitioner, and each year we brought the twins to him. He’d give them a careful inspection, and clear them for another year. I recalled when he had made his pronouncement.
The girls had undressed and stood in front of him, and he clapped his hands and chuckled in congratulation.
‘Ah, my young girls, you are now indeed young women! Robert, come closer and see,’ he gestured to bring me to his side, and extended one hand to the chest of each girl.
‘See, their areolas are widening, and firm little lumps are growing under their nipples. It appears to me as if they are both preparing to develop some impressive young breasts,’ he smiled, his hands moving down the front of my daughters’ bodies, over their bellies and down between their legs, ‘and you can see here, on both of them, some lovely, fine, silky pubic hair has covered their outer labia.’
The twins had giggled embarrassedly, and shifted slightly as they felt Dr. Morris’ fingers trace their newly-fuzzy private areas.
Dr. Morris took them gently by the arm and turned them to face away from him.
‘I need to verify that their pubic hair growth extends throughout their pelvic region in order to certify that they are ready to receive contraception-young ladies, bend over please, keeping your legs straight.’
As the twins did so, Dr. Morris spent a few moments examining each of them, Serena first and the Selena, checking closely to see that the fine fuzz continued along their vulva and up the crack of their buttocks. He carefully spread the girls’ cheeks and ran his finger across their anus and over their slit. Finally he gently pried their vulva open and examined each girl’s interior, commenting favorably on the healthy, slick pinkness of their insides.