Janine was visiting her friends Laurent and Christine. They had had a few drinks. Janine mentioned taking her dog to the vet and joked about how he had been sulking for a while afterwards because he had had his temperature taken rectally. Laurent made a strange face and left abruptly, saying something about having to check that he had properly turned off the lights in the car in the garage. They heard the front door opening and closing.

“Did I say something wrong?

— Well, no. It’s just that Laurent may be a bit sensitive about this topic.

— How so?”

The problem when you had drinks is that you may say things you would not say sober.

“When we were newlyweds, Laurent had a fall skiing and had surgery had the hospital. A nurse came and told him to take his temperature. He had never done it in his bottom, his mother did it under the arm… The nurse made it clear she wanted him to do it in his derrière but he was so groggy from anesthesia, painkillers and so on that he did not seem to know what to do. So… the nurses rolled him on his side and did the deed. They did it a few times until he convinced them he could do it. He was mortified.”

Janine nearly choked herself with her glass of fruit juice (which she had prudently opted for after alcohol).

“Ssh. No allusion to that please. Never mention it in front of Laurent.

— Of course.”

Laurent shortly returned. Janine, still giddy, looked away. Christine, as a countenance, asked if the lights had been left on.

“No I had properly turned them off.

— Good. You’re always the man of the situation.”

Janine, concerned if she would manage not bursting in laughter, left for the bathroom.