Loss (4 and 5) (600 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.57 on 19 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by jeveux... (View user info) at 2005-12-13 21:13:34 EST
Part 1: http://www.ubersite.com/m/80825
Parts 2 and 3: http://www.ubersite.com/m/80892
4
If it's true that in human relationships, opposites attract, then the boy sitting in the clinic on Macquarie Street could have no better friend than Jake. Jake is sixteen years old and he is special. Not special, meant in the patronising way. No, Jake is not mentally disabled, Jake is a rarity. He is one of those guys that are just good at everything. Not spectacular, but above average. He's good looking, he's a sportsman and even though he is no Einstein he gets a bunch of good grades. His friends respect him and his enemies, although he hates nobody, merely call him a try hard.
"He's a bit of a tool," they say, "but harmless."
His teachers generally like him but they say he lacks enthusiasm. His teachers are wrong. Jack is enthusiastic: about his girlfriend. Jack has only known her three months but he thinks he is in love. Maybe he is: who are we to judge? Cruel people would call Jack an idiot; you can't love someone after three months, they would say. Let's not call him an idiot though, let's call him naïve. Naive Jack, however, feels good. He feels secure. He feels happy because he knows what life is all about and he can't tell the future but he knows it will be good. It is in this respect that he differs most from the eighteen year-old sitting on the uncomfortable chair, in the pink painted room, in the Sexual Health Centre on Macquarie Street.
* *
5
I finish telling Sophie the social worker what happened last night and suddenly I am exhausted. Telling the story was exhilarating and I remembered every detail. I tell her how the needle only went half in and that I can still see the mark on my thigh. I tell her that the woman looked sick and was really thin. She does not interrupt except once when she asks if the woman was shaking. She was not.
When I finish talking Sophie pats me on the shoulder sympathetically but from the look on her face I know I'm about to hear bad news. No surprise there anyway.
"Look," she says, "I am very worried about you, and I can understand your concern."
No shit. She's a genius.
"Unfortunately, though, there is very little we can do, I mean, we can test you, but the tests will be negative even if you're infected. It generally takes a month before the HIV virus can be detected. We'll also have to test you for other diseases," she continues, "although HIV and Hepatitis are the biggest concerns.
"I'm sorry but you're going to have to wait a month before you can be sure of anything, unless, of course, we can the woman who stabbed you, or even better blood on the syringe she used. I'd advise you to call the police and ask them to help you track her down." Not an option, not for someone who sells ecstasy. Not for someone who lives on the edge of respectable society. Not for someone who can bring shame and dishonour to their parents with a single conviction. Not for me.
"I also suggest you go to a hospital, they can offer more advanced analysis than we can. I am not a doctor. If you don't want to do that, however, you can fill out these forms and hand them to the receptionist, then come back in a few weeks. We'll test then."
I sit in silence for a moment after she finishes her little spiel. She smiles at me, stands and leaves. I guess they are busy. I turn my attention to the "Risk Assessment" questionnaire she has handed me. The questions seem to have no bearing on my situation, but I fill it out anyway.
First name? Jay.
Age? Eighteen.
Sex? Male
Number of sexual partners? One.
Sex of partners? Female.
What percent of the time do you use a condom? Always.
And on and on.
Do you use intravenously injected drugs? No.
Did your mother use drugs during childbirth? No.
I hand the ridiculous questionnaire to the receptionist then walk out of the clinic and I am shaking again, I need coffee, I need weed. First coffee, then weed I think.
I am sitting outside the State Library drinking my strong latte, when a girl sits down on the other end of the bench. She is a little shorter than me and has brown hair. I cannot see her eyes because her head is in her hands. Big night for her last night, I think.
I hear a stifled sob and I look again. The girl on the bench is the understated beauty from the clinic and she is crying. I lean over and tap her on the shoulder but she does not notice. Watching her I'm filled with compassion but, more than that, I forget my own predicament. Maybe this girl is worse of than me, I think, although she seems so wholesome. I tap her again and she does not respond so I think she is ignoring me.
"Sorry," I say and she looks up.
"For what?"
"For tapping you."
"What?"
"Um, don't worry about it. Are you ok? I saw you in the clinic. My name is Jake."
"O hi Jake", she says, forcing a smile that is undermined by the hint of a tear in her eye, "I'm fine, sorry."
To be cont.
User Reviews
Submitted by extacy_red (user info) at 2006-03-07 09:47:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
more please
Submitted by Hilarity_Ensues (user info) at 2006-01-26 12:59:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I want to see how this develops... so far it's pretty good and I like it.
Part 4 does seem to just be stuck in there kinda awkwardly though, interupting the natural flow of the story.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-01-26 12:27:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Bizantine (user info) at 2006-01-14 20:05:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by jeveuxgagner (user info) at 2005-12-20 20:06:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
rather, jack = jake
Submitted by jeveuxgagner (user info) at 2005-12-20 20:06:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2005-12-20 11:45:50 (#)
Ranking: 2
but the jack/jake thing was a bit odd.
-------------------------
indeed.
sorry about that.
JAKE = JACK sorry!!!!
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2005-12-20 11:45:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
but the jack/jake thing was a bit odd.
Submitted by MandaPanda (user info) at 2005-12-18 23:43:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm enjoying this series.
Submitted by jagmcmanus (user info) at 2005-12-15 05:58:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Spam (user info) at 2005-12-14 08:42:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I've just noticed that that picture looks a little like Urbane.
Submitted by jeveuxgagner (user info) at 2005-12-14 07:04:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
celine: why was it you thought it deserved -2?
did you read the other ones?
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2005-12-14 06:36:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Unsettling.
Submitted by Nellypaal (user info) at 2005-12-14 06:36:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Is that a drawing of a vagina?
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2005-12-14 05:48:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Spam (user info) at 2005-12-13 21:34:07 (#)
Ranking: 2
Listen to Snark. He's Canadian.
Submitted by celine (user info) at 2005-12-14 03:51:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I'm holding off the -2 for now, because I'm hoping this will go where I imagine it will, and get better in the process.
I have an erection.
Denny Crane.
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2005-12-13 23:37:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Walker (user info) at 2005-12-13 21:35:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm enoying reading this. I'm intrigued as to how this all develops...
Submitted by Spam (user info) at 2005-12-13 21:34:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Listen to Snark. He's Canadian.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-12-13 21:32:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I am looking forward to the next part but this still needs some polish. It flow a bit better than the last one though, and it kept my attention. It also made me go back to check out the other installments, so...
+2 to you.