A hidden death sentence

‘What’s happening? It’s me Tahir, you look like you’ve seen a monster.’ He added walking away to his bed. ‘Why didn’t you come to bed when you returned?’ He asked, lying back under the bed-sheets.‘I’m sorry it showed on my face. I heard some pretty frightful stories about men at the hospital. I was marveling […]

‘What’s happening? It’s me Tahir, you look like you’ve seen a monster.’ He added walking away to his bed. ‘Why didn’t you come to bed when you returned?’ He asked, lying back under the bed-sheets.
‘I’m sorry it showed on my face. I heard some pretty frightful stories about men at the hospital. I was marveling at them when I returned here so I sat on the couch imagining what I’d do if I were such a victim.’ I explained.
‘You told me you had gone to the hospital to visit Asabe’s sick aunt, but you still had the time to branch somewhere and gossip about men?’ Tahir asked. ‘No wonder you stayed so long I got tired of waiting and came up to bed.’ He complained.
‘I didn’t branch anywhere at all.’ I replied. ‘It was at the hospital that the discussion took place.’
‘And you claimed the elderly lady was very ill you wish to see her before it’s too late. Now you are telling me she had the energy to engage in useless chatter. You women are an amazing species indeed.’ He added, derogatorily.
‘I didn’t say I had the chat with the sick lady.’ I replied in my defense. ‘I had the talk with Asabe when she was accompanying me to the car.’
‘To think that I thought Asabe had been cured of all her anti-men issues. I mean after marrying somebody new I thought she no longer harbours the bitterness she did as a result of her divorce from Mansur.’ Tahir observed.
‘Asabe isn’t bitter about Mansur or any other man in particular. In fact I caused the whole thing when I asked her what was the nature of her aunt’s illness. Aunty Gwamma has grown so emaciated and could hardly reply when you speak to her. Asabe answered that her aunt was suffering from AIDS.
‘What?’I asked in shock, ‘how can anyone of her generation have AIDS? She must be seventy or a little less than that. How did she get it?’ I asked in total confusion.
‘From her husband apparently, and yes you are right she is 65 years old.’ Asabe confirmed to me sadly, while walking me down the hospital corridor towards the car park.
‘Her husband? You mean the old man is also out there sick?’ I asked.
‘No, on the contrary the old man is in good health, just HIV positive but otherwise in perfect shape. In fact you can very easily mistake him for a very healthy guy.’ She explained, looking very angry.
‘Then how do you know that she got it from him? I mean if HIV breeds AIDS and she has full-blown AIDS while he is just HIV positive , forgive my saying this, but couldn’t it have happened the other way round, she infecting him?’ I asked.
‘Yes, that is what it looks like, but unfortunately the facts prove otherwise. Aunty Gwamma started feeling ill only last year. On and off it will come and the children will take her to the hospital and get her treated. But it kept recurring and no one could give a definite diagnosis. One day a doctor recommended a list of tests for her to do including a HIV screen. My cousins actually laughed when they saw that. Like you, they believe their mum was too old for such a disease. Yet the result came out positive. Twice more her blood sample was taken and twice more she tested positive. Even the doctor himself was incredulous. He sat her down and asked all the questions that could put her at risk. Was she married more than once? The answer was ‘no’ because my uncle is her only husband of over forty years. She has no co-wife, he was never a long distant driver because those are known for patronizing local prostitutes, no one knows him to be gay and she had never known him to be promiscuous. Indeed at that point no one even knew that he was HIV positive. After my aunt’s interview with the doctor he sent for her husband. The doctor told him that he needed to know his HIV status because his wife had tested positive. The old man didn’t even waste their time going through with the test. He admitted there and then that he knew his HIV status and had been on anti-retroviral drugs for over fifteen years. Why didn’t he tell his wife? The doctor asked. He said he was too ashamed at first because he didn’t want to lose her respect. She was his only loving and trusted wife etc, etc and he also wondered what good it will do to tell her when she might already have contracted it by then. So he kept his secret to himself and continued to have conjugal relations with her while hoping for the best. Now, being on drugs boosted his immunity and kept him healthy while my aunt who had no idea there was any such danger in the family was not taking anything. Her immunity greatly weakened, by the end of last year she was very ill. Now it’s only a matter of time. She has all kinds of illnesses it’s not likely she can survive any of them.’ Asabe concluded, the tears running down her cheeks.
‘What an unfortunate story.’ I commented. ‘Was there any effort to find out how he got infected?’ I asked.
‘Yes the doctor pointedly said to him that it was a mystery how he got the disease because he did not fall within any of those high-risk groups and he said yes, it was a mystery to him too. But the doctor insisted that there had to be an explanation, in fact he insisted that my uncle must be a closet homosexual that’s why he couldn’t be linked to any high-risk behavior. That accusation rattled him and he came out clean. He admitted that as a young banker, making so much money and travelling all over the country, he had regularly patronised one-night standers and moved on without a sense of guilt because there was no emotional attachment on either side. He admitted that he had no consciousness of committing sin because he was hurting no one, since his beloved wife didn’t know. Unfortunately, by the time he reached his early fifties it had become a habit he couldn’t break. Now a banking executive, he still had to have his one-night stand everywhere he went. Nemesis caught up with him when just before retirement he was confirmed HIV-positive. He put an immediate stop to all his sinful ways and became entirely faithful to my aunt from then on. But it was too late to reverse the damage and his sudden faithfulness became her hidden death sentence. He might actually seek and get another wife, if my aunt died soon. Unless he will have enough fear of God to declare his HIV status.’ Asabe ended her narration.
‘I certainly hope he will because if he doesn’t another elderly or maybe even young lady might be handed a death sentence through marriage to him. But I don’t think any man will be that heartless. ‘ I stated.
‘Don’t be too sure Bint. A young nurse who attended to my aunt yesterday told me about the case of a man who took a new wife lately. He didn’t tell her his HIV status and she was too young to care. When she came for ante-natal registration she did the routine HIV screening and was found positive. Further tests proved the same and she was informed she had to bring her husband for screening. She began to cry hard saying that there was no way she could face her husband with the news, let alone invite him for screening. While was still crying another doctor came and said they should let her be, he will handle everything. He collected her file and copied her husband’s phone number. That doctor arranged a meeting with the husband and confronted him with the request to do a HIV screen. He too did not waste anybody’s time. He confessed that he was HIV positive and had been on drugs for about four years. But he also disclosed that his first wife had tested positive and that the two of them were on drugs. So you see how heartless men can be? How can you take an innocent young girl for a second wife even while knowing that both you and your first wife are in this danger? That is a man for you, ever putting his needs above others.’ Asabe ended in disgust.
By now we had reached my car. We bade each other farewell and I drove back home. I came in here and saw you peacefully sleeping but I didn’t know whether I could trust you. So I sat on the couch and slept off.’ I confessed.
‘I see, so you didn’t sleep on the couch by accident? Well, you can trust me Bint.’ He said, rising up to a sitting position on the bed. ‘I pledge that if I were the man in either story I will tell you before you learn about my status the hard way. Not that I have a status now, and so help me God.’ He concluded, putting his raised palm back on the bed.
‘Amen.’ I said picking up my toothbrush to go and brush for the night.