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“I’m sorry but you are HIV positive,” says the lanky doctor as he hands the test results to 19-year old Jenny. Her eye balls open widely in total shock as the news echoes in her ears. The doctor’s hand is still hanging in the air; she makes no move to collect the papers from him. She begins to laugh in a you-must-be-joking manner. “I can’t be HIV positive,” she says inaudibly – HIV doesn’t exist in her dictionary.
The first time she heard about HIV/AIDS was in her Social Studies class in J.S.S 2. Her Teacher Mr. Tunde had mentioned that it was a deadly virus contracted through body fluids especially during sex. He advised that the use of condom during sex, although not a 100% guaranteed, could prevent infection. At the time, she was already having sex with her S.S. 1 boyfriend Musa. She suggested they should a condom the next time they wanted to have sex, but he kicked against it. In his own words, “HIV/AIDS is a scam. They don’t want us to enjoy ourselves.” She believed him. Even after breaking up with him due to his philandering ways, she continued having unprotected sex with her next boyfriend Emeka. The first time he tried to use a condom, she complained of serious pains down there, so he took it off.
Her visit to the hospital was as a result of the reoccurring sickness she has been experiencing for some months now. She looks like a shadow of herself; she has lost so much weight. Suddenly, the whole lies about HIV seem true. Visibly terrified by the thought of dying, she blames herself for not listening to the warnings. “Am I going to die?” she asks the doctor in a trembling voice. “Not if you take your medications seriously,” he replies in an assuring tone.
Wordcount: 309
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