“SORRY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” Ava shouted, causing me to jump in my seat. “This shit y’all pulled is unforgivable.”
“I know it’s going to take you some time to get past all of this.”
“Some time! Nigga, I ain’t ever gonna get past that shit. Two people that I thought I loved and loved me back betrayed me in the worst way. Don’t you get that?”
“I totally get it. You have every reason to feel the way that you feel. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would. I hate myself for making you feel that way.”
“Hmph.”
As we pulled into a parking spot at my doctor’s office, I got ready to get out of the car, but Ava was sitting there like she wasn’t going to come in.
“You’re coming in, right?”
“I hadn’t planned to. You need me to come in, too?”
“Yeah, that’s why I wanted you to come. I just have a bad feeling about this. I feel like I’m going to be told I have cancer, and I really want you there.”
“Ugh!” Ava blew out a long, frustrated breath then got out of the car.
After checking in and paying my copay, Ava and I sat and waited for me to be called to the back.
“Shane Brown!” a nurse called out.
“Here goes nothing. Come on,” I urged Ava. “Here!” I responded to the nurse.
“Follow me to the back. First, we’re gonna get your weight. Then you’re gonna go into exam room two,” the nurse said, looking at me then over to Ava.
“This is my friend, Ava,” I said as Ava sarcastically chuckled. Thank God she didn’t say anything slick. “She’s here for moral support.”
“Oh, okay. Hi, Ava,” the nurse said as I stood on the scale.
“Oh, wow! You’ve lost eight pounds since last week,” the nurse said.
“I’m surprised it’s not more than that the way I’ve been running to the bathroom lately. I can’t seem to keep anything on my stomach.”
“Well, hopefully, Dr. Lee will be able to help fix that.”
Once we were done getting my weight, all three of us headed into the exam room and the nurse took my vitals.
“The doctor will be in to see you shortly.”
Ava and I sat in silence while we waited for the doctor to come into the room.
“Shit, I hope he hurries up. My nerves bout to get the best of me. If he don’t bring his ass in here soon, I’ma have to run to the bathroom.”
As soon as I said that there was a knock on the door, then Dr. Lee walked in.
“Hello, Mr. Brown, and who is this lovely lady you have with you today?”
“She’s my friend, Ava. I brought her for moral support. I just felt like since I needed to come in to get my results, it must be bad, and for that reason, I didn’t want to come alone.”
“Hmm, I see. Well—” the doctor began, but I cut him off. Just from the tone of his “Well…” I knew it was bad.
“Oh, Jesus! I have cancer, don’t I?” I all but cried.
“You don’t have cancer, Mr. Washington, but your HIV test came back positive.”
“Say that again?” I asked as Ava looked up with her mouth hanging damn near on the floor. “What did you just say?”
