Companions All by Will B

Cousins All
by: Will B
(© 2007 by the Author)
Advisor: E Walk

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Jason and Nicky: You have found love with each other

and now together you soar on eagle’s wings in endless space.

We miss you, we miss your love and your wit

May peace and light fill your days.

From chapter 16: Mark finds peace at Davon’s funeral, Nellie accepts Al as her son’s partner, and Troy tells Richard that he has something to tell him.

Chapter 17

10:00 a.m. on July 17; an interesting meeting.

The planning committee for the AIDS awareness program was meeting in the science classroom of Jones Falls Middle School. It was a beautiful sunny day in July, and many people would have preferred to be out of doors, but those who were gathered in that room were serious about their purpose.

Shirley Norris, aged thirty-four, was science coordinator for middle schools. A slender attractive woman, with brown hair and brown eyes, she had a non-nonsense air about her that might have been intimidating, until you got to know her. She had a sense of humor, and only put on her serious face when she thought someone wasn’t doing his or her best. If she ever looked at you over the tops of her glasses, you’d better look out, brother (or sister)! She had asked Ed Baker to chair this committee, and had asked Jeanne Tyler, Jim Smith, and Peter Bond, all science teachers, to serve on the committee.

Ed Baker, chair of the committee, was fifty-five years old, with black hair that was showing more and more ‘pepper and salt’ coloring, and a conservative teacher who didn’t always agree with ‘new fangled ideas’ in education. Because of this attitude, some people, including Jim Smith, thought he might be opposed to the whole idea—and yet he had agreed to chair the committee. Surely, he didn’t take on the job just so he could shoot the whole plan down!

Jim Smith, aged twenty-two, with black hair and blue eyes, was a 1st year science teacher at Padonia Hill Middle School.

Jeanne Tyler, aged forty-nine, five foot seven, had chestnut hair and green eyes. She was a science teacher who was very much attuned to middle school students’ attitudes. She had a dynamic personality, the traditional ‘ball of fire.’

Peter Bond, aged thirty-five, was five foot eleven, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was a science teacher also. He saw the need for an AIDS awareness program, and wanted this committee to accomplish something worthwhile.

Tammy Heckman, aged twenty, was a nurse at a local hospital. She had seen first-hand the effects of this awful disease.

In addition to the adults, there were two students. Andrew Stevens, sixteen, was a student in high school. He was five foot six, with dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. The other student was Penny King, seventeen, an attractive brunette with brown eyes. They were here because Matt and Gary, at the Division of Social Services, had identified them as two young people, each with a story to tell.

It was a hot, humid, hazy day, the kind that Marylanders experienced only too often. Everyone wore a nametag, and almost everyone was dressed casually, except Edward Baker. He was the only man at the meeting wearing a coat and tie. Even though the offices were air-conditioned, the others wondered how he could stand it.

The meeting opened with Shirley Norris greeting the teachers and the two students and thanking them for coming on what was, for some at least, vacation time. She had arranged with a catering firm to provide morning snacks—coffee, tea, orange juice, and pastries. She knew that the ‘morning munchies’ would help to relax everyone and ease the atmosphere if things got tense. She had also arranged to have lunch delivered around noon.

“Thank you all for coming. This is probably going to be the first of several meetings, and without any further ado, I will turn the meeting over to Ed Baker, the chair,” Shirley said, and sat down.

Baker took over. “Good morning. At this meeting, I want us to gather some data on the seriousness of the problem, and discuss some of the ways parents, teachers, and students might react to this program,” he said. “There is one other thing: I will remind all of us, and reassure the young people that whatever is said in this room stays in this room.”

Murmurs of “Naturally!,” “Of course!,” and “Right!” were heard. Ed and Shirley looked relieved.

Baker went on, “I’ve asked Peter Bond to give us some background on the disease. Peter?”

Peter Bond cleared his throat and said, “HIV is a sneaky disease. It doesn’t always show up when someone is tested, and when the body fights back it might be undetectable for a while. Although the virus is not detectable right away, it can be transmitted to others in a number of ways. Students need to know that any time bodily fluids can be exchanged, the virus can be passed to the partner. Some contacts are safer than others. Kissing is fairly safe unless there are open sores like bleeding gums. Oral sex is more dangerous, since the viral content of ejaculate is much higher than saliva."

Jeanne Tyler raised her hand, and asked, "Isn't the one at risk the one who, ah, is the receiver. . . ."

Peter answered her, "Jeanne, that’s a very common misconception. The . . . um, male organ isn't some kind of bulletproof vest. However, the fact that it’s the instrument that transmits the ejaculate makes it more likely to pass the disease, but if there’s a scrape of the teeth that exposes some raw skin, it can be enough to open the door for the virus, penetration can cause tiny tears in the skin of the . . . the . . . penis that allows the virus access. What’s more, there’s now some evidence that babies are being born with the infection. Also, it’s not true that you can't get infected the first time, just like some women, and girls, believe you can’t get pregnant if it’s your first sexual experience.”

Peter Bond paused to take a sip of water. He was a science teacher, a professional talking to professionals, but he was a bit uncomfortable talking about male organs and sex in an open meeting.

He was able to continue, “Condoms, or rubbers, help a great deal of course, if they’re used properly, but still, the only completely safe way is complete abstinence. We have to present these facts to young people and we have to be completely honest.”

Jeanne said, “One problem is how to get young people to take this seriously, and believe us. They’ll just think we’re just a bunch of old fuddie duddies.”

Andrew Stevens raised his hand. “I’m Andrew Stevens, but please call me Andy. I have a suggestion. I am 16, and I have AIDS and I know I’m going to die. I got AIDS because I had unprotected sex with . . . (he paused) with . . . a lot of men. I did it because I thought it was fun, cool, . . . but now I know the results of my actions. . . ., and I don’t want to die . . . and I’m scared!”

Andy started to break down, and Jeanne went to him and just held him in a hug.

Finally he was able to continue, “What if we made a video and I spoke to the viewers and told them what could happen?”

Penny spoke up, “ I’m Penny King, and I’m HIV positive. I got that way because I’m a drug addict and I used needles that other addicts had used, and some of those addicts must have been infected. I don’t know if I will die, but I might. I would like to be in this video as well.”

The adults in the room sat dumbstruck at the terrible fates these two youngsters were facing, and at the same time, impressed by the bravery they were showing in their willingness to ‘go public.’

Tammy said, “My cousin Jim arranged for me to be here. I am a nurse at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and I have seen more and more babies born with this disease, born with it because their mothers had AIDS and passed it on to their unborn children. Nurses are supposed to keep an air of detachment, but, oh dear God! It breaks my heart to look at these infants and hold them and feed them, and wonder how long they will survive. If there is anything I can do to help make this video reach young people, please let me help. Please!”

Nellie heard Ed Baker make a ‘strangled, cut off’ sound, a combination choking sound, and a sob. “Are you all right, Ed?”

Ed Baker, the conservative strait-laced man who some people thought might want to kill this program off before it got started, cleared his throat and said, “I believe that we must do this program and I think the video is an excellent idea. I know that some of you may have thought I would be opposed to this idea, and to tell you the truth, at one time I would have been, but a month ago my wife and I learned that our 19 year old nephew had AIDS, and . . . and . . . last night my brother called and told us that his son had died.”

Here Ed could not go on, and Shirley just held his hand in a tight grip, sending him her sympathy and strength.

When Ed had recovered, he continued, “So, my friends, I think we must have this program of AIDS education and we MUST have this video. We’ll meet at this time next week to discuss some details. We’ll have to get the county to allocate some funds, and we will develop plans to have a steering committee of parents and clergy to give any of their suggestions.”

Ed looked at his watch, and said, I think the caterers will be here with our lunch in a few minutes, but I am going to do something that may be politically incorrect, and is probably illegal, but . . . will you join hands with me, and I want to offer a prayer. Anyone who wishes to be excused may leave, but I just have to do this!”

Nobody left the room, and everyone joined hands in a circle, and Ed said, “Supreme Architect of the Universe, we give thanks for the people gathered today to plan this program. We thank you for their concern about this terrible problem, and we ask that you give us all the wisdom to produce an effective curriculum. We especially ask you to bless these young people, and send them the strength to meet whatever fate they may face, and to help them know that they, like us all, are in the palm of your hand.”

Ed squeezed the hands of the two people on either side of him, and that squeeze went around the room.

Just as the group broke up, Penny said to Andy, “Come on, Andy. We’ll fight this together!”

Andy looked at her with a surprised look in his eyes. “Why would you want to have anything to me, after I told all of you how I got AIDS? Don’t you think I’m a scumbag?”

Penny looked him square in the eye and said, “Andy, we have BOTH done stupid things, and we BOTH are facing the results of our actions. I think we BOTH need friends! So, are we friends?” She held out her hand.

After a few seconds pause, Andy looked at her, smiled, and said “Sure! Friends!” and he shook her hand.

The committee did meet regularly, and they did develop a video, which they showed to any parents and clergy who wanted to see it. Everyone who saw it approved it, and when it was shown to school principals, the support was overwhelming.

“You know, Troy, we’ve never found out what exactly happened to Joshua and Nathan, other than their bodies were found . . . ,” the grieving father couldn’t go on.

Finally Richard said, “They only had jock straps on, and their bodies had marks of cigarette burns and some curious “S” shaped punctures, as if made with tiny pins. Who could have done that to them? Who? Oh, God, if I ever got my hands on him, I’d kill him. Do you hear me, I’d kill him!”

Troy was very quiet for a minute, and then he said, “Richard, I have something else to tell you. It seems that when we entered the apartment of one of the pedophiles, we not only found pictures, we found a couple of knuckle rings that had pins sticking up in the shape of an ‘S’ and . . .”

“No, you won’t have to, Richard. This afternoon we got a report of a burned out car that went off the road on I-95. in the car was the body of a dead man, his face and chest swollen with what may have been repeated snakebites. . . . and he was wearing one of those knuckle rings.”

Richard looked at Troy, and then completely broke down, sobbing. Troy just held him and kissed the top of his head. They must have lain like that for an hour. Richard’s sobs subsided, and he held Troy and said a prayer of thanks that the evil monster who had caused his sons’ deaths had himself met his reward.

About nine o’clock, the phone rang. Troy went to take the call and a few minutes later he came back with a smile on his face.

“That was my brother, Van. He and his wife are going on a trip, and they wondered if their boys could stay with us for two weeks.”

“Uh, that would be Bob and Bill, right? I think that would be fun. How old are they?”

“Troy, is your brother OK about sending his two sons to stay with us, since we are a . . . . couple?”

“Sure, he and Dotty have known about us for some time, and they have explained to Bob and Bill that we are ‘special friends’ to each other.”

Troy said, “On July 20. We’ll have to plan some special things for them to do.”

Al, Sr., and Steve, Sr., were talking. “Steve, our grandson, Al. and his partner, Mark, are moving into Matt and Gary’s apartment on July 20 in the morning. I was thinking we would have a ‘family get-together’ in the afternoon, grill some steaks, some burgers, and what not, and have a party to welcome them to the neighborhood.”

At Matt and Gary’s house, Gary was saying to Matt, “Our new tenants will be here on the 20^th. I’m looking forward to having some young people in the house.”

“Oh, yeah! Gary, they’ll be able to run errands for us OLD codgers! Right. And are you thinking we’re OLD? Come here and let me show you . . . “

Al and Mark were talking about their move. “I’m glad we were able to get out of our leases just by paying penalty fees,” Al said.

“Yep, and the cost of the fees will be made up by what we’re saving by only having to pay one rent. . . . Now, my man, and I do mean MY MAN, I would like to . . . “

At her house, Nellie Taylor was talking on the phone. “Oh, hello, Peggy. No, it’s not too late. Yes, I know our boys (in their 20s with responsible jobs, but they were still ‘boys’ to their mothers!) are moving on the 20th.. . . (Nellie listens) . . . I think that is a good idea for us to meet and go shopping for some things they might need . . . I know, we’ll call it a ‘kitchen shower,’ and get them things they could use in their kitchen . . . Tomorrow? . . 10:00 o’clock? That’ll be fine.”

In their basement apartment, Mack and Buddy were sharing a shower. “Ummmm, you smell good, Mack.”

“Oh, yeah, Buddy, and you .. . you . . . taste so good. Let’s dry off, and go to bed, where we’ll have a little more room to . . . to . . . Oh! kiss me again! Again!”

Author’s comments: Some of the information about HIV and AIDS is from material posted by str8mayb in his stories. His stories can be found on “The Padded Room” web site.

The Baltimore Sun reported recently that more and more younger men are being diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck, not from heavy smoking, but from oral sex with girls or women who have HIV.

Editor’s note: I am exhausted. I lived through writing a curriculum on AIDS/HIV for the middle school. Now I have to wait to meet these two teenagers, Bill and Bob. Will they take the place of Joshua and Nathan? Poor Al and Mark won’t know what hit them when they move into their new apartment. They will be lucky to be able to squeeze through the door. What are Luigi and Rosa doing and are they Tony and Rosa okay? “E”