At the clinic, the nurse asks Mickey questions. Mickey feels embarrassed that her impulse put her at risk.
MICKEY: How long will it take for the results to come?
NURSE: You won’t know if you have HIV yet – you’ll have to test in three or four weeks time. If you think there’s a strong risk you should take PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis – it will help you fight whatever is in your system.
MICKEY: That’s great, thank you. But it feels like a long time to wait.
NURSE: It can be. If you have support and you take PEP, you’ll stand a better chance to be in the clear.
As they leave the clinic, Mickey tells Londi all about her conversation with the nurse.
MICKEY: So now I need to decide whether to take PEP. And wait for the HIV test and whatever other STD Milo may have given me.
LONDI: Oh honey, I’m sorry.
MICKEY: Not as sorry as I am. What was I thinking? I don’t even know the guy and yet I believed every sweet word that oozed out of his soft lips. I was seduced, and like a pining school girl, I fell for it.
LONDI: We both know you’ve loved him since school. You’re the one who talked about how you couldn’t forget him. And he knew that. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
MICKEY: Hmm. That night? Definitely not worth this stress.
***
It’s weeks after the holidays. Mickey took PEP and has just tested negative for HIV and STDs. She gets a call from Londi.
LONDI: Hey lover, how are you?
MICKEY: Hey friend. I’m OK, I guess. How are you?
LONDI: I’m great. Enough of this, you know why I’m calling.
MICKEY: I know.
LONDI: And?
MICKEY: And… I’m all clear!
LONDI: Wheew! That’s a relief.
MICKEY: Yes, it really is. I can’t believe it.
LONDI: Well, believe it. It was a mistake, Mickey. You made a mistake, now you can move on.
MICKEY: Yeah, a mistake that may have…
LONDI: Hey, don’t dwell on that. You have to focus on your Master’s now. How is your final submission going?
MICKEY: I had to ask for an extension from my supervisor. Luckily I’ve been such an A-student, he gave me three weeks.
LONDI: Yaay! I’m glad. It would suck if you missed getting your usual top marks because of this.
MICKEY: You know, this whole thing got me thinking.
LONDI: I’m listening.
MICKEY: I overheard some of the girls in my class talking. One of them slept with a guy and she was unlucky – he infected her with an STD. She doesn’t know what to do. She was thinking about running away and quitting school if her family ever found out.
LONDI: That’s not good. I remember when I was a teenager, everything was so exaggerated. I wanted to run away because a neighbour saw me kiss Lunga. (laughing) I had to make him marry me.
MICKEY: (also laughing) Now the truth comes out. And I thought he was devoted to you and had eyes for nobody else.
LONDI: Oh he was, he couldn’t really talk to any other girl, the way he was so shy.
MICKEY: You know, I hope I will have someone like Lunga someday. Someone who will look at nobody else, and love nobody else.
LONDI: You’ll find him, honey, he’s out there.
Another silence while they think.
LONDI: So, what are you going to do about the girls?
MICKEY: Some of these girls have nobody to talk to, and 15 is such a critical age. They are starting to explore with these things earlier than we did.
LONDI: Out with it. I can hear you want to help.
MICKEY: Well, I’ve been thinking that our school could do an awareness drive or something, to educate the learners about HIV/Aids and all the STD stuff. You know, teach them of the dangers and how to protect themselves.
LONDI: That’s a great idea, Mickey. I fully support it.
MICKEY: I’ll get started on it next week, once I’ve submitted my paper.
LONDI: That sounds amazing. But don’t forget to celebrate this news and finishing your paper.
MICKEY: Oh yeah, I know exactly what I’m going to do to celebrate. I’m going to sleep.
LONDI: How did I know you were going to say something so lame?
MICKEY: I haven’t been sleeping properly these past few weeks, so this will be perfect.
LONDI: Go ahead my friend, knock yourself out. You only live once.
They laugh.
The end