April Showers4

One month later
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It was a bright Saturday morning. Too bright, actually. The hot sun seared my face through the blinds. Pressing my face into the pillow, I reached out an arm to the other side of the bed, then sat up in surprise when I realized that Roger wasn't there. Normally he sleeps much later than I do, especially on weekends.

Blinking experimentally, I found some loose denim shorts and a midriff-exposing white T-shirt, and pulled them on. I made my way out of the bedroom to find Mark and Collins sitting at the kitchen table. Mark was munching on a plain bagel, and Collins had dug up a cup of coffee that smelled halfway decent, at least. Roger, Maureen, and Benny were nowhere to be seen.

Getting myself a glass of tap water, I joined the two young men at the table. They grunted greetings, neither really awake enough for talking. It felt very strange. Although it had been more than a week since I moved into the loft, I had never really spent time alone with any of the roommates except for Roger, of course, and occasionally Maureen. These two in particular didn't seem to like me much.

No work today? Mark finally broke the silence.

I shook my head. I don't work weekends, I reminded him. Where's Roger?

He went looking to buy a new guitar, Collins rumbled. Said he'd be back by noon.

I glanced at my watch. 9:27 AM. Great. What about the others?

Benny had some business to attend to, Mark mumbled, suddenly very interested in his half-eaten bagel.

Collins shot a look at the filmmaker, then shook his head. He and Maureen had a spat last night, he informed me quietly. She'll come back eventually. Always does. I nodded agreement. I had known these people for what? Five weeks? Six? Already I knew about the love-hate relationship between Maureen and Mark.

What was the fight about this time? I asked Collins.

Look, can we not talk about this, please? Mark asked plaintively.

Collins opened his mouth to speak, but his wristwatch chirped. He glanced at it, grinning ruefully. AZT time, he commented dryly, and removed himself to the bathroom.

I was confused. This I hadn't noticed before. I turned to Mark. AZT? What's that?

His treatment, Mark responded shortly, pushing up his glasses absentmindedly. He's HIV positive.

Suddenly I felt extremely ignorant. Frankly, I wasn't sure if Mark was still speaking English.

He sighed. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It causes AIDS.

That I had heard of. Collins is gay?

Mark gave me an are-you-some-kind-of-idiot look. As it happens, yes, he said sardonically. But you can get AIDS even if you're hetero, ya know. Where do you come from, anyway?

My empty water glass suddenly became the most fascinating thing in the world. I felt embarrassed, and a little ashamed. I replied flatly. It was true. Nowhere, USA.

I stood, feeling in my pocket to see if I had any cash. I needed to get out of there before I humiliated myself further with my own ignorance.

Off to The Man for some...whatever it is you're shooting? Mark asked me softly.

None of your business, I snapped. Frankly, I needed that high right now.

He held up his hands in surrender. Your life, he murmured.

Yeah. Roger's, too, I shot back. He blinked, as though suddenly comprehending, and his face flushed slightly.

he whispered. It is.

Even though I realized the source of Mark's hostility toward me, I still hated feeling stupid. As I walked out, I decided that I would go to the library sometime in the near future and do a little research on AIDS.

I never did.
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i took a nice break from writing this weekend, but i'm back now. please keep reading & reviewing, i really appreciate it. i don't know how many chapters there are left...but i must've hit the halfway point....i hope....