I admired Mildred, the very first day I met her. She was warm hearted, friendly and jovial. She seemed, to me, to have everything in life. She had just finished paying the mortgage for a three bedroom bungalow; she had the ‘looks’, money, a jeep….. and of course a very handsome boyfriend!
But somehow, behind the radiant smile, there was some void space…. Being one of my best friends, I used to ask Mildred and she would just look at me with her gorgeous eyes and put me off. “Never judge a book by its cover….” She would tell me. It became a traditional song and with time we would laugh about this phrase. Then suddenly, she stopped calling and started coming up with so many excuses for not joining us during the many outings we had. She withdrew from our company. I had to do something…..
One day, during our ‘girl chats’, I brought the subject up…and for the first time since I knew her, I saw tears rolling down her soft cheeks. I was shocked to say the least! Then she broke the silence;
“Sheila, I know you admire me and you feel I have everything one would dream of having at my age, but I will be dying soon”. I just sat there, not knowing what to say or do, whether to stand up or cry. Then she went on, “I am HIV Positive.”
Ten years since my visit to our local VCT centre and the words HIV positive sounded like a bomb to me. Mildred had rekindled the memories. Strange as it may be, we had been friends for more than 6 years and Mildred had no clue I was HIV positive. That day, when I eventually disclosed my status, she was so shocked and with fresh tears on her cheeks, she remarked, “I will never…… and as usual I completed: “judge a book by its cover!”
10 years down the lane, Mildred is very much alive, strong and married with two wonderful kids!
Know your status ……..live long!
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