I Loved Him But He Infected Me With HIV

Initially, Mercy did not think Desmond would take any notice of her. At 17, she had acne all over her face and she was a plain Jane.

Desmond was every girl’s dream. He was handsome and stood at 5 ft9”. He was the captain of the school’s basketball team and his parents were said to be the wealthiest around the neighbourhood.

 

But he had a weakness—he was a womaniser. Although his mother would usually caution him about keeping so many girlfriends, she also saw it as a sign of harmless youthful exuberance. 

She did not think there was any harm done by her flirting son.

Mercy was the exact opposite. Her parents were civil servants, who were recently transferred from another state to their current location. Their salary, though was enough to feed and take care of the basic necessities in the house, they could not afford some luxuries. 

She had been taught to be content with what her parents could afford and not envy the rich. She would not spend money unless the item was necessary and deserving of such expense. 

So when she became fond of Desmond, she did not know whether the feeling came out of vice or virtue. She just found herself drawn to him every day and could not explain why she was simply smitten with Desmond. She thought he would never see her or be attracted to her.

But she was wrong. He did notice her. One day, he came to the class where she was reading, pulled up a chair sat next to her and said, “Hello.’’ When she turned to look, it was Desmond. Shocked, she replied, “Oh! Hello!”

“I see you are pursuing to be the most dedicated student of the year,” he commented with a mischievous smile playing around his well formed lips.

She shifted her gaze from him, her cheeks burning from the effect of deep blushing. She did a mental assessment of her looks for the day and concluded that she did not pass. She looked dowdy and plain! ‘If I knew, I would have dabbed on powder at least,’ she thought to herself.

 “What are you reading so seriously?” he asked. She showed him the book. 

“Oh Chaucer’s Canterbury tales,’’ he observed. That’s a nice one. So, do you think Chaucer might permit you to hang out with me tonight?” he asked her.

He continued: “A friend is marking his birthday and I need female company. No. Forgive me for the error. I need your company.”

She felt flattered at this invitation but she attempted a weak objection. “But you have a lot of female friends...” her voice trailed off as he gazed into her eyes. 

There was a tense moment of silence, which could be sliced with a knife. 

“Yes. I know. But you are the one I need this time,” he said before his mouth descended and captured hers in a long kiss. 

When he raised his face up, Mercy kept her eyes shut. She was afraid to open them, afraid to wake from the sweet dreams she was having. “So, are you accompanying me tonight?” his voice brought her back to the present and she opened her eyes and answered, “Yes. I will.”

 “Thanks,” he said.

She did not know how the relationship progressed from that day but she knew she started an intimate and sizzling affair with Desmond and they were inseparable.

To be continued

Photo credit: Google 

All names are fictitious