The +++ Journals: Entry II
The 21st of February was like every other Saturday morning. This meant I would probably wake up hung-over and foggy-brained from too much drinking the previous night. There would be a dull but persistent throb in my head, a dryness in my throat and sometimes a dark, often beautiful, but always naked body snuggled against mine. Or if I were less fortunate, I would have to deal it with an oblivious Josh who snored and threw himself carelessly from one end of the bed to another. So yeah, it was another typical Saturday. But it was just me in my bed this time. Hung-over. Naked. Alone.
Besides the overwhelming urge to pee and need to quench the dryness in my throat, the heat from the rising morning sun pushed me out of bed. I stumbled to the bathroom and did my business before opening my cabinet to get out some Panadol for the headache.
And there it was – the Home Kit. My nemesis was staring at me.
After buying it, I’d attempted reading the instructions which, to me, had prints too tiny for my beady eyes to read. Then it had been too difficult to understand when I got around to reading the print. And finally, there was simply no time to take the test. So it had remained ignored in the cabinet until this morning.
Since there was nothing or no one to distract me, I reluctantly grabbed it and the aspirin, and went back to bed. Back there, I fiddled with my phone a bit, replied a few messages while unpacking the kit and attempting to read the manual for the umpteenth time.
How hard can it be sef? I wondered, as I unpacked its contents and placed them beside me. I reached for my glasses and reread the instructions.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I think it went something like this without all the plenty-plenty English they had crammed into the long white sheet. Prick your finger with lancet (This would definitely not be fun, I fucking hate needles!). Collect your blood in a pipette and then place a few droplets into the sample well (Can’t I just kill a mosquito and collect my blood from it?). Add the testing liquid (Can’t remember what that one was called), then it flows into the sample column. To show the test is valid, a pink strip has to appear beside the “C” or Control Band. And within fifteen minutes, if the same pink strip appears beside the 1 or 2, then it means you are positive. If otherwise… (Well you get the gist by now)
Just as I was ready to begin the process, I heard an intrusive bang on my door and quickly hid the kit underneath a pillow. I wrapped my bed-sheet around my waist and headed to the door. A peek through the peephole revealed who was at the door. It was Sophie, my Londoner neighbour. I groaned. This quarrelsome woman who occupies the flat beside mine can talk for Africa! Today, she will lament about the exorbitant charges we are levied monthly for crappy services. Next week, it will be a complaint about the neighbour downstairs who had parked in her space yet again. On some other days, she would bore me with a new business idea to import carpets from Turkey she was venturing into.
Josh often told me what the woman really needed was a good dicking. Unfortunately for her, our hustle was identical! My own is to smile till my cheeks begin to ache, laugh from time to time and nod like a lizard in agreement with everything she says. Perhaps this is why she’d mistaken my aloofness for concern.
I ignored the woman on the other side of the door, and crept back into my room. She knocked a few more times before eventually leaving.
I continued with the task at hand. The next obstacle was to get the lancet to work. I would later learn that all I had to do was pull the damn cover off and voila! But at that very moment, it refused to work. The more I tried, the more frustrated I was, which made me only more eager to get on with the test. Eventually I got a knife from my kitchen and cut my finger a little and placed some of the blood in the pipette. And then followed through with the process as described earlier.
Then came the waiting. The longest fifteen minutes I can remember, besides a sexual encounter which was so painful that time seemed to suspend for the short period it occurred.
And boy did I wait. Time dragged away lazily, seconds seemed like hours and minutes like days. I thought to myself, Temidire, this is it. This could be the moment where everything changes. I was excited, not in a good way though. Fear was looming somewhere beneath. I was not ready to go on with the process right now. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week…uh, maybe never? I kept second-guessing and asking myself if I really had to do this. Did I really want to know? Was there any need? I contemplated destroying the test and allowing life as I knew and loved it to go on. I glanced at the test which I had placed on my bedside table. A pink strip had thickened beside the Control Band. The test was valid.
I lit a cigarette and attempted to read the article for the day on Kito Diaries. After a few lines, I became disinterested and went to search for leftovers in the fridge, but I had no appetite. I eventually settled for an apple. By now, what would seem like a faint pink line had begun to form beside the ‘1’. I felt a rush of blood, my heart skipped a bit or two or three. I anxiously reached for the empty pack to check what this meant. It did not give me the answer I sought. Because at the back of the kit there were only three options: the first where there was no pink line (invalid test), the second with only one pink line beside the Control Band (negative), and the last one which had three pink lines which connotes positive.
But my result had only two lines which I could fool myself to believing actually meant that either the test was not valid or negative or mine was a special case. I decided to consult good old Google for some answers. I could not find anything substantial or explanatory, something to validate this tiny flicker of hope…or perhaps doubt. Somewhere deep inside, I knew the interpretation of those results. I just wasn’t ready to admit it.
I picked up the phone and dialed Daberechi. If anyone could give me the answers I was looking for, she would. And she would tell it to me just as it was. I sat on the floor, naked, waiting to hear her voice at the other end of the phone.
Written by Temi-D
About author
You might also like
MORE RANTINGS OF A RANDOM (Gay) NIGERIAN (Entry 3)
Hello, my name is Dennis and I do not like straight people. There. I said it. No, this is not my article about “heterophobia”; I still need to properly articulate
What’s On Your Mind… III
It’s just one thing today. A question, really – Who exactly is an African Man? One major weapon which homophobes deploy in their gay bashing is “homosexuality is unAfrican”. If
RANTINGS OF A RANDOM (Gay) NIGERIAN (Entry 39)
I was at a dinner party the other day hosted by an old friend of mine. You know when there is plenty food and alcohol, conversations tend to flow faster
25 Comments
Ruby
May 12, 04:24The wait for your HIV test results can be the Longest wait of your Life *well besides a bad sexual encounter*
No matter how careful you’ve been, there is always that anxiety when you go for the test.
Peak
May 12, 04:39(Can’t I just kill a mosquito and collect my blood from it?) Lol, that like cracked me.
Fun read temi.
Chris
May 12, 04:56The anxiety one goes through while waiting for an hiv result and the
anxiety of knowing if one’s final home is going to be heaven or hell,
well i dont know which is worse. Take note, Hiv dont kill, ignorance
kills and it kills faster.
kunleshi
May 12, 06:26Am new here,bo I swear am loving kitodiaries ol ready
Chris
May 12, 06:52@kunleshi, welcome aboard, have a pleasant and safe ride with us.
It is fun most times .
Max
May 12, 08:06I suggest you read earlier posts too.☺☺
Welcome.
Sinnex
May 12, 06:44Nice one….I think it’s about time for me to do the test. It has been years since I did one.
pinkpanthertb
May 12, 07:02Have no fear, sinnex darling. Virgins are never positive. 🙂
Max
May 12, 08:06Seconded.
Teflondon
May 12, 08:57I’ll take Pinkys statements as a joke or Sarcasm at it’s worst.
Clearly you KNOW transmission is not exclusive to Sex alone.
And Am I the only that as abt had enough of Pinky bullying (Yes, Bullying) Sinnex on his virginity. It’s almost impossible for him to make a statement here without you poking at his Virginity.
Not everyone as to be a H*e you know?!
Max
May 12, 08:04Never really been scared of the test. I dunno why(or maybe I do).
Nice read
D-boy
May 12, 08:32i really appreciate the safety consciousness that KD promotes.
kacee
May 12, 12:40Ditto
Teflondon
May 12, 09:03Temi-D thanks once again for this.. It’s important you keep writing to enlighten the ignorant lot (I don’t mean this in an abusive way) and also keep the Hoes on them toes. **dabs eyes**
Continue the Geat work, the lord is your strength. (If you believe in God I.e)
That said..
“I lit a cigarette and attempted to read the article for the day on Kito Diaries. After a few lines, I became disinterested and went to search for leftovers in the fridge,”
Am I the only that saw that shade.. Lol
**sips Organo Gold chocolatey coffee**
KyrxxX
May 12, 09:50Tef,
From a stranger to another stranger………..
U try too hard!
U sound like u enjoy trouble/chaos cos u r always spoiling for one nd trying to raise negligible dust always! Take a chill biko nd be u! He found disinterest in some articles on KD nd so? Who doesn’t when something else more important comes up? You abi? I’ve never replied u b4 but u need to pipe down on this attitude of urs! So not cool!
wytem
May 12, 11:00Ok so Tef brews trouble…. I kinda agree, but its a lot easier to ignore him than to insult or shade him and the next thing… here we go again!
Chris
May 12, 11:14@Teflondon, this is where i will apoeal to you to leave
sleeping dogs alone or your calling is trouble making :)?
Bobby
May 12, 10:21welldone Temi!…the rest of you, know your status today o. hmmmmm! **draws ear**
GOld
May 12, 11:00Mr TEF London,pls don’t allow me use my claws on u cos I bet u won’t survive it.
U look for unnecessary trouble where there is none and make noise here all the time.
U better continue sipping ur Organo Gold(fake tea) and keep quiet before I change my mind.
Pinky I know u don’t even read his comments.such a hypocritical human being.
That said, this was a nice one Temi-D.I need to get my kit and check myself too.it’s been over a year now. Just remember being positive is not the end of the world. In fact it’s the beginning of a whole new experience. Just take it gracefully and peacefully.
God bless u much
Teflondon
May 12, 11:18Organo gold is fake tea?
**rolls eyes**
GOld
May 12, 12:31Well everything about u is fake.
trystham
May 12, 12:39LOOOOOL. There are some ppl that will shade u with their silences. Kontinu oo. My God will judge
Ace
May 12, 12:44Every time I go to have my test, I am literally always shivering with fear even when I am positive that I am negative. I start trying to remember if the condom didn’t tear or if I swallowed or if we kissed too hard.
kacee
May 12, 17:25Lol, like seriously…
Jamie
May 12, 15:21I think I’m liking this one for real…