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“Honey, I don’t know what happened between you and your parents, but they should be strung up in town square. Does Lynchburg even have a town square? It doesn’t matter. Listen to me. I care about you, and I want you to get some help. You need to talk to someone about what happened to you. If you won’t talk to me, I’d like for you to talk to a professional counselor.”
“Lisbeth, I know you mean well, and I thank you for it. But I can’t afford it.”
“If you’d keep quiet and let me finish, I was going to say that I’d be willing to pay for it. I want you to come back out of your shell. I know there’s a young woman inside of you that’s intelligent, strong, and capable of taking on this world. And I, for one, would love to see her emerge. Will you please at least think about it? And before you give me your answer, I want you to take this job and show that company everything you’ve got. I believe you could run it one day if someone would give you half a chance.”
God, I loved that woman!
* * *
Terri came over one afternoon and said, “Get dressed.” I’d been lying around watching TV. It was midafternoon on a Friday, and I was a bit surprised to see her.
“Why? What’s up?” I asked.
“I’m taking you to the outpatient clinic.”
“What do I need to go there for?”
“You need to get tested for HIV and other stuff like Hepatitis.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. You’ve been screwing around with God only knows who and you have no idea where those guys have been or who they even are. You’re going to get tested, no excuses. And then there’re the drugs, which put you at risk for Hep-C. You need to make sure you’re healthy.”
I groaned. “Can’t we do this another day?”
“Nope. You start your new job on Monday. It’s now or never, and I won’t let you choose never. Let’s go.”
There was no use arguing with her. When she made up her mind about something, that was it. I followed her out to the car and off we went.
The sterile environment of the clinic made me shudder. A nurse ushered me into a room and then the questions started.
How many partners have you had? Did you have anal intercourse? Do you do drugs? What kinds? Any IV drugs? Any cocaine? And on and on ...
If that wasn’t invasive and humiliating enough, the blood tests and physical examinations that followed certainly were. I was swabbed and scraped for specimens to be placed on slides that would be tested for every STD known to man, and probably some that weren’t. I wanted to cry but didn’t. I’d gotten myself into this mess and it was my responsibility to take it like a big girl.
When I was finished, they said they would call within a week with the results. We ended up spending the better part of the afternoon there.
Afterwards, she treated me to dinner, not that I really felt like eating much. I made her take me to Home Team for some wings. I ended up paying the bill because I was the one who’d dragged her butt out of bed all those times and she was right. I was at high risk for a lot of diseases. After my abduction, a change was needed. Why not start fresh knowing if I was truly healthy?
When she dropped me off, she reminded me of my promise. “Swear to me, Lex.”
“I already did,” I said miserably.
“No, I want you to swear to me over Peter.”
My breath caught in my throat. I looked at her and she knew she had me then.
“You know it’s what he would’ve wanted you to do. He would’ve hated himself for not finding a way to stop you from doing this. I’m surprised he hasn’t come back somehow and talked some sense into you.”
“Stop, Terr. Please. I just can’t talk about him.”
“You have to talk about him. He’s the reason behind all of this. Ignoring what happened won’t make it disappear. Admitting it is your first step to recovery.”
“Whatever. I swear to you over Peter. No more drugs or men.”
She was right. Peter would die all over again if he could see me like this. I had to get my shit together or I would end up dead one day.
“Terri, what happened to me changed my life. Not only did it nearly end it, but everything terrifies me now. I’m not sure how you’ve missed it, but I haven’t been out since that night. I’m afraid of the dark. If I’m not home by the time the sun sets, I freak. Leaving a club in the early hours of the morning is something I wouldn’t even consider now. I’m done with it all. I can’t even go to sleep at night unless every light is on in my house. Even then I wake up constantly. I’m a damn mess. You don’t have to worry about that part of my life anymore. And you’re right about Peter. I do need to talk about him. But I’m still not ready for that yet.”
