AN EXCERPT

Edward waited patiently for Stephanie in the conference room wondering why she sent for him with such urgency. He heard footsteps behind and turned to meet her stern looking face. She is every inch a beautiful woman. Tall, graceful, pouting lips, velvety ebony skin and kohl black hair cascading elegantly on her shoulders. She is a delight to behold. He thought, as she walked towards him.

‘’Hi Stephanie.’’  He gave a shout of greeting and smiled conscious of the animosity emanating from her.

She looked pointedly at him and did not bother to reply his greeting, her face cold as steel.

‘’Why do you embarrass me Edward?"

‘’I beg your pardon. Embarrassed you? In what way?"  He asked, looking at her with a bland expressionless stare.

‘’You have the nerve. Are you trying to tell me you don’t know flaunting your relationship with that waif of a girl is embarrassing to me?"  She barked at him, anger flaring in her eyes.

Edward looked at her closely, shocked at her tantrum and wondered if she was in her right senses.

‘’I don’t understand. How is my relationship with Sharon supposed to embarrass you?" He asked, giving her a bewildered stare.

''So you are admitting that you are in a relationship with that girl?"

''Her name is Sharon.'' He replied.

Stephanie looked at his unyielding cold stance and burst out crying, her eyes half veiled by tears.

‘’I thought we had something going. Don’t tell me all our times together meant nothing to you.’’ She cried, looking into his eyes for any sign of sympathy.

Edward took a sharp intake of breathe, exasperated at her exaggerated emotional display which left him cold.

‘’Stephanie, can you please stop these pranks. I don’t get you." He sighed in exasperation. ''Did you take our friendship in a romantic light? No. You are an intelligent young woman who will know when a guy is into her romantically.” He replied, eyeing her skeptically.

‘’What are you trying to say?  That you don't want me? That I leave you cold? What has that girl done to you? Is she more beautiful than I? Tell me. We had a beautiful relationship until she turned up and ruined everything.’’ She screamed at him in hysteria as her eyes glazed with tears.

''Don't be so melodramatic about this. Stephanie, I don't remember a time I ever made a love proposition to you. Yes, sometimes ago, we were jointly given an assignment to handle which threw us a lot together and made it seem like we were in some kind of a relationship. But you and I know that there was nothing of sort between us."

She shut her eyes at the cold intensity of his voice.

Edward looked away and refused to meet her eyes. He felt sorry for what he was about to say, but he had no choice but to declare the truth so she will be clear as to the nature of their relationship. He treasured their friendship, but deep within him; he knew his feelings towards her cannot grow beyond friendship.

‘’I am sorry Stephanie. I appreciate your intelligence, friendship and companionship, but …"

‘’Don’t bother. I know where you are going.’’ she cuts in, rudely interrupting him; refusing to hear his love declaration for the gold digger.

''Please, I want you to stop harassing Sharon and calling her names. You offend me when you do that." He replied as a matter of factly.

‘’I guess there is nothing more to say.’’ She said and walked out on him.

Edward wanted to call her back in order to reason with her, but decided against it. A feeling of despondency came upon him at the loss of his friendship with her, but he shook it off, shrugged his shoulders and left the room.

Steve’s words continued to ring in Mrs. Mathews’ ears. So Chike made a baby with an eighteen year old girl who at that time was just three years older than his first daughter. She paced back and forth in her room pondering over the kind of desperation that would push him to put a girl that young in the family way.

She deliberately put the matter behind her until Adaobi’s wedding was over and everyone had returned to their base. Now is the time to face him. She thought and walked to the garden where she knew he would be.

‘’How could you do that?" She stood menacingly, pointing accusing fingers at him.

Mr. Mathews looked up sharply, shocked to see his wife standing before him poised for a fight. He wondered what the problem is this time.

‘’What are you talking about? Do what?"

‘’Not only were you unfaithful to your marriage vows, but you had to put a girl young enough to be your daughter in a family way. A young girl who should have been in school. Couldn’t you have found an older woman to unleash your unbridled passion on?" She screamed and hurled abusive words at him.

‘’Is it about Steve’s mother?" He asked as a dark mask of remorse covered his face.

‘’Weren’t you man enough to resist your mother? In this modern age, you allowed your mother together with you thwart the plan of God for that innocent girl all because of your selfish desire for a son. Now that you have three sons, does that make you happy? Are you fulfilled?" She became hysterical as anger took over her emotions completely.

He bowed his head in anguish as her words washed over him, but she felt no pity for him. For the first time since their marriage, a veil seemed to be removed her face about the flaw in his character and the kind of man he actually was.

“Couldn’t you have sent her to school after she had the baby? Couldn’t you have done something for her in return? At least, pay her back for giving you a son and surrendering her youthfulness to you?  But you kept her in your mother’s house like a prisoner and hid her away from civilization. I hope you know that you ruined the life of that young girl. To think that I was upset about your infidelity." She stopped and shook her head, eyes filled with pain and accusation. "That young lady was the victim of you and your mother’s wickedness and your lack of contentment for your lot in life.”

Mr. Matthews’s head remained bowed as she hurled the words at him. He said nothing because he knew that she was right.  He raised his head and faced her, disturbed at the intensity of her hostility towards him.

‘’Dear, but the person in question is gone. She is dead. Why are you so upset about what happened so many years ago?"

‘’You should hear yourself. Don’t forget I was trained as a child counselor. You took advantage of that frail, impressionable young girl who was docile enough to obey her poor mother. I am sure the woman agreed to trade off her daughter in the hope that their lives will be better. You used that girl and did not impact her life positively. You are wicked, vile, and evil. She could have been our daughter. Unfortunately, she had no one to fight for her. Every day, I see glimpses of her in Steve and I know she was a sweet innocent girl.’’ The words gushed from her mouth like angry waves on a troubled sea.

She took a deep breath, relaxed and calmed her heaving chest. She looked at the man whom she had held in high regard for the past forty years of marriage and realized that she had been married to a stranger all along. Tradition demanded that a woman worships her husband and follow him doggedly, but she refused to keep quiet and accept such an unfair treatment of a fellow human being in the name of tradition.

I still find it difficult to believe what has happened to my body. What will people say?  Oh God, how will this change my life?  Will this alter my destiny? Will this affect all my plans to get to the peak of my career? How will others see me? Will they reject me? Will they condemn me?  I can’t even bring myself to tell anyone, not even Karen my sister. Why did you allow this to happen to me, Lord? Why me? Why not someone else? What did I do to deserve this kind of sentence on my life?"

 Oh Edward, my love, how can I tell you that I am no longer fit to be your wife and be the mother of your children? How can I break the news to you that our plans to be together in matrimony will no longer see the light of day?

I couldn’t stop asking the questions. I could tell no one that life has struck me bad. Why did God allow it happen now, at the peak of my youth, when life is just about smiling on me? Oh why not when I am stricken with age, after I must have spent the best of my years with Edward and brought forth healthy and beautiful children. Life has cheated me, stolen from me, robbed me off precious things.

Will I have the courage to move on in spite of this? Will the bounce be in my steps again? Will I be beautiful again? Will I receive the second admiring glance again? Will my skin still radiate and glow with youthfulness? Hmm, such vanities of life. But being suddenly withdrawn is heartbreaking.

The worst part of it all is losing Edward, the prince of my heart. How can I bear being torn away from him? I will not expect him to be tied down with me even for love in the circumstances. I could feel the excruciating pain in my heart as I imagine him being with another. My heart is torn apart as I imagine another woman loving him and carrying his babies. Uncontrollable rivers of tears flowed without restraint. In a snap, all I hoped to be, planned to do has been ruthlessly snatched from me and I do not know what to do about it.

Who do I hold responsible? Is it the hospital, the doctor? God? The devil? My parents? Probably if I have been taken to a different hospital, this accident might have been averted. Or, am I the guilty one? Maybe if I have paid more attention to my diet, I would not have had appendicitis in the first place and there would have been no need to visit the hospital.

Or maybe it is my destiny.  Probably I have been chosen from the beginning of the world to go through this. But to what end? For what purpose? Why will the Lord choose me to suffer such an unfortunate experience? What testimony do you want out of this oh Lord? Haven’t I served you to the best of my ability? Why would you require this of me?

If you wanted me as the sacrificial lamb, why did you allow me taste the pleasures of life only to withdraw it from me so soon.  I will joyfully trade places with a village peasant girl in exchange for my life back, for my health and vitality. He who controls all things, the sovereign God has decided and l am helpless against his judgment.

Perhaps he will show mercy and reverse this curse on me. Maybe the story of my life will also end well and all will be restored to me like the story of Job.  I will wait in anticipation for my change to come, for my life to be beautiful again. The end of Job’s life was better than the beginning. Maybe, just maybe, it will be the same for me.

Mrs. Mathews mounted up courage and visited the hospital where Sharon did the surgery and blood transfusion. She had aged considerably since the news of her daughter's HIV status was received. Her quarrel and conflict with her husband about his past infidelity and misdemeanor ended and died a natural death when Karen called and broke the news of Sharon's status. They held on to each other for comfort as they learned to accept the reality of the situation. How could those doctors wreck my daughter’s life and go on living without being brought to justice? Lord, why did you allow Sharon go through this? That poor girl does not deserve this. Not only is she the most devoted to you, she put you first in all things. Why Lord? She thought, weeping inwardly as she walked her tired feet to the hospital.

Everything appeared different. She could see a couple of young doctors and nurses in their white overall going back and forth the hall. She approached the receptionist who gave her a warm welcoming smile.

‘’Hello Ma, what can we do for you?" She asked, her smile lightning up the hospital environment

‘’I want to see Doctor Brown and Doctor Charles.’’

‘’Dr. Brown, Dr. Charles?" The receptionist asked, confused. "I am sorry ma; none of our doctors bore such names. Are you sure, you are in the right hospital?"

‘’Don’t patronize me young lady, do you think I am senile? Is this not St. Augustine Hospital? My daughter did surgery here about six years ago. Dr. Charles……."

‘’I am sorry ma, did you say six years ago?" The receptionist interrupted midway.

‘’Yes, about that time.’’ Mrs. Mathews replied, her eyes darting about like an agitated animal.

‘’Could you hold on a moment while I make some enquiries?"  The girl behind the desk asked, her voice sweet like a gold-caged nightingale.

Mrs. Mathews watched as the girl made a call and became engaged in conversation with someone at the other end of the line. She put down the phone and flashed a smile at a patient waiting for her attention, as she beckoned to him to hold on.

‘’Mrs. Mathews please? The medical director wants to see you. He will be able to attend to your complaints and enquiries. Go straight down until you reach the end of this ward, then turn left. His office is the last room on the left row. He is waiting for you.”  She explained cautiously.

Under a normal circumstance, Mrs. Mathews could have smiled at the girl who is full of warmth and sweetness. But the burden on her mind because of her daughter’s condition made her immune to external influences.

She walked slowly to the Director’s office as described by the girl with the nightingale voice. As she went, she could not help but notice modern infrastructures, which had replaced the old run down hospital she once knew.  She stopped, seeing a placard on the last door titled ‘’THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR’’. She knocked and heard a husky voice telling her to come in. She entered and came in contact with a middle age man impeccably dressed in white overalls.

‘’Mrs. Mathews?"  He asked, rising to his feet and giving her a warm smile.

‘’Please have your seat. I am Doctor Okereke. What can we do for you ma. I understand that you are making enquiries about Dr. Brown and Dr. Charles.’’ He asked, a hint of a smile still lingered on his lips.

‘’Yes, I am.” She replied.

‘’ I am sorry to tell you that Dr. Brown passed away two years ago and Dr. Charles was one of many doctors who worked in this hospital briefly and left for greener pastures."

Her face fell at the information the doctor gave. Oh, God, will Sharon suffer this misfortune for nothing? I thought I could at least bring the perpetrators to book. She thought. 

‘’Madam, you never said why you seek these doctors.’’ He said, concern all over his face.

Mrs. Mathews took a deep breath, looked into the doctor’s deep blue eyes and sighed.

‘’About six years ago, my daughter complained of appendicitis and I brought her here for consultation. Dr. Brown who was then the medical director was on duty. On closer examination, he observed that the appendicitis was inflamed, so he slated her for surgery. Dr. Brown could not meet up with the surgery as scheduled because he had an accident a day before; Dr. Charles was called to perform the operation on my girl. He assured us that the surgery was minor, that he could handle it as he had done many in the past."

She paused and wiped the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

‘’So what happened next? The doctor asked, anxious to hear the rest of the story.

‘’Dr. Charles operated on her, but she developed complications after the surgery. A few days later, she began to bleed on the spot where the operation was performed. She was transfused with blood because she lost quite a lot. I guess the blood did not go through perfect screening process. A few years after, she was diagnosed as HIV positive.’’ Tears already blinded her face as she ended the story.

‘’That is quite a story.’’ He replied, taking a deep breath.

‘’But, how can you be so sure that your daughter became infected with the virus through the blood transfusion?" He asked, guiding his words with caution.

‘’About nine months after the surgery, she began to complain of headaches, stomach upsets and the likes. But we never took it serious. We never imagined they were the early signs of the virus.” She replied.

‘’I beg your pardon to say this, but she could have gotten the virus from other sources.’’  He insisted on a soft tone..

‘’Sources like?" She asked, her face tensed.

‘’From sex partners…"

‘’Excuse me, you never knew my daughter. She had never known a man intimately."  She interrupted, upset that he could make a derogatory statement about her daughter.

‘’I am sorry for that and hereby withdraw it.’’ He apologized.

‘’Other ways of being infected with the virus include sharing needles and blades with infected persons. We usually advise women to use a new needle whenever they go to the salon to fix a new hairdo. Most women catch the virus from using infected needles.’’ He explained.

‘’My daughter majored in laboratory science while in college, so she has a good knowledge of health protection and hygiene.’’ She replied icily.

‘’Let us assume that she got the virus through the blood transfusion, which automatically made the hospital liable. What do you want to do?" He asked, looking at her pointedly.

‘’The most reasonable step is to charge this hospital to court for negligence and failing to ensure the duty of care. But, my daughter would hear none of that. She believed, it was her fate.’’ She replied, her eyes clouded with tears.

Dr. Joseph looked at her, his face raw with deep emotion.

‘’Since you never intended to take this matter to court, so why did you come?"

Mrs. Mathews shut her eyes, weeping silently for her daughter as a lion grieves for the loss of her whelps. After what seemed like ten minutes, she opened her eyes, bright as the sunbeams.

‘’I wanted to look into the eyes of either of the two doctors and challenge them about what they did to my daughter. I wanted to see if they will keep living normal lives knowing they messed up another person’s. I wanted to see if they have enough conscience left in them to admit that they failed at their profession. Unfortunately, I have been denied that luxury.’’ She cried in despair.

Someone knocked on the door. Doctor Joseph’s assistant peeped in to check if all was well, but he was waved off.

Doctor Joseph stared at the middle-aged woman with head bowed on his table. Compassion welled up in his heart for her and the daughter. He was at a loss of words as to what to say to comfort the broken woman before him.

‘’Madam, words are beyond me to express how sorry I am for the unfortunate incident that befell your daughter. My heart goes out to the whole family in sympathy. Apologizing will not reverse the event that has taken place, but please accept my heartfelt apology on behalf of the hospital.’’ He said graciously.

‘’Thank you doctor.’’ She replied and stood on her feet.

‘’I will personally on behalf of the hospital write a letter of apology which will be sent to you. Could you please drop your forwarding address?"

She scribed her address and made her way out of the office without a backward glance.

Oh Lord. So Sharon will go through this for nothing. She gasped and held back tears that threatened to fall. She loves you. She sang her own made-up hymns of praise to you when she was five. I never had to remind her to say her prayers. She was eager to spend time with you, always thinking of others. Do you remember how she stood on the church podium and raised her hands to you? In front of hundreds of people, without the least fear or embarrassment. Why did you allow this to happen to her, Lord? Why have you shredded her life and deserted us?

Doctor Joseph watched as she dragged herself out of the office, completely overwhelmed by sorrow. He bowed on his table and whispered a prayer for the unknown lady.  Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He reached out and pressed the office intercom, still pondering on the story the visitor recounted to him.

A few minutes after, a stout looking young lady in blue overall entered.

‘’Are you from the records section?" He asked

‘’Could you please dig out any information on an old patient named Sharon Mathews. About six years ago, she was here for an operation, which went bad. I want to know about her history, drugs administered, complaints and any other fact you can lay your hands on’’ He said, his face grim like a mask.

‘’Yes sir.’’  She replied and left his office.

Dr. Okereke was engrossed in reading the medical journal when he heard a knock on the door. He was surprised to see the records officer walked in, in her hand was a thick brown file. He did not expect to see her back so soon with the information. The hospital’s record keeping must be sound as far back as six years ago. He thought.

He read through Sharon’s medical history, the surgery that changed the course of her life and the purported blood transfusion. After moments of studying the file, he could not find anything of note to validate the claim that the young woman became infected through an unscreened blood.  He knew from experience that mistakes do happen during surgeries that leads to the death of patients or caused permanent damages which are irreversible. It is not a common occurrence, but it does happen. So it is actually very possible that Sharon became infected with the HIV virus through a transfusion of an unscreened blood in the hospital.

The claim might be true and it might not, but since the victim has decided to lay the matter to rest, it will be baseless for him to wake the sleeping dog. He shrugged his shoulders, rearranged the file neatly, and pressed the intercom.

Sharon was hurt beyond words as Edward avoided her and refused to call. So she made up her mind to visit and tell him everything all about the unfortunate story of her life. She drove over to his house during the weekend and was shocked to see him looking distraught, unshaved and unkempt.

He let her in, looking at her in wariness and suspicion. They were awkward at the silence that ensued as neither of them seemed to want to begin the conversation.

‘’I am sorry for putting you through so much stress and ache in the past few months………….." She paused. "I feel you …..have the right to know why I kept to myself and withdrew from you,…….I realized that I can no longer keep the truth away from you, I owe you that." She narrated, as she wiggled her hands in nervousness.

At her words, he lifted his head and looked at her strangely, his lips twitching in agitation.

She told him the story of her life and was already in tears by the time she was through.  The silence in the room was overwhelming. Her heart broke when she looked up and found Edward weeping quietly in deep anguish. Forgetting her own pain, she rose to comfort the broken man before her.

They were in each other’s arms receiving comfort and being comforted.

"We should sue those bastards for their gross incompetence." He barked "What a fatal mistake to commit against an innocent young girl." He added, broken.

"What will that achieve, the deed has been done and it will not remove HIV from my blood."  She replied and pulled back a strand of straying hair from her face.

"We will fight this together; it will not pull us apart." Mathew kept muttering to himself as they held on to each other.  It sounded as if he was saying the words to encourage himself or so it seemed.

"Have you considered a second opinion?"

"Yes." She replied solemnly.

"Same result?"

"Yes."

"We could try again, probably........"

"No, I am not going for another test. I can’t go through with that trauma of waiting, hoping it was all a mistake and then being told all over again that I am positive." She exclaimed.

"But what if by a stroke of luck…….."

"No Edward, I am not going for another test. I have accepted my fate and the Lord is helping me through with it; I encourage myself daily that there is a purpose for this and wait to fall into whatever plan the Lord has for me."

Her eyes became drawn to the picture frame beautifully hanged on the wall and she moved closer to get a better view of it. A hint of a smile played on her lips as she remembered how the picture was taken during their vacation in the Caribbean. Edward pleaded with a male tourist walking leisurely by on the beach to take the shot as they hugged each other with a fierce abandon.

‘’Ed, I have been thinking how this rude interruption in my life will affect our relationship and have ….. concluded that…… we go……. our……… separate ways.’’ She stuttered.

Edward stared at her in shock, momentarily lost of words.

‘’Are you out of your mind? What do you take me for?  What about the love we shared? So you expect me to walk away because something bad happened. No Sharon, I am a man of my words and this is the time to prove the efficacy of my love for you.” He replied.

She couldn’t believe her ears. Does he know what he was talking about? She tried to interrupt him, but he bade her to allow him finish.

‘’We will stand on the promise of God to heal you. We will fight this together and I am sure the Lord will lay his healing hands on you. Where is your faith? I am surprised that you gave in so quickly. You know that healing is available to us as Christians, as it is one of the benefits of redemption.’’

She could hear the voice of faith in him as his face became animated with hope. As he spoke, her heart began to stir with faith, but as the reality of her status hit her, she went cold all over again.

‘’Ed thanks for the message of faith, but I have gone that road before and don’t want to drag you on a journey you are not meant to go. I know God heals, I am a living witness to that. I also know that he may choose not to heal for his own purpose.”

‘’If he heals and restore my health, great and if he does not, I am equally all right with that. My life is driven by purpose and not by what happens to me. Yes, I weep and mourn for the loss of my health, but I am looking forward to what I hope to gain from this unfortunate experience.”

‘’Please, don’t go psychological on me, your proposition is in no way acceptable to me.’’ He replied, shaking his head in denial.

Sharon looked at him with pride in her heart and smiled ruefully. A tear fell from her eyes at the thought of letting him go, but this is what she had to do. She thought.

Edward caught hold of her. “Sharon’’ he called, pulled her against him and locked his arms around her. “Sharon” he said again and wept. Was he crying for himself or me? She guessed it didn’t matter who he was crying for. Turning in his arms, she put her arms around him. She understood his grief, but she knew far better than she ever wanted to, that some grief was too deep for tears to wash away.

‘’Yes, I know God can heal me if he chooses to, but have you considered if he decides not to?"  Sharon asked and lifted her brows in enquiry.

They looked at each other and he sighed in resignation. Nothing was said again, but both of them knew that from that moment on, their relationship would never be the same again.

Edward called and showed up for the first few months, he lived up to his promises. In fact, it was almost like old times again, but in time the visit began to reduce and then the calls stopped automatically.  Sharon did not hold any grudge against him. She doesn’t expect a young man with a brilliant future like Edward’s to be stuck with a HIV infected wife. To her dismay, she heard that he has been transferred to Ghana as the regional manager.  He never bothered to say goodbye.

Edward’s departure from Sharon’s life was the last straw. She knew it was coming but did not expect him to be so harsh about it. She assumed that they would still be friends. It broke her heart completely and she gave in to depression. She began to deteriorate, stopped taking her drugs regularly and kept rigidly to herself. Her daily routine was: go to the office, come back home and lock herself indoors until the next day. Karen who happened to be her only companion is consumed with work and preparation for her forthcoming wedding, though she tries to make up during the weekend.

Desiring for a change of environment, Sharon decided to take a trip to England hoping to see her junior sister, Gladys and her family.  Gladys got married about a year ago after the HIV discovery and no one bothered to tell her about it. It hurts to be excluded from family events, but I forgave her, as it was easier to forgive than be offended against anyone. Throughout my stay in London, Gladys did not come to see me; neither did she give me the direction to her home. Perhaps she was afraid my presence in her home would infect her husband and son. She thought.

Sharon returned to Nigeria feeling empty and depressed. She began to wish for death. Her fiancé gone, her family all busy with their lives, what is there to look forward to? At twenty-six years of age, she has been blessed with material things that her age group could only imagine.

She went through the investment portfolio account statement sent to her inbox and marveled at how much  her financial assets has appreciated in the past one year. But they mean nothing to her at the moment. In fact, she would gladly give up all her wealth to be with Edward and build a family with him.  Mother now spends most of her time overseas with Adaobi and Adichie, tending to their children. She felt abandoned and forsaken as every member of her family appeared to be busy and tied up with their personal affairs than to babysit a sick woman. Steve, who used to keep her company had left for school. Sharon grieved over her losses as loneliness sat on her like a bird.

Karen got married and left the house, leaving Sharon was all alone. Adaobi had advised her to join a HIV group where she can lend her voice, use her gift, talents and hopefully meet a decent man of her kind to marry. It sounded reasonable, as she had heard of HIV infected couples who seared children who were not positive and live fulfilling lives.

The emptiness and silence drove her crazy. She became so depressed that she thought of committing suicide several times. She neglected taking her drugs and treatments, and that was a terrible mistake as her body defenses broke down completely. She became susceptible to all kind of sicknesses as her immune system became weakened. Four months after Karen’s wedding, she became very ill.  She staggered to the dining table where her phone was and called Karen. While waiting for Karen to pick the call, her eyes was drawn to the adjourning mirror across the room.  She made a piercing cry of horror seeing how terribly she had emaciated, her skeletal form visible beneath the dress shirt she wore. She knew death was near and gladly looked forward to it.

She thought about the turn of events in her life. Barely three years ago, I was at the plateau of joy, achievements, possessions and success. My star shined so bright like it would never wane. Now, I am all alone, sick, sad, weak and waiting to die. Is this what life is all about? Alive today, dead tomorrow, happy today, Sad tomorrow.  She thought.

Suddenly, she began to lose feeling in her legs, then her entire body. A few days earlier, she observed that her eyes were not focusing as they should and she could feel life slowly slipping out of her body. She could feel the virus take over her entire system, breaking down all her defenses as she waited for the end.

A knock sounded on the door and then footsteps. Karen’s voice came through faintly. She gasped in horror and screamed when she entered the living room and saw what had become of Sharon who lay unconscious on the floor, all skin and bones.

‘’Sharon, oh Sharon, what have you done to yourself? Why did you allow your health to degenerate to this level?"  Karen sobbed, as she knelt on the floor and felt for a pulse at the side of Sharon's neck under the back of the jaw. 

In Sharon’s unconscious state, she had a good knowledge of the happenings around her. Scientists call it near death experience.  Her parents came to the hospital a day later and she watched as her mother broke down when she beheld her skeletal frame lying cold on the hospital bed. She hated to see her mother unhappy. How she wished she could comfort and wipe her mother’s tears away. Sharon tried to touch her, but there seemed to be a gulf between them. She couldn’t reach her mother and her sorrow multiplied.

One after the other, her brothers and sisters came to visit her. Steve, her beloved stepbrother was a sight to behold. He refused to come in to see Sharon’s frail almost lifeless body. He kept blaming himself, saying if he had stayed with her, this incident would not have happened. Who would help tell him not to blame himself, that I allowed depression to get the best of me?

I watched as a team of doctors walked in. They kept jerking something on my chest, but I felt nothing. I guess they were trying to revive me.  Why in heaven’s name are they reviving me? Why wouldn’t they just allow me slip into eternity and sleep forever in peace? Afterwards, everything I held dear has been taken from me. What should I live for?  Then, a sudden pain gripped her on the chest. No. no, no. She moaned. She began to hear voices of people around her. She felt her chest would burst as sharp darts of pain shot through her. Suddenly, she lost consciousness and went into a blissful sleep.

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