I guess females are wiser than males after all. Shortly after my sister registered and got accepted to college, my mother began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Her drinking gradually minimized and ultimately stopped after my father died of a drug overdose a few years later. That was when things really got out of control for me.
I began selling crack-cocaine and would often receive sex in exchange for drugs. The sexual acts that these junkies would perform for twenty dollars worth of crack would excite me. Until one afternoon, I received a letter from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Clinic. It stated that my name was given to them by a patient that I had came in contact with who was being treated for an STD and that I should go get tested.
The very next day, nervous as I was, I courageously visited the clinic. Even though it was a bright and sunny day, to me that was truly the darkest day of my life, for that was the day I discovered I had contracted HIV. I was completely devastated. I sincerely felt as if I had actually died that very moment I read the Positive result. I wept uncontrollably as the counselor proceeded to ask me how many sexual partners I had within the last three months. Unprotected "casual-sex" had become routine for me and I didn't have a clue as to who might have infected me or whom I had infected.
Today, I'm in a hospital lying on my deathbed in agony. I now have full-blown AIDS and a short period to live. My mother and sister are healthy and have their whole lives ahead of them. I regret the careless choices I've made in my life. My recklessness led me down this path. Deep down inside, I blame my father. I feel that my promiscuity derived from me unconsciously trying to prove to him and perhaps myself, that I was not gay as he always implied. I hope you the reader learn from my experience and my mistakes.
THE END
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WRAPPED IN A RED RIBBON
Short StoryA short tale of a young man and his terrible upbringing that ultimately led to his demise.
