Chapter two

"She's a harlot or else how did she get infected???!! I am a respectable ma with a good reputation far and near. So, it did not come from me"

I heard dad's voice from the gate. AB and I had just returned from school and we were laughing at a joke he made. When we heard dad's voice, I froze on the spot. That was the first time I heard dad raise his voice, filled with so much anger.

But why is he even angry? I thought.

AB pulled me towards the house because probably he thought I had forgotten how to walk.

We got in. Mom was lying on the couch in the sitting room. She looked paler than I could remember. I wasn't surprised. She had been sick for almost two months and no one knew what was wrong.

Mr. Audu, our family doctor, was there as well and they all just pretended not to see me. Or maybe they truly didn't see me. So I pretended to stumble against the edge of a sofa and they all turned.

Mom was crying and beckoning me to come closer to her while dad was shouting at AB to leave our house immediately. WHAT IS GOING ON!!!

I went close to mom and held her like I always did. I sat by her, lifted her head, and made her lie on my lap. Then I stroked her hair and told her everything was going to be fine. She just kept sobbing and I didn't notice that tears were streaming down my face as well till a drop or two fell on her face.

Mom was muttering words like "I'm sorry... I'm sorry", over and over and over.

"Mr. Peters, I think it will be good for you if you run a test on yourself as well because..."

I have never seen my dad look at someone with so much hatred in his eyes.

I looked at doctor Audu and my looks demanded that he gave me an explanation, but he looked away. I looked at my dad but he looked away too. Then I looked at mom who had stopped sobbing.

"Mom, what's wrong? Did someone die?"

She smiled and rubbed my cheek.

"No angel, no one is dead. Everything will be fine. Mom will be fine soon too.

Dad hissed and walked out of the room. Mom's words infuriated him more I guess.

Then doc Audu came close, "Mrs. Peters, you will be fine. Just use your anti-retroviral regularly.

An alarm went off in my head. Anti-retro-what???!!!

'she's a harlot or else how did she get infected?!'

Those words rang in my ears. My heart was beating very fast and my palms became sweaty.

Is mom infected with a virus?! No is mom infected with HIV?! Was she the one dad was shouting at? He called her a harlot. Wait! How did she even get it?

I wanted to ask mom all these questions but she had been through enough stress for the day.

After doctor Audu left, I looked at mom. She was already asleep on my lap. I was still in my uniform but I didn't want to wake her up. She looked stressed, disturbed, and sad in her sleep.

I felt pity for her. But how did she...was it from the hospital, from,d ad or ano another! I rebuked the second and last thought immediately. My mom would never do something as bad as... Mrs. Karen Peters, wife of Mr. Johnson Peters would never be unfaithful.

Those were the thoughts on my mind as I fell asleep. Those were still my thoughts as I rose the next morning and dressed up for school. How did I even end up in my bedroom?

I went to my parent's room and knocked on the door. Mom's weak voice asked me to come in. I looked around and there was no sign of dad.

Looked like he either left very early or didn't spend the night at home at all. First time... I think.