My Bitterest End

THIS WORK IS FICTION AND THE PRODUCT OF MY OWN WARPED IMAGINATION. NONE OF THIS IS REAL OR SHOULD BE TAKEN AS SUCH. IT'S ALSO JUST A FIRST ATTEMPT DRAFT. 

Calvin pushed the blonde hair away from his eyes as he stared at the glass door of the office building. He knew he should be shivering as he sat on the bench and yet he couldn’t help but unzip his jacket and loosen his scarf. The cold wind pushed the hair back down. Giving up he raised the cigarette to his lips, cupping it with his hand and lighting it. Calvin closed his eyes as he took the first drag smiling slightly.

The office park was a familiar one to him. Green grass mixed in with cold steel and glass buildings and whit lined tarsealed parking lots. He had lost count of how many times he had sat in this exact same spot before, just waiting.

On the second drag of the smoke, more people started making their way out the doors. Five past twelve. Lunchtime. Calvin stared at each of the faces until he saw the familiar one. Quickly he stood, stumbled across the drive.

“Daniel please wait.”

Calvin watched Daniel freeze at the sound of his name. Shelly, the women he had been walking with carried on another few steps. Slowly Daniel turned towards him. Shelly finally noticing her companion’s absence stopped too. Despite his best effort seeing Daniel again looking perfect in his Grey slacks and Navy Pea Coat, he could feel his heart begin to race.

Calvin stood a ways off, not wanting to spook him any further. Daniel just stared at him. It wasn’t until Shelly walked back taking his hand did he move. Daniel shoulders slumped, his hands balled into fists.

“Please” Calvin called “I need to talk to you.”

Calvin took a drag on his smoke as he watched the pair have a whispered conversation. Shelly pattered Daniel on his arm before walking over to Calvin. It didn’t matter that she was almost a foot shorter than him, somehow she still made it seem as if she were the one towering above.

“It’s over. He doesn’t want to see you. He’s with Harrison now. Stop bothering him.”

Calvin turned to plead with her, “I don’t want to get back with him. I don’t want any trouble. After this I promise I will wont try to speak to him again, but I need five minutes. That’s it. Five lousy minutes and then we are done.”

“No,” Shelly shook her head, “you are done already. Just leave him alone. Please.”

“I can’t.”

“Oh, and why is that?” She asked while crossing her arms.

Calvin hung his head, “Look, we haven’t spoken in months. I have left him alone, but this… Please, it’s important. I just need five minutes.”

Shelly studied his face for a full minute. Abruptly she turned walking back to Daniel. Calvin watched as the spoke in whispers for a few moments. Calvin sucked the last of his cigarette. It’s brief flare of light faded into nothing. Calvin dropped the butt, stomping on it, despite it already being out.

“You have your five minutes, but I want to get out of this bloody wind. We’re going to the pub” And with that Daniel turned and marched off. Shelly in tow.

The blast of warmth almost knocked Calvin as he staggered inside the pub. The noise was almost deafening. The place was all wood and leather. It had all the right components except it was trying to hard to look like a local that you would see in any corner pub instead of what it should be, a tavern in a business park.

Calvin slowly shuffled down the bar looking for the pair. He nodded his hellos to the people he knew but never stopped. Not until he saw them standing around a table in a back corner. Three drinks sat on the table. As he looked over, Daniel pushed one to the edge of the table. Calvin took his jacket and scarf off as he approached. He dropped it on the ground, picking up the half pint and taking a pull.

“You have your five minutes. Talk?”

Calvin leaned against the table, staring at Shelly, “I said I needed to talk to you.”

“I wont be alone with you.”

“Please.”

“No, she stays or you leave.”

Calvin turned towards Shelly. “You don’t talk. He wants you here and I don’t. But I am willing to accept it if you don’t talk,” His face softened slightly, “please.”

Shelly nodded. Calvin took another sip of his beer.

“How have you been?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, “That is what is so important?”

“Please, just how have you been?”

“I’m fine. Is that all you wanted?”

“No, but I needed to ask.”

“You have three and a half minutes.” Daniel said looking at his watch.

“Sorry this is hard for me.”

“You said it was important?”

Calvin nodded. He reached into his pocket pulling out a couple of folded bits of paper. “As you know I haven’t been well for a while. For over a year now I seem to be catching every bug out there. I just thought it was a run of bad luck. But a month ago I was so bad my brother finally took me into the hospital. It turned out I had a sever kidney infection.”

Daniel took sip of his own beer, “I know.”

“What? How?”

“We have friends in common. They sometimes let me know how you are.”

Calvin smiled a little, “Really? I thought they all unfriended me.”

Daniel shrugged, “So is that what you want to tell me, that you are sick?”

“No I needed to tell you that I am dying.”

Calvin watched Daniel’s face slacken, his eyes going wide, mouth slightly open.

“Anyway, I am on quite a few medications to stop the infection and halt its progress. I just won’t be getting better, All I am hoping for is maybe I can slow it down.”

“I am so sorry.”

A snort of air came out of Calvin’s nostrils, “Don’t be, I didn’t come here to tell you I was sick. I came because the doctor finally able to tell me how I got this way.”

“They know?”

“Yeah,” Calvin took another sip of his beer, closed his eye and grabbed the table with both hands. Slowly he looked back at man opposite him. He watched as Daniel picked up his beer.

“I’m HIV positive.”

The glass slipped from Daniel’s hands. The bounced on the table, rolled to the edge and smashed on the ground. The entire place fell silent. The barmaid trotted over with a broom and mop. She swept up the glass and cleaned the floor. She asked if Daniel wanted another. He just shook his head. Slowly as she moved off the din returned.

“What the hell?”

Calvin had never stopped looking at Daniel, “You heard.”

Shelly gripped Daniel’s arm, “Why are you telling him this?”

“You know why,” Calvin snarled at her.

“What? You think Daniel infected you.”

“I don’t think, I know”

 “I’m not sick.” Daniel protested

“Have you been tested?”

Slowly Daniel shook his head, “not for years. But that doesn’t mean anything. You could of caught it anywhere.”

“No, I couldn’t”

“Please,” Daniel uttered, “When I met you, you were giving it up to everybody.”

“You’re right. I slept around. But when we got together I stopped. Before you and I settled down I got tested.” Calvin unfolded the first sheet of paper, “You remember this. You were there for the test and the results. Negative, remember.” Calvin opened the second piece of paper. “And these are the results from a year later, negative as well. So I think we can safely rule out my past as the cause. And as we both know I never cheated on you so I didn’t catch it from someone else.”

Calvin leaned across the table, his voice dropping to a growl, “besides Harrison, How many other were there.”

“There wasn’t anyone”

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t care what you think…”

Calvin slapped his hand on the table, “stop lying.”

“I’m not.” Daniel stormed around the table, pushing his finger into Calvin’s chest. “I ready your diaries remember. I know you cheated on everyone you ever dated. How the fuck can I trust a whore like you.”

Calvin stiffened. He grabbed the finger poking him in his chest, slowly bending it backwards. He watched Daniel collapse to his knees, “I don’t care if you believe me, except we both know I didn’t cheat on you. The only reason I am seeing you today is to warn you. Get tested. Get Harrison tested. Get everyone from as far back as Mark tested. Get anyone you have ever let inside you be tested. Get on the cocktail. And for the love of God stop spreading this around.”

Calvin looked over at Shelly. She still stood there not moving, Her face gone white, “Are you sure? About him?”

“Yeah.”

“But we, I mean it was just the one time.”

“Call your doctor, get tested.”

Calvin leaned down to whisper in Daniel’s, “As for you, I promised it would only be five minutes be we seem to have gone a bit over. For that I am sorry.” Gently he brushed his lips on Daniel’s cheek. A single tear tracked down his check, “Goodbye to you my bitterest end.”

Slowly Calvin released Daniel’s finger. He scooped up his coat and scarf, dropped a £20 turned towards the entrance and shuffled off. At the door he looked back for one final moment. Shelly was crying, as Daniel tried to comfort her she pulled away turned and run to the bathroom. Calvin struggled into the coat, wrapped the scarf around his neck and stepping into the winter. Outside he pulled the packet of smokes out of his pocket chuckling softly as he lit it.