Are You Positive?
Page 4
Chapter Four
“Gwen, it’s Sarah…. I’m in the Houston airport waiting to board my flight for Greenville-Spartanburg…. They came through perfectly late last night, and I read them on the plane just now…. Yes, it sounds like it’s going to be a very interesting trial, to say the least. I’m so glad you told me about it.… No, they didn’t go into anything about the HIV tests in the AIDS trial in Phoenix, just the question of whether HIV can cause AIDS, and the lethal effects of AZT…. Already? That was quick. The Solicitor must think he’s got a cut-and-dried case. When does Campbell start his defense?... Well it’s a good thing I flew today, then. How long will it take me to get to the Greenville courthouse in the morning?... That’s not bad…. It’ll take me some time to get my luggage and the rental car, so I should probably be at your place by 10…. I won’t want much, but of course I couldn’t eat anything they served on the plane, and I don’t have time to get something here in Houston before my next flight… No, I printed out directions on Yahoo, so I should be okay. I’ll call you if I get lost…. It’ll be great to see you again, too. And thanks again for letting me stay with you…. See you soon….”
Sarah then dials another number on her cell phone, but gets an answering machine.
“Sam, it’s Sarah. I’m just about to get on another plane in Houston, so there’s no point in trying to call me back. I just found out that the prosecution has already rested their case and the defense starts theirs tomorrow. I don’t know yet how long this trial will take, but from the sounds of the opening statement by the defense attorney, he’s going to call a lot of expert witnesses and try to disprove the accuracy of the HIV tests, among other things. So it could take a while. I’ll make sure I email you the first true-life story of an HIV-Positive for my column so that it’s on your computer by Monday morning. That should be plenty of time, because you know, Sam, you never need to edit my stuff; it’s always perfect the first time I submit it! Bye, Sam. I’ll stay in touch.”