HIV? Me? No, I am married! (20)
“Your wife has HIV.” I said, my eyes fixed on Dike’s face.
“What! HIV!You cant be serious!” Dike jumped up from his seat.
For a moment I thought he was going to smack my face. Frightened, I quickly got on my feet. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nma get up as well and make a move towards Dike.
Even before she could take a step, Dike swung round to face her.
“Where did you get that from?” he spat at her “You slut.”
Nma recoiled in shock.
She looked as if a thunderbolt had struck her. It was that look that shook me out of my trance.
“Now, look here, Mr Dike..” I started angrily, “I will not stand by and watch you insult….”
“Yes, defend her!” he shouted furiously, swinging round to face me, “You women are all the same.”
With a swift movement, he overturned my side table. I watched in disbelief as my BNF and other documents spread across the floor like leaves during autumn.
“I will deal with you if you have given me HIV,” he shouted at Nma before storming out of the room.
Nma mouthed ‘sorry’ to me through the tears streaming down her face as she ran after her husband, clutching her handbag.
Zombie-like, I bent down to pick up the file containing the insurance papers a patient had sent in for me to sign. I stopped half way down and then lowered myself to the floor to sit surrounded by the rest of my papers.
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