There's nothing hidden that won't be revealed, it's just a matter of time before everything will come to light. Who would have thought that the same person Faith was hiding her HIV status from would unfortunately be her doctor? Irrespective of how she tried to run, it's quite apparent that she couldn't run faster than her shadow. Without even asking, it's clear that David now knew about Faith's little secret so it's safe to say that there wasn't any need for her to hide it any longer from him.
On seeing David seated confidently in his office, Faith almost dropped dead. She didn't have any clue on what to say so she just stood there dumbfounded. David figured she was ashamed and tensed so he acted quickly. "Have a seat dear, you are welcome. Where have you been all these while?" He asked with a faint smile on his face. Faith smiled faintly and bent her head downwards. "We just spoke this morning, or didn't we?" She asked and he nodded "Yes".
One look at Faith and David's doubt about her HIV status was already confirmed. Her body language and gesticulation proved to him that she was very tensed and ashamed that he had found out about her big secret. Deep down in his heart, he somehow felt sorry for her and was sad that she even have to go through a health condition such as HIV. However, despite knowing all this, he still acted calm and cool.
On the other hand, Faith wished the ground would just open and swallow her up. Her mind probably processed over a thousand thoughts of the perfect explanation to give to David for being in an HIV facility. The urge to lie was greater than the desire to tell the truth. Sadly, there was no other way out than to come clean with the truth. After an awkward silence that lasted for few seconds, they continued their conversation.
"I'm happy to see you once again dear, but let's skip the chase, why are you here and how can I help you?" David asked. Faith took a deep breath and looked downwards. Before she knew it, tears began to fall from her eyes. David didn't see the tears just yet because she was faced downwards. After waiting for about three minutes for an answer but none was forth coming, he got up from his seat and walked towards where she sat.
Immediately David got to Faith's chair, he lifted her face up and that was when he realized that she was crying. Without asking too many questions, he placed her head on his stomach and gently patted her back. "Everything is going to be alright. You don't need to tell me anything or explain yourself to me if it makes you uncomfortable. I totally understand dear, just wipe those tears off your beautiful face" he calmly said.
Those words from David were like honey to Faith's ears. At that moment, she felt a type of way she hadn't felt in a very long time. Every word that came out of his mouth felt genuine and it gave her the courage to finally open up to him about her life. Due to the fact that other patients were also waiting at the waiting room, David felt it was best they meet up somewhere later in the day to talk things out. It felt like a good idea so Faith agreed. However, before she left, he handed the anti-viral drugs over to her and bid her "Goodbye".
As Faith walked away, her heart raced with every step she took. Tears clouded her eyes but she held herself strongly from crying. The fact that David now knew about her health status made her feel relieved, but the way he found out made her a bit scared. There were so many thoughts in her mind at that moment: both negative and positive but she tried to remain calm and hope for the best.
Hours passed but there was no call from David. With each passing hour, Faith soaked her pillow with tears because she felt he had fled upon knowing about her HIV status. It killed her to know that she had lost a good man just because of something someone else did to her. Maybe Faith felt David must be thinking she lived a wayward lifestyle, hence the reason she had contacted the virus but it's quite said because the reverse was the case.
There are so many HIV patients walking the surface of this earth that lived decent and weren't wayward. It's quite unfortunate that they are stigmatized by the masses with giving the benefit of doubt that they might be victims of circumstances that was beyond their control. Faith lived a disciplined and decent life but still found herself in such situation.
Just when Faith was about to give up hope about meeting David that day, a call came into her phone and it was David's call. She gently wiped the tears off her eyes and picked up the call. "Hi, Goodevening" she greeted, "Goodevening dear, are you ready so we can meet up?" He inquired, "Not really, I thought you weren't going to show up again" she sadly revealed. Without hesitating, he reassured her that he truly wanted to see her and urged her to be on her way.
They were scheduled to meet at a cozy location that was situated in town. It took Faith less than 10 minutes to get there while David was already there when she arrived. They found a good spot to sit and discuss. Dinner orders were take and in no time, their food arrived and they began to eat.
"Aren't you hungry? You have barely touched your food" David curiously inquired, "I have lost my appetite but would start eating once I regain it" Faith replied. David figured it was the perfect time to strike a conversation with her so he went for it. "Can we now talk about why you came to the hospital today for your regular dose of anti-viral drugs? I said 'regular' because I saw your records and today would make it the 4th time you are coming for your medication in the space of 5 months. Talk to me about it and I promise never to judge you" he calmly said.
There and then, Faith realized that the moment of truth had come and there was no going back this time around. Her heart raced and her palms became sweaty. She looked into David's eyes and almost cried but held herself from doing so. Without hesitating any further, she began to narrate everything to him. She left no stone unturned and told her story.
Immediately Faith was done talking, David was devastated and shattered at the thought of what she went through. He felt extremely sorry for her and didn't know where to start consoling her from. "Faith I am so sorry that you had to go through something such as this. It's so sad that this has to be your reality after all those years of living a decent life. If I had just one wish, then it would be for God to heal you" he soberly said.
Immediately Faith heard 'God', her whole countenance and mood changed. "God doesn't exist, please don't talk about God again when having any conversation with me. How can God be the kind and loving God he claims to be, but allowed such a thing like this to happen to me? How can I reap a harvest like this after all the years I dedicated to sowing good seeds? Despite the fact that everyone has a freedom of expression, I would be happy if you exclude God from our conversations. God isn't alive and there's no such thing as God because if there was, I won't be found in such situation" she sadly said with tears falling off her eyes.
When Faith was done expressing her feelings towards God, David had so much he wanted to say to correct every misconception or disbelief she had but felt that moment wasn't the right time. If he had gone ahead to trade words with her, he might further push her away from God because at that moment, she was bitter towards God and probably had enough logic facts to back-up whatever she says.
It's clear that Faith had forgotten one thing, and it was the fact that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are different from our thoughts. Bad thing happy to good people but that doesn't mean it is God's intention for his children. When Jesus died and rose to sit at the right hand side of his father in heaven, he gave dominion over to his children to rule the affairs of this world, knowing fully well that the devil lived amongst us. God can't function here on earth without using a human vessel to perform whatever he wants to. When you see bad things happen here on earth, blaming God will only worsen the case because it will make you forget that all authority to make the world a better place lies in your hands and not his. Jesus retired 2,000 years ago (according to the belief of christians) and he is seated at the right hand side of his father.
Faith needed to understand that she is as powerful as Jesus was because all dominion, power and authority was conferred to her the very day Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to be with his father in heaven. Everything that happened to her could have been prevented if she was more alert and awake in the spirit. However, the good news is that God is never too late to perform miracles through us here on earth, all we need to do is desire it, make ourselves available and have even the slightest faith as a Mustard Seed.
These and more were the things in David's mind to tell Faith but he knew it wasn't the right time to do so. They carried on with their dinner and tried to shake off any negative feeling.
The date finally came to an end and they walked towards the parking lot. David knew deep down that he might not be able to carry on with any motive he once had towards Faith, since he found out about her health status. However, he was opened to being friends with her. It's safe to say that David acted like how others would act if they found out that the woman they love has a deadly virus such as HIV that could be transmitted to him too. But will he change his mind as time goes on? Well, fingers crossed as we read on.
When they finally got to the parking lot, they gave each other a warm hug, entered into their cars and zoomed off. On their way home, they both thought deeply about each other and even shed tears. Faith needed no seer to tell her that David might shut her off his life. She knew it had come to the end of the road for them but she still managed to put herself together.
On the other hand, David genuinely loved Faith but was scared on taking things any further because she had too many baggages that didn't sit well with him. From her HIV status to her hatred for God. There was no way he would be with someone that despised God. The night didn't end on a good note for either of them but as time goes on, thing would eventually clear.
Days passed after the date and David still hadn't called Faith yet as he normally used to. It hurt Faith to know that he might be avoiding her but she didn't let anything get to her because she already had a lot on her plate. A week passed by but still no call from him. Out of anger, she deleted his number from her phone and erased every message he ever sent to her. She cried bitterly each day but life eventually moved on.
While Faith was trying her very best to forget about David, he was also trying so hard to forget her too but it wasn't working out. He had sleepless nights thinking of Faith and felt that God wanted him to be in her life for a reason only him could fulfil. It was no doubt that he liked her but he was scared because of her baggage. However, everything was made clear one fateful day.
It turns out David was in traffic one afternoon. He was in a hurry to get to somewhere but the gridlock was beyond him. Just as his eyes wandered around, his attention was caught to a sticker on someone's vehicle. The write-up in the sticker boldly read "Everyone deserves to be loved regardless of their stories".
That write-up touched David and made him a bit sober. He felt bad for judging Faith subconsciously after knowing all she went through. He knew she deserved happiness just like everyone else and felt bad for ruling her off just because she had a different story. Without hesitating, he drove to her office to pay a surprise visit to her. He knew she might not pick up if he called because he hadn't called her for over a week. He figured it was best he take her by surprise and see her face to face.
In less than an hour, David arrived at Faith's office and waited at the reception. The secretary went to notify Faith that she had a visitor, when she requested for the person's name, the secretary said "Davis". David lied about his name so that he could take Faith by surprise. When the secretary returned, she directed David to her office and in no time, there was a knock on the door.
"Yes, come in" Faith commanded and the door opened. Immediately she set her eyes on David, her heart skipped several beats. Before she could say a word, he interrupted her saying "Did you miss me? Because I did".
.
.
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End of episode 4 ?
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