Mama Caroli
- Part 2 -
Story By Thiyam Ningol, Africa

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When they reached the clinic, Sophi was surprised to see so many people. Among the people, except for some few very sick looking patients, most of the people were normal looking according to her understanding. She whispered to her husband " Are these all sick people?" When she was told that about 95% of the people there are HIV/AIDS patients, she felt new hope coming.

She wanted to ask him why he had never told about his visits to the clinic before but decided not to. Questions would provoke more misunderstandings. Better if they concentrate more in their future.

A nurse announced if there was any new comer to the clinic.

Five of them including Sophi was taken to a different room. After few minutes each one of them were told to go inside in turn to be counseled. She was the last in the list. She became nervous. She looked around and found some leaflets. She took 3 different leaflets and started reading. She reread 3 times.

When her turn came, she was calm. The leaflets have helped her. The counselor talked to her, explained to her about the nature of the disease and consequences; how to take care of herself and her husband, how to protect non infected people.

After the thorough explanation, they took her consent for drawing blood from her veins for testing. Things were not that frightening as she imagined.
She found her husband waiting for her. He had already taken his medicines for the day.
They were told to come back the next day for the results.

They were late to reach the office but as they had already informed earlier, nobody gave them a long face. Sophi had piles of files on her table to work with. She took it as a blessing in disguise because she was not in a position to sit and gossip even little with her fellow workers as they usually do. When her friends saw the piles of her work, they left her alone. Once in a while, she was slightly distracted, she found herself wandered again in far imaginary thoughts. She tried not to but she could not help. The next day again she would be late, so she had to finish all the pending works.

Surprisingly, she coped with her work. She did not feel hungry either. So during the lunch break she continued working. She was the last one to leave the office on that day.

The next day when they went to the clinic, she saw some more new faces again. Her confidence increased. She was given her results; as expected she was announced to be infected but her condition was far better. She did not need any immediate medication.

When they reached their office, they were given the information that her brother in law, her husband's younger brother had called and requested them to come to the hospital where his wife was admitted.

Sophi took out the leaflets from her purse and reread again. She put two into two together and started recollecting the signs and symptoms her sister in law had. She could be thinking wrong, so she waved the ideas of acting as doctor by putting a diagnosis.

After the office duties, she and her husband passed by the hospital as they were told. They had not seen each other for about a month only but during that one month's time her sister in law had changed unrecogniseably. On the heavy metallic hospital bed was lying her frail sister in law barely able to move. She was so thin that her skin looked like glued directly to the bones without any fat layer below. Her eyes were sunken inside the eye sockets. Her lips were dry and peeling. Sophi imagined herself lying on that bed with the same appearance. She screamed aloud " No, I wont allow it". The nurses consoled her and escorted her outside. She cried sitting in the corner. She herself was not sure for whom she was crying-for herself or for her sister in law.

After hearing her test report, since morning she was trying to behave strong but the sight of her sister in law had made her loose control. Her husband saw her and understood her but left her alone, letting her have all the time she needed. Her brother in law approached her and explained the situation, requested her to understand the patient's condition.

She was sick for quite some time.

She had three children. The last born was sickly from the time of birth, survived hardly 6/7 months. It was during that time, when their child was very sick and admitted in the hospital, the doctors advised them to check their health. They did and they both were found HIV infected. Soon after the death of the child, her health started deteriorating.

The husband, Sophi's younger brother in law was a successful businessman, engineer by profession. He had his own construction company and was quite popular. As quickly as possible, they started taking care of their health but outside the country. They could afford to go regularly and get checked. As the days go by, his business started getting affected. Slowly, unnoticeably they started neglecting about the trips abroad. So she decided to go back to her parents in the neighbouring country.

When he visited her last, he found her in the critical condition and despite the protest from the parents and relatives he had to bring her back home to be with him and the other two children.

The patient did not live long. She passed away on the 4th day.

Sophie and her husband decided to be supportive of each other and fight with the disease together. But she found out later that they were a bit late, her husband had many other complications which the doctors explained to them as opportunistic disease.

Even before completing the TB treatment, he developed fever and sever cough. He was admitted in the hospital. He was terminated from Job with benefits but the money was all spent in his treatment.

Whenever Sophi came to the office, she thought people were acting strangely to her. The friends with whom she was sharing jokes and gossips were no more friendly with her. They greeted her very casually and once in a while asked if she needed any help. Sophi thought she did not need people's pity, she could manage on her own. She declined any help offered.

Slowly she distanced herself from people and friends. She did not like to be asked about her husband's health. To avoid the endless enquiries, she segregated herself from the society. She preferred to remain busy, occupied with work. She was also afraid of loosing the job. As a senior worker of the company, she was drawing a comfortable salary. Her employer liked her work. Her recent extra attention to her work made the employer even happier. She was the only bread earner now and her responsibilities have increased.

She loved the children of her brother in law. Very often she passed their house and made sure the children felt comfortable. Whenever possible, children of the two families were allowed to be together.

Her husband started loosing hope. He started becoming un cooperative. He would defy doctors' advices. Instead of spending money wisely, he would booze local liquors, get drunk and disturb the family members. Sometimes he would miss his clinic appointments. Sophi tried her best to persuade him to come with her to the clinic but he would not listen.

One day when Sophi came back from office, it was raining and late evening. She did not find her husband home. The children did not know where he had gone. They assumed as usual he must have gone to drink. They waited for him till late night. He never came back. The rain had not stopped also. She was about to inform her brother in law, when somebody knocked loudly on their house. Apparently, the man who was knocking was drunk also but he could relay the message at least. They were drinking together in the local bar when Sophi's husband complained of chest pain and started coughing. He coughed blood, a lot.

Sophie rushed to the bar with the drunken man, asked her daughter to inform her uncle and stay with the brother calm. She would be back soon with their father. Sophi found her husband lying cold and unconscious on the dirty floor of the bar, his face, neck and body smeared with blood. They took him in a taxi to the nearby clinic. On arrival, the doctor informed them that he collapsed some time ago. They turned back with the same taxi to the mortuary.

After the formal ceremonies of the funeral, Sophi requested the family members to sit down and discuss the serious issue.

Sophi's husband had an elder brother also. Unfortunately, he did not have any children but he and his wife lived in the village happily.

Sophi was the first one to talk openly about her health. She omitted the minor details how she contacted the disease but gave detailed information when and how she came to know about her HIV status. She informed them also that she regularly attended her clinic and she would continue doing so. She understood her responsibilities and as long as she could, she would continue working and taking care of her children.

Her openness moved the hearts of her in laws. They all promised to remain one family and support each other.

After all the visitors have gone, one evening very unexpectedly, her younger brother in law dropped by to their house. He looked confused and lost. He was nearly breaking down. He requested Sophi to help him.


***** This story attached here is dedicated to Worlds AIDS day, 1st December

To be continued......