Sorority Sisters (5 page)

“Active, inactive, episode. You mean that this is something I’m going to have for the rest of my life? There’s no medicine that I can take to make it go away?” Cajen could not fully grasp what the doctor had said. This couldn’t be happening to her.

“Unfortunately, herpes is one of the few sexually transmitted diseases we do not have a cure for yet. However, it is manageable, and I will give you a prescription to get filled. You can start taking it tonight. This drug will help to shorten the time span of your episodes, and it has also been known to decrease reoccurrence. I will also give you some pamphlets to read so you can become better informed about what you’re dealing with. Also, I’m going to suggest we go ahead and have you take a pregnancy test and an AIDS test.”

“Why? Does herpes turn into AIDS?” This was too much for Cajen. She couldn’t hold back her tears. Then she thought about Jason. He was going to cause her to die, and he didn’t even love her. How could he have had sex with her without using a condom? Did he purposely give her this disgusting disease? He hadn’t even called her since they’d had sex. How could she have been so stupid? Why didn’t she just make him use protection?

“No, it does not mean that you have AIDS or HIV. I just think it will be a good idea, just to be safe.” Dr. Mitchell looked at Cajen. She seemed concerned, more like a friend instead of a doctor. “You will need to inform your sex partner or partners, because anyone that you have had intercourse with will need to be tested.”

“I only have one sex partner,” she said between sniffs.

The doctor handed her a tissue and asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”

Cajen tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming. “Kind of, but he is the only person I’ve been intimate with. Dr. Mitchell, do you think he knows that he gave me her . . . herpes?”

“Well, there is a chance your boyfriend doesn’t know he has herpes. There have been cases, in men especially, where there were few or no obvious symptoms. But, Cajen, that does not mean that he didn’t know. How long have you two been sexually involved?”

“We were only together once. I can’t believe this. What am I going to do?” Cajen stopped crying and looked at Dr. Mitchell, hoping she would tell her something that would make it all better.

“You’re going to be fine. Your life is not going to end with this virus. You are going to be just fine. You will just have to make sure, in the future, to be responsible and take better precautions. Also, if you are honest about your situation, the right man will not allow this problem to affect his feelings for you.” She paused. “It’s really sad to say, but a large number of people on this campus have been diagnosed with herpes. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who are not as cautious as they should be. Cajen, it’s as simple as taking a few seconds out to grab a condom.” Cajen appreciated her honesty and empathy. She did make this news a bit easier to swallow.

“Thank you.”

“But I will suggest you have your boyfriend come in to be tested, and you two may need to sit down and have a long talk.”

Dr. Mitchell gave Cajen the two additional tests and wrote a prescription for oral medication and a cream to use externally. She also gave her pamphlets and told her that if she had any questions, or felt she needed to talk to someone, there was a herpes hot line number on one of the pamphlets, or she could call Dr. Mitchell herself.

Cajen thanked the doctor and walked out of the office, wondering what she was going to do now.

SEVEN

Chancey came out of the dressing room to model yet another dress for Don. She had already tried on at least fifteen dresses at five different shops. None were right, but she did manage to put two on hold just in case they couldn’t find anything better.

“What do you think?” She twirled around and posed with her hands on her hip.

“Un-uh!”

“I agree. To be honest, I don’t like any of the styles in this shop. Let’s go to Marsche’s.”

“Okay, that’s cool, but where do you want to eat after we finish?”

“I don’t know. I’m really not hungry yet,” Chancey answered, and went back into the dressing room. She always felt uncomfortable in dressing rooms. Wondering if there were cameras or someone watching her undress, she never stood directly in front of the mirror while changing clothes.

“Let’s go to Solomon’s,” Don suggested.

“Where?” she yelled from out of the dressing room.

“Solomon’s.” He repeated the name of the restaurant as if it were a name she heard every day.

“I’ve never heard of that place. Is the food any good?”

“It’s the best. Stick with me, Diamond, and I’ll show you nothing but the best,” he joked. They both laughed.

She came out with the four dresses she had wasted her time trying on. “So, if I stay with you, I’ll always have the best?”

“That’s what I said.” Don kissed her on the cheek.

“You and the finer things life has to offer, or a solo life filled with mediocrity. How’s a girl to choose?” asked Chancey.

“You’d better choose wisely.”

“In that case, lock me up and throw away the key. I’m all yours!”

Chancey put the dresses on the return rack. The sales associate asked if they wanted to see anything else, but they declined and left for Marsche’s, a fashionable ladies’ shop that sold dresses for every occasion. Surely they would be able to find something for a sorority rush.

While walking, Don took her hand and gave her a big smile. Excited and in an exceptionally good mood, he gave her a look that said, I’m happy to be here with you. She smiled back at him, and they both looked in the windows of the shops they passed.

At Marsche’s they saw several nice dresses. Chancey picked up two. She tried on the first one. It was a long, straight brown linen dress with gold buttons down the front. The collar was wide, and the long sleeves had large cuffs with gold buttons. The dress was a classic.

“Baby, I think we just found your dress.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, look at you baby. Damn!”

“You like it?”

“What? I love it. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I think I do.”

“Amen! Our search is over. Now, let’s go get your accessories,” Don exclaimed.

They found a nice pair of earrings at the counter, and continued shopping the mall until they found a pair of shoes and everything else to make the ensemble complete.

Don was turning out to be a good catch. In the beginning of their relationship Chancey had wondered why someone as popular and attractive as Don would want to spend so much time with her. She often asked herself why he took the time to worry about the little things that bothered her and why he spent so much time making sure their relationship continued to grow. She knew she deserved a good man, but his actions weren’t typical of a star college football player.

She was eventually informed by one of his fraternity brothers that Don used to be a big-time player who juggled no less than three women at once. Toward the end of his sophomore year, his older brother, and only sibling, was killed at the age of thirty. His brother had had a steady girlfriend, but he never treated her with respect, and always joked that he would eventually settle down with her when he could no longer stay out all night and make it to work the next morning. According to one of Don’s frat brothers, he really looked up to his brother. After he died, Don’s entire persona changed. He broke all ties with every woman he was seeing at the time, and spent nearly a year and a half abstaining from sex. He also vowed not to get into a relationship until he found someone with whom he could be monogamous and sincere. His fraternity brother told her that Don wished his brother had settled down and had a wife and maybe a kid or two, thinking that if he had, he wouldn’t have died driving home drunk after one of those wild parties he frequented. Don never talked much to Chancey about the details surrounding his brother’s death. But sometimes, when she least expected it, he would mention how much he missed him and that he wished he were still alive.

Chancey knew she was the person Don needed in his life. Since his brother died, she had been the only person with whom he spent a considerable amount of time. He felt comfortable knowing she couldn’t judge him for the way he used to be. And she would never know the explicit details about his past, if he had anything to do with it. He only wanted her to know the side of Don that was strong, loving, and carefree. Although Chancey knew about Don’s past and about the lifestyle he and his brother had in common, she promised herself she would never bring it up until he did.

After they completed their shopping spree, they walked to Don’s sport utility vehicle. It was loaded and luxurious. He had traded in his old used car and gotten it before the last official game of the season. She was never one hundred percent sure if it was a gift from his parents or those damn alumni who were always spoiling him, but she never asked. She felt that some questions are better off not asked, because she might not want to hear the answer.

Once out of the mall parking lot, Chancey reached over and kissed Don on his cheek. “Thank you for being so wonderful. You know, I just might keep you.”

“Ah, you don’t mean that. You know you don’t love me!” Don kidded.

“Of course I don’t.” Chancey played along. “How could I possibly love someone who treats me so badly?”

“I don’t love you, either. There’s something about you that makes it hard for me to be around you. That’s why we’re gonna cut the evening short—because we’ve already spent too much time together.”

“Please, let’s do. I’m getting sick just looking at you,” she joked, then reached over and kissed him on his cheek again.

Don smiled at her. He enjoyed Chancey’s company and had fallen in love with her because she was smart, supportive, sweet, and mature for her age. Her maturity and responsible behavior had been evident to him for some time. She’d told him that while growing up, her parents owned their own small business and spent a lot of time traveling to keep their products in the public eye. They taught her at an early age to write checks and keep up their accounting. She made sure none of the bills were late and often cared for the home and herself while they were on the road. Chancey was accustomed to making adult decisions as a child. At times she even seemed more adult than Don. Yet he seemed insistent on making decisions for her.

“So tell me more about Solomon’s.”

“No. You’ll just have to wait until we get there to find out more about Sol-o-mon’s. It’s gonna take us a while to get there, so put on some nice mellow traveling music and just relax and enjoy the ride.”

Solomon’s was top-notch, just as Don had promised. Everyone dining in that restaurant looked like they had a million dollars in the bank. It was obvious that this was not going to be like their usual dinner dates.

“Don, this place is really nice. How did you know about it?”

“Some of the alums brought me, a few of the other players, and some other people here during my freshman year. I always promised myself that once I could afford it, and had the perfect girl to bring with me, I’d come back and enjoy the romantic atmosphere. Well, I can afford it now, and I have the perfect girl, so that’s why we’re here. It’s kind of romantic, huh?”

“Yes, it is. Thanks for bringing me here.”

“Remember what I said. If you stay with me, I’ll take you everywhere I’m privileged to go.”

The hostess showed them to their seats and placed menus on the table. Chancey’s menu didn’t have any prices on it. “Don, I don’t have any prices on my menu. How am I supposed to know what we can afford to order?”

“This is a very traditional restaurant. They like to make a woman feel like she’s a lady, and a lady shouldn’t have to worry about prices.”

“Well, I have to worry about the prices. I don’t want to overorder.”

“Chancey, sometimes I think you forget that in a few months I will be playing professional football. Baby, I’m guaranteed to go during the first round of the draft. I will hopefully be in the top ten picks, and it’s looking very hopeful. Baby, I’ll be making millions. Millions! My agent has already given me an advance. How do you think I was able to get this ride? My parents? How do you think I’m able to take you out more often and put gas in your car? The thousand dollars that Jackson gave me is just spending money. Get used to it, Diamond. In the very near future you will never have to worry about the cost of things again.”

Chancey was speechless. She gave him a blank look. Momentarily, through her eyes Don was a stranger. She knew he had a great chance of making it to the pros, but she hadn’t realized that people were actually going to start giving him money just because he had a good chance. She thought he was taking her out more because the season was over and he had more time. It was finally settling in that she would soon be dating a wealthy man. Chancey’s parents were well-off, but they were by no means millionaires. For the first time, she was faced with the reality that Don would go away with some football team and move to some other city, which they wouldn’t know until the draft. He was going to be constantly surrounded by groupies and the media. All the attention he was already getting was going to escalate.

“Chancey, you act like you’re hearing all of this for the first time. We’ve discussed me going pro and you visiting me for most all of the home games. That’s all me and my dad talked about while he was here. Remember?”

“Don, I wasn’t really listening. I was talking to your mother. I mean, I guess I knew, but it always seemed so far away.”

“Well, it’s getting closer every day. Your man’s gonna be a professional football player. And I’m gonna have my degree too.”

“I know. I’m so proud of you, but you’re going to be leaving me one day.”

“I’m not going to be leaving you. I’m just going to be a little farther away. And who knows, maybe I’ll only be a few states over. Plus, I’ve been told that distance makes the heart grow fonder.” He grabbed her hand from across the table. There was a pleasant silence.

“Baby, order whatever you want,” Don said.

“Okay. I sure will! I’m not gonna worry about the prices, because my man is rich.”

Chancey ordered grilled salmon, and Don ordered a porterhouse steak. Everything was so good. They relaxed and talked about their future together and how they were going to make their long-distance relationship work.

Instead of ordering dessert, they decided to drive back to town and rent a movie, pick up popcorn and ice cream, and spend the rest of their evening enjoying each other’s company in the privacy of Don’s apartment.

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