Novel attempt once more
"How long have you known?"
The question caught me off guard. Most asked how, or even why. They were both rather stupid questions. How was that I was careless. Why was because that was how things happened. Who often came next but I never, ever answered that one. Or else I gave a pat, evasive answer. You don't know him. Of course they didn't. I had barely known him. Just a cute guy at a kick ass concert in college.
"Less than two years." I was one of the lucky ones, or so I'd been told. I didn't have AIDS, it wasn't full blown. No. I was lucky. I was just positive for the HIV virus.
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The house I owned wasn't much compared to most standards. Three bedrooms on an acre but it was all mine. Or it was now that my brother had passed over. Passed over being a wonderfully sweet euphamism for - Got trashed one night in a bar over his ex sleeping with his best friend and careened his brand new truck over an embankment and down a mountain. I can't say I'm sad to see him go. No, that's not true. I did love the bastard but he wasn't the smartest thing out there.
He'd said the same about me when he'd learned the truth.










