Life on Banana Street
Hospital
“What? How did this happen?”
“I don’t know, it just kind of did.”
“I wasn’t under pressure, was I?”
“No, I don’t think so. The doctor will be back anytime.”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“He wouldn’t answer the phone. He thought it was all a joke. ”I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah lately, I don’t really like him.”
“Why? What happened?”
“He got me pregnant that’s what.”
“And your mad at him for that?”
“Yes! Would you like to be pregnant Billie?”
“Um no.”
“Exactly.” I looked up at the ceiling and screamed.
“What? What happened?” Billie asked me.
“WHY IS THERE IV IN ME?”
“I don’t know…maybe because you’re in the hospital.”
“I’m gonna rip it out.” I reached for my arm and grabbed the needle that was sticking painfully into my arm.
“No! Addie! Don’t!”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because it could affect the baby.”
“I could care less about this fucking fetus inside of me squishing my bladder!”
“It’s not developed yet. It’s just the size of your nail.”
“Then why do I have to pee so much?”
“Short bladder?”
“Yeah…” Billie stayed with me the whole time. “Billie?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I use your phone?”
“Yeah.” He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I dialed Jeff’s number.
“Hello?”
“Jeff?”
“Addie! How you been?”
“Um not so good.”
“Why what happened?”
“I’m in the hospital. I had a heart attack.”
“Are you serial?”
I laughed. “I’m serial.”
“Well, why did you tell me?”
“So you wouldn’t worry when I didn’t come into school for a while.”
“Oh. Well what do you want me to tell the people?”
“That I had a heart attack. They won’t ask questions.”
“Right.”
“Oh Jeff?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s something else too.”
“What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“ARE YOU SERIAL?”
“I’m so serial!”
“Who’s phone is this?” he finally asked.
“Billie’s.”
“Hmm makes sense. Well I’m bored so I’m gonna go.”
“What? I’m not good enough for you?” He stuttered. “I’m kidding Jeff.”
“Right. Well can I go?”
“Yeah. I have to yell at Gabe anyway.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Yep. Well bye!” He hung up and I called Gabe.
“Hello?”
“Gabe.”
“Addie? I wasn’t expecting you to call.” I heard something in the background.
“Who’s that Gabe?”
“My sister.”
“Oh. Well what’s she doing at the house?”
“Just visiting.” He was making noises.
“What are you doing?”
“Brit this isn’t a good time.”
“Brit? I thought your sister’s name was Sierra.”
“Oh, it is. This is my other sister.”
“I’m not your sister. I’m your-” I heard.
“What? Gabe what is going on?”
“Nothing. Just come by the house.”
“Um I kinda can’t!” I said getting pissed. I knew he was cheating on me, I just didn’t want to let him know.
“Why?”
“I’m in the hospital Gabe! If you would have listened to Billie, you would have known!”
“Well, I’m coming ok? I need to tell you something. Something important.” I was dreading to know what it was. About 15 minutes later, Gabe and his sister showed up. It actually was his sister. “Addie, can I have a minute with you? Alone?”
“Yeah of course.” Billie and Brit left and Gabe sat on the end of the bed.
“Adeline, a few years ago, I found out that I got AIDS from sleeping over at my friends house. They…got some stuff on me.” I was stunned. My mouth was wide open.
“Are you telling me that…I have AIDS too?”
“Most likely. You need to get tested.”
“I need to get tested? You should have fucking told me you had fucking AIDS before we had our time.”
“I was going to, but…you just went at it. I had no time and it completely slipped my mind.”
“That’s no excuse. Great. Another reason to be in this place.” I was crying softly as I turned my head away from him.
“Addie, please don’t be mad.”
“Oh, I’m not mad. I’m just going to live with AIDS. None of it is your fault,” I said sarcastically.
“I knew you were going to be mad. That’s why I never went out with anyone. But you…you were special.”
“Special how? ‘Oh I’m going to affect her with AIDS.’?”
“No, for years, I wanted to avoid any and all contact with the opposite sex. Then that night, you came into the bar and…I knew it was love at first sight.” I gulped what felt like swallowing a football.
“Why me Gabe? I was just an ordinary girl.”
“You see Addie? You do that to yourself all the time. You think you don’t deserve anything better, and you don’t know why everyone likes you. You’re extraordinarily beautiful and you don’t take enough credit for it. You’re one of the nicest people to me, and you don’t know it. You’re irreplaceable. Nothing can stand in your way. That’s why I want to be there with you all and forever until I die. I just feel so lucky to even know you. And when I die, know I did everything to keep you with me. I mean, look at us. We’re in love and you think it’s just another guy on the street for a year or so.” My hands were my face. I felt so embarrassed. He was absolutely right. I didn’t expect much of him, yet marry him.
“That was beautiful Gabe.”
“I bet you’re thinking that I should leave and never see you again.” I didn’t say anything. He got up and opened the door as I said, “Stay. After that I would never let you go. You were absolutely right. I’m not gonna say I was right because I wasn’t. I love you.” He bent over me and I pulled his neck down and kissed him. Gabe stayed with me until I could go home. Billie was on the opposite side of the room curled up in his chair asleep. The doctor came in and spoke to me. “So doc, do I have AIDS?”
“Fortunately, neither one of you have it.”
“How do you know Gabe doesn’t?”
“He asked for me to do a blood test. There’s no sign of any STD’s in yours or his blood.” I wiped the sweat off my forehead. “Is there any chance the baby having AIDS though?”
“What baby?”
“The baby forming inside of me.”
“There’s none.”
“There’s no kid?”
“No ma’am. The only thing you’re in here for is recovering from your heart attack. Which reminds me, you should be getting your rest. You need lots and lots of rest young lady.” I smiled at the doctor and as soon as he left, I tore a piece of paper off of the stand next to me, crumpled it up and threw it at Billie. He spazed out of his chair and I laughed silently and he looked at me. “Come here,” I whispered. He walked over on his knees and put his head on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah?”
“Neither me or him have AIDS.”
“Um that’s great?”
“Oh I didn’t tell you?”
“Uh no.”
“Well, he told me he had AIDS and since we had special time yesterday, I thought I did too. We got blood tests and we don’t.”
“Well I’m glad you don’t have AIDS.”
“Yup! Oh and I’m not pregnant either.”
“That’s awesome. For you, this day just keeps getting better and better.”
“Yeah pretty much.”
“Can I go back to my chair now?”
“Yeah.” He went over there and as well as him, I fell asleep.
“I don’t know, it just kind of did.”
“I wasn’t under pressure, was I?”
“No, I don’t think so. The doctor will be back anytime.”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“He wouldn’t answer the phone. He thought it was all a joke. ”I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah lately, I don’t really like him.”
“Why? What happened?”
“He got me pregnant that’s what.”
“And your mad at him for that?”
“Yes! Would you like to be pregnant Billie?”
“Um no.”
“Exactly.” I looked up at the ceiling and screamed.
“What? What happened?” Billie asked me.
“WHY IS THERE IV IN ME?”
“I don’t know…maybe because you’re in the hospital.”
“I’m gonna rip it out.” I reached for my arm and grabbed the needle that was sticking painfully into my arm.
“No! Addie! Don’t!”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because it could affect the baby.”
“I could care less about this fucking fetus inside of me squishing my bladder!”
“It’s not developed yet. It’s just the size of your nail.”
“Then why do I have to pee so much?”
“Short bladder?”
“Yeah…” Billie stayed with me the whole time. “Billie?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I use your phone?”
“Yeah.” He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I dialed Jeff’s number.
“Hello?”
“Jeff?”
“Addie! How you been?”
“Um not so good.”
“Why what happened?”
“I’m in the hospital. I had a heart attack.”
“Are you serial?”
I laughed. “I’m serial.”
“Well, why did you tell me?”
“So you wouldn’t worry when I didn’t come into school for a while.”
“Oh. Well what do you want me to tell the people?”
“That I had a heart attack. They won’t ask questions.”
“Right.”
“Oh Jeff?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s something else too.”
“What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“ARE YOU SERIAL?”
“I’m so serial!”
“Who’s phone is this?” he finally asked.
“Billie’s.”
“Hmm makes sense. Well I’m bored so I’m gonna go.”
“What? I’m not good enough for you?” He stuttered. “I’m kidding Jeff.”
“Right. Well can I go?”
“Yeah. I have to yell at Gabe anyway.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Yep. Well bye!” He hung up and I called Gabe.
“Hello?”
“Gabe.”
“Addie? I wasn’t expecting you to call.” I heard something in the background.
“Who’s that Gabe?”
“My sister.”
“Oh. Well what’s she doing at the house?”
“Just visiting.” He was making noises.
“What are you doing?”
“Brit this isn’t a good time.”
“Brit? I thought your sister’s name was Sierra.”
“Oh, it is. This is my other sister.”
“I’m not your sister. I’m your-” I heard.
“What? Gabe what is going on?”
“Nothing. Just come by the house.”
“Um I kinda can’t!” I said getting pissed. I knew he was cheating on me, I just didn’t want to let him know.
“Why?”
“I’m in the hospital Gabe! If you would have listened to Billie, you would have known!”
“Well, I’m coming ok? I need to tell you something. Something important.” I was dreading to know what it was. About 15 minutes later, Gabe and his sister showed up. It actually was his sister. “Addie, can I have a minute with you? Alone?”
“Yeah of course.” Billie and Brit left and Gabe sat on the end of the bed.
“Adeline, a few years ago, I found out that I got AIDS from sleeping over at my friends house. They…got some stuff on me.” I was stunned. My mouth was wide open.
“Are you telling me that…I have AIDS too?”
“Most likely. You need to get tested.”
“I need to get tested? You should have fucking told me you had fucking AIDS before we had our time.”
“I was going to, but…you just went at it. I had no time and it completely slipped my mind.”
“That’s no excuse. Great. Another reason to be in this place.” I was crying softly as I turned my head away from him.
“Addie, please don’t be mad.”
“Oh, I’m not mad. I’m just going to live with AIDS. None of it is your fault,” I said sarcastically.
“I knew you were going to be mad. That’s why I never went out with anyone. But you…you were special.”
“Special how? ‘Oh I’m going to affect her with AIDS.’?”
“No, for years, I wanted to avoid any and all contact with the opposite sex. Then that night, you came into the bar and…I knew it was love at first sight.” I gulped what felt like swallowing a football.
“Why me Gabe? I was just an ordinary girl.”
“You see Addie? You do that to yourself all the time. You think you don’t deserve anything better, and you don’t know why everyone likes you. You’re extraordinarily beautiful and you don’t take enough credit for it. You’re one of the nicest people to me, and you don’t know it. You’re irreplaceable. Nothing can stand in your way. That’s why I want to be there with you all and forever until I die. I just feel so lucky to even know you. And when I die, know I did everything to keep you with me. I mean, look at us. We’re in love and you think it’s just another guy on the street for a year or so.” My hands were my face. I felt so embarrassed. He was absolutely right. I didn’t expect much of him, yet marry him.
“That was beautiful Gabe.”
“I bet you’re thinking that I should leave and never see you again.” I didn’t say anything. He got up and opened the door as I said, “Stay. After that I would never let you go. You were absolutely right. I’m not gonna say I was right because I wasn’t. I love you.” He bent over me and I pulled his neck down and kissed him. Gabe stayed with me until I could go home. Billie was on the opposite side of the room curled up in his chair asleep. The doctor came in and spoke to me. “So doc, do I have AIDS?”
“Fortunately, neither one of you have it.”
“How do you know Gabe doesn’t?”
“He asked for me to do a blood test. There’s no sign of any STD’s in yours or his blood.” I wiped the sweat off my forehead. “Is there any chance the baby having AIDS though?”
“What baby?”
“The baby forming inside of me.”
“There’s none.”
“There’s no kid?”
“No ma’am. The only thing you’re in here for is recovering from your heart attack. Which reminds me, you should be getting your rest. You need lots and lots of rest young lady.” I smiled at the doctor and as soon as he left, I tore a piece of paper off of the stand next to me, crumpled it up and threw it at Billie. He spazed out of his chair and I laughed silently and he looked at me. “Come here,” I whispered. He walked over on his knees and put his head on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah?”
“Neither me or him have AIDS.”
“Um that’s great?”
“Oh I didn’t tell you?”
“Uh no.”
“Well, he told me he had AIDS and since we had special time yesterday, I thought I did too. We got blood tests and we don’t.”
“Well I’m glad you don’t have AIDS.”
“Yup! Oh and I’m not pregnant either.”
“That’s awesome. For you, this day just keeps getting better and better.”
“Yeah pretty much.”
“Can I go back to my chair now?”
“Yeah.” He went over there and as well as him, I fell asleep.