Oliver Benjamin
we had indeed become like two high-speed, spinning molecules and
crashed into each other. As will sometimes occur under those
circumstances, our collision precipitated a holocaust.
“You goddamn motherfucker!” I continued to squeeze, tears
flowing down my face and dribbling onto his cheeks.
“That’s good Jake! Good role-playing! Go with your feelings!
Remember, don’t hurt him, though,” said Safora enthusiastically.
“Ggahhg! What’s…what’s…ggh…”choked Oscar.
I screamed at him, “I had no idea Ethiopia was such a romantic
place!”“Ggg…how did you…know…gggh…”
“I am…I wasCharly Witherspoon’s boyfriend, you asshole!” I
loosened my grip for him to answer. “Talk!”
“You’re her…? Oh my god! I don’t believe it! But how? I…You
never…”
“And guess what, you murderer? You infected Charly with the
HIV virus, and she infected me! You killed me and now I’m going to
kill you!” I grabbed his throat again and tightened my grip.
The crowd gasped.
“Oh, my,” said Safora.
“We should do something,” someone said.
“Jake!” Safora yelled, “Stop it right now!” Her arms were folded
tightly. I couldn’t hear her or anything else except for Oscar’s
pathetic gurgling.
“Jake,” she continued hollering, “That’s very good. I thing you’re
sufficiently purged now. You can stop!”
I had no intention of stopping. All the hatred and fear that had
existed in my heart over the last months had culminated in the larynx
of this one little turd, and I was going to squash it once and for all.
As he turned blue, Oscar tapped me fiercely on the shoulder and
pointed to his mouth while drawing the shape of a cartoon balloon in
the air. He wanted to say something. I loosened my grip again and air
flooded back into his lungs.
“J…Jake, listen. It’s not me. I couldn’t have done it…I swear I
tested negative at the clinic…and besides,” he paused, “Charly must
have told you that I…”
He glanced around at the others in the room before admitting,
red-faced, that at twenty-seven years old, Charly had been the first
girl he had ever slept with.
I stared into his eyes and saw only innocence, shame and terror.
Slowly it became clear to me that I shared with him only the shame
195
 |
 |
 |
 |