It was a Monday evening and Julie had a stressful day at work, she threw herself on the sofa as she was exhausted from the pile of work she had these past days.
It had been almost two months since her last encounter with Marlon, that sucker had tried to call her on so many occasions to tell her to quit being a bitch and not to go ahead with the divorce still assuring her that she was his one and only wife but she had grown out of all his lies and deceit so she had blocked Marlon on all social media platforms to avoid his shameless self from disturbing her peace.
Meanwhile, her bitchy cousin Serenity had come to visit her at her apartment to say nasty things to her on so many occasions, she was a shameless girl who didn't feel remorse whatsoever toward what she had done so she had called the security men to throw her out of the building never to step foot in it again.
Julie felt her body weakened, she had been feeling sluggish and tired for a while now even tho she had been getting lots of sleep lately.
She stood up from the sofa and checked her first aid kit for a thermometer, she was shocked when she saw that her temperature had increased more than normal, "what's going on with me", Julie asked herself curiously, she wasn't the type to get sick easily so it was unusual to her, but she decided to brush it off.
The past issues with my marriage and my mother's health must have kept me on the edge lately and made me stressed out, she said to herself and headed to the bathroom to freshen up but stopped in her tracks when she thought of something, her face suddenly turned pale, she rushed over to the calendar on the wall, her face had completely drained out of its color when she realized she hadn't seen her period the past month, it was making her anxious, it was so unusual for her to miss her period even though she had been awfully stressed.
"Am I sick?" she asked herself, she rushed to check herself in the mirror, she checked all over her body and found a rash on her neck, she ran her fingers through it, "Oh God, when did I get this?" she was getting paranoid
Julie had begun to worry for herself, she had slept with a total stranger the past month and might have contacted an infection through him which was the cause of her missing periods, she felt like an idiot who had stupidly given her body to a total stranger, it had been her first time sleeping with someone who wasn't her partner.
"You fool, he must have slept with so many random women with his holy rod and must have contacted diseases and passed them to you," Julie scolded herself, she was petrified.
I have to go see my doctor, what if the disease is incurable, what am I going to do, will I die because of that man, A series of questions pounded through her head, she had never felt this stupid and reckless.
"This is a result of my foolishness, I should have at least demanded he used a condom, she said hitting her head lightly, she regretted having sex with the man, but she still remembered vividly how he had told her he didn't have a condom but she had foolishly told him to go on with it raw, she understood the risk of having unprotected sex with a stranger, that it could lead to the contractions of various diseases but she had still gone on with it because of how horny she was.
"OMG, what if it's herpes", Julie felt her soul leave her body, I have to get tested immediately, she picked up her phone and made an appointment with the doctor before going to the bathroom to freshen up.
She couldn't sleep through the night, she couldn't wait to get tested and know what her predicament was, the thought of living with an incurable disease for the rest of her life made her toss and turn in bed till morning came.
"…."
Julie woke up that morning and headed straight to the hospital to get the test done, she was tired due to insufficient sleep.
She kept blaming herself for giving the man the free will to do whatever he wanted with her and now her body was going to pay the price of her recklessness
She remained patient in the waiting room for her name to be called so she could get her blood drawn. After a while of waiting her mane was called and she reluctantly went into the room for an overall infection test.
She came out after a while with a piece of cotton wool in the middle of her elbow, she rested her head on the chair and began to think about the fun night she had with that man, she had taken a series of tests, Hiv, STI, Herpes and the nurse had advised her to also take a pregnancy test, she agreed to it even though she was sure enough that she wasn't pregnant. She had been very wary of her menstrual cycle and knew she was on her safe day when she had sex with the man from her apartment so she wasn't worried.
"I don't think I could forgive myself if I get sick because of a stupid one-night stand, and I swear, I would haunt that man's soul for the rest of his life if I die because of him", Julie said to herself bitterly.
After waiting for hours Julie was finally called to see the doctor in her office, she got into the medium-sized room and sat down as her eyes scanned the room she saw a few posters of awareness on unprotected sex, she instantly felt numb and grew more scared.
"Good morning, Mrs Henshaw, the doctor greeted with a smile on her face as Julie sat in front of her.
"Good morning doctor, Julie greeted back, she would normally visit the hospital to see her sick Mom but today she was here to get herself tested for diseases.
Julie forced a smile on her face, "what is wrong with me", she asked fast as she felt her patient grow thin.
The doctor opened the document in her hands and read through it, her brows furrowed when she closed the document and came to look at her.
Julie's anxiety grew more after seeing the reaction on the doctor's face, "am I going to die, please let me know", she hurriedly asked the doctor.
"Mrs. Henshaw, I don't see anything wrong with your body, you are perfectly in good shape and…
Julie interrupted the doctor," Are you sure about this, I haven't seen my period in a long time and I think it's as a result of an infection, or maybe I didn't get the right test done, should I have gotten a syphilis test done cause I know for a certain that something is going on with me" she stopped when the door opened and a nurse came in with an envelope in her hands, the nurse whispered something in the doctor's ear before heading her the envelope and stepped out.
Julie was now more scared than ever, what if her results were mixed up and the envelope the doctor was holding was her real result?
"May I know why you think you might have an infection if it's ok with you?" the doctor asked opening the envelope in her hand.
Julie felt ashamed, she didn't know how she could tell the doctor about all that happened with the man without sounding like a slut, she gulped down the Saliva that has formed in her throat, "I had sex with a stranger about two months ago, I haven't had sex with a man that isn't my normal partner so in worried I might have contracted a disease from him since it was unprotected and I am certain that….", Julie stopped talking when she saw a smile form on the doctor's lips.
The doctor closed the paper and placed it back in the envelope, she rested her elbow on the table, cupped her face in her hands, and said, "I have some news for you".