How do you measure a last year on earth?

[im_just_someguy]

In honour of World AIDS Day, Mark has set up his projector and is showing, all day long, a movie he'd made a few years back about the AIDS epidemic in New York City. It wasn't widely well recieved, generally panned for being 'too honest'. Most critics said no one wanted to watch people dying onscreen

Comments

[silencestrange]

He was just walking by, not even really aware of what day it is or what's going on, but he stops for a minute, watching a few seconds of the movie before he understands what it's about. -- oh. He swallows thickly, suddenly nervous, but he sits in a chair, crossing his arms over his chest. This was never talked about at school, and he'd never really heard anything about it when it was a real problem. He isn't quite sure what to make of the video, but since becoming more out, it means a little more to sit and watch.

[im_just_someguy]

Mark lets Jason sit by himself for a few minutes before he goes over to sit next to him. He squeezes Jason's shoulder gently and offers a reassuring smile, "Hey..."

[silencestrange]

He offers a smile back, wondering what exactly this moment calls for conversation wise. "What's all this about?" seems like a good way for conversation to start, and he sits up a little, trying to shake off his nervousness.

[im_just_someguy]

"It's..." God, where to start? "How much do you know about HIV/AIDS? Did they teach you anything in school?"

[silencestrange]

"Um... Not a whole lot. I know it's... a sex thing. And gay guys get it." He shrugs, feeling kind of silly for not knowing more. "But I know it's not like, you get it because you're like -- gay and evil, or something like that," he adds quickly.

[im_just_someguy]

"It's true that most victims are gay men or drug users. You can get it from needles, you can get it from sex -- or you can get it just because the wrong guy coughed on you. Any bodily fluid, really. Saliva would have to be in huge amounts, but everything else..." He rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses. "For instance -- if I had even the smallest cut on my hand and I came in contact of AIDS infected blood, I could get it."

[silencestrange]

That sounds terrifying. And -- extremely easy to catch. And now he's very uncomfortable to be here. What if someone sneezes on him or something? Will he get AIDS? He inches slightly away from Mark. "Oh. I didn't know it was that easy..." He flexes his hands in his lap as a sort of measure to determine if he had any accidental paper cuts.

[im_just_someguy]

Mark touched his shoulder lightly, "I'm sorry, I was exagerating to make a point. But it is a really serious problem." He caught Jason looking at his hands and laughed softly, "I don't have it, if you're worried."

[silencestrange]

Oh, well. He feels a little more at ease, at least, and he smiles, shrugging. "So, what's that over on the table about? That people are signing up for?"