A.I.D.S.

a one-act play

The persons: OTTO, a victim of A.I.D.S.; EVAN, his best friend. The scene: today, in New York; a hospital room; the window is open; OTTO is looking with curiosity outside, through a glass-door; he is very sick, very weak; he suddenly turns to run back to his bed; he moves anyhow with difficulty, with pain; he must have seen someone approaching the door. EVAN, his best friend, enters the room.

EVAN (alarmed, helping him) What are you doing? Why are you up? You shouldn't; you know that... You are too weak... (he succeeds in helping him back into the bed; a silence) How do you feel today? (a vague gesture; OTTO indicates that he feels "so-so") You're so pale, breathless. Why did you get up? Just call the nurse, if you need something... (kindly) Do you need anything? Water, orange juice?... (OTTO indicates he needs nothing; a silence) I'm late today because of the traffic, because of our Parade... Do you remember last year? We were together, hand in hand, happy, proud of being in that Parade, of our relationship, of our... (he takes his hand; he hesitates)... love.
OTTO Who was there?
EVAN Everybody... Jim, Rudolph, Tony, Michael, Pablo... a group of senior citizens, some couples- proud parents of "gays"- ... policemen, soldiers-men and women-... A poster read: "Protect our Embassy in Moscow with "gay" soldiers. You can trust only them." (OTTO smiles) They were all amused by it and they applauded with enthusiasm. You see? Our sense of humor is not dead.
OTTO (with a touch of sadness) That will never die, fortunately. (a silence) Who was in that parade-from our bunch?
EVAN Couples... Jim and Rudolph, Tony and Pablo, Mark and Phil... Fat Rose and her new girlfriend...
OTTO David?
EVAN I didn't see him.
OTTO Art?
EVAN Yes... in a wheelchair... Moses was pushing him...
OTTO Bill?
EVAN (after a hesitation) I was told he went home... to his mother.
OTTO How is he?
EVAN (carefully) Not too well... They say it's the end... One more week, maybe...
OTTO What about Conrad? Is he with him? Was he allowed to-?
EVAN (interrupting) I went to his funeral, yesterday...
OTTO Why didn't you tell me?
EVAN It's not easy to tell a friend that-
OTTO -that we are all dying, one after the other, implacably?
EVAN It's not true... I'm still "negative."
OTTO For how long? (a brief silence) I'm sorry...
EVAN For ever, I hope.
OTTO I hope so too. For me... it's over. (suddenly; surprising EVAN) What was that doctor telling you, in the corridor?
EVAN (surprised, hesitating) Hah:... He is the hospital director...
OTTO What did he want from you?
EVAN The kind of guy who knows everything and likes to talk. Medicines, complications, costs, last gossip from Europe... (OTTO studies him) It seems a huge number of heterosexuals are getting it now. More and more. Especially in Africa. More than fifty per cent are heterosexuals there... Thirty per cent drug addicts... Prostitutes, two out of three... The pimps are furious. No business. They beat the poor girls up. One of them-just sixteen-was found with her throat cut-
OTTO (interrupting) What did he say about me?
EVAN He knows all the details, every case. He told me the poor fellow in the next room is in bad shape. Ten more days at most...
OTTO (insisting) What did he say, about me?
EVAN Your case is not as desperate as-
OTTO How long?
EVAN Hoh... Much longer. He was telling me that-
OTTO (interrupting) One month? Two months?
EVAN (avoiding)... He was mentioning prices, costs... The Hospital is spending more than twelve thousand dollars for the ten days your neighbor has got-
OTTO What about me? How many more weeks?
EVAN Months... He said you've got months, many-
OTTO How many?...
...(the play continues)

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