A Difficult Decision

I never wanted to marry. I was a feminist from the time I was in high school. I had six younger siblings and helped my mom take care of them. I did my part for childrearing. Now it was my turn. I didn’t want to be tied down financially or physically. I wanted to travel and see the world, being a mom wouldn’t allow for that level of freedom. Being single allowed me to jump with both feet into my career. I studied finance in college and became a stock broker. I liked the rich clients, fancy dinners and the competition. I liked working late hours and playing along with the macho guys in the office.

All that was fine until Joe, one of the senior guys in the next department started flirting with me. At first I was flattered. I had always been so busy with work that relationships weren’t a priority for me. So I took him up on his offer for drinks and we connected nicely. Then we started having dinners. He was a gentleman about it all and I was starting to wonder what it all meant, if we were dating or just friends, when one day he leaned over and kissed me. A very nice kiss… it went on for a little bit and felt very good. As he pulled away, I sighed and said I could get used to that. Then he got very quiet and serious. I thought maybe I’d done something wrong. He asked if he could share something very private with me. Suddenly, I was scared about what he might say. He took a deep breath and said when he was in his twenties, he was heavily involved with drugs. He said he’s been “clean” for over fifteen years, but now was HIV Positive.

My mouth went dry and my heart sunk. Now what? Here was a guy who was finally into me and I found him attractive and we clicked and oh boy, what was I getting myself into?

Has this happened to you? What advice would you give to someone in this situation?

Please share your response in the comments section below.