He looked into her eyes. He pulled her towards him. He then whispered sweet little nothings into her ear. She smiled. He thought that he had succeeded in sending her way beyond "Seventh Heaven!" He always bragged to his friends, "Boy, I just make that woman of mine melt eh!" He whispered, "Honey, my world revolves around you. I promise you the sun, the moon and the stars. I promise to worship the very ground you walk on. I promise to never leave you. I promise to love you always." She raised her hands to his lips, pursed hers and said, "Shhhhhhhhhh hon! Promise me one thing! Promise me that you would love me, love me enough not to poison me."
He looked at her with a rather puzzled look on his face. "Darling, Doo Doo, what you mean by that?" he asked. "Woman you mad? I can't live without you! I will never raise a finger to you, much less take you life! Come on now man! Enough of that nonsense! Sugar Dumpling, you aint hear what I just tell you? Stick break off in your ear or something. Is hard of hearing, you hard of hearing? Woman, I will give you the stars.
See here, here, take me wallet. Ok wait, you want me to go for me bank book. Tell me what you want! I love you! I love you! I love you! Love can't done! I will never, never, ever, ever, ever hurt you. Look here I kiss me hand to God on that. You watching? Watch! Watch! On me life, girl I would never harm you. What they tell you I do now? Is them grudging friends of yours eh? Where they say they see me? I tired tell you keep them out we business. Lord Sweetness I love you. Stop go on so with me no! You serious, Ma! You know Burning Flames song, "Anything you want me to do! I do for you! You want me to chop off me right hand, I do." He starts laughing nervously at this point. "Come here see, you sweet thing you. Stop cut style no." She moved back, arms folded this time and looked him square in the face and responded, "All, I want is for you to love me enough, love me enough not to poison me."
She beckoned him to sit. "Thomas Mosiah Lovindeer, I have a little speech for you. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, especially after I hear how you boys them just in you skin talking how I cook you head and you on lockdown. I not going say that you aint love me. I know you love me. All I would just like to say is that as a woman and as your woman, I do not ask for much. I do not want you to chop off you right or left hand. I don't want you to drink red fluid. I don't want you salary nor you bank book. I do not want the sun, the moon or the stars.
Tommy Boy, all this virtuous woman is asking is that you give me your utmost love and respect. All this woman is asking, is for you to be a REAL man, because Tommy in case you aint know the true test of who is the hardest hard, aint come by who could conquer countless saucepan eh, or how much pickney they have here and there and everywhere, you hearing that? Tomkins, the true test of a man is sticking to and sufficing with one saucepan. If you didn't know that well I telling you now. Toms, I don't care how much kiss hand to God, you kiss hand to God. Prove to me that you love me by being faithful. Honour me Tommy! Treasure me! Respect me!
You see what a lot of people don't realize eh Toms is that when they sleep around, they fooling with death, cause as the song say this thing call HIV/AIDS kills and it has no cure. They will quick to tell you 'Sex Nice,' but when they finish I gladly add 'But De Aids Thing!' What a lot of people fail to realize Toms is that when they dip here and there in all kinds of saucepan or have their saucepans dipped into, they not only playing with their own lives they playing with the lives of their partners. They are selfish. I sit here and I wonder what gives them the right to do this. I may even say they criminal. Premeditated murder, I say. Tell me something Tommy Boy, take me and you just as an example. You say you love me, would you hold me head and pour poison down me throat? Well of course not unless you mad ah, so why you would want to lie down and inject me with poison otherwise. You see the logic? Babes, that is what does happen, that is how some people does end up with the disease.
You Thomas, going know that they have this thing out there call HIV/AIDS. They give you all this information on it, a whole heap, a whole, a whole heap. You know Buju sing that song, 'Ragamuffin Don't Be Silly!' and Barrington Levy had his 'Living Dangerously!' They have all these awareness and preventative campaigns, 'AIDS doesn't discriminate!' 'Be Wise Condomize!' or recently 'Got It! Get It!' They teach you the ABC's that is 'Abstain, Be Faithful or Condomize.'
They even had a fancy campaign which I liked, "What's Your Position?" meaning which one of the ABC's you going chose. They had Carnival troupe and thing. We chose the Be Faithful! You Remember! I just reminding you ah. We know what the disease is, how we could catch it and all the other information them and yet like a blooming Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick, YOU, "well I not saying you exactly Thomas, just drawing reference," go fool round, not even clothed and protected, with you candle stick. Then going come home and say you love. Then going come home and play innocent and infect who? Tommy, you would fit a gallows man.
Man stop watch me so, I aint say you doing it, but just a point of reference I drawing. Toms, I not even going waste me breath and tell you that I would string you up. Just know that when you eyes get bright, you exit stage left. Respect me and love me enough, love me enough not to poison me. Give me the option of saying, "Well Toms, since you are an Arabian Knight or African King, I gone eh! Do not make that decision for me! Do not put me at risk. Do not violate my human rights. I am a virtuous woman. I don't deserve that. You would be out you place."
Darling Doo Doo, the thing is to you know, I trying not to judge a soul or tell them how to live. Toms they know they going out there you know, they quick quick to tell you 'SEX NICE!' and they aint even have the courtesy or decency to put they thing in a plastic bag, in all the pleasure and joy they forget 'DE AIDS THING!' I can't tell people how to live they life eh everybody know how they gravy just brown, but lord man, Jesus Peace, wear something. What so hard in protecting themselves. Tom, I made the conscious decision to be with you. Whether I lie down, stand up or bend over I trust you with something that is dear to me. I trust you with my life. Respect my life. Respect me enough, love me enough, love me enough not to poison me. Oh and Thomas honey, I know we all human and we err but when you think bout erring, Remember 'SEX NICE! BUT DE AIDS THING!'
We enter relationships for love and companionship. We may even enter relationships for the plain and simple reason, such as, 'It Works for Me.' We may enter relationships and we put ALL of our faith and trust in this person. We don't enter into these relationships thinking that it would be a death sentence. We don't enter into these relationships with the intention of building trust only to have that trust shattered. We don't enter these relationships thinking that Harry would go dipping he stick in everybody and they sister pond or that Jane would be sharing she treasure like it going of style.
We may enter relationships and as plain and simple as it may sound, some of us turn 'Moo, Moo!' so "Chupitt! That we lose we head over this so called love business!" We lose all sense of objectivity and rationality. We often compromise our integrity. We often compromise ourselves. Some of us know that our partners have multiple sexual partners, yet we stay in the bull ring and continue having unprotected sex with that person. The thing is we actually have legit reasons. We should ask ourselves are these reasons worth my life? Some of us are afraid to speak up for ourselves.
We are afraid to say "If you aint 'GOT IT!' you definitely aint going 'GET IT!' No man or woman or piece of sex is worth your life. We are afraid to stand up for our rights and our lives to the point that it costs us our lives. HIV/AIDS is REAL. It doesn't discriminate. Any one of us can get it. We need to know our position. Are we going to Abstain, Be Faithful or Condomize? Each of us is responsible for his or her life. We must love and respect ourselves enough to fight for our lives. We must love and respect ourselves enough that we demand respect from others. We might love and respect ourselves enough to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. In all your 'doings' and 'gettings' remember this little saying that I picked up in Trinidad, 'SEX NICE! BUT DE AIDS THING!'
