A Fragment

There is a barely perceptible scent of autumn on the breeze as it softly caresses my cheek. It’s mid-August. Late afternoon sunlight warms the concrete beneath my bare feet. I'm smoking a filterless, hand-rolled cigarette, and pacing nervously outside a red brick townhouse of typical mid-century, Midwestern construction. It's an unusually temperate afternoon on Chicago's west side, and after an exceptionally hot summer, the entire city seems to be heaving a deep sigh of relief. 
I’m 17 years old. My world is about to change drastically, and swiftly.

A black sedan with police plates slows to a stop and parks at the curb directly in front of the rough, cement steps of the townhouse. The passenger door of the sedan opens, and I recognize the familiar, stern yet compassionate face of the middle-aged detective with whom I have recently had a great deal of contact. It’s been under 48 hours since I last saw him. Two nights ago, he’d called me down to the station, where he’d stood by as I picked the man who brutally assaulted me out of a criminal line-up. 
He is well dressed, though unshaven. His demeanor is warm enough, but there’s an unusual air of solemnity about his carriage. He steps toward me. “You wanna go inside to talk.” This feels more like a statement than a question. I stamp out my cigarette butt with a naked heel, and say, as if by reflex, “I’d rather stay out here.” “Fair enough” he obliges, and we sit down on the steps, side by side, both gazing distantly across the street. I watch in my peripheral vision, as he leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, and exhales heavily. Pulling a fresh pack of high-end smokes from his collared shirt pocket, he wordlessly removes and lights two, passing one to me. After taking a long, slow drag, I find myself saying, “Whatever it is, detective, just tell me.” He turns to face me, looking me in the eyes for the first time since his arrival, and now I see that he has clearly been crying.

His words echo in my mind like thunder “I’m so sorry, kid… he’s HIV positive.”