Majorca Flats -- 304

When they were seated in the car, Luigi said, “Where to?"

“Home. I s'pose. If it still is."

“Where's that?" queried Luigi, patiently.

“Keep going along Brunswick Road, I s'pose. It's just off High Street."

“Near where I saw you?"

Cody nodded.

Cody's home was just round the corner from Luigi's granny's house. Luigi wondered at the chance that had brought them together in a pub when they had lived so close to each other.

He parked outside and tore a page from the car's manual which was the only paper he had. “I'm going just round the corner to my nanna's. This is the address. If … if you need help … if your wife … you know … come to me there. If I'm not there, just ask my nanna if you can stay till I come."

“Won't she mind?"

“No." Luigi looked directly at Cody and smiled. “She's ace. She has my mobile number. But I'll also give you that."

“What about the police protection? And all that stuff?"

“Did your mobile have your address in it?"

Cody shook his head.

“He can try and get your address from your number at Telstra but they're not allowed to give it out. But if you see anything suspicious, Coads, ring me."

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Majorca Flats -- 303

It was some time before Cody came out of the doctor's consulting room. He looked terrible: drawn, pale and desperately sad. His expression didn't change when he caught sight of Luigi. Dmitri took him to the receptionist's desk and said something quietly to her. She nodded and wrote something in the desk diary. Luigi went up to join them.

“Can I help you with some cash?�? he asked.

Cody shook his head.

“No, it's been bulk-billed,�? answered the receptionist at the same time.

Luigi nodded.

“Let's go, Coads.�? He took Cody's hand, half afraid Cody would shake him off, but Cody left his hand in Luigi's, as passive as a child's.

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Majorca Flats -- 302

 “AIDS is treatable now,�? said Dmitri. “It's not a death sentence. I'll give you this injection which will most probably stop it. And in a coupla weeks you can have a blood test, and if necessary we'll start treatment.�?

“I don't WANT to be sick!�? Cody was so unhappy, so angry that Luigi stood up and pulled him into a tight hug. Cody pushed him away. “If it hadn't been for you, none of this would have happened! Leave me alone! Go away!�?

“Right.�? Luigi spoke through tightly compressed teeth. “Well fuck you then!�?

He stormed out into the waiting-room. He wanted to go out to the car and drive away and leave Cody to his
own devices. Let him sort out his fucked up life! Slamming the door, he went outside to his car. He got in and slammed that door too. Then he has to smile at himself. Taking out his pain on inanimate objects. “Sorry, car,�? he muttered, patting the dashboard.

In a moment he was weeping, for himself, for Cody, for the horrors and cruelties of life. Suddenly he was a little boy again and his gran was picking him up after he'd fallen and scraped his knee and was kissing him and murmuring comfort in Italian and plying him with home-made sweet almond biscuits.

Sometimes you fell over. And sometimes you needed help to lift you up again.

He wiped his eyes and went back inside.

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Majorca Flats -- 301

Cody untied the floral boardshorts Michael had lent him and pulled apart the velcro fly. He turned away from Dmitri and bent over. Dmitri pulled on some latex gloves and with gentle hands began his examination.

“I'll give you a shot of antibiotics,�? he said. “It's too late for stitching.�?

As Cody began to pull up his shorts, Dmitri said, “Just a mo'. I want to photo the wound. It'll be needed as evidence.�?

Cody waited, humiliation and shame in his posture.

Dmitri took a small digital camera from his drawer and started taking photos.

“Colin—the policeman in Macedon—took some photos. Won't those be enough?�? Luigi was angry but he knew it wasn't right to be angry with this man, who was kind and compassionate and only doing his job.

“I rather got the impression from Colin, that—how shall I put this?—that he would be glad of some evidence being outside the police system. And anyway, if I have to give evidence, I'll need the photos.�? To Cody, he said, “you can get dressed now. I think I'll also give you an HIV shot. There's a new drug out which if you give soon after intercourse can completely prevent infection. And I'll also need to give you a blood test.�?

“Jesus fuck,�? said Cody, his eyes filled with horror. “It'll never stop, will it? I'll get AIDS and even if they catch him, I'll … It'll never stop!�?

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Majorca Flats 299 & 300

Oops!

Mixed them up.  I was tired and not 100% compos mentis.

They're in the right order now.

http://Majorca-Flats-Story.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/majorca-flats-299.html
http://Majorca-Flats-Story.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/majorca-flats-300.html

It's that one!

Majorca Flats -- 300

Dmitri turned out to be in his early thirties, already with grey streaks in his dark curly hair, his eyes soft and brown and kind.

“Hi," he said. “I'm Dmitri."
When Cody didn't answer, Luigi said, “I'm Luigi and this is Cody."

The doctor looked at him, assessing, then nodded.

“Come and sit over here." he said, gesturing to some shabby sofas underneath the tall elegant window.

“The policeman, um, ... "

“ … Colin ... "

“... yeah. He gave a bit of background. Could you tell me a bit more?"

At first Luigi thought Cody was once again not going to speak, but then, barely above a whisper, and stopping often to swallow, or wipe away his tears, he told the whole story once again.

Dmitri listened for the most part in silence, occasionally prompting Cody with a question.

“You've been through the wars, mate," he said when it was clear that Cody had finished.

“Can I take a look?" he asked Cody.

“Do you want me leave, Coads?" Luigi didn't think he would, but he wanted that to be clear, to him and to Dmitri.

In response, Cody grabbed Luigi's hand and gripped it tightly. “No," he whispered.

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Majorca Flats -- 299

The receptionist was very far from mainstream. Her hair was dyed in stripes of purple and pink, she had a ring in her nose and two the size of curtain rings in each ear. She was wearing Doc Martens and skin tight black jeans. As soon as Cody said who he was, she gave him a warm smile and said, “Come through. Dmitri will see you at once.�? She took them down a corridor with a worn Turkish carpet, up half a flight of stairs, and into a room with windows which looked out onto the almost leafless plane tree in the street outside. The walls were covered with an eclectic mix of posters. Some were notices to the gay community and AIDS and venereal disease; about counselling services; notices of special nights and gay pride events. Others were cheap reproductions of famous paintings. There were also some rather bad original oil paintings, and an earnest pencil drawing of two nude young men.

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