
17/07/2025
The next day, I set out for Benson H0spital as soon as daylight strûck£d. I needed to get well. I needed to resume busîn£ss as soon as possible. M0néy was passing by me.
******
When I reached the h0spital, I used the contâct number Cynthia had provided me with. When I called Mr. Allington, the prîvate dóctor, luckily he pîcked up on the first try. I explained to him who I was and why I was calling. He mentioned that he was still at home and not yet at the H0spital. His residence was located in Gardeners Ville, about an hour's drive away.
I off£red to come and pîck him up, but he assuréd me that he was already on his way and advîsed me to stay and be patient for a short while. At that moment, the word 'patient' feIt partîcularly hársh. I was eager to féél better. I waited anxi0usly.
Around 45 minûtes later, Mr. Allington arrived. He was a slîm, dárk-sk!nned young man with a relaxed and approachable demeanor. He had an air of trustwôrthiness, as if he could keep a miIIion sécrèts. This is likely why he was trûsted by my colleagues who were involved in the d0g bus!n£ss. After exchânging some pleasantries, I féIt at ease ar0und him."
I told him that I had been reférrèd to him by Cynthia. Without hesitation, he called Cynthia to c0nfîrm, as the nature of his bus!n£ss was a confîdential one and he needed to ensure my legitimacy. Being new to this arrangément, verifîcation was necessary, unlike for Cynthia and others who were regular clîents.
After a brief confîrmation, he esc0rted me to his offîce. He condûcted the necessary tests, and we awaited the results. When the r£suIts were ready, I was taken ab@ck by the doctor's explanation of my c0ndîtîon.
"Ma'am, he said, as he lôôked at me straight with a mix of côncern and disb£lief. “I've reviewed your test results, and I'm afrà!d the news isn't too good.”
He reveâled that I had c0ntrácted a sevére bâcter!al inf£ction due to my constant expôsure without early tr£âtment. The bacter!a, he explained, had proliferâted throughout my b0dy and had entered my bI00dstream, a conséquence of the delay in seeking early tr£atment.
He emphasized that the bus!n£ss I was involved in demânded regular check-ups and ongoing treâtment to manage such r!sks effectively."
He said that if I had come in earlier, we could have tre@ted it with ant!bîotics, but because I deIâyed, the bâcteria had become resîstant.
“The délay in séèking tr£atment has allowed the inf£ction to spréad, making rec0very more chaIlénging.” he admitted.
The bácter!a were 'crony' in my system, and my b0dy was too w£ak to f!ght it off.
He also told me that due to the vîg0rous thru$t and int@ke of high level of sémen from those anîmals, my r£próductîve systém was at hîgh r!SK.
I was having Scábies as well, An inf£station of par@sitic mîtes, Sarcóptes scabiei, câusing int£nse îtching in prîvate areas cáus£d by the mîtes burr0wing into the skîn of humans and other anîmals. It is easily transmîssîble from human to human; secondary skin inf£ction may occur.
“Hûman to hûman?” I asked the doctor.
“Yes, it's transmissible.” he answered, tapping his fingérs on the table and looking at me as if awaiting my next question.
In my mind I was now clearly sure why when Cynthia visited me she dîdn't come that clôse to me. Since he stârted telling me my resûlts, I havén't been myseIf. I've been completed l0st and £mpty.
I was dev@stated. I couldn't believe that a few moments of fooI!shn£ss could lead to this. The doctor said that the inf£ction had caus£d irrev£rsible d@mâge to my orgáns, and there was little they could do. I'm now on a waiting list for experîm£ntal tr£atments, but the chances are sIîm.
Looking back, I wî$h I had never dône it. The thriII wasn't worth the paîn and suff£ring I'm goîng through now. I just want people to know the r!sks and to be careful. One wrong decîsion you make can change your Iîfe forever."
I sat there, stûnn£d, as the weight of Mr. Allington’s wórds sank in.
Scábies?
How c0uld this be happening?
I never thought back to my encounters with the d0gs, to meet my end nèéds, thriII and the d@nger would have been involved. Now, it seemed, that d@nger was catching up with me with0ut my knowledge.
Mr. Allington continued, his voice calm but firm. "You need to understand the sèvérity of this. Scábies can câuse s!gnifîcant heálth issu£s if left untr£ated. The mîtes burrow into y0ur skîn, causing int£nse ltchîng and, if secondary inf£ctions set in, things can get much wors£."
I nodded, trying to process everything.
"What dó I do n0w?"
He leaned forward, his eyes meeting mine. "First, you need to start tr£atment immediately.”
“Sir, I.. i.. I'm ready to pay for whatever tr£atment. I need to get weIl, pléase.” I stàmmered with c0nfûsion in my voice.”
“I'll préscribe you some topical créams and òral medications. You'll need to apply the cream all over your b0dy, paying special attention to the aff£cted areas. And you'll need to take the òral medîcation as directed. And then...."
I felt a wave of reIief wash over me. At least there was a treâtment.
"And then what?" I asked.
Mr. Allington expression tûrned sérious. "Then, you need to be extremely car£ful. Scábies is hîghly c0ntagîous. You'll need to avô!d close contáct with others until you're sure the inf£ction is cleared. And you need to be honest with anyone you've been înt!mate with recently. They'll need to be tr£ated as well."
I thought of the young men I've sIépt with. Just few days prior to when I started experiencing these compIicatîons. Had I put them at r!sk? The gu!It started to créêp in, but I pushed it aside. I needed to focus on getting b£tter.
"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked, my voice barely abôve a whîsper.
Mr. Allington nodded.
"Yes. This is a wake-up call.
The lifèstyIe you girIs are lèading, to be honest, it is dàng£rous. Not just physîcaIly, but emôtîonalIy and psycholôgically as well. You need to take a step back and reevaluate your ch0ices. This could have been much w0rse."
I left his office fééling a mix of rel!ef and dr£ad. Relief that there was a treâtment, but dr£ád at the thôught of what could have been. As I drôve home, I couldn't shàke the fééIing that this was just the beginning. The beginning of a journey to recovery, both phys!cal and sp!rîtual.
That nîght, as I applied the créam and took the medication, I made a promise to myself. I would get bètter, and I would change my Iîfe. No more r!sks, no more dang£r0us encóunters. I would find a way to héal, bôdy and sóuI.
But little did I know, my journey was far from óver. The shadows of my pâst were catching up with me, and they were hûngry for more.
To be continued.
“The D0gs business” Episode 5
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