Chapter Twenty-Three
Today had been a relaxing, fun day for Sarah, Gwen, and Kate – just what Sarah needed. The weather in Atlanta was perfect for this time of year: still too early for the trees to start budding, but a warmer-than-average weekend. Sarah especially enjoyed being outside after spending so much time in the courtroom over the last few weeks.
They slept in and had a late breakfast at Kate’s, then drove downtown to Centennial Olympic Park and walked around the world-famous Fountain of Rings, an interactive display that features computer-controlled lights and jets of water synchronized with music played from speakers in the surrounding towers. The fountain also forms a splash pad that was designed for children’s play, as well as for concert goers and joggers to cool off on hot Atlanta summer days. Today there weren’t many people “splashing,” but Sarah could see where the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas had gotten the concept for their own famous dancing fountains.
They decided against visiting the Georgia Aquarium – too much time inside a building, as incredible as it was – and the new World of Coca-Cola wasn’t going to be open for another few weeks. But Sarah couldn’t pass up a tour of the CNN Center; besides, it was less than an hour long. At the end of the tour, Sarah asked a few pointed questions and picked up a couple business cards of the people she wanted to come back and talk to when the HIV trial was over in Greenville. It’s high time CNN started telling the truth to the rest of the world about these HIV tests, she decided, and I’m going to do what I can to make that happen – even though she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about the trial today.
Finally it was time for the more light-hearted things in life – shopping, or at least window-shopping. A ten-minute drive later and they were in the Virginia Highlands, an eclectic area of shops, salons, restaurants, homes and bars featuring a wide variety of contrasting architecture. The neighborhood was formed in a fight against the construction of a proposed Interstate highway that was planned to cut the area in two and supported by just about all the powers-that-be in Atlanta and the state of Georgia. But ordinary citizens, mostly housewives actually, fought the highway and won. Years after it was stopped, the state finally put the highway land back on the market, and the houses that were subsequently built on that property are very different from their neighbors.
Kate parked in a lot on North Highland Avenue and the trio decided to start walking south, stopping from time to time to peek in the shop windows, occasionally going in to get a closer look. They visited stores with names like “Back to Square One” and “20th Century Antiques,” spent time looking around a cluttered old house called the Atlanta Book Exchange, and ended up taking a break at Aurora Coffee.
“If you girls are up to it,” Kate suggests as she sips her latte, “the weather’s so nice that I thought we might walk around for another hour or so, make our way back up here, and then have a drink and some dinner at Murphy’s, just across the street.”
Gwen says something to Kate, and asks, “That sound okay to you, Sarah?”
But Sarah isn’t paying attention. Someone had walked by, handing her a flyer, and her eyes are riveted on what she is reading.
Gwen tries again. “Sarah?”
Still no answer.
“What’s so interesting, Sarah?”
She turns and looks at Gwen, but doesn’t answer right away. Gwen watches in fascination as different emotions make their way across Sarah’s face. First, excitement. Then, what seems almost like guilt. And finally, determination. Sarah looks down at the flyer again, then back up at Gwen, and then at Kate, apologetically.
“Gwen, I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t blame you.”
Gwen doesn’t have a clue what Sarah is going to say, and Kate is completely confused.
“Don’t be mad, but I want to go to this tonight,” Sarah says as she hands Gwen the flyer, who starts reading out loud.
“Guinea Pig Kids. Watch this explosive 30-minute BBC documentary exposing the horrendous truth of how some of New York City’s poorest children are forced to take part in HIV drug trials, against their parents’ wishes. Special Guest speaker, Celia Farber. Free. 7:30 PM tonight, sponsored by the Midtown Atlanta Unitarian Church... oh, Sarah.” Sarah can hear the disappointment in Gwen’s voice. “Sarah, I thought you were supposed to be taking a break from all of that this weekend.”
“I know, Gwen, you’re right, and I’m sorry. But I’ve known about this documentary for a few months and never been able to see it. I mean, I’ve seen an edited version on the Internet, but never the whole thing. And Celia Farber, well… what an honor it would be to meet her, someone I respect and admire a lot.” When Gwen and Kate share a blank look on their faces, Sarah explains. “Celia Farber has been one of the leading journalists in the HIV/AIDS debate for over twenty years, and it was her article in Harper’s Magazine last year that really set off a new controversy on the issue. This is a great opportunity I don’t want to miss… and it’s only for an hour or so. But if you two don’t want to go, we can split up after dinner and I’ll take a cab back to Kate’s.”
Gwen and Kate exchange glances as Sarah asks, “How far is YWCA from here?”
Are You Positive? Page 35