Taylor looked up from his writing, chewing his bottom lip.
Moira? When we next do a concert where you live, would you come?
From Taylor
Taylor reread this last bit a couple of times before finally sending it off.
**********
A day or so later, Zac was talking to Luke over the phone.
"Hey, is everything ok man?" Zac asked finally. "You sound a little edgy."
"Huh? Oh everything's fine. Nothing wrong. Nothing unusual. Absolutely zip, zero, nada -"
"Luke you're babbling."
"Umm, yeah, well, yeah -"
"What's on your mind?"
Luke took a breath.
"Well, umm, we, ahh, they want to take another test just to be sure but, umm, ahh... Zac?"
"What?"
"I, umm, I have - oh man - I've got AIDS."
Zac was silent for a moment.
"And it's not what you think!" Luke cut in quickly. "I didn't get them... that way ok? It's actually kinda stupid really. I was just watching my cousin Fiona in the park - she's only three - and some scum bag had buried a syringe in the ground. And I was barefoot man - I trod on it."
"Wow... Luke, man, I'm so sorry."
"For what? It wasn't your fault."
"Yeah, I know, but, y'know... man, who would do a thing like that? In a kids playground too of all places!"
"Yeah... hey, umm, did you know Mel is pregnant?"
Zac sensed that Luke didn't want to talk about it any more, and accepted his change of subject.
"Mel? Really? No, I didn't."
"Yeah, I think she's been trying to hide it, but she's a little too big now to get away with it any more."