Passive Living: A 2-Day-Old HIV Diagnosis

HIV in German is pronounced “ha-ee-fow,” the last syllable to rhyme with “cow.” Over the following three minutes she must have said it at least eight or nine times, and I became fixated on the sounds. “Ha-ee-fow. Sounds like an old North American tribe. The Haifaux of present-day Saskatchewan,” I thought, “were noble and respected the land.”