EPISODE 21- “A Miracle Child”
Written by ADONG Lucy Judith
SCENE I
LOCATION:
BUKULU PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPOUND-AFTERNOON
B/G SFX:
LOUD MUSIC AND CHEERS OF CHILDREN
CHARACTERS:
TEACHER CLAIRE, TITUS, BETTY
MILDRED:
(AS NARRATOR)They say days do shower like rain and before you
know, they are gone. You remember Betty and Titus who have been living
positively with HIV for two years. About a year ago,Betty had an IUD
inserted, because they were not so good at remembering to use condoms,
and they were not ready to have another child just yet. But they still
wanted a 2nd child, someday… and that day was fast approaching.
SFX:
FADE UP SOUNDS OF SCHOOL SPORTS, EXCITEMENT AND
CHEERS AS A RACE ENDS. A HUGE CRY GOES UP FOR THE
WINNER
CROWD:
Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
CROWD:
Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
BETTY:
(SARCASTIC) Great, Titus, we are late and our seats are all the way over
there in the middle of the crowd.
TITUS:
Whose race was that?
SFX:
SHUFFLING AND SHOVING
BETTY:
I can’t see, Titus.
TITUS:
Excuse me, excuse us. Oh sorry, sorry.Coming through, coming
through.(TO BETTY) Here we are. I hope we are not too late to watch
Michele show these kids some touch.
BETTY:
If we missed seeing our daughter compete, I am not going to forgive you.
TITUS:
I was just from work, Betty. I had to wash up.
BETTY:
Whatever.If you knew you had to shower you should…
T.CLAIRE:
(THROUGH PUBLIC ADDRESS SPEAKER) Andwe have a winner
forthe sack race award for P. 3.
BETTY:
The sack race award from P. 3? Does that mean we have missed…/
TITUS:
Oh no. That was the race they were running now, as we got here. We have
missed it…
BETTY:
See? It’s all your fault. We’ve missed Michele’s race!
T. CLAIRE:
(THROUGH SPEAKER) And the award for the P. 3 girls’ sack race
winner goes to Michele Mpanga.
SFX:
CHEERS AND HANDCLAPS
BETTY:
(EXCITED) She won, Titus!!! (UPSET) And we missed it!
TITUS:
Hey I take full responsibility and you can scold me later. But let’s not miss
her award as well… she’s getting her prize… there.
BETTY:
She is incredible… she looks so wonderful, doesn’t she?
TITUS:
Yes, she does.
BETTY:
Oh my gosh, this is it. Here, hold my handbag. Let me get apicture on my
phone.
T. CLAIRE:
(THROUGH SPEAKER) And Michele Mpanga wins a brand new school
bag this time. (CHEERS). This makes it the fourth award for this young
angel.
BETTY:
Fourth award? So we missed three awards?
T. CLAIRE:
Can we all give Michele Mpanga another round of applause?
SFX:
CHEERS AND HANDCLAPS
TITUS:
(SHOUTING) That’s our girl.
BETTY:
This is not over, Titus. (SHOUTING) You go, Michele!
TITUS:
Oh she reminds me of myself back in the day.
BETTY:
You were never sporty, Titus.
TITUS:
Oh yes I was – and I can’t wait…if we can produce such a young talented
girl, what is keeping us from producing a boy?
BETTY:
Titus, don’t start.
TITUS:
We could have a housefull of talent.
BETTY:
(WHISPERS) Titus, this is our daughter’s big day. Don’t hijack it with
your talk of another child. We can talk about that at home.
SFX:
CLAPPING AND CHEERS FROM THE CROWD
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND SLOWLY FADES OUT
SCENE II
LOCATION:
TITUS AND BETTY’S HOME-NIGHT
B/G SFX:
CRICKETS AND FROGS CROCKING
CHARACTERS:
TITUS, BETTY
TITUS:
(ON MIC) Is she asleep?
BETTY:
(APPROACHING MIC) Yes. All the excitement has worn her out. I’ve
put her to bed.
TITUS:
All the excitement has worn me out too. Maybe you can help put me to
bed too.
BETTY:
The bedroom is right that way. Good night.
TITUS:
Aren’t you coming?
BETTY:
What for? You just said you’re exhausted. Am not putting a big man like
you to bed.
TITUS:
I am exhausted but I have enough energy left for you. Come here.
BETTY:
(SCOLDING VOICE) Titus....
TITUS:
You can’t still be cross with me.
BETTY:
I am – a bit.
TITUS:
You are one hard woman, you know that, Betty?
BETTY:
Not at all.
TITUS:
Oh yes you are. The reason you are cross with me is because after a year,
you’re still saying you don’t want another child.
BETTY:
I didn’t say that. I said we would talk about it…
TITUS:
And here we are… talking about it.
BETTY:
(SIGHS, RELUCTANTLY TALKING ABOUT IT) I was hoping you
were joking.
TITUS:
Why would I joke about something like that?
BETTY:
I thought you were just excited, Titus.
TITUS:
Honey, having a second child has always been our plan.
BETTY:
Yes but that was over a year ago. Besides…/
TITUS:
Besides what?
BETTY:
Look at how smooth-running our lives are with just Michele. Another
child will just increase our stress all over again.
TITUS:
I don’t feel any stress.
BETTY:
That’s because you have forgotten how tough it was when Michele was a
bit younger.
TITUS:
But we are both healthy now. The ARVs are really working, we are in
rhythm with our lives and it’s the perfect time.
BETTY:
I really don’t know. What if things change?
TITUS:
That’s why we need to act now before they do. It’s now or never, Betty.
BETTY:
Okay, maybe.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND FADES
SCENE III
LOCATION:
HEALTH CENTRE-MORNING
B/G SFX:
DISTANT CRIES OF CHILDREN
CHARACTERS:
NURSE MILDRED, TITUS, BETTY
MILDRED:
(CALLING) Next patient please.
TITUS:
(OFF MIC) Hello, Nurse Mildred.
MILDRED:
Titus, Betty what a surprise. It’s been ages.
BETTY:
(APPROACHING MIC) I hope we have not come at a bad time.
MILDRED:
Please, there is never a wrong time for any of my patients. Come in, sit.
SFX:
DOOR CLOSES; CHAIRS SCRATCHING THE FLOOR AS THEY
SIT
MILDRED:
Am really delighted to see you two. You look so healthy.
TITUS:
Thank you, Nurse Mildred. We have been doing well.
MILDRED:
I imagine you have, otherwise I would have seen you much sooner. So to
what do I owe this visit?
BETTY:
Well, Nurse Mildred it’s about the baby.
MILDRED:
Is something wrong with Michele?
TITUS:
No, Michele is fine. She is no longer a baby. She’s a big strong athlete!
MILDRED:
Excellent. That’s good news. So what baby are we talking about?
BETTY:
The thing is Titus has really been pushing for us to have a second child but
as you know we are both HIV positive. We do not want to risk having an
HIV positive baby.
MILDRED:
So Titus is pushing… what about you, Betty?
TITUS:
She has cold feet.
MILDRED:
Is that so, Betty?
BETTY:
Am not entirely excited about it but I am willing to try if you think it is
okay-health wise of course.
MILDRED:
If your concern is health, then we’d have to check on your CD4 count.
BETTY:
What about it?
MILDRED:
CD4 arethe fighter cells. If your CD4 count is high it would indicate there
is not much virus in your bodies. And, if that is the case, then it is
unlikely that you will pass the virus to your baby, if you become pregnant.
TITUS:
No worries there, we have been keeping healthy, feeding well and taking
our ARVs regularly. So it should be low, shouldn’t it?
MILDRED:
It should, but we have to know for sure.
BETTY:
And how can you know for sure?
MILDRED:
We can take your blood and examine it to be sure that the CD4 count is
high.
TITUS:
Let’s do that then. Right, Betty?
BETTY:
I don’t see why not.
MILDRED:
Unfortunately, we do not have the equipment do a CD4 count here in
Bukulu. All the same though, I can take your blood and send it to the
regional hospital for testing.
TITUS:
As long as at the end of the day we get to know our CD4 count and decide
a way forward.
MILDRED:
Okay, we’ll do blood tests.
BETTY:
And when will we know our results?
MILDRED:
My, you two are really eager to have this baby!
TITUS:
We just feel that the time is right.
MILDRED:
You can come back in two week’s time for the results.In the meantime,
you must stick to using condoms so that there is no chance of passing
more virus back and forth between you.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND SLOWLY FADES UNDER
NARRATION
MILDRED:
And sure enough, two weeks later, Betty and Titus came back for the
results of their blood tests…
SCENE IV
LOCATION:
HEALTH CENTRE- AFTERNOON
B/G SFX:
DISTANT CRIES OF CHILDREN
CHARACTERS:
NURSE MILDRED, BETTY, TITUS
SFX:
(DOOR OPENS
TITUS:
(ON MIC) Is it done, Nurse Mildred? Just like that?
MILDRED:
(APPROACHING MIC) Just like that, Titus.And, I have removed Betty’s
IUD.
TITUS:
So what’s next? We can just…you know have unprotected sex.
MILDRED:
Yes Titus, you can have unprotected sex but only when Betty is ovulating,
and then make sure that ….
TITUS:
(INTERRUPTING) That is so exciting! And how do we make sure the
baby is negative?
BETTY:
(TO MILDRED) See, I told you he would be jumpy.
MILDRED:
(ON MIC) Please sit down, both of you. Before you rush off and have
unprotected sex, I need to give you a word of caution.
SFX:
CHAIR SQUEAKING
TITUS:
Is everything okay?
MILDRED:
Yes, I just want to explain some things to you so that you do not get
carried away. You should only have unprotected sex when Betty is
ovulating.
TITUS:
But you said that the results that returned showed that our CD4 count was
good.
MILDRED:
Yes, your CD4 count is good but that doesn’t mean it is a good idea to
have unprotected sex all the time.
BETTY:
So we can still pass the virus between us?
MILDRED:
There is that chance. Only now the risk of re-infection and infecting the
baby during pregnancy, birth and breast-feeding is significantly reduced
because your CD4 count is high. The ARVs are working.
TITUS:
So what should we do? How do we conceive and make sure that the baby
is negative?
MILDRED:
Am glad you asked. Only have unprotected sex with Betty when she is
likely to be ovulating. The fewer the number of times you have
unprotected sex the lesser the chances of re-infection.
BETTY:
And when I conceive, what then?
MILDRED:
You will have to go back to having protected sex otherwise you risk
infecting not only yourselves but also the baby.
BETTY:
Okay.
MILDRED:
But when you conceive, or even just suspect it, come see me immediately.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND FADES
SCENE V
LOCATION:
TITUS AND BETTY’S HOME-NIGHT
B/G SFX:
FROGS AND CRICKETS CHRAPPING
CHARACTERS:
TITUS, BETTY
SFX:
DEEP BREATHS
BETTY:
(HEAVY BREATHS) Let’s take a break, am exhausted.
TITUS:
(HEAVY BREATHS) So soon.
BETTY:
You call that soon!
TITUS:
Come on I could go for 30 more minutes.
BETTY:
Well I can’t, I need to catch my breath.
TITUS:
Then we can go again?
BETTY:
Titus, you heard Nurse Mildred. It’s dangerous to have too much
unprotected sex.
TITUS:
I know but I can’t help myself. It’s so much fun I could go forever.
BETTY:
Control yourself.
TITUS:
(SIGHS) You are right we can’t risk re-infecting each other. I guess we’ll
have to try again next month when you are ovulating again.
BETTY:
Actually we don’t have to wait that long, as long as we use condoms.
TITUS:
Still, I love ovulation days!
BOTH LAUGH
MILDRED:
(AS NARRATOR) Getting Betty pregnant was a bit harder than they had
expected. It went on for 3 months before Titus came up with an idea – to
“get away”, during the kids’ holidays – just for a few days… to go and see
his mother.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND SLOWLY FADES OUT
SCENE VI
LOCATION:
TITUS’ VILLAGE-EVENING
B/G SFX:
SOFT RADIO MUSIC (CRICKETS?)
CHARACTERS:
TITUS, BETTY
BETTY:
This place is earthy. It’s lovely.
TITUS:
I thought it would be the right environment for you to conceive.
BETTY:
One thing is for sure, it is romantic.
TITUS:
Betty, I think tonight is the night.
BETTY:
You might well be right.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND FADES UNDER NARRATION
MILDRED:
(AS NARRATOR) Betty came back to the health center. Their instincts
were right: it was the night!
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND OUT
SCENE VII
LOCATION:
HEALTH CENTRE-AFTERNOON
B/G SFX:
DISTANT CRIES OF CHILDREN
CHARACTERS:
NURSE MILDRED, TITUS, BETTY
BETTY:
What if I am not pregnant? What if I am just falling sick?
TITUS:
Don’t talk like that. Of course you are pregnant. All the signs show that
you are.
BETTY:
Am just saying…
TITUS:
Relax, we did everything right.
SFX:
DOOR OPENS
TITUS:
Is she pregnant, Nurse?
BETTY:
Am I sick?
MILDRED:
Congratulations, Betty, you are pregnant.
TITUS:
(JUMPING UP AND DOWN) Yes, yes, I knew it.
BETTY:
We are going to have another child, Titus.
MILDRED:
I am very happy for you two.
TITUS:
We are very happy for ourselves too.
BETTY:
Thank you, Nurse Mildred, thank you for everything.
MILDRED:
Don’t thank me yet until the baby is born. Now I strongly recommend that
you resume using condoms immediately.
TITUS:
But will the baby be strong, Nurse Mildred?
MILDRED:
Of course, why not?
TITUS:
(HESITANTLY) It’s just that some people believe that the semen makes
the baby stronger.
MILDRED:
That is just a story that men have made up so they can have sex with their
pregnant wives....
TITUS:
So you are certain the baby doesn't need sperms.
MILDRED:
I am positive. For a baby to be strong all it needs is for the mother to feed
well and exercise, that's all.
TITUS:
God, the rumours people spread these days.
MILDRED:
In fact it is important that you two do not risk the health of the baby like I
explained to you the last time you were here.
BETTY:
By having unprotected sex.
MILDRED:
By having unprotected sex you expose the baby to the risk of contracting
the HIV virus.
BETTY:
Now I understand why you want us to go back to using condoms.
TITUS:
What else should we do?
MILDRED:
Other than exercising and feeding well, you must continue taking your
ARVs regularly to keep your CD4 count high and the virus in your bodies
low.
BETTY:
Yes.
MILDRED:
And come for antenatal check upsat least three more times before birth.
You will also need to sleep under a treated mosquito net.
TITUS:
We already do that.
BETTY:
We can definitely do that.
MILDRED:
And one last very important thing.
TIT/BETTY:
What?
MILDRED:
The birth must happen at the health centre no matter what.
TITUS:
No worries there Nurse Mildred, we wouldn’t dream of going anywhere
else.
MILDRED:
(AS NARRATOR) Betty kept her word. She came back routinely for
check-ups and did everything that Nurse Mildred advised. And one day,
she went into labour. Titus was on hand, as he had promised when they
made the birth plan, to deliver her to the clinic in a special hire.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND SLOWLY FADES OUT
SFX:
FADES INTO THE STRONG HEALTHY CRY OF A NEWBORN,
AND FADE UNDER TO…
SCENE VIII
LOCATION:
HEALTH CENTRE-EVENING
B/G SFX:
DISTANT CRIES OF CHILDREN
CHARACTERS:
TITUS, BETTY, NURSE MILDRED
TITUS:
(BREATHING HEAVILY, OFF MIC) Where is he? Where is he?
BETTY:
ON MIC, WHISPERS) Shhhh, he is right here with me, Titus.
TITUS:
(ON MIC) Let me see, is he really a boy?
BETTY:
In the flesh.
TITUS:
Can I hold him?
BETTY:
Here, but be careful he is sleeping.
TITUS:
(WHISPERS) Oh my God, he has my nose.
BETTY:
And your big eyes too.
TITUS:
Are you okay, dear? How did it go?
BETTY:
(JOLLY) It was wonderful, simplest delivery ever.
TITUS:
That’s wonderful. Have you given him a name yet?
BETTY:
No, I told them to wait for you.
TITUS:
How is Brighton? You have always liked that name.
BETTY:
Sounds nice and simple, like my delivery.
TITUS:
Really, was it all that smooth?
SFX:
DOOR OPENS
MILDRED:
(APPROACHING MIC) Taking her ARVs helped. She is healthy and the
baby looks healthy too.
TITUS:
Nurse Mildred, thank you so much. Thanks to you I have a son.
BETTY:
We have a son.
TITUS:
We have a son, thanks to you.
MILDRED:
I was just doing my job and am glad to see you two so happy.
BETTY:
Is he healthy, Nurse Mildred?
MILDRED:
Of course, he is healthy.
BETTY:
I mean is he negative?
MILDRED:
Well, you did everything right so I should hope so.
TITUS:
Why don’t you test him and we know for sure?
MILDRED:
It is too early to tell; he will have to take Nevirapine syrup to avoid any
chances of HIV taking hold. And, when he reaches 6 weeks of age, we
can test him and know for sure that he is negative.
TITUS:
So what are the chances he will be negative?
MILDRED:
Like I said, you did everything right, Betty took her ARVs, maintained her
health and you got her to the health centre in time.
TITUS:
So chances are high?
MILDRED:
Definitely. As a precaution though he has to take the syrup and Betty
should breastfeed him exclusively for six months while taking her ARVs
regularly.
BETTY:
You mean I can’t give him anything else at all apart from breastmilk?
MILDRED:
No, nothing but breast milk for the first six months.
TITUS:
So all we can do now is hope that he is negative!
MILDRED:
We have done all we can. You can bring him back for HIV testing when
he is 6 weeks old.
BETTY:
We waited a whole year, am sure we can wait six more weeks.
MILDRED:
For now Betty, let me take you through how to effectively breast feed him.
Now in the first week…
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND FADES
SCENE IX
LOCATION:
TITUS AND BETTY’S HOME-EVENING
B/G SFX:
SOFT RADIO MUSIC
CHARACTERS:
TITUS, BETTY, MICHELE
MICHELE:
Mummy, what are you doing?
BETTY:
Am breast feeding your baby brother.
MICHELE:
But mummy, when will I play with Brighton?
BETTY:
When he is old enough to chase after you.
MICHELE:
When will that be?
BETTY:
Soon dear.
MICHELE:
How come you only give Brighton breast milk? Can I at least give him
some of my porridge?
BETTY:
No, your brother can only have breast milk for now until he is 6 months.
MICHELE:
Then I can give him porridge.
BETTY:
Yes, then I can stop breast feeding him and you can give him some
porridge.
MICHELE:
But why can’t I give him porridge now?
BETTY:
Because you nosy nose, Brighton’s stomach and intestinesare not yet as
strong as yours. They can only digest breast milk not porridge.
MICHELE:
Can’t he have even a little?
BETTY:
No, if I mixother foods with breast milk, it can cause irritations to his
stomach and intestines, which would make it easier for HIV to enter.
MICHELE:
You mean he would fall sick?
BETTY:
Exactly. So it’s better to let him breastfeed first then go onto solids later.
SFX:
DOOR OPENS
MICHELE:
DADDY!
TITUS:
Hey, champion. What were you and mummy gossiping about?
MICHELE:
Daddy, mummy says Brighton will fall sick if I give him porridge.
TITUS:
Then you had better not give him any porridge. Good evening dear.
BETTY:
Good evening, we were just talking about our miracle, Brighton.
TITUS:
Funny you should say that.
BETTY:
How so?
TITUS:
Brighton is indeed a miracle. You remember the blood test nurse Mildred
did yesterday?
BETTY:
You mean…
TITUS:
He’s negative. Our baby is negative dear.
BETTY:
(SCREAMING) Oh my God, this is wonderful.
SFX:
BABY CRYING
BETTY:
Ooops, I woke him up.
SFX:
MUSIC TRANSITION UP AND SLOWLY FADES OUT.
OUTRO…