Chapter 3 Love She Deserves

After spending a tiring night without earning a dime, Iris fell ill.

Peter came to visit and slipped her two hundred dollars. Iris was silent in pain. In the small and cramped room in the apartment, Iris pulled the blanket up to her neck with a shiver.

This fever is excruciating. It was impossible for Iris not to get sick. She spent more than four hours non-stop serving the guests in bed.

She wanted to kill herself, but when her father's moans were heard from the next room, Iris burst into tears and the desire disappeared.

What's wrong and how big her sin is when she has to accept such a heavy trial? Why did life treat her so unfairly?

Jan appeared with a cup of hot tea in hand.

"You need this." Jan handheld out the cup to her. Iris smiled faintly and shakily tried to get up.

Jan was stunned when Iris' hand was touched by him.

"You have a fever! We'd better see the doctor. I'll take you!" said Jan anxiously.

"I've taken medicine, Jan. Everything will be fine, don't worry," Iris said, trying to avoid her brother's request.

"I know the risks of your job, Iris. Please, see a doctor and make sure you're okay," Jan pleaded in a trembling voice.

Iris was taken aback by that fact. She knew that some of her friends had died from contracting HIV. Sometimes Iris is afraid that someday she will be at that point, even though she has always applied safety sex all the time. Iris tried to appear calm and stroked her brother's arm with a smile.

"Okay, I'll see the doctor. But I'll go by myself. Papa needs an insulin injection in an hour, and I want you to do it for me, alright?" said Iris. Jan smiled in relief and nodded.

"Looks like I have to start working harder. Maybe dropping out of college and working full time in that shop will pay off."

"What? No, Jan!" said Iris hastily. "You have stayed in college because I have no future!"

Jan looked away and held back tears.

"I don't want you to be stuck in that profession, Iris."

Iris' hand grabbed Jan's face to turn to her gently.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. We have to make our dreams come true and stay a little longer, all will be accomplished soon. It'll be a happy ending for us, Jan. Trust me, will you?"

Jan was only nineteen years old and quite helpful to herself. But that's not what Iris wanted! Her younger brother is a very sweet and kind young man. Iris was so proud of Jan, who was going to be an economics graduate in a year.

Once he has his degree, Iris hopes that Jan will find a respectable job and not end up being a drug dealer or gang member like the young people in their neighborhood.

"Success is always accompanied by pain. Let it be my part because your success is the main thing. For the sake of this family as well as for us."

Jan hugged Iris tightly. His sister stroked the young man's thin back. Iris knew that Jan had studied and worked hard all this time. Sometimes she sees her brother working late into the night. Jan always tries to finish his college assignments punctually, so he can graduate on time.

"Hold on, Jan. Everything will end well, I promise," whispered Iris.

Jan nodded with bloodshot eyes.

**

After changing clothes, Iris headed to the nearest free community service clinic. The queue that afternoon was quite long, and Iris patiently waited while her body shivered even more.

Sitting in the waiting room for more than two hours and starting to doze off, Iris finally heard her name being called. With a stammer, she fixed her hair and entered the room. The young doctor forgot to greet the patient who had just entered. He so admired the charming creature that was present in front of him.

"Doc?" His assistant reminds him to be focused.

"Oh, yes! Good afternoon, uh, evening. Please have a seat over there," replied the doctor, looking embarrassed when being caught looking at Iris with awesomeness.

Iris nodded and climbed onto the small bed where the patient used to lie. She glanced at the name on the doctor's chest.

Rene Marschall.

She suspected that, because of his thick accent, the doctor was from France.

"What do you feel?" asked Rene as he put on his stethoscope.

"High fever and aches all over my body, Doc," Iris answered quietly.

Rene checked carefully. When he was done, he asked Iris to re-button her blouse.

While sitting down and writing notes on medical sheets, the young doctor asked some questions according to the regular standard of examination.

"Doc, I am...." Iris stopped her sentence hesitantly, "I-I... I'm a prostitute." Finally, Iris managed to stutter out the sentence.

Rene's hand stopped writing. His face lifted and looked at Iris with a look that was so hard to decipher.

"Could I have an internal or venereal disease?" Iris asked while holding back tears. A sigh came from Rene's mouth.

"It can't be that easy to draw the conclusions. There should be an inspection of the area... you know what I mean, don't you?" Rene responded. Iris nodded nervously.

"In addition, the blood test also will determine the completeness of the diagnosis. I happen to be an internal medicine specialist. If you don't mind, I can take your blood sample first, and then I will observe it with another specialist. What do you think?"

"Maybe not today, Doc. I don't have enough money right now," Iris countered.

"I can put you in a support program for women, Miss Barcova. Besides, it's a free clinic and you don't have to pay anything," said Rene gently. Iris nodded doubtfully.

"My nurse will follow up later. Everything will be handled with our best effort, ok?" continued Rene with a sympathetic smile.

With a pounding heart, Iris agreed. Her heart was too broken, and she didn't know what to think.

After drawing blood and also filling out the form, Iris went home. Her feeling was a little relieved. At least she had done the first step at this point.

After Iris left, Rene glanced curiously at the form the woman had completed earlier.

His eyes searched carefully for all the information. It turned out that the woman had been working as a prostitute for seven years.

He regretted that such a young woman had to live a bitter life. Iris Barcova, Rene spelled the name silently.

The eyes and the look on the woman's face were so engraved in his mind. He caught an honesty spoken with a desperate expression within Iris.

Iris' confession touched him deeply. Instead of judging with one eye, Rene actually felt deep sympathy for the woman.

Too many attractive women are present in his life. But the clear eyes with thick eyelashes without mascara and the plain face without makeup is really a simplicity that makes her captivated.

Rene has always admired the figure of a woman with a classic European facial line.

"Doc, next patient?" asked Rene's practice assistant for the third time.

"Ah, okay! Sorry," Rene stuttered. "Please call the next patient." His daydream about Iris distracted him at this moment.

"Still thinking about that woman earlier? Hundreds of beauties still hang around a lot, Doc!" denounced his assistant with a scornful expression. Her tone was very condescending.

"What made that woman not deserve my attention in your opinion?" asked Rene as he jotted down notes in his journal. Rene's assistant was nervous and realized that she had made the wrong suggestion.

"Sorry, Doc. Not intend to...."

"Insult her, is that what you mean? Mary, the society around us today is on average as judgmental as you are. Everyone is so cruel, judge without tolerating the cause!" snapped Rene sharply.

"She's still like the others, not the trash of society. If you want to call someone trash, corruptors, spreaders of hatred, and terrorists, it's much more appropriate and deserves than her." Rene's words were now softer than before.

Mary lowered her head in shame. Her mouth was too presumptuous, and her heart had already dropped prejudice.

"Sorry, Doc. I was wrong," she regretted.

Rene sighed and shook his head. The young assistant immediately called the following patient in.

***

Iris sleeps with a heavy head and tight chest. Her fever slowly rose again.

Jan peeked at his sister who was occasionally delirious. Iris didn't allow herself to compress. Deeply depressed by work and college schedules, Jan is forced to leave while Iris is still sick.

"The sooner you become independent, the better. Make us proud and you must be a human being who has rank and dignity in our society!" That's what Iris always said to Jan. He never objected. Iris is everything to Jan.

He will be graduating in a year and hopes that he will soon take over the burden of his family. Jan wants Iris to be happy, maybe marry a man. Even though her profession is now a disgrace, a dark soul like Iris also needs love.