The first short story I read, and only story I will be responding to from fiction packet 1, was Survivors by Kim Addonizio. It is about two gay lovers arguing over who was going to die first. I assume that they both have the AIDS since it mentions right away that they were down to their last few T cells. I may be wrong. I'm sure neither of them wanted to see the other go. One of them said that he wanted to die first because he didn't want to deal with his lover's parrot (as it seems like a piece of his lover left behind) or his homophobic family. His lover's father had beaten him until he got his son's sexual orientation out of him.
Being someone not only in love, but not entirely straight either, this short story hits a nerve. Now, what I have no room relating to is the fact that both men have AIDS. I cannot relate to this in any way as even the chance of this happening with me and someone I love is baffling. Not being either "in" or "out" of the closet, I've never really felt looked down by my family, but I understand what being out would probably do in a family like his. Being in love, or what I define as love at least, I know I'd much rather die first as to not go through the pain of her death.
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