We first had a date in a pub, but very early on that evening Jos told me he expected me to spend the night at his place. No objections there. I have no idea why I brought my camera with me, but I did. And I am glad I did, for I was able to create an image of raw sensual attraction, without making it pornographic.
I am not sure when I heard Jos was seropositive. It must have been before I left his place the next morning, and I believe it was before we slept together, for I recall having stern talks with myself on the inside of my skull, telling myself I needed to calm down and not panic. This was the first time I personally had to deal with seropositivity, and these were the days when that diagnosis still was basically a condemnation to death. There was also a lot of panic flying around about getting infected. But I knew the basics of safe sex, and I refused to treat Jos like anything else than a seriously attractive dude. Plus he turned out to be the sweetest guy imaginable.
It was a one night stand, but one that left a huge impression on me. Later I heard Jos had passed away. The second image shows Jos in all his sweetness. If you take a good look you can spot some references to the disease.
