Referred to the Chelsea-based Callen-Lorde Center in New York City, Chris was advised by Thomas to contact Maria, a social worker he had turned to for help. Given her name, Chris called and spoke with Maria, explaining what was happening.

She advised him that first he needed to have a medical form filled out, a M-11Q, completed by a doctor who declares a patient's HIV status and other sexually transmitted diseases for eligibility for services from New York State or the City. Maria suggested that since her agency couldn't help with his rent problems, he could call and speak with Karen at the AIDS Service Center (ASC), whose Union Square-based office is located on East 11th Street. Chris called ASC, asked for Karen and secured an appointment with her for 2:30 pm.

Yet, Chris was feeling healthy. His main concern at the moment was not only how was he going to pay his rent and avoid eviction, but to try to keep his stress level down. It is well known that elevated stress contributed significantly as a direct cause and effect to an increase in the viral load, or a further weakening of the body's immune system.

Promptly at 2:30, Christ stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor of the ASC office and walked through a door into a reception area bustling and noisy - the sound of close to 30 men and women, including reception staff and case workers, all clamoring for attention and having conversations with each other. Some in the reception room were waiting for their appointments, others were being given boxed lunches, others were given complimentary Metro cards, and others were in last minute discussions with their case workers.

Largely unseen or acknowledged when he entered the reception area, Chris observed one of the case workers calling out to a young Hispanic man sitting in one of the waiting chairs eating a boxed lunch.

"Carlos, where did you get that food?" she enquired.

Her call was loud enough for Carlos to hear her, but he chose to ignore the question that threatened to interrupt him from his meal.

She called out again, "I know you're not ignoring me. I know you had food before and I want to know who gave you a second box of food?"

This time Carlos raised his head, a fork full of rice poised in the confines of the Styrofoam box but just above the lip, and chewing a mouthful mix of rice and vegetables, looked at her with a quizzical expression, as if asking her: Why are you bothering me?

"I don't have to tell you anything. I ain't ratting out anyone,." Carlos said after he had swallowed sufficiently the food in his mouth.

The case worker, by this time her irritation and annoyance visibly mounting, not only from Carlos' trite response, but because he ignored her in front of everyone.

Marching over to him, she berated him, "I have a good idea who gave you that box and I'm going to talk to him. He should know the rules," she said.

In the meantime, Elaine, a short African-American woman approached the reception desk and looked at Chris as if she recognized him. Indicating to him with a movement of her head, she called his name and invited him into her office.

After following through the office door, she indicated that Chris should take the farthest chair because someone else, Kevin a trainee case worker who as part of his training was observing, would be sitting in on the interview.