Here or There
W
hen Peter Simmons had visited South Africa the previous summer, he had become concerned about several HIV-infected patients in Tugela Ferry who had died from a strain of tuberculosis that had proven resistant to all known drugs. Upon his return to the states, Peter, who was Professor of Medicine and Director of AIDS Programs at Johns Hopkins Medical School, had alerted the CDC to his discovery, and it turned out that the strain of tuberculosis, its identity obtained through molecular fingerprinting, had been known to the CDC since 1995. What they needed now, they told Peter, was a live culture of the bacteria in order to determine if other strains like it existed. Their attempts to acquire samples of the organism itself, however, had been thwarted by the South African government, which would not allow representatives of the CDC to enter the country. Perhaps, they suggested, when Peter was next in Tugela Ferry, he could obtain a culture and bring it back with him. And perhaps, Peter thought, he could persuade his daughter, Jennifer, who would arouse considerably less suspicion than he would, to accompany him to South Africa and to transport the sample. Perhaps, too, the assignment—its adventure—would distract her from her situation. The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now. The African proverb had been with Peter intermittently thoughout the day, the words softly and insistently repeating themselves, and they were with him again now while he sat at 47