??Love and betrayal ??
?? ???????
??Episode 10??
❤❤❤❤❤❤
From U.S Bah ❤✌?
He drives her to the Ameyaw-
Eden Clinic first and waits whilst
the cast is removed from her
elbow.
Later he takes her to her parents’
house. She hands him a white
envelope containing his rental
charges, and then she smiles at
him.
He looks at her for a while, and
then he takes a packet of
cigarettes from his shirt pocket.
The cellophane wrapper is not
broken yet, and so she knows it
is full and he has not smoked
any.
Unconsciously he uses his
fingernail to break the wrapper,
opens the flap, and extracts one
cigarette. He puts it in his mouth
and begins to search for his
lighter. She just sits still and
watches him.
He suddenly pauses, and without
looking at her he removes the
cigarette from his li-ps and puts it
back into its packet.
He closes the flap of the pack,
and then takes his lighter and
places it on the cigarette box. Still
without looking at her he
extends them towards her. She
takes them and puts them in her
handbag.
CHRIS
So, you’re making me quit
smoking. You already made me
stop speaking in Pidgin English.
What’re you going to do to me
next, Effe Kedem?
EFFE
Maybe make you take off your
dreadlocks, Chris. I want to see
the real you.
Chris chuckles and shake his
head.
CHRIS
Actually, the dreadlock is just a
wig. I keep it on to make women
stay away from me.
He reaches up, holds the edge of
his hairline, and peels off the
heavy dreadlocks wig. He tosses
it into the backseat, and then he
turns his head and looks at her.
His haircut is quite nice, but that
isn’t what makes her temporarily
speechless.
Without the dreadlocks, he looks
incredibly handsome, and she
can’t help marvelling at the
transformation.
EFFE
Well. That’s definitely better. Tell
me, are you married? Or in a
relationship?
CHRIS
(shrugging)
No. There have been a couple of
very important relationships, and
some short-lived affairs, but they
all fell throu-gh. I just couldn’t
commit, you know. Always
blamed myself for Janet’s death,
and I’ve never been able to get
over that.
EFFE
I see. Maybe you just never met
the right woman. Maybe you
never really fell in love. I pray that
it happens for you, Chris.
She gets out of the car quickly
and heads for the gates of the
house. When she looks back he is
still there, looking at her. She
smiles and waves, and goes
inside.
She finds her parents in the
living-room, and Joshua Darkwa
is also present. They all look at
her when she enters.
Her father comes towards her. He
is obviously distraught. He takes
her into his arms.
KEN KEDEM
My dearest Princess. I’m so
terribly sorry! Can’t believe this is
happening to you!
Effe searches her father’s face
with very sad eyes, and then she
looks at the lawyer. Joshua
comes towards her. His face is
grim.
JOSHUA
Steve filed a petition for divorce,
Effe. He cited incompatibility and
irreconcilable differences. Got
himself a case and a judge. A very
crooked judge, I must add.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s
taken some money from Steve.
Hearing is tomorrow. I couldn’t
reach you on the phone to
inform you.
EFFE
I turned my phone off. I couldn’t
take the pain. I wanted a day of
silence.
Her mother comes to her and
touches her face tenderly.
MADAM IVY
Joshua told us you don’t want to
fight this divorce, darling.
EFFE
It’s not worth it, is it, Mama?
KEN KEDEM
But it’s so wrong, Princess. So
very wrong!!
MADAM IVY
Ruth was here. She’s as
distraught as we all are. Elaine,
my God! What devil got into that
girl?
KEN KEDEM
I know some important people,
Princess. Good people. We can
take Steve on. We can make that
b—–d pay!
JOSHUA
Yes, Effe. If you give me the go
ahead, I’ll make that d–n oaf
sweat so bad he would regret
the day he treated you like this!
Effe leaves the embr@ce of her
father. She walks forward on
trembling legs and stands by the
window. When she turns to face
them, her face is w£t with a few
trickled tears.
EFFE
I thank you all for your caring
hearts. I love Steve. I want him
back, but if he doesn’t want me
back, there’s nothing I can do
about it. I’ve cried, yes, and I’m
hurting really badly. But do you
know something funny? A week
ago, my tears flowed like a
waterfall, but today my tears are
as gentle as a river. You know
what that tells me? It means that
there will come a day when my
tears from this pain will be as dry
as the Sahara Desert.
She turns and runs blindly up the
stairs into her room. She slams
the door and leans against it. For
a moment, she can’t breathe. Her
heart is so much in pain. She
gasps, and the tears threaten to
burst free, but she fights against
it.
She squee-zes her eyes ti-ghtly
shut, fighting the pain and the
tears. She flees into the
bathroom and slams the door,
and then she falls on her hands
and knees and begins to wail.
The pain is so unbearable that
she feels her heart will explode.
An hour later she comes out, and
puts on a stretchy black spandex
and a beautiful cream top.
She picks her phone and dials. It
is picked up. There is a lot of
noise in the background. The
voice that answers is the voice of
a woman, and Effe scowls.
WOMAN’S VOICE
Hello! Hello!
EFFE
Hello. Can I please speak to Chris?
WOMAN’S VOICE
Who? Hello!
EFFE
(shouting a bit)
Chris, the owner of the phone!
WOMAN’S VOICE
He’s on the table!
EFFE
What? On what table? Too noisy!
Can’t hear you well.
WOMAN’S VOICE
He can’t speak right now. He’s on
the table! Arm-wrestling!
EFFE
Arm-wrestling? Where?
WOMAN’S VOICE
Madina! Elm’s Bar!
The line goes dead. Stares at the
phone blankly. She can’t really
un-derstand what has just
happened? Chris? Arm-wrestling?
She gets up quickly, picks up her
bag and heads for the door. She
finds them still in the living-room.
Joshua Darkwa looks at her.
EFFE
I’m stepping out for a moment.
JOSHUA
We nee-d to reply to the petition
for divorce, dear.
EFFE
You said the hearing is
tomorrow, right, Uncle Josh?
JOSHUA
Well, yes. Nine o’clock.
EFFE
Well, kindly tender in any
response, but I’m not fighting it.
Would you pick me up?
JOSHUA
Well, if you really don’t want to
fight-
EFFE
(interrupting)
I don’t.
JOSHUA
Okay, fine. Then there’ll be no
nee-d to go over strategy. I’ll pick
you up at eight o’clock.
EFFE
Fine with me, Uncle Josh.
She heads for the door. Her
father speaks.
KEN KEDEM
Princess.
Effe turns and looks at her father.
EFFE
Daddy.
MADAM IVY
Are you alright, baby?
KEN KEDEM
Yeah, Princess. Are you gonna be
alright?
Effe sighs, and her face is
suddenly agonized.
EFFE
I’m trying to live, Daddy, Mom. A
second at a time, a minute at a
time. Hours and a day at a time.
I’m just hoping that I pull
throu-gh.
Her parents hu-g her and her
father ki-sses her on both cheeks.
She goes out with Joshua and
sits in his car. Her parents watch
from the window as they drive
off.
Ken Kedem puts his arm around
his wife’s shoulders.
KEN KEDEM
That b—–d hurt my baby. I can
kill him.
MADAM IVY
She’ll be fine, honey. She’s a
fighter, always has been. She’ll
pull throu-gh.
KEN KEDEM
That’s my prayer, honey. That’s
my prayer. Dear Lord, help my
baby.
Joshua drives in silence for a
while, and then he clears his
throat and turns to Effe.
JOSHUA
Listen, Effe-
EFFE
(cutting him off gently)
Uncle Josh. I don’t think I can
stand another second of pain
anymore, not today, if you don’t
mind. I don’t want to speak
about Steve. It will drive me crazy.
Joshua stares at her for a while,
and then he returns his attention
to the road.
JOSHUA
Okay, dear, if you say so. I’ve to
go to the office to prepare for
tomorrow. Where do you want
me to drop you off?
EFFE
You wouldn’t happen to know an
Elm’s Bar in Madina, would you?
Joshua looks at her sharply.
JOSHUA
Actually, I do.
EFFE
Could you please drop me off
there, if it’s not too far out of
your way?
JOSHUA
(looking concerned)
Wow, Effe. You don’t wanna go
there!
EFFE
Why, Uncle Josh?
JOSHUA
It’s a den for cutthroats! Very
bad place. Been having cases
from that area of town all the
time. Theft, ra-pe, gambling, high-
caliber violent cases, all
emanating from that Elm’s Bar
and its locality.
EFFE
(scowling)
Really? Well, I’m just looking for
somebody. Won’t keep long.
Joshua tries to dissuade her, but
she is stubborn, although she is
showing a little bit of unease.
Joshua manoeuvres throu-gha
narrow untarred road in the
Madina vicinity, throu-ghsome
hostile surroundings and finally
stops in front of a glas-s-fronted
bar. Above it is a large sign
which reads ELM’S BAR. She
thanks Joshua and gets out.
JOSHUA
(sounding really worried)
C’mon, Effe! This is no place for
you! What’re you doing here
anyway, truthfully?
EFFE
I’ll be fine, Uncle Josh.
She quickly walks towards the
glas-s doors and enters. Joshua
stares after her for a while, and
then he shakes his head.
It is a little bit hot inside the bar.
There is some hiplife music
playing loudly. People are eating,
and she can see a flight of stairs
leading upwards to another
floor.
People stare at her, especially the
waitresses. She approaches the
bar where a large woman
wearing a pink dress is standing.
PINK-DRESS WOMAN
Hello, Sweetie. May I help you?
Effe tries to smile.
EFFE
I’m looking for a man. Chris
Bawa. Drives a taxi.
The woman’s face goes
unfriendly immediately.
PINK-DRESS WOMAN
He expecting you?
EFFE
Yes. He’s a friend.
PINK-DRESS WOMAN
Well. He was here, but he left. He
would probably come back later.
You can leave a message and I’ll
make sure he gets it.
Effe hesitates. She doesn’t know
what to do. She is sure the
woman is lying. She starts to
speak, but just then her wai-st is
grabbed from behind, and she
whirls suddenly and finds herself
staring into the face of a hu-ge,
shirtless man.
He is bald and has a hu-ge scar
down the right side of his face.
He is wearing only a pair of khaki
shorts and boots, and holding a
bottle of gin in his free hand
whilst his right hand rests on
Effe’s wai-st.
She tries to knock his hand off
but he holds her ti-ghtly and
smiles nastily. He drinks from the
bottle and his face takes on a
s-×ual leer, and then he pulls her
towards him with an ugly and
wicked look on his face.
Effe is suddenly terrified. She
looks around for help and sees
only fear on the faces around.
The man tries to grab her right
b—-t and she knocks his hand
off.
He growls and takes hold of her
hair, and as she screams with
pain and fear he brings his foul-
smelling li-ps down, trying to ki-ss
her forcibly.
Effe struggles wildly with terror.
EVIL MAN
Now why are you asking of that
b—–d taxi boy, little lady? Is he
boning you too? He took some
money from me, dear. Maybe I’m
gonna use his lady as a little
payback, right?
Effe struggles fiercely, but the
hu-ge man is too strong, and
drags her towards him
effortlessly. She is panicking now,
remembering Uncle Josh’s
warning.
PINK-DRESS WOMAN
(angrily)
Leave her alone, Wailer!
The big man called Wailer slap-s
the lady in the pink dress, cutting
her li-p.
WAILER
Shut the f–k up, c–t!
Totally scared now, Effe pushes
Wailer away violently and pulls
her hair from his grasp. Blindly
she turns to flee, but Wailer
grabs her arm.
Suddenly she hears a voice… his
voice, his de-ep, calm, furious
voice, filled with anger, filled with
rage… Chris!
CHRIS
You b—–d!
She has never heard such fury,
such venom, in a voice before.
She turns and sees Chris. He’s
also wearing khaki shorts and
boots, and he has a black elbow
guard around his left elbow.
Effe sees Chris walk past her, and
she remembers the night he had
hit Steve, but this time she sees
real cruelty in his eyes.
The hu-ge bully called Wailer lets
Effe go, and then he turns
towards Chris and gives a most
terrible roar.
He reaches into his back pocket
and suddenly a long knife
glistens in his hand. Effe screams
and tries to move forward, to
stop Chris.
Wailer shouts again and rushes
at Chris with the knife extended.
Effe stops cold, and she M0-ns
with fear. She is sure Chris is
going to be cut open right in
front of her eyes.
Incredibly Chris steps to one side
like a matador, grabs Wailer’s
hand, spins his arm, and then he
slams a blow so violently and so
ha-rd into Wailer’s jaw that the
big man drops to the floor
unconscious.
Effe stares at him. He stands over
Wailer, hu-ge and forbidding, that
terrible angry look still in his
eyes, and then he looks up and
approaches Effe.
He holds her shoulders gently
and stares down at her.
CHRIS
Did he hurt you?
She cannot speak. She just
shakes her head. An elderly man
in a well-dressed suit approaches
and hands Chris a white
envelope stuffed with money.
ELDERLY MAN
Your winnings, Mr. Bawa. Sorry
for this scene. Management
apologizes for the behaviour of
Wailer, the Dragon. He’ll be
banned from competing for a
year.
Chris takes the money and stuffs
it into his back pocket, and then
he takes Effe’s arm.
CHRIS
Let’s go.
He puts an arm around Effe to
support her, and they leave the
bar. They walk around the
building and she sees his taxi
parked at the Parking Lot.
He opens the door for her, and
she slumps into the seat, still
trembling with terror.
He goes round to the driver’s
side, picks up a black T-Shirt and
sli-ps it on, and then he sits down.
She turns to him. She is horrified,
and she shakes her head.
EFFE
(tremulously)
What was that, Chris? Why do
you live your life so recklessly?
Why?
He sighs de-eply, and when he
looks at her his face is sad and
remorseful.
CHRIS
Sorry, Effe. We have Arm-
Wrestling Competitions up there
in the bar occasionally. It involves
a great deal of money. I beat
Wailer today in the finals, and
he’s a sore loser. But what are
you doing here? How did you
know I was here?
EFFE
I called! You couldn’t answer. A
lady answered and told me you
were on the table, arm-
wrestling!!! Jesus, Chris!
Competition for what?
CHRIS
(his voice remorseful)
For the money, Effe, for the
money. I nee-d money to pay off
this taxi quickly, and then I can
move on with my life as soon as I
finish paying.
EFFE
And you have to risk your life
with dangerous men like that…
that Wailer? Jesus! What’s the
matter with you? Promise me
you won’t do it again!
He turns to her, his face earnest.
CHRIS
Hey, relax! I’m sorry he was nasty
to you, but I can take care of
myself.
EFFE
(shouting)
Promise me, d–n it!
CHRIS
Effe, come on, I-
EFFE
(cutting him off angrily)
Promise me, or I swear I’ll never
have anything to do with you
again. I mean it, Chris!
He holds up his hands and looks
at her with confused eyes.
CHRIS
Okay, okay, okay! I promise!
EFFE
I mean it, Chris Bawa.
CHRIS
I know you do. I promise, Effe.
She leans back and closes her
eyes. She is still trembling. She
has never ever been throu-gh
such a harrowing experience,
ever.
Her life had been sheltered, but
suddenly she is feeling things
she has never felt before. And
she is scared, because when she
remembers how he had moved,
how he had dealt so ruthlessly
with Wailer for manhandling her,
she feels quite dizzy.
EFFE
Take me out of here, Chris.
He drives out and into the main
street.
CHRIS
You haven’t told me why you
wanted me, Effe. I dropped you
off and never thought I would
see you again today.
EFFE
(softly)
Just shut up and drive, Chris.
He chuckles, and even though
her eyes are closed she smiles.
After a while she feels his hand
seeking hers, which is lying on
her lap-s and then he holds her
hand ti-ghtly.
She puts her other hand over
their intertwined hands, and
exhales. She can feel his hand on
her thi-ghs throu-ghthe spandex
she is wearing.
She thinks of how nice it is to
hold hands. His touch makes her
feel things she has not felt in a
very long time. Just holding
hands with him feels strange,
and nice, and she feels like she
doesn’t want to let go of his
hand. But she still keeps her eyes
closed.
He stares at her profile, and
marvels at how incredibly
beautiful she is, and how clear
and smooth she is, and how her
hands on his is making his heart
quicken and do cartwheels…
To be continued..