??Love and betrayal ??
?? ???????
??Episode 23??
❤❤❤❤❤❤
From U.S Bah ❤✌?
Effe is driving her mother’s car.
Sitting beside her is Eyram, who has a
paediatrician appointment
with Dr. Rupert Henderson.
Eyram casts speculative glances at her
sister. Like it has been the case for so
many years, and is peculiar to twins, she
can feel her sister’s inner pain and
torment.
Junior is strapped in his seat, comfortably
attached in the backseat of the car.
EYRAM
Didn’t fail to notice you practically fled
into the house yesterday morning, Ef.
You were with Chris, right?
Effe’s mind had been racing, and her
sister’s voice brings her to the present.
She shakes her head absentmindedly
and looks briefly at her sister.
EFFE
Huh? What did you say?
EYRAM
Did Chris hurt you?
EFFE
(sighing)
No. He didn’t.
EYRAM
Then why do you look more hurt than
before? He’s a good man, Ef. Maybe
poor, maybe beneath your clas-s, but I
don’t agree with Mom. I know you have a
lot on your plate, but if you think there’s a
chance to be happy with him,
you better take it.
Effe drives for a while without speaking.
On her face is a mixture of worry and
pain.
EFFE
I don’t judge a man by the size of his pocket,
or mind, Rammy. You know that.
Just that I don’t know where to put Chris,
or how to handle him. You know, when I
got out of his car yesterday, I had
absolutely no intention of seeing him
again. That was it …over, kaput, finished.
EYRAM
Why? I know you were with him the other
night. Was he rou-gh, unR0m-ntic, cruel?
What possibly could’ve made you decide
not to see him again?
EFFE
That’s the problem, Rammy. He wasn’t
cruel, he wasn’t unkind. He didn’t even
really want to make love to me. He
wanted me to be sure, but that night I
just wanted to do something different. I
was tired of being the nice decent girl.
The pain and bitterness Steve gave me
played out, and I just wanted to be with
Chris, to give myself fully for a few
blissful moments, to immerse myself so
de-eply that I wouldn’t feel the pain in my
heart.
I knew I was beginning to have
feelings for that man.
She stops speaking to slow down at an
intersection.
EYRAM
And?
EFFE
What?
EYRAM
C’mon, Ef!
Effe smiles wanly.
EFFE
He made love to me like …like,
I don’t know what to say, Rammy.
EYRAM
(smiling coyly)
He hammered you good, eh?
They both laugh so loudly that tears
come to Effe’s eyes.
She shakes her head and looks at her sister with mock
severity.
EFFE
It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,
sis. And afterwards we did it so many
times I practically lost count.
EYRAM
D–n! You? I don’t believe that! You? Miss
Prim and Proper??? D–n, Chris must be
good! Mind if I borrow him for a night?
Effe laughs again.
EFFE
I couldn’t get enough. It’s the first time I
kept having …you know …Orgasms! I was
ashamed, Rammy. Couldn’t believe what
I was doing. I was insatiable! Me! The
woman Steve always complains about,
that I’m frigid! I didn’t even do half of
the things I did with Chris on my wedding
night!
EYRAM
(speaking softly)
It scared you in the morning.
They look at each other.
Effe does not have to reply.
They know each other so well that Eyram
can practically feel what her sister might
have felt.
EFFE
It did, Rammy. I was scared, I was confused,
i was resentful. Because I still
wanted more. I had lost absolute control.
And I knew that I had to be careful. I
practically know nothing about him. I met
him just three weeks ago. THREE
WEEKS! Can you believe that?
And I knew he could really hurt me, more than
any man could, more than what I felt with
Steve. I wanted some time, to get myself
sorted out, to get my heart to a safe
haven.
EYRAM
And you told him that?
Effe nods and sighs miserably.
EFFE
I wasn’t nice about it. I think I hurt him
pretty badly, Rammy. But at that time I
strongly believed I didn’t want him near me.
I thought he was too bad, and I
hated losing control of the situation. I
just wanted to be away from him.
Eyram nods un-derstandably.
EYRAM
But now you miss him.
Effe looks at her sister with sad eyes.
EFFE
I miss him. I miss him bad. I more than
miss him, sis. I want to give it a try, and
see what happens, but although I want
to, I don’t want to sleep with him again,
until whatever it is sorts itself out.
Eyram lays a hand on her sister’s arm.
EYRAM
I know you, Ef. We’re linked ti-ghtly
because we’re twins. I know for a fact
that if you had not met
Chris at the time you did,
this issue with Steve and Elaine
would’ve shattered you, maybe
irreparably. I feel your inner excitement
when you are with Chris. I see the inner
glow he brings out in you. This is the kind
of love every woman seeks,
and which only a few lucky ones get.
Don’t let it sli-p away.
Pull this car over and call him now!
Effe looks sad and unhappy. She swings
throu-ghthe beautiful golden gates of the
Eden Hospital.
EFFE
I began calling him yesterday afternoon.
His phone has been off. In the evening I
went to the place he lives. His
neighbours said he hasn’t been in the
last two nights. I was very cruel to him,
Rammy. And it seems I’ve driven him away.
She parks the car. Eyram reaches out
and hu-gs her sister.
EYRAM
He’ll be back, Ef. Love always finds a way
back.
Effe’s eyes are haunted, and sad, and
de-ep in them lur-ks a certain tint of fear.
EFFE
What if I’ve driven him away, for good,
Rammy? What if he goes away hating me
for what I’ve done to him?
He’s an orphan, sis, and he doesn’t have
anywhere to go. If he fades out of my life
I might not see him again, because he
might erroneously think of me as one of
the several women in his life who just
wanted him for s-×ual gratification.
Eyram smiles at her sister and buzzes her
cheeks.
EYRAM
He’s sounding more and more like my
type of man. Can I have him?
They both laugh.
EYRAM
Listen, Ef, he doesn’t sound or look like a
quitter. If he fades out of your life then he
is not the man I think he is. If he loves
you, for real, he wouldn’t let that small
setback distract him.
He’ll fight for you, because you’re a gem.
Effe looks almost lost in her misery.
EFFE
I hope so. I pray so. I don’t want to live
the rest of my life wondering if I let the
greatest love of my life
sli-p away because of my fear.
The twin sisters get out of the car. Eyram
picks her bag and Junior, and they make
their way towards the hospital building.
EDEN HOSPITAL
DR. STEVE HOLLISON’S OFFICE
Steve’s office door opens, and he looks
up slowly.
Jonathan Afful is standing in the
doorway.
Steve gasps with shock. He has never
seen Jonathan looking like this, ever.
The man’s eyes are bloodshot, and
crimson, as if he has not sleep in a week.
His suit is very dishevelled, as if he had
slept in them.
The inner white shirt is dirty, the collar
stained with food oil. His tie is skewed, and his face sp-ots a growth of unkempt
hair.
And to make matters worse he reeks
strongly of stale beer.
Steve gets up with a curse and
approaches his friend.
STEVE
Good heavens, Jon! What the fuc-k
happened to you? You look like s–t!
Jonathan ru-bs a hand on his face and
looks at Steve with tortured eyes.
He ignores Steve’s outstretched hand and
slumps into one of the chairs facing
the gigantic oak desk.
AFFUL
Howdy, pal?
Steve surveys his friend with incredulous
eyes. Surely this cannot be the same suave,
wom-anizer he had been with only
a few days ago.
STEVE
What the fuc-k happenened to you, man?
AFFUL
(in an irritated voice)
Are you going to sit down or you’re going
to hover over me like a d–n mother hen?
Steve hesitates for a moment. He is
appalled at the drastic change in Afful.
Apart from the fact that he looks
absolutely wretched,
there is an unpleasant smell around him,
a scent of stale beer,
and he appears to have lost some weight.
Steve sits down and faces his friend,
shaking his head.
STEVE
You look like s–t!
AFFUL
And you sound like a d–n broken record,
my paddy …
like a dumb fuc-king parrot! You look like
s–t! D–n it, Stevo,
you don’t have to continue to remind me!
I know d–n well
that I look like bloody s–t, motherf*¢ker!
Steve still stares at his friend with shock.
STEVE
What the hell happened to you man?
Afful glares at his friend fiercely for a moment,
and then he sighs heavily, leans
back and speaks.
His voice is low, weak, almost weepy …
not at all like his usual exuberant
arrogant voice, and once again this
shocks Steve to the bone.
AFFUL
I’m suffering from surprise, man.
Surprise, bro.
STEVE
Did you say surprise? You’re suffering
from surprise?
Afful gives a manic laugh that sounds like
a cough, and leans forward.
AFFUL
Yeah, man! Sur-f—–g-prise!
I married a woman, loved her,
and somewhere along
the line I forgot that I love her!
Now, she’s out of my life, and surprise,
surprise, I find myself experiencing a pain
I never ever never never never ever
expected! So I’m suffering from surprise
…surprise that I really love Eyram to
death, surprise that without her in my life
I’m practically impotent, helpless and
totally dejected! Surprise that I had her
beside me all these years and never
valued her, the mother of my son, and
now I’m suffering from BIG SURPRISE
because I nee-d her back,
but I can’t have her back because I messed up!
Steve steeples his arms on the desk, and
puts his clamped hands to his li-ps.
STEVE
Eyram hasn’t been home since …since
that b—–d hit you?
Steve is shocked when tears appear
suddenly in Afful’s eyes.
AFFUL
I’m suffering from surprise. Surprise
Myelitis, or Surprise cancer! I took
Eyram’s love for granted! I beat her,
made love to other women in her
presence, in our house, in our bed! I was
convinced she was an object, that she’d
always be my slave because her father
owed Eden Inc. How was I to know that
some d–n taxi driver is coming on
the scene who knows the sister of my boss?
And suddenly I find out I don’t have any
power on Eyram again. I call and call, she
doesn’t pick up! I’m dying here, bro.
Steve shakes his head with shock,
finding it ha-rd to believe that this is
the same Afful who has espoused the theory
of the bee and the honey flower a few
days ago!
To see Afful shaken up so strongly really
scares Steve.
STEVE
Listen, Jon. Get into the bathroom and
freshen up. You indeed look horrible. I
saw Effe and Eyram coming in. I checked
up discreetly and realized Eyram is
coming to see the paediatrician, Dr.
Henderson, on appointment with your son.
Freshen up, go down to the
paediatrics office, and get your wife. She
will definitely kick your balls in if you go
out there looking like that!
AFFUL
(looking anxious and excited suddenly)
Eyram is here? Ok, man, why didn’t you
tell me?
He gets up and heads for Steve’s office
bathroom with hopeful steps.
Steve watches him with very sad and
troubled eyes.
When the door closes behind Afful,
Steve sighs and shakes his
head.
STEVE
Jesus!
He opens a drawer on his desk and turns
the photo lying in it up. It is the photo of Effe,
his favourite photo.
He runs a hand slowly across the photo,
and suddenly a look of pain and torture
crosses his face.
To be continued.