??Love and betrayal ??
?? ???????
??Episode 38??
❤❤❤❤❤❤
From U.S Bah ❤✌?
Effe stands in her bathroom.
She is nak-ed, and she stands halfway in front of the hu-ge
mirror.
Her stomach is incredibly flat, save for a little bulge un-der her
navel.
She runs her hands gently over her tummy, and then she looks
at the seat of the water closet where about ten pregnancy test
kits are lying.
She has used them all, and all of them are showing two solid
maroon lines…
POSITIVE!
She remembers the ten years she was married. Test after test,
month after month, whenever her flow delayed, and always the
same result …one solid stri-p;
NEGATIVE!
She had convinced herself she was incapable of conceiving
Until this!
All of them shows POSITIVE!
She giggles, and her heart sings with joy.
EFFE
Oh, Chris! My love! My man! Where are you? Come and ru-b my
belly. You’re going to be a father. I am going to be a MOTHER!
A mother, Chris, a MOTHER! Where are you, my love? I’m not
giving birth outside marriage, Darling Boy, precious taxi driver!
Come and marry me!
She stays like that for a long time, looking at her belly and at
the ten PTKs on the WC cover.
Finally, she takes a long, slow bath.
When she gets out she puts on a white bathing robe, belts it,
and sweeps all the kits into a little pouch.
She giggles when she looks down at them, and shakes her
head in wonder.
When she enters her room, she finds her mother standing by
the window, her back to Effe.
Effe stops and looks at the sloping shoulders of her mother,
and the grey hair on her head.
Ivy Kedem turns slowly, and Effe gasps at how haggard her
mother’s face is.
It is the face of someone who is suffering emotionally.
There are de-ep lines on her mother’s face, as if she had not
had a good sleep.
Effe looks at her warily.
EFFE
You have not come to hurt me more, have you?
Ivy Kedem shakes her head, and films of tears dance in the
depths of her eyes.
She walks forward slowly and stops in front of Effe.
MADAM IVY
Look at me, Effe. I’m a bad woman! I’m a disgraceful wife! And
I am the vilest mother that ever lived!
Tears come to Effe’s eyes immediately, and her compas-sion
for her mother rises to the fore.
She shakes her head numbly.
EFFE
Please, don’t say that.
MADAM IVY
(desperately)
But I am! What kind of mother feels jealous over her own
daughter’s pregnancy? Tell me, tell me, Effe!
Effe lic-ks her li-ps and looks extremely sad.
EFFE
You are still obsessed with him, aren’t you?
MADAM IVY
(sobbing)
Oh, this is bad, so ugly! Effe, I don’t know whether it is
because he spurned me, or because I can’t forget the way he
was in my bed! For ten years you were laughed at, ridiculed,
and now it turns out you’re not barren after all! Chris has
made you pregnant, and all I feel is pain! Oh, what madness!
But I’m human, my dear. Your father will die if he finds out I’m
having these evil feelings! But I’m not going to let this destroy
the love I have for you, dear! You’re right, I’ve treated Chris
badly! I destroyed his childhood, and I did a lot of harm to him.
He told me just how much he loves you, Effe! And how he’s
never going to get over you, and yet he decided to stay away
because he found out he had s-× with me, and the knowledge
made him feel unworthy of your love.
Effe touches her trembling li-ps with her trembling fingertips,
and tears roll down her cheeks.
EFFE
I love him, Mama. I nee-d him so much.
MADAM IVY
(wiping her own tears away savagely)
I’m going to be your mother, Effe. First, I apologise to you for
all the harm I’ve done you. Secondly, I’m not going to let this
thing eat at me. I’m going to push my evil feelings for that
damn boy aside. I’m going to love you, and my grandchild
you’re carrying! I’m going to be the best wife to your Dad, and
the best mother to you and Eyram. I’m going to be the best
grandma, and I’m going to be a good mother-in-law to your
husband. And I’m going to help you find that boy again.
Effe nods wordlessly, overcome by emotions.
Madam Ivy suddenly falls to her knees in front of her daughter,
grabs Effe’s feet, and begins to beg to be forgiven.
EFFE
No, Mama! Don’t do that, please!
She drops to her knees and holds her mother’s arms.
Madam Ivy, such a strong woman, is crying bitterly now.
MADAM IVY
It’s just lust, Effe! I see that boy and my whole being is
corrupted! Please forgive me, okay? Everything is going to be
alright. That sickness is gone! It’s all behind me. Please, let us
begin on a fresh page, my love. And forgive your poor mother
for all the pains I’ve caused you!
EFFE
Of course, of course, Mama! I forgive you!
And on the floor, mother and daughter hold each other and
shed tears that washes the bad blood between them.
They are tears that freshens the water, tears that washes out
the bad, and makes their bond stronger.
And much later, the door opens, and Eyram comes in with Ken
Kedem, and they see mother and daughter holding each other
on the floor, and they smile at each other.
Suddenly Effe feels nauseous, and as she gets up to go to the
bathroom to retch, the small pouch falls down, and all the
pregnancy test kits fall out, all of them showing positive.
Her family stare at them, first with curiosity, and then with real
amazement, and then they all begin to laugh as Effe throws up
with real plea-sure in the bathroom.
Madam Ivy looks at her family members, at how happy they
are, and she sighs miserably.
She had not been able to tell Effe that she made Chris think
Effe has gone back to Steve, and is staying with Steve.
She knows that will hurt Effe beyond reason, and she might
not forgive her for that.
MADAM IVY
(softly to herself)
Oh, Effe, my dearest, please forgive me! I’m so sorry!
??Love and betrayal ??
?? ???????
??Episode 39??
❤❤❤❤❤❤
From U.S Bah ❤✌?
It rains almost the whole day.
Lawyer Joshua Darkwa picks up Effe’s new car from the
offices of the insurance company, and drives it to Effe’s house.
Effe carries out more pregnancy tests, and they all show
positive, and she laughs with happiness and cries to God to
make a way so that she finds Chris again.
Eyram visits Rupert and the rain traps her there almost the
whole day. They share a first tender, shy and awkward ki-ss in
the kitchen whilst their children sleep in their respective cots.
Jonathan Afful gets roaring drunk and finally gets an erection
and makes love to an old Chinese pros-titute on top of the de-ep
freezer in his kitchen, and afterwards he breaks down and
weeps bitterly, calling Eyram’s name over and over. The
Chinese pros-titute leaves with all the money in Afful’s wallet
whilst he lays snoring and giving off great thun-derous
flatulence on the floor of the kitchen.
Mr. and Mrs. Kedem make quick love in their room, the first in
a very long time, and Ken falls asleep but Ivy lay there trying to
stop her tears and refusing to think of Chris.
Steve stays in the office and watches Chinese Kung Fu movies
and gets so drunk that he vomits on his desk and falls asleep
on the floor of the main office.
And on the sli-ppery road of the Tema Motorway, very late in the
night, almost close to midnight, a man on a motor cycle speeds
violently on the road.
His motorbike suddenly skids and shots into the air.
The man crashes down on the ha-rd surface of the road and
skids off the motorway into the bushes.
He lies there with a hu-ge gash in his head, because he is not
wearing a helmet.
His arm feels broken, and he begins to bleed badly from his
wounds, but he is unconscious.
There is no vehicle around, and no car around because it is so
late.
He lies in the bushes unconscious and slowly bleeding to
death.
Steve steps out of his office.
It is 2:30 a.m.
He is unshaved and looking haggard.
He locks his office door and walks to the elevators.
It descends rapidly and stops on the tenth floor.
It opens and a young Doctor enters. His name is Gilbert Ayeh,
one of their promising surgeons.
He is talented and extremely dedicated, and is in his second
year at Eden Hospital.
He looks surprised to see Steve.
DR. GILBERT
Good morning, Doc. Hollison
STEVE
Morning Gil. You on night shift today?
DR. GILBERT
No, sir. Got called in. An emergency. Guy got slammed off his
motorbike on the Tema Motorway. A patrolling team of
policemen found him and brou-ght him here, almost dead from
loss of blood. Nasty crack in his head, multiple serrations and
a dislocated right shoulder. Thought he was dead myself until I
found a weak pulse.
STEVE
I see. Reckless young men nowadays. Always messing around
on their motorbikes. He was probably overdosed on alcohol
and drugs.
DR. GILBERT
You know it. Lucky guy.
The elevator stops at the ground floor, and they both get out.
Gilbert is going to sign the log book whilst Steve is headed for
the Executive Car Park.
A nurse approaches the elevators and speaks to Doctor Ayeh.
NURSE
Excuse me, Sir. The accident patient, should we book him as a
John Doe? We didn’t get a name to put on his sheet.
DR. GILBERT
(yawning)
There was a wallet in his pocket with a driver’s license. I saw it
in the ward, on the cabinet. Chris Bawa or something, I think.
You’ll see it when you get there.
NURSE
Okay, Doc. Thanks. I’ll look for it then!
Steve stops suddenly when he hears Chris’ name.
His heart begins to thud irrationally. Has he heard right? Chris
Bawa?
Is he the accident victim Doc. Ayeh had operated on?
He takes out his phone and pretends to make a call, all the
while watching Gilbert, who signs the log book and then heads
for the stairs that leads to the un-derground parking lot
reserved for staff of the hospital.
Steve quickly gets into the lifts and punches the tenth-floor
bu-tton.
He emerges on the tenth floor and makes his way hastily
towards the ICU Wards.
He sees the nurse emerging from Ward 5, and he quickly leans
into a doorway.
When the nurse walks into the adjacent ward, Steve quickly
enters Ward 5.
There is only one patient lying on one of the beds.
Steve, heart beating, goes near the bed, and he gasps with
shock when he sees Chris on the bed.
There is a bandage around his head, and his right upper
shoulder is in a cast.
His eyes are closed, and his face looks a little swollen.
He has received a lot of transfusions, evidently, and now there
is a Normal Saline drip feed in his arm.
Steve stares at Chris with loathing.
Here is the filthy taxi driver who has not only seen Effe nak-ed,
but has made love to her, and impregnated her.
Here is the man standing between him and happiness with
Effe.
Steve’s face contorts with hatred as he looks at Chris.
STEVE
(in a sinister voice)
Why didn’t you die? Why the f*¢k didn’t you die, you damn
motherfuc-ker!
He is trembling uncontrollably now, and his hands are holding
the bed posts ti-ghtly.
He turns away suddenly when his phone rings. He sees
throu-ghthe glas-s that the nurse is coming back to the ward.
He quickly goes into the washroom and closes the door,
leaving only a crack.
He takes his phone and sees that it is Jonathan Afful calling.
He waits until the nurse leaves the ward, and then he calls
Jonathan back.
AFFUL
Hey, you sleeping? Guess what, I’m healed! Got myself a
Chinese who-re last night, and my di-ck finally stood high and
mighty! Old hag stole all my money but she was worth it!
Damn! I’m back, dawg, I’m back!
STEVE
(his voice unsteady)
Funny you’re back on a day like this, bro. Good for you. But
you wouldn’t believe just what happened to me too!
AFFUL
Effe is back? Or Elaine’s baby is yours after all?
STEVE
No, nothing as sweet as that.
AFFUL
(intrigued)
So, what’s got your pecker up like this? The taxi driver is dead?
STEVE
(in a very unsteady voice)
Not dead, but he’s here, in the hospital, right now. Had an
accident with a motorbike, and he was rushed here. He’s on
the bed, and I’m in the ward with him.
AFFUL
So, kill him.
To be continued…