THE JAILBIRD (Episode 48)

He walks with a heavy heart to the door, enters and locks it.

He feels so sad. Baaba had been the perfect lady for a while now, so sweet and dependable, so cool, and he had thought her moments of abr@sive mood swings were over.

Chris feels dirty, used and abused. He had not derived any physical joy from her pas-sionate adventure.

He str!ps down and enters the shower, and he takes a long cool bath, sli-ps into pyjamas, and goes to the be-droom.

Junior is lying on his side.

Chris sli-ps silently into be-d besides him, and a moment later Junior reaches out and holds his middle left f!nger.

JUNIOR

(sleepily)

I heard the Transformer Baaba screaming.

Chris is suddenly alert, and confused.

CHRIS

(softly)

The what?

JUNIOR

Oh, you haven’t watched Transformers before?

CHRIS

No, Champ, what is it?

JUNIOR

They’re cartoons. Well there are Transformers movies too, but Mom says I should be thirteen years before I can watch the movies, and so I watch the cartoons. The Transformers are these cars that can change into this really cool, hvge metal robots that can do hero stuff. Auntie Baaba is like that. Sometimes she transforms into a very bad woman!

Chris’ blood runs cold.

He sits up in be-d and switches on the light, and Junior winces. He takes Junior’s arm and draws him up.

Chris is very, very shocked.

CHRIS

(scared)

Baaba? She behaves strangely when she’s with you?

JUNIOR

(giggling)

Sometimes yes, but only when she changes into Transformer Baaba. Daddy, Auntie Baaba is fun to be with, but when she becomes Transformer Baaba she is awful! But don’t worry, I’ve learnt how to change her back to Auntie Baaba when she transforms into Transformer Baaba.

Chris looks intently at his son.

He is very angry all of a sudden, and he feels like killing Baaba.

It had never occurred to him that Baaba’s strange mood swings could happen around his dear son.

Chris is angry with himself for ex-posing Junior to something like that.

CHRIS

Champ, has she ever hit you, or done anything mean when she… when she transforms?

JUNIOR

(shrugging)

No, no, Daddy. I told you I can make her change from Transformer Baaba to Cool Baaba. It’s always fun!

CHRIS

(tersely)

Listen, Champ! It is not fun, do you un-derstand? I’m going to keep her away from you, and I want you to promise me you’ll never ever be alone with her again.

JUNIOR

(sad)

But Daddy-

CHRIS

(seriously)

Promise me, Champ! Now!

Junior is shaken up. He throws his arms around his father.

JUNIOR

Don’t be angry, Daddy. I promise! Don’t be angry at me! It makes me sad.

Chris pats his back lovingly. He switches off the light and lies down, keeping his son on his che-st.

CHRIS

Daddy is not angry with you, Champ. It’s just that when Auntie Baaba is in that mood, she does very bad things. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, okay?

JUNIOR

(relieved)

Okay, Daddy. I love you.

CHRIS

I love you too, Champ. I love you very much.

GHANA INTERNATIONAL GOJUFIST ARENA

There are a lot of people milling around the pri-vate parking park below the Ghana International GojuFist Arena.

The excitement from the fight is still raging fiercely.

There are some who are thri-lled with the brutal displ@yby Mike Crankson, and there are some who are saying he is too mean.

Some are saying Mike is the best, whilst some die-ha-rd fanatics are defending their views that Chris Bawa is the best GojuFist Grandmaster ever.

Effe follows Elaine out of the pri-vate entrance to the parking lot.

Effe is looking absolutely radiant in a designer black evening dress that reaches to her ankles and fits her like a dream.

Elaine is in a short blue dress, and she takes Effe’s hand as they walk towards the cars.

Mike Crankson and his entourage are alre-ady noisily getting into their hvge three Hummers.

Mike has changed into an all-white jeans affair: jeans trou-sers, white singlet, jeans jacket, white sneakers, white hat, and with a lot of gold chains and rings.

He is walking with three women, one of them oriental-looking.

He pushes her against a black Hummer, and grossly fondles her brea-sts as he k!sses her.

They scramble into the car, and soon they all leave the parking lot with a screech of tyres.

EFFE

(shuddering)

Lord, I dislike that guy! He’s so uncouth!

ELAINE

(sighing)

Me too. But he makes money for my husband, so I have to tolerate him.

Elaine takes out a cigarette and lights it nervously.

Afful and Steve emerge from the entrance.

Steve takes Effe’s arm and k!sses her lightly on thel-ips.

STEVE

(slurring)

Come on, darling. Lemme take you home.

They walk towards his shiny Lexus and he opens the pas-s£nger door for Effe.

Afful walks towards Elaine.

AFFUL

Sweetcakes, listen, are you coming for the victory p@rty?

Elaine’s face drops.

She exhales cigarette smoke, drops the cigarette and steps on it viciously.

ELAINE

(almost sadly)

You promised me, Jonathan. You told me you would go home with me and spend some time with me.

Afful clucks with sympathy and holds her elbows, his face concerned.

AFFUL

Yes, yes, I promised! But look, Micky wanted me to be pres£nt, ok? He’s now ma-king a lot of money for us, and a lot of promoters are after him. I have to plea-se him. Listen, we can go to the p@rty, spend about an hour and then leave. It will be fun!

Elaine turns away from him.

ELAINE

I’ll be home waiting, Jon, if you change your mind.

AFFUL

(faking sadness)

Don’t be like this, darling. A few minutes, and I’ll be home. I promise.

He gives his car keys to a chauffeur standing by, and then he hurriedly walks to a waiting Mercedes.

He gets in the back, and as the driver speeds off, a long-legged Chinese beauty sits up in the back seat.

She is wearing a hvge bulbous black fur coat.

She throws the coat open and reveals her n-ked b©dy un-derneath.

CALL GIRL

(se-ductively)

Come to Mama, you bad boy!

Jonathan Afful pu-lls his belt buckle open and unZi-ps fast.

He pu-lls out his inflamed organ from his bo-xers and as the prostitute’s head moves down over him he looks throu-gh the tint glas-s of the window and sees Elaine getting into the back seat of his other car.

AFFUL

Tonight is for bad girls, Elly, my dear! Not for home chow!

In the back seat of the other car Elaine puts a cigarette to herl-ips.

She takes her lighter, fli-ps it open, and crank it several times but the flame does not shoot out.

It seems the g@s is exhausted in the lighter.

She yells and throws the lighter. It smashes into the windscreen, and it cracks in several places.

The startled chauffeur almost loses control and the car almost crashes into a concrete pillar, but he recovers and continues driving.

CHAUFFEUR

Is everything alright, madam?

ELAINE

(screaming)

Shut the fv¢k up and drive!!

She leans back, takes the cigarette from her mouth, and shuts her eyes.

After a few minutes her shoulders shake as she weeps bitterly.

EFFE’S RESIDENCE

Steve st©ps the car, but keeps the engine running.

He turns in his seat as Effe unbuckles her seat-belt.

STEVE

(tenderly)

You sure you don’t want me to come up for a bit, darling?

Effe smiles at him and ru-bs his cheek briefly.

EFFE

No, Steve. I’m quite tired. Thanks for a wonderful night out. I’ll see you in the morning.

She turns to open the door.

STEVE

(quietly)

Are we ever going to get married, Effe?

Effe st©ps. Slowly she sits back down and turns to him.

EFFE

It’s a bit late, Steve. Can we talk tomorrow after church?

STEVE

Just a simple question, Effe. Are we going to get married?

EFFE

(worriedly)

Oh, Steve! There’s so much happening right now, and I’ve so much on my mind, frankly-

STEVE

(coldly)

Nothing much is happening, Effe, and nothing is going throu-gh your mind! It is only Chris who is happening, only Chris on your mind! St©p pla-ying me for a fool, Effe! It’s him, isn’t it? Somehow, you’ve failed to get him to sign the divorce papers! Maybe you don’t even want him to sign it anymore!

Effe can feel his frustration and feel his pain.

He has been with her throu-gh it all.

From Chris deceit, his r@p£ of Elaine, his as-sault on his uncle, the accident, the drugs found in his car, his trial, his imprisonment… throu-gh all that Steve had waited at her side.

He doesn’t deserve her coldness, her confusion and her indecision.

She reaches out and t©uçhes his arm.

EFFE

(tremulously)

I’m so sorry, Steve! So sorry! You don’t deserve to be treated like this. plea-se, just give me a little bit more time, okay? I promise to come to a decision, and you’ll be the first to know!

STEVE

(harshly)

But it’s Chris, isn’t it? You don’t hate him anymore, do you?

Silent tears now spill down Effe’s lovely cheeks. She exhales tremulously.

EFFE

You’re a good man, Steve. You’re the kind of man every woman would love in her p@rtner. plea-se, just-

STEVE

(cutting in angrily)

You don’t love him anymore, do you, Effe?

Effe flin-ches, and she clasps her hands nervously, but when she speaks her voice is calm now, and sure.

EFFE

I’ve never st©pped loving him, Steve. That does not mean I’m going back to him, though. I’m just so terribly confused and I don’t know what to do. plea-se, just give me a little time to get myself sorted out, I beg of you!

Effe opens the door and runs into her house. 

To be continued… 

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