THE JAILBIRD (episode 5)

THE JAILBIRD (Episode 5) ®18+ snvl
©Aaron A.A

KEN KEDEM
What he did was awful, yes, and now he’s got a criminal record, yes. But he never physically hurt you, dear. I know he betrayed your love and your trust, and he hurt you very bad, but your son loves him unconditionally, and I believe Chris also loves his son, unconditionally.
EFFE
(hoarsely)
Oh, Daddy! Junior loves that man so much! He’s always fought with me for not taking him to visit his father in prison. God knows I tried to take that away-
KEN KEDEM
(sharply)
Effe! Don’t ever say that again! You can’t break the ties between father and son! Who knows, maybe throu-gh that love Chris can change!
EFFE
(pas-sionately)
Chris can NEVER change, Dad! I gave him my heart, my soul, my time, my EVERYTHING! He had all the chance to change, but he never did! He didn’t even TRY! That’s why I can never forgive him! I hate him, Daddy. With all my soul!
KEN KEDEM
(sadly)
Fair enough, love. But do not try to block him from his son. Tomorrow, if you can, go and cancel that restraining order.
He gets up and heads for the door again.
EFFE
Dad?
He st©ps and turns to her.
KEN KEDEM
Yes?
EFFE
Where did they take him? Where would they take him?
KEN KEDEM
Well, it’s evening now, too late for a judge to hear his case. They should let him go and let him report in the morning, or they can decide to lock him up and arraign him tomorrow.
EFFE
(her voice low and broken)
He didn’t know, Dad.
KEN KEDEM
Didn’t know what?
EFFE
That there was a restraining order against him. He was so shattered!
KEN KEDEM
(sadly)
Well, if he didn’t know, IF no one bothered to tell serve him with a copy in prison, then it’s a big shame. Mind you, the law takes effect as soon as he was re-leased, and not knowing about it doesn’t absolve him from the offence, but this one is different. He should’ve been served. Okay, I’ll rouse Joshua Darkwa to look into it and see to it that he is re-leased right away.
EFFE
(tremulously)
Thank you, Dad. plea-se do that for me. I would be very grateful. I don’t want him to spend another night in a cell somewhere because I placed a restraining order on him.
Ken nods and leaves the room, closing it gently behind him.
He is sure that his daughter nee-ds a little time alone.
Effe stands up and goes to the window.
She remains standing, and then the tears slowly spill down her face.
She remembers his pain-shattered face. She remembers that he had still been wearing their wedding ring although she had filed for divorce and received a divorce five years ago.
Chris had refused to sign the divorce papers despite the numerous times their family lawyer, Joshua Darkwa, had pres£nted them to him in prison.
EFFE
Damn you, Chris! Damn you to hell! Why now? Dear Lord, why now, Chris?
EFFE’S RESIDENCE
Junior emerges from the bathroom.
He is in his blue pyjamas designed with images from BEN 10.
Effe pu-lls back the t©p cover sheet of the be-d for him and he gets into be-d.
He curls up and she draws the spre-ad over him and she notices that he is still wearing the wristwatch his father had brou-ght him.
EFFE
(gently)
Honey, are you not taking off the watch?
JUNIOR
(voice muffled)
I want to sleep with it, Mommy.
She hesitates for a moment, tries to speak, and then she keeps quiet.
She k!sses him on the forehead, reaches over and presses the dangling bu-tton that switches off the bright light and turns on the soft-shaded one.
EFFE
Sleep well, honey. Angels guard you.
He says nothing, and she hesitates for a moment, then sighs worriedly.
She gets up from the be-d and walks toward the door, but she st©ps suddenly when she hears his muffled voice.
She is alarmed instantly, thinking he is crying, and she hurries back to the be-d, but she sees his hands clasped in front of his closed eyes, and realize he is saying a prayer.
JUNIOR
…and I thank you God, for bringing my Daddy back. Take care of him and plea-se, plea-se, pleeaaase God don’t s£nd him to prison again. Guard over Mommy, guard over Daddy and guard over me and all grandpas and grandmas. Amen.
EFFE
(voice trembling)
Amen. Good night, honey.
JUNIOR
Nighty night, Mommy.
She turns to the door again, but then his voice arrests her.
It is soft and almost trembling, and she realises that her son’s heart is in pain.
JUNIOR
Social studies teacher told us that people are taken to prison to pay for the bad things they do to other people, Mommy.
Effe goes rigid.
She turns and goes back to stand looking down at him.
EFFE
Yes, that’s right, honey.
JUNIOR
So if people come back from prison they’re free from their bad things?
Effe sighs and sits on the be-d again. She reaches out and brushes a loving hand down his cheek.
EFFE
I know where you’re headed with this, honey. Listen, it’s late, and it has been a very busy day for you, okay? You rest for me. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I promise we will talk about this thing, okay?
Junior bites his lower l!pand even in the dim light she can see how pained he looks.
JUNIOR
But Daddy is back, Mommy. You said he did some bad things and they locked him up. He’s back. That means he’s no longer bad! Why didn’t you take him back? Why do you still want to marry Uncle Steve?
It is Effe’s turn to bite her lowerl-ip. She sighs softly.
EFFE
Do you remember that favourite cu-p of yours that got broken? The Ben Ten one?
JUNIOR
Yes, Mommy.
EFFE
Do you remember how you were so unhappy about it that you fixed it all back with your glue gun, and yet when you poured water in it that cu-p leaked all over the place?
JUNIOR
Yes, Mommy.
EFFE
(gently)
Well, sometimes life is like that, honey. No matter how well you fix something, sometimes it never really gets to be the way it used to be. That’s what happened to your Daddy and me, honey.
Junior looks pensive for a while, and then he sighs unhappily.
JUNIOR
(sadly)
Mommy, I think the problem with that cu-p was that we used glue to fix it. Grandpa said if we had clay, we could have fixed it and heated it and it would’ve been as good as new. I think if we use the proper things to fix the bad things, it can be just like the way it used to be.Maybe you just didn’t use the right stuff to fix that thing with you and Daddy. Maybe you also used glue and not clay.
Effe is stumped for words.
She sits quite still for some time, unable to speak, and when she looks at him again she realizes that he is asleep.
She stands up and feels unsteady on her feet. She walks out quietly and closes the door.
Elaine and Steve are in the living-room, both holding tall glas-ses of chilled white wine.
Steve drains his cu-p and walks towards her.
STEVE
(raising worried eyebrows)
You look stressed. Is Junior alright?
Effe laughs shakily and tosses her hair off her face.
EFFE
It’s funny. You always think of them as babies, as little tots you nee-d to protect. And then they just say something that makes you wonder if some adult has been feeding them something aside from fairy tales.
Steve takes her in his arms.
STEVE
(gently)
He wants you with his father, doesn’t he? He doesn’t want you with me, does he?
Effe laughs shakily and put a hand on Steve’s che-st.
EFFE
He didn’t talk about you, my love. But yes, he wants his father.
Elaine snorts and shakes her head with something approaching fury.
ELAINE
(h0tly)
Well, ain’t that a tad unbelievable? After all that you’ve done for him, he still prefers his sorry as-s of a father over you? Jeez!
Effe leaves the circle of Steve’s arms and frowns darkly at Elaine.
EFFE
(a little angry)
He’s a kid, Elly! He remembers the good times he had with his father! Granted, Chris turned out to be a damn bad peach, but as a father he was the best! Don’t blame the little boy for loving him!
ELAINE
(shouting)
AND DON’T YOU BLAME ME FOR HATING CHRIS EITHER, EFFE! CHRIS R@p£d ME! DO YOU un-derSTAND? HE R@p£d ME, YOUR BEST FRIEND, YOUR MAID OF HONOUR! SO DON’T YOU DARE BLAME ME FOR HATING HIM!!
STEVE
(sharply)
Hey, hey, hey, Elaine! That’s enough! Look we’re all a bit stressed here! Why don’t we call it a night, huh? By tomorrow everything we will be okay.
ELAINE
(draining her cu-p violently)
I hope they take his rotten as-s back to jail, the damn ape!
She sets her cu-p down with a ban-g.
EFFE
(calmer now)
He’s not going back to jail, Elaine. Dad called the Chaplain at the prison. Chris is free. The President gave him a reprieve.
STEVE
(stunned, trembling)
Damn it! He didn’t escape from prison?
EFFE
No. He was re-leased. A Presidential pardon for good behaviour.
ELAINE
(absolutely rattled)
A pardon? A presidential pardon for a guy who beat up an old pastor and almost maimed him for life? Pardon for a man who was so chocked up with cocaine that he knocked down a poor girl who lost one of her legs? Pardon for a man who has refused to say sorry for any of his dastardly behaviours? Pardon for a man who R@p£d his own wife’s bridesmaid? Pardon for a man who busted the eye of a law-enforcing officer? Well, if that ain’t s***ty then I don’t know what the hell it is!
STEVE
Hey, Elaine! Calm down!
THE JAILBIRD continues…. plea-se like and comment