WEDDING OF MY EX (EPISODE 24)
©Aaron A.A
GOLGOTHA HEIGHTS CHAPEL – CONTINUOUS
The head supports of the front seats of Michael’s car have DVD video pla-yers fixed in them, and are on, showing blue screens.
CHRIS
So what was all that fuss about? I guessed you have something else on your mind to talk about ap@rt from Colombian rice deals. You didn’t track down me here to talk about rice, did you?
MIKE
(Picks up a camcorder lying on the seat and shows it to Chris.)
You bet I didn’t. You said this camcorder belonged to Effe, right?
CHRIS
Do we really have to go over that $h!t again? You wanted a camcorder to take with you to the beach, I told you to take that one and keep it. So why are you still bugging me with it?
MIKE
Hold your guns, bro. After you left I was cleaning the camcorder. Well, there was a CD in it, so naturally I wanted to find out if it was blank so I could use it or if it had some important stuff on it, and man, you won’t believe the $h!t on that CD!
CHRIS
You found some funny movie on it, maybe of me and Effe? That’s it? You make all this fuss because of a fv¢king four-year-old movie?
MIKE
It is a movie of your so-called best-friend trying to r@p£ your finacee! Just shut up Chris and watch the damn thing! I think you deserve to know the truth.
Chris j£rks as if he has received a physical b!ow. His tortured face turns almost completely black. His voice is a hoarse whisper.
CHRIS
What did you just say?
Michael opens the camcorder’s CD slot and extracts a small CD.
He leans forward and opens the DVD on the headrest of the car’s seat, slots in the CD and leans back.
MIKE
You heard me Chris. Just watch, would you?
Chris’ dazed eyes move to the screen in front of him. The blue background turns to black, and then suddenly it emits a hissing sound.
Chris sees his living-room furniture first, and then Effe suddenly comes into view.
She is wearing the same dress she had worn to the Ocean Front h0tel.
Chris remembers that it was the same day he had come home from the Gentlemen’s Perk Nightclub and found Effe s£dûç!ng Steve!
Effe sits down on the sofa facing the c@m£ra. She looks sad.
EFFE
I don’t know how to begin this, my darling Chris, but first I want you to know that I love you very much. I love you in a way I will never love any man! These past few weeks have been very difficult for me. I’m so scared! I know I should’ve talked about this with you earlier but I didn’t want to cause any problems.
Effe st©ps speaking. She covers her face with both hands as if she is overwhelmed with emotions.
EFFE
My dearest Chris, I can’t imagine myself without you, that is a fact! I’ll rather die than live without you! These few days you don’t know just how close I’ve come to giving it all up! I’ve had visits from your Mother, from Elaine, from Afful and from Steve! They were not plea-sure visits. All of them want one thing from me.
They want me to leave you. I don’t know what I have done to them to make them hate me so much. I’ve tried to talk about it a couple of times but had chickened out because I know it would hurt you very much. I decided to tell you all about it in this video. Let’s talk after watching this plea-se.
Your mom invited me over for lunch the other day on the pretext that she wanted to get to know me more since I was going to marry you. I was elated that finally your mom was accepting me as the woman in your life. You can just imagine my joy when I stood behind her gates and rang the doorbell.
She begged that I shouldn’t tell you because she wanted it as a surprise for you. She even gave me the indication that you were going to join us later on. Since I wanted to impress her I baked some pastries and took them with me. I was ushered in and found her in the living area. I happily gave her my pres£nt and her countenance changed immediately.
She called the maid in my pres£nce and gave her the pastries and asked her to put them in the trash can. I felt so embarras-sed. She then went on about a lot of things. She went on to state that you told her you didn’t love me but that what you felt for me was pity and you didn’t know how to tell me. My love, she told me I wasn’t fit to be your wife because of my background. To cut a very long story short she wanted me to call off the wedding and leave you to Elaine who was the perfect woman for you.
Then two weeks after that Elaine c@m£. She barked up the same tree that your Mom did, telling me that I wasn’t good for you and all that nons-en-se. She told me you are still in a relationsh!pwith her and make love to her every time you meet and that was frequent. Elaine mentioned that she was sure you still loved her but you didn’t know how to tell me.
She told me to name my price for letting you go. She insinuated I was only with you for money so she practically offered me money to leave you alone. And then she wrote a hvge amount on a cheque and asked me to take it and vanish forever. I turned it down and she almost scratched out my eyes with her sharp nails.
Three weeks after that, Steve called that you were drun!kin a joint and asked that I pick you up. I was a bit alarmed because I didn’t know you as the type that drun!kyour head off. I didnt believe him but he insisted I come and see for myself so I obliged. When I got there, he told me you were in one of the rooms and led me to a room.
Then he insulted me and asked me how much I would take to have S-x with him. At first I thought he was joking since he was a bit drun!kbut when he tried to t©uçh me I realized I had been tricked. If his girlfriend had not barged in that day, I don’t know what would have happened. I am scared and don’t know what is going on.
Is it true you don’t love me? Are you really ashamed and embarras-sed to have me in your life? What broke my back is your attitude. It seems to me your attitude towards me has changed a bit too. Have I done anything to hurt you? Is it…………………..
Effe breaks off and glances sharply over her shoulder at the main door. She bites herl-ip.
She stares quic-kly at the c@m£ra, gets up and approaches the c@m£ra.
Her hand is large as she reaches for the c@m£ra, but then she glances over her shoulder again. Her hand zooms into the c@m£ra, giving it a red tinge, and then her hands go away again.
MIKE
I’m sure she thought it was you coming in, Chris. She panicked, I guess, and wanted to put off the c@m£ra. She thought she did, but rather her hand cli-cked the mute bu-tton, which is next to the power switch. Effe just muted the sound, but the damn machine, by some divine intervention, continued shooting!
Chris’ grips his temples, his breath coming in dazed whoops.
Effe is walking to the door, and she soon disappears from sight, but a moment later she reappears in the living-room, and Steve is walking behind her.
CHRIS
(horrified.)
Oh, dear God! I remember calling Steve that damn night! Told him I wasn’t coming in so he should go sleep in my house or something! Oh, God, oh God! He told me Effe c@m£ to meet him in the house! He told me she told him she fancied him, that she wanted money, and then she tried to s£dûç£him! Oh, God, oh sweet, sweet Jesus…
MIKE
Shut up, Chris, just watch the damn thing, bro!
Steve sits on the sofa, and pats a space beside him, telling Effe to sit down.
Effe smiles, but does not sit near him. She sits at the far end away from Steve.
Steve is speaking, and after a while he gets up and leaves c@m£ra range. He comes back with a tray.
There is a canned beer on it, and a non-alcoholic apple jui-ce, Effe’s favourite. He sits down and speaks. Effe gets up, leaving the c@m£ra angle.
Steve looks up furtively.
He reaches into his t©p pocket and takes out a syringe with the plunger drawn all the way out. It contains a red substance.
CHRIS
(trembling, eyes wi-de open with horror.)
Oh, no! Oh, mother of God, dear sweet Jesus, oh God, oh, no! Oh, my God!
MIKE
This is where Steve drugs the drink.
In the sh0t Steve plunges the nee-dle of the syringe into the paper drink on the t©p, beside the opening and fluidly depresses the plunger.
He puts the syringe back into his trou-ser pocket just as Effe returns and hands him two drinking glas-ses.
Steve shakes the fruit box and opens the paper drink. He pu-lls out the foil and pours a full glas-s and hands it to Effe.
Steve pops the canned beer and drinks from it straight, keeping his eyes on Effe.
She drinks, speaks to him, drinks again, speaks, and then drains her glas-s.
Suddenly the glas-s drops from her hand. She holds her forehead, and then she slowly looks at Steve.
She says something, shakes her head and tries to stand up. Effe is groggy and weak.
She tries again and again to stand up, but to no avail. Finally she manages to stand on her wobbly legs.
Steve is up on his feet, pu-lling off his tie. He reaches for Effe. She tries to push him back.
He pushes her hands away and gr-abs her, holding her close. She is flailing weakly against him; her mouth opens in a scream, her face tortured.
Steve is trying to k!ssher, and she is turning her head continuously away. He gr-abs her hair, steadies her head, and clamps hisl-ips on hers.
CHRIS
(Screams in agony.)
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Effe bites Steve, and he pu-lls her hair viciously and pushes her, and she falls to the floor.
He rips off his clothes. He drops to his knees, almost out of c@m£ra view.
Effe suddenly lashes out her legs, catching him in the groin. He is screaming painfully as he hits the c@m£ra.
Effe is trying to stand up, groggy from the effects of the drug.
Steve holds her w@!st, and she pushes him ha-rd , s£nding him crashing into the c@m£ra again.
the c@m£ra rolls wildly.
MIKE
I think that was when the c@m£ra landed un-der the settee till I found it.
Chris cannot speak. Tears roll down his cheeks unchecked. He opens the car door and gets out.
Elaine and Steve walk towards him. Elaine looks alarmed.
ELAINE
Darling! What did he do to you? Why do you look like that?
STEVE
Chris, what the fv¢k happened?
Chris hits Steve so ha-rd on the jaw that he is flung backward and he smashes into a parked car.
Steve sits on the floor, his back against a car tyre, and blood streams from his mouth and nose.
He tries to get up, his face dazed. Chris kicks him ha-rd in the belly. Steve gr-unts and falls on his back.
Elaine screams. Michael gr-abs Chris from behind.
MIKE
That’s enough, bro! You’re gonna kill him!
ELAINE
What did you do to him, Mike? What did you say to him!?
Chris pushes Michael away, gr-abs Steve’s shi-t and hauls him to his feet.
Blood is pouring down Steve’s face. He weakly tries to hold Chris’ hand.
CHRIS
Right now I want to kill you, Steve, but you’re not worth it. The depths of hell would be too comfortable for a sick soul like yours. I’ll ask this for the last time, and you better level up. Why did you drug Effe’s drink and try to r@p£ her? Why?
STEVE
(tears falling his cheeks)
Chris, my brother! Forgive me, man! God, I’m sorry, man…
CHRIS
You think sorry answers the question I just asked you? Why the fv¢k did you do it, Steve? You are like a brother to me. Why did you want to r@p£ my woman, my Effe? Why, Steve, Why?
Chris smashes a b!ow into his ribs when he doesn’t answer.
CHRIS
Don’t make me kill you with my ba-re hands, Steve. Level up or…..
STEVE
(pointing an unsteady f!nger at Elaine.)
Elaine. She made me do it. She confused me! Elaine s£dûç£d me and blackmailed me with it. She said she would tell you I R@p£d her if I didn’t r@p£ Effe. She told me how bad Effe was. Chris, she told me Effe was cheating on you with some guys. She showed me pictures of her in a club and even took me to see her perform at the club. She turned my fv¢king mind so badly that I began hating Effe. I didn’t like her treating you like that. Elaine made me do it, bro! I’m sorry, man. Oh, God, I’m so sorry!
Chris turns horrified eyes on Elaine. She runs forward, falls down on her knees, gr-abs his right leg. She is crying.
ELAINE
Chris, I did it for you! I did it because she destroyed the love you and I had! I did it because you were going astray, because I love you, because you’re mine and always will be mine!
CHRIS
Oh, God! Oh, Lord, what have I done to us, Effe?
He kicks away from Elaine. She gets to her feet and gr-abs his l@pels. She is crying and grovelling.
ELAINE
She’s not worth it, Chris! I love you, always will! She’s a slut, Chris! She str!ps at bars! My love, you know she’s a who-re! I’m the only woman for you. I love you Chris!
CHRIS
(grips her upper arms so fiercely that she winces with pain. He speaks in a fierce whisper.)
How did you know about her str!pping? I have never told a soul! How did you know about that?
ELAINE
It doesn’t matter, my love! I matter! We matter! I love you! I am the only woman fit for you.
CHRIS
(pushes her away angrily.)
Oh, Lord! Yes, Afful! You were working with Afful all this time, Elaine! You planned this with Afful to destroy Effe! Oh, sweet Jesus! How foolish I have been, how blind I have been!
Michael grips Chris’ arm fiercely.
MIKE
You’re wasting time, man! This is not important! You can deal with these traitors later, but right now every second you waste means you’re losing Effe for good!
CHRIS
But what can I do, man! She’s going to get married in a few minutes!
MIKE
But she’s not here yet. You gotta find her, you got to talk to her!
CHRIS
I treated her bad, and I’m dying now, man! My soul is dying! I deserve it.
MIKE
St©p behaving like a fv¢king sissy! Go find your damn woman and drag her with you if you have to! Find her even if its just to apologize.
CHRIS
You don’t un-derstand, do you? Fine, the good reasons I had for breaking up with her have all been sh0t dead within days, bro! But that other reason, I beheld it with my own eyes, man… It was terrible! That cannot be forgiven or forgotten! That one deed makes it impossible for me to be with her! But Lord, if I had known about all these, my break with her would’ve been different, man! Oh, Lord! How she must hate me! But I saw her str!pping, man! She is nothing but a damn str!pper.
MIKE
Just like you beheld how she s£dûç£d your best friend with your own eyes?
CHRIS
Oh, God, oh Lord! I can’t take this! Lord, maybe she had a reason for doing what she did. I can forgive her, I don’t know! Damn, this hurts! This heart bleeds. Oh, Lord, what am I gonna do?
MIKE
St©p $h!tting around and bust a move, Chris! The clock is ticking! Call her, talk to her, meet her, tell her the truth, show her the CD. GO! Where is your car? Never mind, take mine! Go! Just go!
Chris snatches the car keys, and rans to the car. Elaine tries to st©p him, but Michael draws her back.
Chris jumps into the car, spins it round and speeds off.
Elaine tries to scratch Michael’s eyes. Michael pushes her back ha-rd . She totters and lands ha-rd on her bu-ttocks.
She stares up at h im in shock.
MIKE
I’m not the chivalrous type, lady, especially to snakes like you. If you fv¢k with me, I’m gonna break your damn jaw! You are the bit-ch!
To be continued
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