Jailbird
Episode 45
Fii is in uniform today, and he gets to his feet with a broad smile as Chris carefully puts the tray down.
Fii then crushes him in a fierce hug.
JON FII
(emotionally)
Chris, Chris, Chris! Boy, am I glad to see you!
Chris looks warily at Baaba. Since that night, she had attacked him he had not seen her again.
She had sent text messages and called him to apologize, but he has kept out of her way strictly.
He had told himself that Eyram is right; Baaba is unbalanced, and as much as Chris had wanted to help her get over the trauma of being abused by her father, he knows she is quite dangerous.
Her mood swings are absolutely lethal, and he doesn’t know what she is capable of doing from one second to the next.
A phrase, a look, an innocent action can set her off into that volcanic rage he has experienced twice already.
He had had the unpleasant feeling that she had wanted to kill him.
CHRIS
Glad to see you, sir. Very glad to see you. A picatonto salad, the best, just for you.
JON FII
Sit down, Chris.
CHRIS
I can’t, sir. Too much pressure. Tell you what, we open at two in the afternoon on Sundays, so I’ll come over tomorrow morning and have a church service with the guys. I miss that.
JON FII
(excited)
Really? That will be grand. The boys will be so happy. Especially Darlett Thompson. There is a strong possibility that Darlett will be released soon, Chris. His case has gone for review after new evidence was unearthed.
Chris Bawa’s face breaks into a huge grin, and in spite of himself he sits down at the table.
CHRIS
Wow. Darlett? D–n! That is great news. He always told me he didn’t steal that car, but that his partner framed him for that crime. That’s great news indeed!
Suddenly Chris big left middle finger is grabbed, and he looks around and sees Junior standing beside him, his mouth full with chicken.
JUNIOR
Daddy!
Chris, heart bursting with joyful love, sweeps his son into his arms and plants a kiss on his cheeks as Junior giggles insanely and wriggles.
CHRIS
My son, sir. Champ, meet a friend of mine, Jon Fii.
JON FII
(smiling tenderly)
Yes, the famous Chris Bawa Junior! I saw you on television. The boy who bought this place for his father!
Junior’s face splits into a huge grin of pride as Jon Fii shakes his hand.
JUNIOR
(shyly)
Pleased to meet you, sir.
JON FII
Oh, call me Uncle Fii. You look so much like your father, it’s amazing.
JUNIOR
He’s my father and I should look like him.
They all burst into laughter, and Baaba reaches out and shakes Junior’s hand.
BAABA
Hello, Junior. Happy to meet you again after the fun we had at the beach. Please tell your father I’m very sorry okay? He’s angry at me, and I believe if you ask him to forgive me, he will.
Junior looks at his father and frowns, and then he wags a forefinger at him.
JUNIOR
(calmly)
Daddy, Sunday School teacher says we should forgive each other like, erm… seven times? No, no, no, she said like seventy times?
JON FII
(spooning salad into his mouth)
Seventy times seven times.
JUNIOR
(awed)
Woow! That’s radical! You know the Bible too, Uncle Fii?
CHRIS
(laughing)
He is the Chaplain at the prison where I was, Champ!
JUNIOR
Awesome! Yes, Jesus says we should forgive seventy times seventy times… is that right, Uncle Chaplain?
JON FII
(laughing uproariously)
Close enough, son, close enough!
JUNIOR
So, you will forgive Miss Baaba… no, wait a minute, are you Missus?
BAABA
(smiling and showing her hands)
See, no ring. Still Miss Baaba, my dearest boy.
JUNIOR
Daddy-
CHRIS
Alright, alright, shut up already! I forgive her!
They all laugh, and Baaba suddenly draws Junior into a warm embrace.
BAABA
Thank you, Junior! I owe you one!
Sitting at Table 15, Effe and Eyram look across at them with conflicting emotions.
With them is Rupert Henderson who is eating beef noodles.
Effe recognizes Baaba, the prison officer who seems to be so besotted with Chris.
She sees Baaba hugging Junior, and she sees the way Chris looks so happy and comfortable in her presence, and she feels a sudden blast of insane jealousy which she tries unsuccessfully to curb.
Eyram is furious.
She has not seen Chris and Baaba together since that terrible night.
She has assumed Chris has cut all ties with the mad girl, but evidently, judging by the way they are behaving, they are still in contact with each other.
Rupert looks at her sudden tense face, and he experiences a mild bout of jealousy himself.
It is true Eyram had convinced him that there is nothing between her and that Chris boy, and that there will be nothing between them, but he just cannot shake off the feeling that all is not as it seems.
After a moment Victor Nyenku emerges and looks for Chris.
He quickly approaches Chris and leans down.
VICTOR
Problem, sir. We’re sold out!
Chris gets to his feet, and he struggles to keep his face straight.
CHRIS
Sold out.
VICTOR
(grinning)
Completely! And there’s still a queue. What we gonna do?
CHRIS
Well, has the technician finished installing the Public Announcement System?
VICTOR
Yes, I heard him testing it a couple of times.
CHRIS
Right. Send one of the boys to make an announcement that we’re temporarily out. Next orders will start in forty minutes. Then come to the kitchen. We gotta cook!
VICTOR
(laughing)
Yes, Chef!
Chris and Jon Fii embrace again, and then he hurries towards the kitchen.
Baaba calls his name, and he stops.
She comes towards him and stops in front of him, and she smiles sadly at him.
BAABA
(tenderly)
I’m really sorry, Chris. I’m sorry for attacking you. I don’t know what came over me. You’re the only man my heart has ever craved, and still craves. You’ll have to be patient with me. I know you love Effe. I’ve accepted it, and I won’t try to hurt that relationship. It’s just that, if you’re angry with me, I feel this pain in my heart. I can’t eat, I can’t breathe, I can’t think straight. I’m constantly in pain. But when you’re fine with me, it is the only time I feel happy. Please don’t push me away, Chris, please. You know this love thing is new for me. Please, I’m begging you, just be my friend.
Chris stares at her, and he cannot doubt her sincerity.
His anger towards her slowly dissipates, and he reaches out for her, and he hugs her.
She puts her arms around him and hugs him tightly.
CHRIS
It’s okay, Baaba.
BAABA
(voice muffled against his chest)
Thank you, Chris. I love you so much.
He breaks from her and moves quickly out of sight.
Baaba smiles, and then sees that Junior is suddenly standing by her side, and he is looking quite grim.
BAABA
Hey, what’s it, little man?
JUNIOR
(softly)
Do you really really really want to be my friend, Auntie Baaba?
BAABA
(excited)
Yes, more than anything, my dear.
JUNIOR
Then you shouldn’t do that huggy huggy thing and that face-licking things with my Daddy. I want my Mommy to do that with my Daddy. Remember I told you that at the beach?
Baaba laughs heartily at that, and then she embraces Junior.
BAABA
I promise, Junior. I won’t do that!
Junior smiles, takes her hand, and they walk back to Jon Fii.
Effe gets to her feet.
EYRAM
Ef? Where to?
EFFE
(icily)
To get my son. I’m beginning to dislike that Baaba girl big time.
EYRAM
Let him be, Ef. Sit down. He’s okay. You’ll embarrass him.
Effe looks at her sister, and as she sits down again slowly she has a slight frown on her face.
Something is happening. In the past, she and Eyram had always been on the same frequency, the same wavelength. They had that common instincts that is so peculiar in twins.
But lately, it seems she and Eyram are operating on different angles, no more converging but almost as if they are always on parallels.
That closeness is somehow strained, and Effe just can’t place a finger on what is happening.
Lately she has been feeling a bad vibration, some level of animosity from her twin sister.
She knows Eyram has always defended Chris, but that had never come between them.
Nowadays there is almost a slow wall building up between them, and Effe does not like it one bit.
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