Jailbird
Episode 68
EYRAM’S RESIDENCE – MORNING
Effe knocks on the guest room door.
EFFE
(tenderly)
My Prince, please open the door. I know you’re angry with me but please hear me out.
There is absolutely no movement from within, and Effe’s heart sinks. She is so traumatized. Junior had been her only fortress for so long, and she can’t bear to lose him.
His rejection is really killing her.
She wipes tears from her eyes as she slowly sits on the floor and leans her back against the wall.
EFFE
(anguished)
I stopped prosecuting your Daddy, my prince. When you told me to love him if I really really really love him, I listened, because I really really really love that man. It’s just that when I met him, I had never done that licking-face thing with any man. But he was doing it with other women, and it hurt my heart so bad. But he has promised to stop. So we’re in love again, Prince. Today they’ll take him to prison and it will break my heart!
Effe stops because her tears are uncontrollable. She hugs herself and weeps, her soul breaking.
After a while she sits up and grits her teeth.
EFFE
That Auntie Baaba said Daddy beat her, so they’re taking Daddy to prison. I will appeal for Daady, but I need to be strong. I can’t be strong if you’re angry with me, My Prince.
Again Effe’s tears choke her, and that is when the door opens, and Junior comes out.
His face is broken, awash with tears.
JUNIOR
(weeping)
I’m sorry, Mommy. I really really really didn’t want to make you sad. Forgive me Mommy.
Effe cannot speak.
She holds out his arms and Junior runs to her. They hold each other tightly in their pain and darkest hour, giving each other strength.
JUNIOR
(voice muffled)
Transformer Baaba can lie! Daddy will never beat her. She’s a woman! Daddy will never hit a woman!
EFFE
Yes, my love. But the people don’t believe Daddy.
JUNIOR
THAT’S because she changed to Transformer Baaba. She is very wicked oh, like really really really evil like Megathron. But when she changes to cool Baaba she’s really really really nice like Optimus Prime.
Effe freezes.
Slowly she pushes Junior back and stares at him, her breath bated.
EFFE
(cold)
What’re you talking about, my Prince?
JUNIOR
Aunt Baaba is like the Transformers, Mommy. She can change oh! She can change into good Cool Baaba and also into really really wicked Transformer Baaba, especially if she’s angry. See, see, Mommy, if she wanted to do licking-faces with Daddy and Daddy says no, she will change into Transformer Baaba at once whiiiiiiiiiim!! The other time I spent the night with Daddy and she came here, she changed to Transformer Megathron Baaba and was screaming aaaaaaahhhh, oooooooohhhh, yeeeeeeessss, oooohhhhh!
Junior is giggling, but Effe is staring at him, dazed and very cold, her mind working overtime….
Suddenly everything makes sense now!
EFFE
(stunned)
My God! That is it! That is why she beat the lie detector! She suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder! My dear God!
JUNIOR
Disso what? Eh, Mommy! But I know how to make her change from Transformer Baaba to Cool Baaba –
EFFE
(cutting in sharply)
How? HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
JUNIOR
(pompously)
You just need the key, okay? The key is what made her angry, ok?
As Junior speaks Effe begins to tremble.
She stands up shaken.
EFFE
(floored)
Come on, my love. Let’s go and save Daddy. I have a terrible plan!!
AFFUL’S RESIDENCE
Jonathan Afful turns away from the full-length dressing-mirror and smiles at Elaine.
She is still lying n@ked in bed, tired from their dawn love-making which had been violent and wild, both of them excited about the upcoming incarceration of Chris Bawa.
Afful is fully-dressed in a flowing white agbada, and he sits on the side of the bed, bends and licks her left n—-e and runs a hand between her thighs, caressing her tenderly.
She closes her thighs on his hand and giggles s*xily.
ELAINE
Go, Jon. The boys have been waiting long enough.
AFFUL
You sure you don’t wanna see him sent to prison, Sweety?
ELAINE
No, darling. I’m preparing a special edition tonight. Found a man who’s going to expose even more filth about Chris.
AFFUL
(giggling)
Ohhhhh! What’s it going to be? Go on, tell me!
ELAINE
(laughing)
Oh, you’ll find out tonight. You would be in the studio, wouldn’t you?
AFFUL
(chuckling)
Does the Pope has a useless d–k? Of course, I’ll be there! Wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world! Alright, see you then, baby.
He gets up and leaves the bedroom.
Elaine stares at the ceiling, and she sighs heavily.
ELAINE
Oh, Chris! We could’ve been so happy together. Now look at what you’ve brought on yourself, for choosing Effe!
Steve, Crankson and Nana Bosomtwum are waiting in the living-room.
Afful shakes the hand of a subdued Crankson.
AFFUL
Hey, cheer up, Bro! That stupid dude is getting twenty-five years in the can today, and the GojuFist Grandmaster title will be stripped from him. We’re back in business, bro.
CRANKSON
Yeah man! Let’s go. Don’t wanna miss the sight of that crazy a—–e being marched off to jail!
Steve shakes a little cocaine unto the back of his right hand and sniffs, and then he whoops with absolute joy.
STEVE
(screaming)
Whooooooooraaaaah!! Isn’t today a happy day? Mr. F***** Bawa off to prison for twenty add years, more than enough time to bang that pompous lawyer’s sweet ass! She’ll come crawling to me, mark my words!
AFFUL
(laughing loudly)
The p**** is yours, bro! You won the p**** back! Marry her and slam her like a boss! Let her be your b****, man!
Crankson takes the glass phial from Steve and shakes some cocaine unto the back of his left hand and sniffs it clean.
CRANKSON
(in bliss)
Shit, this shit is good! Yeah, Steve, marry Effe and give her some d–n anal! She’ll know who’s the boss!
Afful takes the phial and they walk out, still talking and laughing loudly.
THE BAWA RESIDENCE
Stan climbs the stairs and opens the door.
He walks into the spacious living-room and sees his parents there already.
His father is watching events on the television with old Reuben Essel.
His mother is dressed in a dark kaba and slit with covering cloth, and Stan sees from her puffy face and eyes that she has been crying a lot.
Stan stops and looks at his mother gravely, then he walks forward and hugs her.
STAN
Stop killing yourself over that boy, Mama. He will send you to your grave. Let it go.
Fresh tears glisten on her lashes.
MRS. LOIS
Sure, sure, son. Just like I should also let you go if you get into trouble, right?
Stan scowls darkly.
STAN
(warily)
That’s hitting below the belt, Mom.
MRS. LOIS
(sadly)
Is it, Stan? For years I allowed myself to be swayed by your hatred, Stan, and by my husband’s apparent dislike of Chris.
REV BAWA
(looking up angrily)
That’s absolute nonsense, Lois! What’s gotten into you? That boy has always been a rebel! He made his d–n bed, let him lie in it! Stop dragging us into the mire with him!
STAN
(tightly)
I don’t hate him, Mama!
MRS. LOIS
(fiercely)
Oh, you do! You do hate him so, Stan! You and Diana! You’ve hated him because Roland loved him more than any other member of this family, and you couldn’t take it, could you?
The door has opened now, and Diana comes in. She stops and looks at her mother with shock on her face.
DIANA
What’s going on here?
STAN
(hurt badly)
Mother thinks we hate Chris, and she alone loves him. Can you believe that?
DIANA
What? Mama!
MRS. LOIS
(weeping)
Don’t Mama me! You wanted Chris to be cut off from this family. We’re a Christian family, the core of the Church, because your father is the pastor. We couldn’t forgive that boy, and we couldn’t even pray for him! We’ve never ever forgiven him for Roland’s death, myself included, and so we made him the Black Sheep of this family. We’ve abandoned him, and we’ve disowned him. For years, he has never known the love of a family! He only relied on the strength of the love between him and Effe… but now what do we see? Even Effe left him, and he was all alone, but she has done the right thing, in the end, and showed him some love. We all failed, except for the love of his little boy who stood in church and did what we should all have done as a family: he stood up for Chris. But not anymore for me, okay? You can go on hating him! You can go on disowning him! But whatever you do you can’t change the blood running through him! He’s a Bawa, your brother, and YOUR SON, Brand! I may not see him again, because I know he’s going back to jail, but I’m going to the court, and I’m going to support him, because he is my son!
She leaves the room hurriedly, brushing angrily past Diana in the doorway.
Stan sees that his father is deeply affected, and he looks haunted. He sees sudden tears in Diana’s eyes, and he sees that Diana’s lips are trembling violently.
She turns away and reaches for the door.
STAN
(in a choked voice)
Di! Where are you off to?
Diana does not respond. She bangs the door behind her and races after her mother.
DIANA
(weeping)
Wait! Mom, please wait!
Mrs. Lois Bawa stops and turns, and her heart is so crushed that it shows on her face.
MRS. LOIS
Please, Diana, don’t try to stop me!
Diana stops in front of her mother and embraces her fiercely as tears course down her cheeks.
DIANA
No, Mom! I just want to go and support my brother too!
The two women are now weeping fiercely, and slowly they walk to Diana’s car.
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