Jailbird
Episode 77
HEARTBEAT TELEVISION STUDIO 44
People are now staring at Afful and Steve.
With a little curse Afful gets to his feet, keeping his head down, and begins to walk away.
Steve stands up and follows him.
Elaine watches as they leave, and then she gets to her feet.
She faces the camera bravely and smiles without conviction.
ELAINE
So, you see, GIRL VIBZ will always give you the truth, no matter who is at the centre of the controversy. We’ll take some messages from our sponsors, and when we come back we’ll continue showing you the incredible never-seen before videos of that most fateful night in the life of Mr. Chris Bawa, a man we have grown to hate, a man we know as The Beast… but, could we all have been mistaken?
As the cameras cut her off, and the commercials begin to roll on the screen, Elaine quickly heads towards the private entrance, and then she runs to the washroom.
She locks the door behind her, and then she sinks slowly to the floor and begins to weep bitterly.
She is in so much pain. The humiliation and the bitterness is tearing her heart apart. Oh, how she wishes she had listened to Effe!
Oh dear Lord! How she wishes that the ground will open up and swallow her up.
Television watchers country-wide wait with bated breaths and impatient hearts as the annoying adverts continue to play on the television.
Finally, Elaine’s face appears again behind the camera.
Although her face is freshly-made up, there is no hiding the fact that her eyes look just a little bit too red, and that her eyelids look a little puffy too.
But she is a brave girl, and she is taking the harsh rebuttal quite nicely.
She smiles, but most people can discern that it is indeed a false smile.
ELAINE
(sadly)
Welcome back to GIRL VIBZ. The shocking videos our main guest, Mr. Wachipa Sey, has shown us reveals that on the night Miss Adwoa Timtim was knocked down, Mr. Chris Bawa was indeed not driving the car. Rather, behind the wheel was a drunk and doped up Mr. Jonathan Afful, a man you all know is my husband. With them that night was Mr. Steve Hollison, a man you all know is going to marry the former Mrs. Effe Bawa. We’ve also seen that Mr. Jonathan Afful tossed a package which Mr. Sey suspects to be cocaine into the back seat of the car. Are we going to see more intrigue? I know we all can barely wait. So, let’s bring Mr. Wachipa Sey back, and see what his list of videos have for us.
The camera swings to Wachipa Sey.
He is still smiling, and he is looking at Elaine with blatant admiration.
He had expected her to break down totally under the unexpected onslaught of his attacks, but she is showing remarkable and unbelievable resilience that bring out his admiration.
Indeed, she has a strong spirit.
Wachipa Sey clears his throat and goes back to the folder on his laptop containing the videos.
WACHIPA SEY
(with a chuckle)
Thank you, Mrs Afful. So now Mr. Hollison and Mr. Afful have left the scene. Mr. Bawa goes back to check on the little girl who was struck down by the car. Her father, who ran off and left her alone in the face of danger, has now come back.
The camera swing first to Adwoa Timtim, who is sitting in her wheel-chair and whose head is downcast, and then it falls on her father.
Agya Attah Timtim rubs a hand across his face which is shiny with sweat. He is shaking visibly, and it is quite evident that he is under a lot of stress.
Here is a man who has accused Chris Bawa of not even apologizing for knocking down his daughter and making her lose a left leg.
Here is a man who had been interviewed countless times and whose story had been that he tried to save his daughter but the distance between them had been so great that by the time he got to her Chris Bawa had already run her over.
WACHIPA SEY
(sadly)
You see, this man always claimed that he tried to save his little girl, but he didn’t. He fled and left her alone in the street. You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Timtim.
Agya Attah Timtim suddenly looks down, and the shame and guilt is now written all over his face.
Wachipa double-clicks on a video file, and as it begins to play the camera swings back to capture it for the thousands of people watching across the country to see.
Chris is seen putting Adwoa Timtim in a comfortable position as her father hovers around.
And then Chris takes his phone and calls the police to report the accident.
CHRIS
(gently)
The police will bring an ambulance soon, okay? You’ll be fine. I’m so sorry for your pain.
Agya Attah Timtim is now sitting on his haunches looking at his moaning daughter.
Chris is seen leaving the camera angle for some time, and then he returns with a black bag and a bottle of water.
CHRIS
Some painkillers, sweetie. Until the ambulance arrives. That leg is bleeding. I’m praying they arrive soon.
Chris helps the girl to take the tablets, then he covers her with a blanket he had brought.
And then he sits down on the grass besides her.
After a while the girl who is moaning with acute pain, smiles weakly at Chris.
ADWOA
(shyly)
I know you. You’re that boxing fighter.
Chris looks at her and smiles.
CHRIS
GojuFist fighter, but now retired. l’m Chris Bawa.
ADWOA
(painfully)
I know. My name is Adwoa Timtim. My father is Agya Attah Timtim.
Chris reaches over and shakes the man’s hand, and then he feels Adwoa’s forehead.
CHRIS
My car is broken down. It wouldn’t start up, otherwise I would’ve taken you to the hospital myself. But the ambulance will be here soon.
ADWOA
(moaning with pain)
Thank you very much.
Chris looks at her and smiles gently.
CHRIS
I’m rather sorry you are hurt, Adwoa. But don’t worry, you’re going to be alright, okay? I’ll take care of you.
He picks up the black bag he had brought from his car, opens a zipper on it, and then he begins to take out bundles of money. It is a lot of money.
He spills it on the grass, and then after a moment he sighs and puts all the money back in the bag.
He zips the bag up and then he gives the bag to Agya Attah Timtim.
CHRIS
(sadly)
That’s a lot of money, my friend. It represents the money I got from selling my company. My wife didn’t want me to have any part in GojuFist. She’s scared I might get hurt. I was going to use that money to set up a new company to make her happy. But I guess I might not need that any more. Go on, old man, take it. Use it to take care of this girl.
Agya Attah Timtim snatches the bag like a hungry hawk that has sighted a wounded chick.
Adwoa Timtim shakes her head fiercely.
ADWOA
(desperately)
No, no, no, Mr. Bawa! That is too much! You can’t do that, please! That’s a lot of money! I beg of you, take it back!
CHRIS
(sadly)
I don’t really need it, Adwoa, believe me. Today has been a very bad day for me. A most painful day. I feel like dying. I don’t need that money. I just feel like I’ll make a clean start in life, because my heart is broken.
And the stunned watchers see Agya Attah Timtim putting the bagful of money under him and sitting on it with a greedy look in his eyes.
The video ends, and the studio camera swings on Adwoa Timtim and her father, and both of them are looking absolutely shattered!
Adwoa refuses to look up as tears of shame drown her.
Her father’s head is bowed too, and his body is shaking rather terribly.
Elaine gets up from her seat, and her face is stunned as she looks at Agya Attah Timtim.
ELAINE
(hoarsely)
He gave you almost how much? A million Ghana Cedis? And you lied to the whole world that he never said sorry, and he never gave you a pesewa? Dearest God, how could you be so callous, Agya Timtim? How many organizations have donated monies to your daughter simply because you portrayed that Chris just walked away after making your daughter lose a leg?
Agya Timtim cannot speak.
The sweat is pouring off his face, and his eyes are haunted.
Some of the audience are now booing the father and daughter.
Adwoa is inconsolable in her grief. The handkerchief she is holding is very wet.
She blows her nose and finally looks up detectedly.
ADWOA
(sadly)
I’m so sorry! I’ve never wanted to hurt Mr. Bawa. He was so kind, and he told me int!mate things that day. But my father… he warned me to keep quiet about it otherwise he would disown me and send me to the village to live with my Grandma, and I wouldn’t be able to go to school!
Wachipa Sey laughs.
WACHIPA SEY
(disgusted)
This man is the most despicable monster I’ve ever seen. In fact, when I saw these videos I was so very disgusted I told myself that if I ever see this man I will give him a promoted slap!
Elaine looks at the animal watcher.
ELAINE
She speaks of intimate things. Did Chris talk about intimate things? Did you capture it? Also, the police report claims Chris smashed Adwoa into a coconut tree, but I don’t see any of that here!
Wachipa Sey looks at Elaine, and once again he is filled with admiration for the woman.
He knows that Elaine is very afraid.
He can see the fear lurking in Elaine’s eyes, but she is being very brave again, seizing the moment and manoeuvring it nicely to suit her survival instincts.
He is quite intrigued and wonders how Elaine will react when she hears about what Chris had said about her in the video.
He shakes his head, selects another video, and plays it.
In the video Adwoa Timtim reaches out and touches Chris’ arm.
ADWOA
(gently)
Thank you, Mr. Bawa. Why has today been a painful day, Mr. Bawa?
Chris shrugs and gives a sad chuckle that sounds like a bark.
CHRIS
(heartbreakingly)
I’ll tell you a story, Adwoa. I had a brother once. He was called Roland. I loved him more than any living person in the world.
ADWOA
(nodding)
Yes, I know. He got burnt in a tree house, together with three of his friends. A lot of people say you killed him.
CHRIS
(sadly)
How old are you, Adwoa?
ADWOA
Eleven, Mr. Bawa.
CHRIS
(voice breaking)
Do you think I really killed my brother, Adwoa?
The little girl, still in obvious pain, shakes her head.
ADWOA
No, Mr. Bawa. I’ve never believed that. I always defend you at school.
Tears come into Chris’ eyes as he reaches over and tussles the girl’s hair.
CHRIS
(sadly)
Thank you, Adwoa. You’re right. I didn’t kill Roland. He was my God! I hero-worshipped that brother of mine, and I still do. I’ll tell you what happened, Adwoa, because you believe me. I’m never going to be able to tell this to any other human being, but because you’re a wonderful girl who believes in me, I’ll tell you. Promise me you wouldn’t tell anyone.
ADWOA
I promise, Mr. Bawa.
Chris looks into space for sometime, and then he reaches inside his jacket and brings out a Compact Disc in its golden case.
He waves it at her.
CHRIS
This is my twenty-fifth birthday present from my brother Roland, Adwoa. He was eighteen when he died. I was then twelve years old. He made this CD and left it with our family lawyer to give it to me when I turned twenty-five. Our lawyer brought it to me this morning. It is a special video he made for me. Now, I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but I have to tell somebody, otherwise I’ll go mad. Listen, when Roland died, we were all sad, okay? I think that evening I was so sad I couldn’t eat or sleep. I was in the living-room at the mission house where I was staying with my parents and my siblings. You know, Roland and I always sit on the floor behind the chairs and fool around. He was like that, you know? He was the oldest, but he loved me so much, and went everywhere with me. Well, I was behind those chairs, and I fell asleep. When I woke up my parents, my siblings and that old fart Ruben Essel were in the living-room talking. They didn’t know I was behind the chairs.
Chris stops.
He is seen throwing his head back and looking into the sky, but when he lowers his head tears can clearly be seen on his cheeks.
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