Incompatible…
AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN
INCOMPATIBLE
A ChrisEffe Thriller
CHAPTER 11
Steve turned out to be both charming and cool-headed as the days went by, sensible and fun to be with.
Much against her will, Effe found herself drawing parallels between Chris and Steve. And she suddenly found herself with the unpleasant task of roping in pros and cons as she saw how warmly her family and friends treated Steve.
She invited him to dinner one day, and it was a cozy, comfortable time.
Steve wowed her parents with his witty remarks and broad knowledge base, and made everybody laugh. When he was leaving, he gave Effe an invitation card.
She glanced down at it.
It was a beautiful gold card with the embossed image of a ship. Evidently, it was an invitation for a night out on a cruise ship, The Lady, for a select few people.
“Dinner on a ship?” she asked, surprised.
“Yep,” he said with that charming smile of his. “Only catch is, it is meant for couples. I want to go, but since I don’t have a partner, I might have to let it pass.”
Effe didn’t speak. She just looked at him with raised eyebrows and a quizzical smile on her face, patiently waiting for him to make the pitch.
He chuckled and leaned against the railing, then crossed his arms across his chest.
“However, if you’re free on Saturday, and relish a night out on a cruise ship, then we can make it a date,” he said gently.
“And your girlfriend?” she asked softly, but kept her eyes keenly on him. “And don’t tell me you don’t have one, Steve. A man like you can’t be alone.”
“Now you’re being prejudicial,” he said with a laugh. “When you say a man like me what exactly do you mean? And don’t tell me it is complimentary because it is definitely not. On the other hand, it connotes more of a lineage toward the savage, like you think of me in the unsavoury same circles as Mr. Casanova.”
Effe burst out laughing and leaned beside him, looking at him with twinkling eyes.
“Well, Casanova is a bit extreme,” she said lightly. “But I don’t really see you as Romeo’s friend either, you know.”
He nodded.
“You’re right, yes,” he said. “I’m still recovering from a painful breakup with a lady I thought loved me. We had eight years of bliss in the States. And then, out of the blue – and this happened a year ago – she told me she loved someone else.”
She looked at him with sudden sadness.
“Oh, Steve,” she said, shocked. “Sorry to hear that. So sorry.”
For a moment, he looked extremely sad and in excruciating pain, and then he smiled and sighed, and then he shrugged.
“Took a leave from everything to do with women and love,” he continued. “For a year I’ve been trying to find out what really went wrong, you know, what really happened. I still don’t know what I did wrong, so I’ve decided to let it go.”
“I’m really sorry, Steve,” Effe repeated. “It happens sometimes, I guess. You’ll find another love, I hope.”
“Happens sometimes?” he asked, arching up his eyebrows, his eyes crinkling once more with that bit of naughtiness she was now getting used to. “You’ve been broken-hearted too?”
She giggled and shook her head.
“Well, no, I haven’t had the misfortune of that, and I hope I never experience that,” she said levelly. “But there’s a guy I love, yes. Chris Bawa, that’s his name. But it is an extremely complicated issue, and lately I’ve been contemplating a lot of things. Will tell you about it later.”
He smiled and nodded.
“Well, alright,” he said. “So, what do you say about dinner on Saturday on a ship? My first date in a year, actually. You can invite Eyram and Baaba, let them bring along their boyfriends. I’ll bring a big van and pick you all up, that is if you agree to have my boring company for a date.”
“Well, I don’t really have anything planned for Saturday, so yes, I’ll be glad to go with you, Steve.”
“Yippee! Wow, that’s capital!” he said with so much relief and delight that Effe laughed. “Alright, I’ll pick you up on Saturday, around two in the afternoon.”
“Isn’t that a bit too early?” she asked.
“Nope!” he said with a disarming smile. “Life on the ship begins from morning! You’ll enjoy it, I daresay!”
“I guess I would,” Effe said, but her mind was on Chris, and how she was going to explain the issue to him. In the end, she would probably have to lie to him about it because it had been almost impossible to convince him of her fidelity and commitment where other men were concerned.
“Goodnight, Ef,” Steve said. “Hug?”
He was holding out his arms for the hug, and Effe went into his arms and hugged him.
He held on for a little bit longer, and she laughed and disengaged herself from his arms, and then saw him to his car.
Effe put her phone on flight mode on Friday for one simple reason: Chris Bawa.
She knew how volatile Chris could be, and so she also begged Jonathan Afful not to tell Chris about their trip to the ship with Steve Hollison. Jonathan reluctantly agreed when Eyram and Baaba also chipped in to convince him.
Jonathan told Chris that he would be going out on a field trip on Saturday.
They all got ready on Saturday, with Jonathan arriving an hour early at the Kedem residence. Effe switched on her phone briefly and called Steve to inform him to call on Eyram’s phone when he was ready.
“Why?” Steve asked with a chuckle. “Boyfriend problems?”
She laughed softly.
“Yes,” she said simply. “He’s so jealous and possessive. Drives me bonkers sometimes.”
“Well, he better put some shocks around that heart of his, because your beauty will draw men to you all your life, even if you marry him.”
Effe heard the pinging sounds of an incoming call as she was speaking to Steve, and she looked at the phone’s screen.
Incoming call from Chris-Love.
“Oh, shit!” she said.
“Oops!” Steve shouted with mock chagrin. “That’s a horrible way to describe me!”
Effe laughed.
“Sorry, boyfriend calling through,” she said.
“Want me to go off?”
“No, don’t worry, Steve,” she said softly. “He would only make me angry. So, I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, beautiful,” Steve said.
She ended the call, and immediately Chris’ call came through.
She put the phone down and left the room to take a shower.
When she came back, she had twenty-one missed calls from him, and dozens of text and WhatsApp messages.
She simply put her phone back on flight mode, and didn’t bother to check the messages. She knew they would be full of his usual insecure bickering, and she was just about getting tired of all that.
Effe did not want Chris messing up this weekend for her, and so she decided to wait it out and get back to him on Sunday, maybe take him to the beach.
***
Steve Hollison arrived at exactly two o’clock in the afternoon as he had promised.
They were all ready, and they piled outside with gales of laughter and happiness. It was only Jonathan Afful who looked a bit downcast as he followed the girls outside, where he paused and looked cautiously around him.
Ken and Ivy Kedem stood on the upper terrace of the house and waved to them.
“Have fun, girls,” Ken called with a smile.
The car Steve had brought was an incredibly beautiful Lexus mini-van that had three comfortable long seats in the back.
Steve was looking extremely smart and cute in a tuxedo and the whitest of shirts. He looked at Effe, who was in a breath-taking dark evening dress with white trimmings. On his face was a look of pure devotion and unbridled admiration.
“Effe Kedem, for a fact, you’re the most beautiful woman I ever did see,” he whispered gently.
“Thank you, Steve,” Effe said with a shy smile.
She was used to compliments, but coming from him, it sounded as genuine as it was beautiful, and despite herself she really liked his admiration.
“Hey, you lovers ride in the back,” Steve continued with a smile. “Effe rides up front with me!”
They opened the side-door and a giggling Baaba entered with Jonathan behind him, and then Eyram and Wachipa Sey entered. Effe got into the front passenger seat, and a moment later Steve got in and started the engine. He reversed from the driveway using his side and driving-mirrors.
He executed a half-turn and glanced sideways down the street.
“There’s a guy down the street signalling me to stop,” Steve said with a curious look on his face. “Seems quite agitated.”
Effe leaned forward and peered out of Steve’s side of the windows, and then she saw Chris running down the street toward them.
“Chris!” she muttered with mounting fury.
“The boyfriend?”
“Go, Steve, let’s get out of here,” Effe said with a voice that had frosted over.
“You sure?” Steve asked. “He looks desperate, waving his arms and all.”
“Yes, that’s how he is,” Effe said in a coldly furious voice. “He’s going to make a horrible scene that would bring my parents out, and some neighbours, and ruin the whole evening for us. Just go. I’ll see him later.”
“Well, if you say so,” Steve said, and then he stepped on the accelerator.
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