Bad Girls Don’t Love

AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN

BAD GIRLS DON’T LOVE

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EPISODE 18

The Ripple Effect

The guilt was sudden and crushing!

Rashid, sitting in the back of the taxi, tried to stop it, but it still assailed him and began to make him more miserable than he already was.

He had been cruel to that prostitute.

It was as simple as that!

The girl was a whore, true, and he had been so disappointed in himself that he had allowed himself to get into a situation like that, but maybe his choice of words and actions had been a mite too extreme.

She had saved him from a grim fate, that was for sure. If he had been so drunk that he barely remembered making love to her, then it meant he had been plastered when she found him, and those robbers could have killed him easily after taking his money.

What if he had gone at her too aggressively, and what if he had really recognized her and began calling her by name? Where then did it merit him to be so utterly cruel to her in the heat of his rage?

He sighed miserably.

He had not even thanked her for what she did for him; instead, he had been a cauldron of bitterness and distaste, and probably incurred her wrath. It wouldn’t have meant a great deal because, in a way, she was directly responsible for all that had happened.

She had lied and framed him up, effectively driving Aku into the arms of another man. So, Ella Silk wasn’t exactly innocent. Maybe, she got her just payback.

But Rashid knew better than that.

He was not a cruel man. He was always of a calm disposition, and never failed to acknowledge guilt if he were at fault.

And, despite betraying me, she did save me from those thugs! She took me home, and was the perfect host. Shit, maybe I came on too strong in my drunken stupor, gave her no leeway to escape my lustful advances. Whatever the angel I look at her, I was too damn cruel and ungentlemanly to that girl. She deserves a thank you, and an apology…

Rashid Braimah sighed and took his phone to call her Ella, and just then a call came through.

It was from Phil Mensah, his boss at the hospital.

“Hello, Phil,” Rashid answered.

“Trust you’re well,” Phil said with unusual coldness in his voice.

He did not like Rashid much, and the feeling was somewhat mutual. He was an unpleasant fellow, under normal circumstances, but now he was a bitter man with a poisoned soul merely because his ego had been hurt when a woman whose condition he had diagnosed as fatal, giving her less than two months to live, survived after a successful surgery from Rashid’s hands.

Rashid had expected the older doctor to be proud of him, but instead, it had led to a cold war that had grown worse as the months went by until Rashid became quite convinced that Phil Mensah hated him.

“I’m fine, Phil,” Rashid replied.

“Are you in your office?”

“No. I’ll be a bit late today, sorry. Anything you want me to do?”

“Good you’re not in the office, Rashid. The Council just had an emergency meeting, and you’ve been indefinitely suspended pending further investigations. The letter has been emailed to you, and one would be delivered to your office this morning. Please note that your suspension is without pay.”

Rashid’s blood ran cold and he scowled darkly as fury began to assail him.

“Why?” he asked tightly. “What have I done?”

There was a little pause.

“You brought the name of our hospital into disrepute, Rashid. You tarnished our image, and remember that you took a vow to always consider the image of our great hospital even in your private life!”

“What are you talking about? Is it the issue with the prostitute? It is all a lie, Phil! I was framed!”

“Don’t worry. Framed or not, our investigations would reveal the truth. Meanwhile, you’re on suspension, so you can stay home today.”

“My private life has nothing to do with my professional work!” Rashid thundered. “You just can’t do this!”

“Read the papers, boy!” Phil Mensah screamed. “You can go to court if you think your rights have been infringed on! In the meantime, we’re not going to allow you to drag our hard-earned reputation into the mud! Have a good day, Doctor Rashid Braimah!”

The line went dead.

Rashid stared at the phone with horror.

“Dear Lords, what is going on now?” he whispered dazedly.

When they got to the next newspaper joint, he stopped and leaned out to scan the headlines that leapt at him.

It was everywhere!

On the front page of most newspapers!

Top Eden Hospital Surgeon caught pants down!

Eden Hospital Surgeon cheats on Fiancee with a prostitute

The double life of Dr Rashid Braimah

The Prostitute Surgeon

Dr Braimah…

Prostitute…

Rashid turned his head with a moan of horror.

Ella Silk had just scored another high point against him!

His family, his friends, his staff, colleagues!

God, his village elders, everybody, everybody!

He had disgraced them all, for no apparent reason but the wickedness of a prostitute called Ella Silk!

Just a few minutes ago, he had been ridden with guilt, aware that he had been inexcusably cruel to Ella and had not thanked her for saving his life! He had wanted to call her and apologize for his behaviour!

But not now!

She had virtually destroyed his life!

“I curse the day I ever set eyes on you, Ella Silk!” he said bitterly, and was not aware he had spoken until the driver turned his head and looked at him.

“Everythin’ cool, boss?” he asked carefully.

Rashid sighed miserably.

“No, no, nothing cool,” he replied dejectedly.

He paid off the fare with his mobile money, then rushed into his luxurious apartment with a highly-agitated heart.

Calls were coming in from everywhere!

Friends, family, colleagues, well-wishers!

He only picked his cousin Chris Bawa’s call and assured him that the accusation was false, and that he was okay. Chris wanted him to go with them to the Kingdom of Eden to allow the situation to calm down. Rashid was so tempted, and asked Chris to give him a day to think about it.

Aku’s call then began to come through, and Rashid ignored them.

Just as he thought of turning off his phone to have some peace, a call from Doctor Laryea, his mentor, came through.

Almost weeping with frustration, Rashid picked up the call.

“Hello, sir.”

The distinguished doctor went straight to the point.

“It is not true,” he said calmly. “I know you, my boy, and you will never do this.”

These simple words finally brought tears spilling down Rashid’s cheeks slowly.

“Thank you so much, sir,” he said in an unsteady voice. “The prostitute set me up!”

“I knew it, and I also know my niece would’ve done something awful. Just saw her missed calls. Forty missed calls from her! I was in a meeting, and wanted to speak to you before talking to her. Is everything okay between you? Do you want me to explain everything to her and bring you two together?”

Rashid wiped tears from his cheeks and took a shuddering breath.

“Let’s just say we can’t be together again, sir. I cannot take her back.”

There was a long pause from the older man.

“That’s quite unfortunate, my boy. But our elders say we don’t stand in an army of killer ants to remove them from our skin. I will ask you this question again in a few weeks, and if you still feel the same, I will respect your wishes.”

“Thank you very much, sir,” Rashid said. “Your opinion of me really matters to me! And I’m so grateful your trust reposed in me hasn’t wavered.”

“I’m sure Phil Mensah and the arseholes on the Council are going to use this to bring you down.”

“They have, sir. Phil called some minutes ago. They put me on indefinite suspension!”

“Praise the Lord!” Laryea Odamten thundered happily and his booming laughter rang out.

“Sir!” Rashid said, hurt to the core. “Are you happy over this? I’m quite hurt, as a result!”

“Son, my offer to you still holds!” Laryea said. “The Okomfo Anokye Medical Centre pays five times what you’re earning, with better fringe benefits, a bigger and nicer office, superior perps and quirks! Boy, fuck those arseholes over there and get your butt here! I’m overwhelmed with surgeries, my boy! Come and be the head of the surgery department! Believe me, you won’t regret it! Chance to get out of the frying pan for a while. The atmosphere is serene here, and would do you a heap of good!”

Rashid Braimah sat down slowly with his heart beating with hope for the first time since Aku left him.

“How soon do you need me, sir?” he asked softly.

“Stop whimpering, my boy!” Laryea said, his voice almost harsh. “I needed you here years ago! Get into your damn car and drive here! Today!”

And Rashid smiled for the first time that day.

“I’m on my way, sir,” he said gently.

Hopefully, his path would never cross that of Ella Silk ever again!

Rashid took a cold shower, then prepared oatmeal and toasted bread.

When he was eating, he heard the news on the radio. He smiled bleakly when Dr Phil Mensah was interviewed on the radio, and he angrily sounded off Rashid, calling what had happened a dastardly act unbecoming of a professional doctor. He went on to say Rashid had been suspended, and might be asked to publicly apologize for his indecent behaviour and dragging the name of the hospital into disrepute.

“Arsehole,” Rashid said as he pushed the last bit of bread into his mouth.

He washed the plates, stacked them, and then went to pack two bags for his trip to the Mountains.

He took them to the garage and loaded them into his car.

It was when he was going to get dressed that he heard some noises outside the main gate.

Curious, he walked to the gate and peeped outside, then he gasped with shock to see the entrance packed with reporters!

As they clamoured to get to the gate to speak to him through the grillwork, a white car pulled up outside. Aku, Jemima and Rose got out of the car, and the reporters rushed on the three girls.

Wordlessly, Rashid went back inside to dress up, and by the time he came to the hall, the three girls were inside.

Aku, looking indescribably lovely in her dark-blue dress, looked at him with tragic eyes as her tears fell slowly down her cheeks.