Love Hates…
AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN
LOVE HATES
A CHRISEFFE BLISS
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The Author
EPISODE 19
When Effe began to speak, a most horrible and terrible realization dawned on her, and she stared at Chris with breathless horror.
“What now?” Chris asked as he looked at her. “You have that troubled look again.”
“Your father, Chris!” Effe whispered, aghast. “Has it occurred to you…that he might have been murdered because of this…White Ash virus thing?”
A savage expression came to his eyes and again his jaw tightened perceptively.
“Yes, that came up,” he said tightly. “But there was no concrete evidence garnered from that. The night club he was coming from was on top of a mountain, and eyewitnesses confirmed he was pretty drunk when he left the club. Some of his friends tried to dissuade him from driving, but Brand Bawa is not the kind of man to stop doing what he wants to do, and so he drove away.
His car hit the protective rail on that mountain and fell down the side into the ravine below, and was mangled and burnt. He was identified from his dental profile through DNA. So, an unfortunate accident. No one really knew he was first on the sunken boat of the Russian virologist.
It was much later, when the FBI identified my father’s boat in the vicinity where the Russian sank via satellite that they monitored him, and found out he dove under the water and came out with the package. Unfortunately, he died before he could be questioned.”
“I don’t like it, Chris,” she whispered in a worried voice. “You could still be in grave danger, you know.”
“I can take care of myself, Effe,” he replied calmly. “Don’t let that be any of your problems. As I said, we’re done, you and I. Catch your plane to Ghana, get married and forget about me.”
“But I don’t want us to part like this!” she said suddenly, catching both of them by surprise.
He turned and looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“Why?” he asked softly. “Why, Effe? The way I see it, you told me the truth as you knew it, and I believe you. Jonathan, his father and Baaba, three persons that were close to me, decided to betray me in the most diabolical fashion. I know the truth now, but it doesn’t really change anything because I’ve moved on. They can live their lives, and hope Karma doesn’t catch up with them. So, basically, you and I don’t have any option than to part like this. At least, I now understand your role, and I don’t hate you for it any longer, because you were also manipulated.”
Effe sighed and licked her lips.
Her beautiful eyes roved his profile and her concern was so innocent and genuine that a small smile softened the hardness of his expression.
“I want you to have your Company back, Chris,” she said miserably. “I was a cause, a factor, and I want to go to court and testify with my sister Eyram. Yes, I understand Eyram could be in a spot of bother – which you don’t want – but we can prove how she was manipulated and how she eventually agreed to turn in a false witness’ account. If Baaba and Jonathan did this – and I have no doubt whatsoever that they did – then they need to be punished, together with that imposter that looked so much like you! You have to get your inheritance back.”
“I don’t need it, Effe,” Chris said softly. “They do, and they were prepared to go to any length to have it, so let them keep it.”
“No!” Effe said fiercely. “Let me help you, Chris, please! I know some good lawyers, some good cops and some good politicians! We can prove the signature of your supposed sale of ownership was forged! We can prove they’re crooks! You’ll get your company back, and your wealth, and wouldn’t need to drive a truck along this dangerous route!”
“Driving a truck is not a good job in your estimation?” he asked calmly with his eyebrows arched.
“You know I don’t mean it that way, Chris, please don’t think that of me,” Effe said suddenly. “Of course not! I like honest work, and driving company trucks is a good honest work, and I do respect that. It’s just too risky, at least by what I’ve seen. And knowing you had a big company which these wicked people took from you, the only thing your father left for you, your very own inheritance, I feel it’s not fair. Let me help you get it back, please, Chris.”
“Forget it,” he said softly. “I’m not interested in that company anymore. Moreover, as I told you, I hear Jonathan has run it into very serious debts, and there might be a foreclosure soon.”
“Really?” Effe asked, aghast.
“Yeah,” Chris said. “Jon has always been greedy. That company is in serious trouble and needs heavy financial injection to reel it in. I don’t think I can be bothered. Don’t worry, I’ll make my own inheritance. I’m living my life just the way I want it, and I’m having a great time. So, go on and be happy with your surgeon, Effe.”
He reached out to switch the intercom back on, but suddenly Effe reached out with a desperation she could not understand and touched his hand, causing him to look at her suddenly.
“Something else bothering you?” he asked softly with narrowed eyes.
“You haven’t said you have forgiven me, Chris,” she said in a pained voice. “I’m so sorry for all the pain, heartache and troubles I caused you. I’m very sorry, Chris. Please, find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“It is okay, Effe,” he said with a sad smile. “I do forgive you.”
“And you’re fine, Chris?” she asked with a thudding heart.
“If by fine you mean if I have gotten over you, then yes, Effe, I’m fine,” he said as he looked intently at her. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and yes, as a man I want to kiss you, and make love to you. But that is as far as it will ever go. That love I had for you is long gone, Effe, and will never come back, not for you, not for any other woman. I got burned seriously and you exposed my most intimate pains, so I don’t ever want to fall in love again, no. So, we’ve burned our bridges now. Go and be happy.”
“I won’t see you again,” she stated, and her voice was unsteady.
“Do you want to?” he asked softly.
“I want us to be friends, Chris,” she whispered softly. “Can we be friends?”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a while.
“Alright,” he replied. “Friends, Effe.”
“Thank you, Chris,” she murmured and leaned back, and she was horrified to find that her hands were shaking from the deep sense of relief and the intense passion of that very brief moment.
Her heart pounded, and when she looked at him, she saw that he was still staring at her, and his eyes were slowly drawn to her slightly parted lips…lips that were soft and beautiful and always made him want to keep kissing her for eternity.
And Chris Bawa had to draw in all the inner strength he had to stop himself from stopping the car and reaching out to her. This girl, this damn beautiful girl that had grown into his very essence, into his blood so many years ago, charming him with her allure, her beauty and her subtle sexiness.
He could handle almost any woman and leave any woman without a backward glance. He taught his heart to harden over and not be subject to any whimsical vexation of romance, and surrounded himself with enough beautiful women that were perfect substitutes to each other.
Chris never spent too much time with any single woman, except perhaps Elaine, who had seemed unbothered by him anyway, until recently when she had started cooking for him, asking for time with him, and then finally making love to him with a passion and tenderness that had greatly surprised him.
But this girl, this Effe, a girl he had craved so fiercely the first time he set eyes on her, had the propensity to fill his soul and break down every layer of the barrier he had set up.
She was the only he had seen for the first time and not wanted to just have her and move on. Her company, the light in her eyes, the soft tingling melody of her laugh, the breath-stopping beauty of her smile, the silky touch of her hands, her childlike shudders and moans as he kissed her, the sweetness of those lips, the allure of her personality, her incredible mind, the completeness of her amazing beauty…everything about her had been, and still is, unique and amazing.
He had fallen in love with her without any defenses.
His heart had just exploded open, enfolded her, and closed over so that to him, she became the only woman in the world. He had wanted so much to tell her about Baaba, but had been scared she would decide to wait for Uncle Brooks to pass, but he had not wanted to stand in the way of such a priceless gem, an ethereal creature, a woman created different!
He had not wanted his love to stifle and cripple her!
Yes, he had made just a simple promise to himself: if she were still single after Uncle Brooks died, nothing was going to stop him from marrying, only her, and staying with her, only her, for eternity.
But then…she had turned out to be his worst horrors, and after that terrifying nightmare, his heart had just expired in love.
And just when he thought nothing else could ever affect him, here she was again…an improved version of that young lady. More beautiful, more alive, more matured, and more present! With just one kiss she was threatening his heart again, bringing back those alien feelings that rendered him weak and vulnerable to an extent that she filled his mind.
But no!
He could not allow that ever again!
Better to be loved than to love!
That had been his motto after Effe broke his heart, his own little secret, six little letters that had guarded his heart very well: BeLNeL…Be Loved, Never Love.
BeLNeL forever!
With almost a groan Chris switched on the intercom, and all the four lights became green, and the line cackled immediately.
“Have you guys found the peace olive?” Crankson asked immediately with a chuckle.
“We’re friends,” Chris Bawa said, and Effe smiled sadly when Wailer, Crankson and Wachipa burst into loud wolf calls.
“Did you kiss?” Wailer screamed. “Did you share some saliva?”
“She kissed me,” Chris said with a chuckle. “I didn’t.”
“Shame on you!” Effe said with a little unsteady laugh, and when he turned and smiled at her, his cheeks dimpled as she remembered, and the sheer explosion of the symmetrical beauty of his features made her breath freeze, and she realized suddenly just how much she had missed that smile.
“Hey, Gabes coming up in five minutes!” Crankson shouted. “Effe, stand by to hop into a taxi.”
She and Chris still held each other’s gaze, and then without knowing what she was doing, she spoke softly.
“I’ll get down at Algeria, Mike,” she said softly. “Chris and I have…other things to discuss.”
There was a startled silence on the lines as all the men were stumped by that statement.
Chris was staring at her with his little-boy-lost look, a characteristic trait she remembered so much, and she almost reached out to touch his face.
“Keep your eyes on the road, please,” Effe said softly as she pointed at the windscreen. “I’ll get down when we get to Algeria, and you can have your peace back.”
She stood up suddenly and moved toward the cabin.
“Where to?” he asked softly.
“I’m tired,” Effe said. “I need to rest a bit, Chris.”
As she squeezed through the small space between the seats her right hip brushed against his arm, and he looked up at her. She saw the sudden look of hunger in his eyes, and for a moment she felt the uncontrollable urge to bend and kiss him again. Her whole frame screamed for his arms, for his touch, for his kiss, and she stuck her lips between her teeth suddenly, horrified by her cravings.
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” Chris whispered, and then he looked away from her quickly, his vulnerable expression gone. “Slowly lying to my heart again. I’m not falling for it this time, Effe Kedem.”
She shut her eyes briefly with the pain that shot through her at his words, and then she sighed and went through to the cabin.
As she slipped into the comfortable bed and closed her eyes, she remembered their kiss again, and her heart pounded with the numbing thrill that passed through her body.
It would have been so sensible to get down at Gabes and move apart from him, but her heart was not ready for that eventual happenstance yet.
Somehow, in a most painful and breathless manner, she felt there was something that needed to be done and said, and that the time was not just ripe to leave the life of that dangerous man at the wheel.
***
Effe opened her eyes slowly.
For a moment, she felt really disoriented as she lay in the darkness. She shut her eyes for a moment, still feeling drowsy, and then slowly opened them again.
Reality came flooding back, and she sat up groggily.
She was still in the cabin of the truck, still on the bed.
It was warm and cosy, but dark. She picked up her phone which was lying on a backpack at the foot of the bed and pressed the home key to take a glimpse of the illuminated face of the phone.
It just past nine o’clock in the night, and her eyes opened with sudden surprise. Evidently, she had slept for almost six hours!
Maybe the harrowing experiences she had gone through coupled with the fragile truce between her and Chris had imbued her with a peace of mind in a tired body, and made her sleep for such a long time, longer than she had ever had recently.
She yawned and stretched luxuriously, and then she got out of the bed.
The windows were open, and Effe could hear a babble of excited noises and sounds filtering in. Her stomach rumbled as she moved to the front of the truck, sending an urgent message to her that she was ravenously hungry.
She looked out of the window and saw that there were lot of trucks parked in the area, which was a huge empty place except for a long, rectangular building she could see in the distance.
She could see people moving around and lights flitted across the expanse. There was no sign of Chris, and Effe sighed as she opened the door. When she stepped out of the truck, she saw that there was a mat on the floor just in front of the truck, and Chris Bawa was lying on it.
He got to his feet swiftly, and Effe noticed that he was wearing only a pair of shorts, and his huge, dark expanse hovered before her in all his glory. She could not quite make out his features in the darkness, but she was immensely aware of him, and she sighed deeply and clenched her fists to stop her sudden urge to wrap her arms around him.
“Chris,” she said softly. “Where are we? Sorry, seems I overslept.”
“Your body needed rest,” Chris said, and his voice was soft and gentle, just like she had known many years ago when he had seemed so besotted with her. “We just crossed the Tunisian border into Algeria, in a little town called El Oued.”
“I see,” Effe said with a slight scowl. “But there seem to be an awful lot of trucks here.”
“Yeah, this place is known as Camp T, a camp for truckers, made possible by the kindness of the Algerian government. Trucks on their way to Tunisia or Libya, and truckers coming to Algeria, or going to Benin, Niger, Togo and Ghana all stop over here at the Camp to freshen up, eat and have a little fun. Are you hungry?”
“I can eat an elephant,” she said with a little chuckle. “But, if it is not too much to ask, I’ll like to use a washroom.”
“Yeah, get your stuff and come with me,” he said softly.
Effe went back into the truck, opened her bag and took out her pouch of toiletries and her towel.
She followed Chris, who was now wearing a dark shirt, across the Camp T to a lighted-up rectangular building which had two entrances, one for men and another for females.
“Here,” Chris said and handed her an Algerian Dinar note. “That should pay for your needs.”
Effe took the money and looked at him gratefully.
“Thanks, Chris,” she said tenderly. “For everything.”
They looked at each other in an electric moment that was broken by the voice of another man who appeared behind Chris.
“Oh, my dearest me and myself!” the man said with elaborate charm. “Who is this angel, this queen of the night? Oh, goodness, dearest me and myself…you’re absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!”
Effe looked at the speaker.
He was a tall, sinewy man coming up behind Chris.
He was in white trousers and a white cotton shirt opened to his waist. On his head was a wide-brimmed Mexican sombrero. An acoustic guitar was slung across his right shoulder.
He was very dark with sparkling white teeth, and very handsome indeed.
He was as tall as Chris Bawa but not as broad. This man was leaner with very tight muscles. He smiled charmingly at Effe and took her hand. He bowed low and kissed the back of her hand.
“Ah, but you make my heart beat with rhythm!” he murmured.
“Leave her alone, Asemote,” Chris said coldly.
The tall, dark man looked at Chris, and the smile disappeared from his face, leaving it heavy and unfriendly.
“That’s not nice, Bawa-man,” he said in a very cold voice. “I don’t remember talking to you. I addressed the lady.”
“She’s my guest, Asemote,” Chris said calmly. “Lay off.”
“Guest, Bawa-man, not slave,” the man said and then smiled at Effe. “I hope this fair princess is not displeased with me.”
“Oh, not at all,” Effe said with a forced smile. “I’m Effe Kedem.”
She drew her hand from his.
“Ah, beautiful name,” the man said. “My name is Asemote Adansoke, from Benin. A driver, and a musician. Perhaps, when you’re a bit free tonight, you would care to join us on the field for a barbecue and some music around a firelight.”
“Oh, sounds great,” Effe said, looking at Chris’ angry face, and wondering if, by the wildest stretch of imagination, he was a trifle jealous. “I would love to come.”
“Great!” Asemote said. “Will look forward to that, Effe. Tata, Bawa-man.”
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He walked on, whistling softly.
Effe looked at Chris’ bleak face as he stared after the man.
“You don’t like him much, do you?” Effe asked with raised eyebrows.
Chris looked down at her with an expressionless face.
“Stay away from that bastard,” he said in a clipped tone. “He’s a nasty bastard.”
“What did he do to you, Chris?” she asked, her voice curious.
“Go take a shower, Effe,” he said and turned away from her. “And stay away from that guy.”
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Premium Story: A ChrisEffe Bliss :: LOVE HATES :: EPISODE 18
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