The Jailbird Episode 15 and 16

by Aaron Ansah-Agyeman

Chris swings Barbara’s car through the gates of the gigantic Eden Hospital.

He swerves into the parking lot with the tires screeching in protest. He had torn off the sleeve of his shirt and tied it around his arm where Barbara stabbed him, and now it is soaked with blood. In the backseat is Barbara. Chris found a huge bedcover and wrapped it around her, and it is also soaked with blood.

When Chris gets out of the car, a sleek white Nissan Rogue also rolls past him, heading for the reserved spaces for doctors, but it comes to a halt and the driver reverses fast toward Chris. The driver’s window winds down, and a woman mentions his name.

He looks up, almost groaning with pain when he sees Effe’s face, but then he notices the dark birthmark on her forehead and realizes it is rather Eyram Kedem, Effe’s twin sister.

“Dear God, Chris! What happened to you?” she asks with great shock.

Chris opens the back door and quickly drags out Barbara, who is conscious and whose crazy eyes are still staring fixedly and with great hatred at Chris.

At the sight of the bloodied bundle in Chris’ arms, Eyram gasps and immediately gets out of her car. She takes her phone and calls for a gurney, and very soon medical staff arrive at the car lot, put Barbara on a stretcher, and wheel her away.

Chris leans against the side of the car, his face tortured.

“Oh, damn!” he murmurs softly, but with great passion.

Eyram takes his arm and speaks briskly. “Come with me, CB.”

“Please. Go and attend to her. I’m fine,” he says softly and pulls his arm out of her grasp.

She glares at him with sudden hardness.

“You’re coming with me this instant, Mr. Chris Bawa,” she says firmly and the set of her face brooks no argument.

The sleeve covering his wound is soaking-wet with his blood, and some drips down his arm and down his fingertips. He allows Eyram to take his arm, and soon they enter the cool interior of the hospital and she leads him straight to an emergency theatre.

She works deftly, unwinding the bloody sleeve from his arm and cleaning the wound. Her jaw tightens perceptively at the sight of the deep penetration in his arm, but without a word she soon has it stitched and bandaged.

“Thanks, Rammy,” Chris says softly.

Her gentle eyes flash with repressed anger, and her lips tremble with the depths of her feelings.

“You’re welcome, Chris,” she says with a deep sigh.

“A little problem, though,” he says, and she raises her eyebrows at him.

“And what might that be?” she asks a little tightly.

“I don’t have money on me, Rammy,” he says calmly. “Can’t pay for the treatment, at least not now.”

She sighs again, deeper, and peels off her gloves, dumping them angrily in a bin.

“I don’t remember asking you for payment, CB,” she says tightly.

They look at each other, and there is a very awkward moment between them. Chris knows – at that particular moment – that she is remembering exactly what he is also seeing in his mind’s eye, something that happened a long time ago between them…on a cold, rainy African night.

Chris was married to Effe then, and he came home that night drunk. Effe, pregnant with Junior then, had still been out, and Eyram was visiting. Chris and Eyram sat on a settee chatting. Chris didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, but he eventually noticed Eyram’s uneasiness, even though he was drunk.

He touched her hand, but Eyram pulled away, got to her feet abruptly and informed him that she was leaving. Surprised by her abrupt change in mood, he told her not to leave because it was still raining. She insisted on leaving, and he tried to stop her, holding her tightly, drunkenly. She struggled, and they crashed to the ground with her still in his arms. She landed on top of him, and in his drunken stupor he saw her eyes roaming his face, a pained look on her beautiful face, and then her eyes rested on his lips.

And then, quite suddenly, her lips descended, and she kissed him hard and passionately, her tongue darting hungrily into his mouth. Confused and absolutely shocked, he allowed her probing tongue but did not respond to her escalating passion. After a while, she moaned, put her face on his shirt, and then her body trembled violently for a while as if she was trying to hold back tears. Finally, she slid off him and stood up shakily.

He never forgot the words she uttered next.

“CB, sometimes twins share a heart and tend to love the same things, and the same people. That kiss didn’t happen. Don’t ever remind me of this moment, this kiss, ever!”

Then she went out the door into the rain. Watching her walking through the rain to her car, her shoulders hunched with pain, frustration and humiliation, he was very tempted to call her and hold her tight, for indeed he cared greatly about her…but just as a friend, and nothing more.

He managed to convince himself it didn’t happen, and shortly after that awkward moment Eyram got involved with one of the doctors, seemingly very much in love, and the whole unpleasant incident disappeared, save for very awkward moments they experienced occasionally…like now.

As he looks at her, he feels the same awkwardness in her, the same as what she exhibited that night, and it makes him very uncomfortable indeed. Suddenly the door opens, shattering that mad moment in time, and a white man pokes his head in. Eyram turns and a happy smile splits her face when she sees the man.

“Oh, Rupe. Please come in, would you?” she says with obvious relief.

The white man enters. He is young and handsome, of medium build, and with a full growth of curly black hair. He has a pencil moustache and striking blue eyes.

He is wearing a doctor’s white tunic, and as he looks at Eyram there is a tender look on his face that Chris doesn’t fail to notice.

“Chris, meet Doctor Rupert Henderson,” Eyram says brightly. “He’s a brilliant surgeon from South Africa and joined our team six months ago. Rupe, meet Chris Bawa, former brother-in-law.”

The two men shake hands, but Rupert is not smiling.

“Can I have a word with you, Eyram?” he asks calmly enough, but his eyes are hard and suspicious as he looks at Chris.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” Eyram replies with some level of surprise.

They walk outside, and the door slides close behind them.

Chris exhales and closes his eyes in despair.

A moment later, Eyram enters again, and she looks very troubled. Chris gets to his feet with a questioning look in his eyes.

“Rammy,” he says with concern. “What is it?”

She stops in front of him and suddenly holds his upper arms tightly, her face filled with great worry. She speaks in a frenzied rush.

“That lady you brought in, I think I recognized her. Is she the prison officer, the one who attends your father’s church?” she asks in an unsteady voice, and Chris nods.

“Yeah. Barbara.”

“Rupert attended to her. She told him and some of the doctors that you wanted to rape her at knifepoint, and when she refused you threw her through some glass windows!” she says with real worry on her face.

Chris is so stunned that he just stares at Eyram, unable to speak for a moment.

“No, that’s a total lie,” he says with a scowl.

“The doctors called the police, Chris,” she says fearfully. “The police are on their way here. They want me to keep you here till the police arrive. You have to leave, CB. Effe and Elaine are coming over to pick me up. We’re attending a live program on television, you know, Elaine’s program. I don’t want you to be arrested here, and I don’t want Elaine to witness it. Please leave fast, CB!”

“Dear God, Eyram! I didn’t do it! She is lying!” Chris begins, and then his voice trails off suddenly as he looks toward the door which has crashed open, and Effe enters, followed by Elaine.

Effe is dressed in a spectacular lime green dress that complements her classic breathtaking beauty. Her face, however, is filled with absolute anger and disgust as she comes toward Chris.

Eyram however meets her sister halfway across the room.

“No, Ef, please wait!” she says with concern.

Effe brushes Eyram aside, faces Chris, and then smashes him in the chest with both of her clenched fists.

“You filthy pig!” she hisses, her voice filled with disgust. “You filthy animal! You chauvinistic piece of dirt, Chris! What the hell is the matter with you? You come out of prison in what, just two days? And you try to rape another woman? Are you sick, Chris Bawa? Are you out of your damn mind?”

Chris remains silent because a lump has suddenly lodged up in his throat, and he knows that if he speaks tears will probably fall down his cheeks. But he was done crying over Effe. The last thing he wants is to show her his tears again.

“That’s what he does best, Ef! Once a pig, always a pig!” Elaine snarls, her lips curling with absolute disgust. “You now see who he is, don’t you? Five years in prison, and he’s sex-starved and doesn’t have money to pay for a prostitute, so he tries to rape the first decent woman that shows him kindness! You are a sick bastard, Chris!”

“Your son is so happy you’re back! He dotes on you, worships you!” Effe cries painfully. “But you never changed, did you, Chris? You will never change, will you?”

“Lay off, for now, Ef, please!” Eyram cries earnestly. “The police are coming! Let him go!”

Effe gives her sister a murderous look and speaks through clenched teeth. Her bitterness and anger know no bounds as she looks at Chris with disgust.

“You want to help a criminal like him, Rammy? You want him to escape his crimes? Did you see the bandages on that poor woman? Did you even see what he did to her? My God, Rammy! You disappoint me! He’s not going anywhere! Lock the door, Elaine! Let him beat me down before he can get out of here!”

Elaine locks the door, and then she walks back and holds Effe’s hand in solidarity.

Chris turns away from Effe. He cannot bear to see the sheer hatred in her eyes. He walks to the window and stands still with his back to her and his head bowed. He squeezes his eyes shut tightly to stop the tears from bubbling out. He can hear sirens now and knows the police have arrived. He feels someone beside him, and when he opens his eyes Eyram is standing there. She touches his arm gently, and her eyes never leave his tortured face.

“I’m really sorry, CB,” she says gently, and the genuine anguish on her face touches him deeply. He nods but does not speak.

The door rattles. Elaine runs to the door and opens it. Two policemen come in. One has an eye-patch; Chief Inspector Dan Curtis Cuger. With him is the huge Sergeant Henry McBaiden.

“There he is. The fucking bastard! Seems you’re going to serve the rest of your five years after all. Cuff him, Henry,” Cuger says with a hatred that he cannot hide.

Cuger takes out his gun and covers Chris. McBaiden carefully approaches Chris with a pair of handcuffs.

“Hands behind your back, Bawa,” he says nastily.

Chris puts his hands behind his back, and McBaiden locks the handcuffs on him. The policeman shoves Chris forward savagely, causing Eyram to react angrily.

“Hey! Is that how you’re supposed to treat a suspect, sir?” she asks acidly.

McBaiden looks at her with his nasty little eyes.

“Bet you’ll sing a different song if you had been the rape victim, doctor!” he replies with a disdainful snort.

Effe shakes her head sadly at Chris, but he does not even look in her direction as he walks toward the door. Elaine is holding her phone up as she records what is going on.

Cuger wags a stern finger at her.

“I’ll advice you not to do that, Ma’am,” he says coldly, but Elaine hesitates a bit longer to get more footage before putting the phone away.

The cops take Chris outside.

Effe is trembling as she walks dejectedly toward her sister, and much against her will, she suddenly feels the hot tears trickling down her face.

“How could he, Rammy? How could he?” she asks quaveringly. “How could he do that to Junior? Oh, Lord! When will this bastard stop hurting us?”

Eyram says nothing. She simply hugs her sister and consoles her, fighting hard to keep her tears away and to stop the pain in her own heart.

Elaine, on the other hand, is bursting with excitement. The video she has captured is perfect and will serve her program. She can’t wait to get to the studio and present it to her live audience.

“Seems to me you guys can’t make it to the studio with me now, right?” she asks, striving to remain gentle.

“Sorry, Elaine. Another time. Can’t take it now,” Effe whispers, evidently distraught.

Elaine nods her understanding, and then she leaves the two sisters alone after hugging Effe briefly. It is time for her to go and prepare for a most explosive program!

Episode 18

The Studio is filled for the screening of GIRL VIBZ, the most popular talk show in the country hosted by the beautiful Elaine Boateng. All the studio seats are taken, mostly by women. The hostess’ platform is beautifully-designed, replete with beautiful armchairs and a breathtaking background.

A crimson ceiling-to-floor partitioning to one side of the talk area suddenly parts, and Elaine emerges, walking on a red carpet. She is dressed in a spectacular cream skirt suit. The camera pans to follow her from above, to the side and finally to a full facial shot as she enters the studio fully.

There is applause as the studio audience gets to their feet and gives her a standing ovation. She smiles and waves to her audience, and then as the applause peters off, she faces the camera with a sombre expression, and millions of viewers nationwide watch and wait for her intro.

“Today, our topic is BEASTS IN OUR MIDST,” she begins, her voice perfectly modulated to reflect sadness and horror. “We’re going to talk about the criminals we lock away, who do time and come back to society. Do our prisons really change some of these hardcore criminals, or make them worse? What happens when they come back and commit more heinous crimes? What about hardened criminals who are supposedly pardoned by special presidential orders? What does that mean to our safety as a people and as a nation? Ladies and gentlemen welcome to GIRL VIBZ. Today the focus will be on criminals that come back from prison, with particular emphasis on a particular beast who has been released into our midst recently!”

Once again there is thunderous applause. Elaine smiles at the audience as she walks to the talk area and stands behind a beautiful glass-topped podium. She holds up her hand, and the noise dies down slowly until silence reigns.

“Before I continue, let me show you something. Welcome one of my special guests for today, Miss. Sylvie Palmer!”

The partition parts again, and a young lady in a wheelchair emerges, pushing herself rather laboriously in a wheelchair. She has only her right leg. Her left leg is missing. The camera gives a close-up shot of her face which appears to be in some pain. She cuts a pathetic sight as she rolls the wheelchair along, silencing the spectators, and making them look at her with pitying eyes.

The millions of people who were watching the show on television across the country are also mostly silent. Eyram, who is in Effe’s house, is sitting in an armchair eating vanilla ice cream and watching the program. She suddenly freezes with a scoop of iced cream raised to her mouth and looks over at Effe who is sitting dejectedly in her seat, watching the program.

“Isn’t that girl the one Chris knocked down?” Eyram asks with surprise, causing Effe to look closer at the screen, and then her face also expresses her sudden shock.

“My God! Yes, she is!” Effe says hoarsely.

Eyram puts the spatula back in the ice cream bowl, her expression suddenly sad, her eyes fixed accusingly on her sister.

“Did you know Elaine was going to do a program on Chris tonight?” she asks icily. “Is that why she wanted both of us to be on the set?”

Effe shakes her head numbly.

“No, I didn’t, Rammy. But why do I hear a note of anger in your voice? Chris doesn’t do himself any favours, don’t you think? And he did rape Elaine. I don’t think she’s ever going to forgive him for that. She’ll pick on him at any given opportunity, and I don’t blame her so much for that.”

Back on the television the cameras are panning, picking up the faces of some of the people in the audience, concentrating on their looks of sadness and horror. The camera stops on a portrait shot of Jonathan Afful and Steve Hollison, both sitting on the upper terraces, and they are smiling.

The shot fades out and now the cameras focus on Sylvie Palmer, who is sitting still in the wheelchair with a sad look on her face. She is young, about sixteen years old now, and she smiles uncertainly into the camera. Elaine soon comes to stand beside Sylvie with a solemn look on her face. She places a hand on the girl’s shoulder, and then she looks sadly into the camera again.

“Five years ago, Sylvie Palmer was a happy girl. She was eleven years old, and she was walking along the beach road on her way home with her father. And on that fateful day, Sylvie met Mr. Chris Bawa. You all remember Mr. Bawa, don’t you? He was then co-founder of FINE GOJU. Chris was drunk, and he was high on cocaine that day and driving dangerously. He smashed poor Sylvie into a coconut tree on the roadside. Sylvie was rushed to the hospital. She lost her left leg that day. She was a victim of that beast, Mr. Chris Bawa!”

Elaine pauses for effect as the camera zooms in on the tearful face of Sylvie, and the looks of horror on the faces of the audience. Elaine kneels beside Sylvie and takes her hands. She turns a devastated face to the camera.

“We were all horrified by the incident but felt it was just an unfortunate accident. But we all know one thing for sure…Mr. Chris Bawa never said sorry to Sylvie for ruining her life, whether privately or publicly. Sylvie, has Mr. Chris Bawa ever apologized to you?”

The camera zones in on Sylvie, who has tears in her eyes suddenly. She closes her eyes in anguish, and tears roll down her face.

“No, please!” the girl gasps out, her voice ending on a broken sob.

There is a groan of anger from the audience.

Eyram gets off the couch and pushes her ice cream away, and then she reaches for the remote.

“This makes me sick!” she says angrily. “Why now? Why is she doing this?”

Effe pulls the remote out of Eyram’s hand and looks at her sister through moist eyes.

“I’m watching the program, Rammy, please,” she says in a strained voice.

Eyram looks at her sister for a moment, and then she picks up her bag and stands up in a huff.

“Well, I don’t see any use in watching that. Today is a Sunday, so bail won’t be set for Chris. Would you go to the police station tomorrow and bail him?” she asks.

Effe smiles sadly.

“Why should I do that, Rammy? I don’t know what’s wrong with that man. I don’t see why he thinks he can rape any woman around him!”

“You didn’t listen to him, Ef!” Eyram cries, exasperated. “He was saying something at the hospital before you entered. He was genuinely shocked when I told him Barbara levelled rape claims against him. That girl has always been weird, Ef. Her head is not screwed on right. I don’t believe Chris did that to her.”

“Chris is a liar, Rammy!” Effe cries, almost shouting. “Don’t you realize that? He’s been lying all his life!”

“So, you’re going to allow him to rot inside a police cell, Ef?” Eyram asks softly. “He’s the father of your son, for Christ’s sake!”

“Stop judging me, Rammy!” Effe blurts out desperately. “What’s gotten into you anyway? Did he respect me? Did he respect his own son? He promised the boy he would never go to jail again, and in just two days he tries to rape a woman who’s been kind to him!”

“Damn it, Ef! You didn’t even listen to his side of the story!”

“I don’t need to listen to him! I gave that man my life and my soul, and he trod on it, Rammy! I’m not going to give Chris Bawa the chance to hurt me again, never! I won’t have anything to do with him! I’m going to marry Steve and try and be happy. To hell with Chris Bawa!” Effe says in a hurt, angry voice.

“He was in prison for five years. He comes back and finds you almost married to his friend, the man who was his best man at your wedding,” Eyram says sadly. “His family has disowned him, and he has nothing on him. He told me he couldn’t even afford his treatment. Do you know what you do to such a man, Ef, dearest sister? You cut him a little slack! That’s what you do! Don’t worry, tomorrow morning I’ll go to the police station and bail him. Ain’t it amazing, you always believe others over a man you claim you loved.”

Eyram then turns to leave.

“Don’t do this, Rammy, please,” Effe says desperately. “Don’t let Chris be a bone of contention between us. If you want my advice, just let Chris be. He’s trouble.”

Eyram pauses at the door and looks sadly at her sister.

“I’ve never seen a rapist carrying his victim to the hospital, Ef,” she says softly. “Chris could’ve fled the scene, and the girl would’ve bled to death. But he rushed her to the hospital. Think about that.”

She walks out, closing the door gently behind her.

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