Thirteen

Junior gets down from Steve's car and runs straight into the house.

Steve stares after him, and then he looks over Effe who is unstrapping her seatbelt.

"Seems your son is really fighting for his father, sweetheart," he says calmly enough, but there is an underlying tone of worry and jealousy in his voice.

Effe glances at him as she opens her door.

"Don't take it to heart, Steve," she replies, striving for calm. "They were close, and he has missed his father. End of story. It doesn't affect us in any way."

Steve's eyebrows raise as he looks at her keenly.

"It doesn't? You sure about that, honey? You ran after Chris and followed him as far as the church entrance this morning."

Effe laughs shakily, a little nervously.

"I wanted to tell him to try and sign the divorce papers, Steve. Was that also a sin?"

He hears the slight hint of exasperation in her voice, and he is quick to make the reconciliatory overture. He reaches across and squeezes her hand lovingly.

"Sorry, honey. Guess I'm feeling a little bit insecure, you know. That little drama in the church really got to me. I'm the jealous possessive type, as you well know."

Effe smiles at him, and touches his cheek briefly.

"Well, there's no need for that. There's just no way Chris and I are ever getting back again. You should know that."

"I know, I know. Sorry about that. Were you able to talk to him about the divorce?" Steve asks.

Effe drops her eyes. She is not used to lying, and it makes her feel extremely uncomfortable and terrible lying to Steve. In truth she just wanted to ask Chris where he would be staying when she ran after him. She feels very sorry for him, for losing the house and everything he owns, and feels a more than a bit guilty too. Maybe she should have kept some of his things, those she knows he cherished. But she cannot tell Steve all that. It will begin a fight that will last for many days, because Steve is that insecure.

"No, I couldn't. He got a lift and left before I could reach him," Effe says quickly. "I'll make the necessary arrangements with Uncle Darkwa to take the documents to Chris and make him sign."

"Do that, honey," he says tenderly. "That would make me very happy indeed."

Effe nods and gets out of the car. She walks round his side and stops.

"Coming in?" she asks.

Steve shakes his head.

"Nah, honey. Gonna take a pass. Would see you this evening. Joining Jon for a few swings at the golf club."

"Alright, dear. Would expect you this evening then," Effe says.

She watches as he drives out and the security men close the gates. She sighs miserably and walks into the house. She sits down gently in a sofa. She wonders why she has not told Steve that Chris signed the divorce papers finally. She knows it will make him very happy because it is what they have waited for all these years.

She thought Chris would fight it, like he has been doing for five years now. But he simply signed it, just like that! What has changed? Is it because of that prison officer who drove off with him at the church?

Effe knows Barbara as a member of the church. They are formal to each other, but she did not know Barbara works at the James Fort prison where she has obviously grown close to Chris. Is there something going on between them? It should not be any concern of hers, of course, because she and Chris are divorced now, and she is going to marry Steve, and should not really care about what Chris is doing…but she is curiously disturbed.

That man hurt her and trampled on her feelings. He does not deserve a second chance with her, and she has resolved to keep her head high and dwell on the future. So, why is there a disquieting turmoil in her soul? Why has she felt that familiar twinge in her heart when Barbara hugged him with a total lack of decorum? Why is she wondering if Barbara is also another victim of Chris' charms?

She did not visit him in prison after that first horrible time, and neither has she responded to the numerous telephone calls he made to her during the first two years of his incarceration. She did not even listen to the advice of the Reverend Fii Jon to visit Chris. She cut him out of her life completely. So, why is she now feeling a trifle guilty that she abandoned him? Chris deserves everything that he is getting and more because he acted like a bastard!

She tells herself to move on with her life. It is going to be difficult, but she knows she must. She looks up suddenly as Junior descends the steps to the living-room holding his little blue piggy bank. He has been saving his money in that piggy bank for almost a year and a half now. He keeps every coin and every cedi he receives from his mother and others in there. There must be a small fortune in there, Effe muses. There have been times when she wanted to open it, but Junior always refused because he wants to save enough in there to buy himself a helicopter.

"Sweet Prince, did you receive some gifts of money today?" Effe asks tenderly.

Junior smiles rather sadly. Effe can still see the faint white marks on his cheeks from his tears earlier in the church.

"No, Mom. I want to open it now."

She raises her eyebrows, surprised. She has not expected to hear that from him, at least not now.

"Really?" she asks with a chuckle. "Why? Are you ready to buy your helicopter now?"

He looks down and swings one foot uneasily. She notices his discomfiture. She kneels in front of him and takes his one of his hands in hers.

"Hey, sweetheart, what is it?" she queries gently. "Don't go alien on me. You know you can tell me everything."

He looks earnestly into her eyes and speaks in a rush, his face riddled with guilt.

"I know you really, really, really wanted to open my piggy bank, Mom, and I didn't let you. You can open it now and take some of the money. Daddy used all his money for offertory today. I'll give the rest to him. It is not that I didn't want you to take my money when you wanted to open the piggy bank. Please don't be angry that I want to give the money to Daddy, but…"

She puts a finger across his lips and smiles, strangely touched by his gesture and the train of his thoughts.

"Sweetie, I know you have a good heart," she says with lump in her throat, brought by a sudden rush of love for her son. "No, I'm not bothered at all that you want to give your money to your father."

His wonderful eyes move rapidly, searching her face.

"You sure? Really, really, really sure, Mommy? Cross your heart sure?"

She crosses her heart and smiles at him.

"Yes, cross my heart sure, honey," she says quaveringly.

He looks down again at his feet and nods. He bites his lip, takes a deep breath, seems to come to a decision, and then he looks her in the eye.

"Mom, I know you don't like Daddy so much again," he begins hesitantly.

And that hurts her very much.

Above all else she tried, over the years, not to give her son that impression, and she is absolutely shattered by the fact that he has the notion that she hates Chris.

"Oh, no, please, honey! What gave you that idea? I have nothing bad against your father," she says earnestly. "He'll always be a part of me and a close friend of mine."

His face is suddenly sad, and she sees tears filling up in his eyes. He speaks so softly that she has to strain to hear him.

"Why didn't you allow me to visit him in prison then? And, why is it that when he came here to see me when he came out of prison, you allowed the police to take him away? So, does that mean that any time I see Daddy the police will come and take him away?"

When a tear rolls down his right cheek it shakes Effe hard. She fights her own tears, and brushes his tears away with an unsteady hand.

"My prince, sometimes adults have differences, okay?" she says quaveringly. "They behave in ways you might not understand, but that doesn't mean they don't have good intentions. I was angry with your father, but I'm not anymore. Yesterday, I went to the police station and signed a document that wouldn't let him be taken by the police anymore. You can see him now, and no police will take him away."

Although tears are still bubbling in his eyes, he smiles suddenly, a happy smile that dimples his cheeks, and in that instant, he looks so much like his father that it sends a sudden bolt of pain through Effe's heart.

"Thank you, Mama. So, can you open the piggy bank for me?"

Effe smiles and buzzes his right cheek.

"Well, why don't you keep it as it is, my prince? Next time you see your father, the two of you can open it," she said tenderly. "I think he would like that."

His smile broadens, and she knows he is pleased.

"Are you really, really, really, really sure you don't want some of the money?" he asks with a slight scowl.

"I'm really, really, really sure I don't want any, cowboy!" Effe says with a smile.

He hugs her tightly, and she is overcome by the love she feels for him.

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, my prince!" she whispers.

He turns happily and as he begins to climb the stairs, she wipes tears from her cheeks and picks up her bag. She extracts some fifty-cedi notes from her bag.

"Hey, Champ, take this," she calls out to him.

He retraces his steps to her and looks at the amount of money in her hands with surprise.

"Mommy! That's a lot of money! Why are you giving it to me?"

She shrugs, trying hard not to smile.

"Oh, you've earned it for being a good boy. Go on take it," she says, striving to sound nonchalant. He takes the money, still looking at her, and then he smiles broadly with a bashful mischievous expression now crawling up his face.

"You can't fool me, Mama!" he says with a giggle. "You still like him, don't you? That's why you're giving me more money for him!"

Effe laughs gently.

"Do you want the money or not, you saucy young man?"

He takes the money, kisses her quickly on her right cheek, and rushes upstairs to stuff the money in his piggy bank. Effe sighs heavily and switches on the television.

"Damn you, Chris!" she says softly.