Forty-Six

It is deep night, well past midnight.

A police sedan is parked by the side on a secluded stretch of road. Parked behind it is a sleek Toyota Tundra.

Three men are standing in the dark shadows. They are Chief Inspector Dan Curtis, Sergeant Ato McBaiden, and Jonathan Afful, who hands over a huge brown envelope filled with money to Curtis. The cop hefts it, then passes it on to McBaiden.

"Thanks, Mr. Afful. You know how to do business," Curtis says icily.

"Cut the crap, Curtis. How is Operation Darlett coming on?" Afful asks with an edge to his voice.

"Darlett comes out of prison in a month. He's been briefed. The operation will go down as smooth as silk," the policeman says.

"You better get Chris, man. He must return to prison."

"Don't worry, man. I hate that son-of-a-bitch more than anybody," Curtis says coldly. "I'm going to get Chris. And he's going in forever this time!"

"Thank you. Well, I'll be on my way then. Good day, gentlemen."

He turns brusquely and returns to his car. A moment later, the powerful engine of the Tundra roars, and then it speeds off.

"Arrogant little prick. Wish I can break my boot over his face!" McBaiden says with venom.

"Me too, pal. But we need him, and he needs me. What's that famous expression… the enemy of my enemy is my friend? It's alright. Can't wait to send Chris back to prison," Curtis says.

"That is if Operation Darlett goes well."

"Oh yes, it will. It certainly will."

In the front seat of the Tundra Afful reaches across and fondles the naked breasts of the topless Chinese beauty sitting beside him. In the back seat is Steve Hollison, moaning gutturally as a beautiful prostitute with her face in his groin works on him feverishly. Afful looks across his shoulder and smiles at Steve.

"Smile, bro. Bawa is gone within one month!"

Steve smiles and pushes harder into the girl's mouth.

"I can't wait, bro."

"CB byebye! Forever! Next time!"

***

Elaine Boateng stretches and opens her eyes.

She is lying on the gigantic electronic water-bed in the upstairs master bedroom.

Their house is a magnificent sprawling two-tiered edifice. Located in the heart of East Legon, it is the envy of many. It has a design almost similar to a mini castle.

With apertures and glass in the right places, beautiful grass lawns, a breath-taking swimming-pool, a mini golf course, a lawn table tennis court and a basketball court, it has been described as one of the best homes in the country.

Best, Elaine thinks, but certainly not happiest.

It is huge, but there are no cries of children anywhere. She and Jon had dreamt of filling it with happy kids, but quite unfortunately, after three years of marriage, they still don't have any children. She looks across at Jon's side of the bed. It is empty, as usual. He will come in and claim of business deal closures, but she is sure he has just spent the night with one or two of his stinking Chinese prostitutes somewhere.

They do his bidding. They allow him to live his perverse sexual fantasies which she finds extremely demeaning and has refused time and again to let him have his way. She turns on her back and reaches for the remote controller. The bed has been revolving slowly, and she pushes a button on the remote that centers the bed.

She gets up from the bed, steps out of her negligée and pads naked into the huge bathroom. She runs a warm bath in the Jacuzzi, pours in essential oils and liquid soaps and fragrances, and climbs into the bath. She puts her head back, sets the massager, and enjoys the vibrating joys as the bath performs its magic.

She does not even remember the last time she and Jon had taken a bath together. An hour later she steps out of the bathroom, refreshed. She turns on the television which is mounted up high on one wall and then she sits in front of her exquisite golden dressing-table.

The channel is HEARTBEAT TELEVISION, where she works, and the morning show is on, hosted by Gabriel Aliefeh, a man Elaine detests with all her being because of his arrogance.

She listens to the newspaper headlines segment, and then loses interest and concentrates on her make-up kits. She is gently blowing air on her polished nails when she suddenly sees the still image of Chris Bawa Junior on the television, and below it are the words:

THE KID THAT TAMED THE BEAST.

She quickly picks up the remote and increases the volume of the television because the picture has receded to the background and Michael is about to speak.

"And now, a very inspirational story that has touched our hearts. You remember Mr. Chris Bawa, don't you, the man that is known nowadays as The Beast because of his nefarious role in the accident that took off one leg of Miss Sylvie Palmer a little over five years ago," Aliefeh says happily. "Well, there have been speculations that he might return to the ring to face the current undisputed GojuFist Champion, Mike Crankson, but this speculation can't be further from the truth. We received a call yesterday from young Chris Bawa Junior. Junior, of course, is the eight-year-old son of The Beast with his former wife Effe Kedem. It seems Junior does not want his father to step into the ring anymore, and so the little boy bought his father a food joint! It seems our former GojuFist fighter, the dreaded Beast, is going to use his hands again, but this time in an entirely new kind of sport. Kuukua Siaw has the full story. Watch!"

The page screen zooms out, and then the video of the beautiful Kuukua Siaw, the reporter, begins. She is standing in front of what once used to be the famous DIDI'S RESTAURANT.

"Think about Chris Bawa and what comes to mind? He's the young fighter who rose to become the undisputed Grandmaster of GojuFist, and later trained other champions. But you wouldn't really remember him for that, would you? You would definitely remember him as The Beast, the man who almost killed an innocent old man who tried to take a joint of marijuana from him," Kuukua Siaw reports excitedly. "You would remember him as the man who knocked down a girl and made her lose a limb, and you will also remember him as the man who resisted arrest so violently that he burst one eye of a policeman. Yes, Chris Bawa is The Beast. But it seems those days of mayhem are over. Chris was pardoned for putting up an extremely good behavior in prison, and was released just after five years in prison. Evidently, he learnt how to cook when he was in prison! And now he is out, and his son has bought him DIDI'S to help him start all over in life. Now, let's listen to the young giant himself!"

The video zooms in on Junior and Madam Didi in the background. Elaine watches the feature, stunned, and then she begins to get angrier by the second.

She cannot believe her eyes!

She has gone to great lengths to destroy Chris, great lengths to demonize him. He is now known as The Beast, and his acceptance in society has reduced to a zero factor. What is Gabriel Aliefeh and Kuukua Siaw doing? Making him a hero? Some sort of a refined criminal? Gabriel, apart from being the host, also serves as the director of the morning show. She knows she cannot get him as long as he is on air, and so she begins to dress quickly.

By the time she picks up her handbag, the show is over and the end credits are rolling on the screen. She takes her phone and calls. She has to do it several times before he finally picks the call, and she is even more infuriated when she hears him laughing happily in the background.

"Hello, Elaine."

"Why the hell did you do a feature on Chris Bawa, a known rapist and a terrible man who refuses to apologize for knocking a poor girl down and making her lose a leg? What the hell were you thinking?" she asks furiously.

"And since when were you appointed my supervisor? You now want to tell me what programs I can run?" Aliefeh asks in a cold, furious voice of his own.

"Of course not, Gabby, but you have to use your common sense –"

She cannot finish, because Aliefeh cuts in with a savagely angry voice.

"Go to hell, Elaine! We're running it as a major headline news today, at all prime times. Don't annoy me, or I swear I'll add all the edited parts about you being Mr .Bawa's former girlfriend to the report! Maybe I should've done that in the first place."

Elaine is stunned instantly, and she gives a terrified intake of breath. She is so shocked that for a moment she feels dizzy. How did Gabriel know? That relationship is a secret between Chris and her! How did they find out? Had Gabriel done a private check on her, or the news had come out during the Junior interview?

She has to know!

If it came out at the Junior interview then it means Effe might also know by now. She knows Gabriel Aliefeh hates her. The feeling is mutual; she also detests him, but this is the time to swallow her pride and eat a humble pie. When she speaks again her voice is calmer, and she sounds almost pleading.

"That is not totally true, Gabby. How did you know?"

"A journalist never discloses his source, Elaine. You should know that. Goodbye," he replies coldly, and then cuts the call. There is a gentle chime from the gold telephone on the bedside table. It is a house intercom. She glances at it irritably, and ignores it.

It might be the maidservant.

It rings again, and she crosses the room angrily and picks up.

"Yes? What is it?" Elaine snaps.

"Please madam, your friend Madam Effe is here," the maid says.

Elaine's intestines quails. Effe? Here this early? Maybe she is looking for Steve, just as Elaine is also looking for her husband.

But Elaine knows.

This visit is not about Steve. It is about Elaine and Chris. Somehow, Effe has found out. Elaine shuts her eyes as she begins to marshal her thoughts about how she is going to respond to Effe and defend herself.

Elaine breathes deeply, trying to still the pounding of her heart. She descends slowly to the living-room where Effe is waiting. Effe turns from the aquarium she has been staring emptily at, and faces her friend as she comes down the last stairs.

Effe is dressed for the office in a rather beautiful dark-blue suit that enhances her beautiful skin. Her eyes are dark with pain, and she looks very hurt indeed. Elaine stops and looks at her best friend warily.

"You know," she says softly.

"I know, Elaine," Effe says bitterly. "Chris told me."

"And he told you he didn't rape me, didn't he?" Elaine asks sadly.

"Did he, Elaine?" Effe asks bitterly. "Did he really?"

Elaine walks towards Effe, and she stares at her, and a moment later she drops to her knees.

"I'm guilty of keeping my relationship with Chris a secret, Effe," Elaine says, her voice contrite. "I'm very, very sorry, but at the time I didn't want to destroy your happiness when I saw how much you loved him. When I realized it was you he was going to marry, it was too late to tell you. Your happiness was important to me. Effe, I was wrong, but I did it for you. Please forgive me."

Effe turns away from her. She is hurt, and she fights to keep the tears away.

"Get up from the floor, Elaine."

Elaine stands up slowly. She walks to Effe and takes her hand in both of hers. She looks shame-faced as she speaks.

"You have to believe me, Effe, please," Elaine says desperately.

"I trusted you, Elaine. You were like a sister to me!" Effe says quaveringly. "You were my bridesmaid, not Ira. But all along as you stood beside me at the altar you were hurting over Chris!"

"I admit I was hurting, yes, but I had to do everything to make your marriage work," Elaine says tearfully. "That night I promised to bring him to you, the night you found him raping me, he was very high on alcohol and hard drugs. He begged me, telling me he wanted to sleep with me one last time, I refused. I called you from the bathroom, and when I went back to the room he pounced on me, and raped me. That's the truth, Effe, and nothing but the truth!"

Effe rubs her forehead. She still stares at Elaine as if she just can't' take it all in.

"Chris was talking about some conspiracies, Elaine, as if I knew something about what happened. I pressed him, but he said nothing, but for a moment I could see there was more. Something he really wanted to say. Is that all, Elaine, or there's more? This is your chance to come clean, because he also told me about how you used to love violent sex, and how it wasn't rape at all because that's exactly how you wanted it. You better come clean now, Elaine."

"We're closer than even twin sisters can ever be, you and I, and I'm telling you the undiluted truth now, Effe!" Elaine says passionately. "He tore off my clothes and raped me. If you want, let me confront him in your presence, and listen to what he will say, Effe. Why do you think I hate him so much? He was my former boyfriend, yes, but when I told him I wasn't going to sleep with him, he should have understood, and not forced himself on me. I couldn't do that to you, Effe. I can never do that!"

Elaine takes out a handkerchief and dabs rather unsuccessfully at the tears running down her face.

"I hope so, Elaine. But know that the truth never stays hidden," Effe says softly, but with hard eyes. "Don't let me find out there's more to this from somewhere else, okay? If I should ever find out you lied to me now, I'll never forgive you."

Effe turns and heads quickly for the entrance.

Elaine stares after her, smiling rather sadly. And there is unbridled profound relief on her face…and a subtle twist of cruelty to her lips.