Fifty-Three

When Effe enters the ward, everybody steps aside.

Junior is sitting up on the bed, a bandage around his head, and on his face is the saddest expression Effe has ever seen on his face. She walks to him and takes him in her arms and hugs him gently. Junior hugs her back, and then she feels moisture on her shoulders and quickly pulls back from him, and sees that he is weeping silently.

"Hey, hey, my love, what is it?" Effe asks with pain in her heart.

Junior wipes his tears unsuccessfully.

"Where's Daddy?"

Effe sighs, and pulls him into her arms again.

"He'll be with you soon, my dear."

"I don't really, really, really want him to fight that awful man, Mommy!" he cries, absolutely shattered. "Daddy will die! I saw it in my dream! Daddy mustn't fight!"

Effe tries to smile and keep her tears away.

"Then you tell him, my Prince. Come, let's get out of here. Let's find him, and you tell him."

***

Bobo Black is lying on the bed, heavily bandaged through his ribs and upper abdomen.

His face is badly swollen. He is lying perfectly still because the slightest movement sends shafts of pain through him from the fractured ribs even though he has been heavily medicated to dull the pain.

In the Ward are Afful, Steve, Nana Bosomtwum and a surly-looking Mike Crankson, who has pulled his hoodie over his head.

Afful is speaking on the phone and on the television screen are images of Chris Bawa and Wailer Vroom entering a car, and the huge caption underneath screams:

GOJUFIST: CLASH OF THE TITANS, EPIC WAR LOOMS: BAWA VS CRANKBOSS

Afful cuts the call and glances at the television with distaste. He looks at Crankson angrily.

"You had to go and do it, didn't you?" Afful asks, unable to keep the disgust from his voice. "You hurt the little boy? Are you crazy, Micky? Now Chris has the whole goddamn country on his side, urging him on to destroy you! Is that what you want?"

"Bug off, man! Just gave the boy a tiny shove," Crankson says petulantly. "Didn't know he was gonna crack his skull! I ain't afraid of Bawa. I'm gonna break him up!"

"Stop the nonsense talk, kid!" Bobo says weakly. "That guy will eat you for spaghetti. See what he did to me?"

Bosomtwum holds up his hands.

"Look, cut out the blame crap," he says. We're all in real shit right now. We need to make a statement. Chris now has a promoter. He has come out. Everybody knows we've been making a lot of noise, so we're supposed to be the first to issue a statement. So, what's it going to be?

"We accept the Chris fight," Afful says softly.

"What? Are you crazy, Jon? That Chris boy is having orgasms over Mike's blood, man!" Bobo says, stunned. "You know he's going to kill the boy if he steps into the ring with him. Shit, I didn't see him move, and the power of that punch! Jesus, if he catches Mike in the head with that kind of blow Mike will die!"

"He's right, Jon. We all know Chris. I think we forgot how good he really is. It seems prison life has even made him better. We can't accept this fight. We have to make a statement, you know," Steve says, sounding agitated. "We apologize publicly for what happened to Chris' son. We offer to pay compensation and not press charges against Chris for the assault on Bobo. We go on to say, under the circumstances, Chris' acceptance of the fight is based on a personal vendetta of vengeance, and according to the rules of GojuFist any fighter will be banned for having any other motive except pride, sportsmanship and mutual legal aggression. That's all."

Afful holds his arms across his chest.

"Hold your guns, guys. I told you I've got this under wraps," he says. "You all know that anything else apart from accepting the fight, on Chris' terms, will forever stick to our champion as being a coward. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to accept the fight and fix it next weekend just like Chris wants."

They all begin to speak at once, disagreeing, and Bobo even winces with pain, but Afful calmly holds up his hands again, and eventually silences them.

"You assholes didn't let me finish. Yes, we'll accept the match and hype it up," he says calmly. "Now Darlett is out of prison, and he's with Chris. He's the grey-haired guy we saw at the hospital, Steve, remember?"

Steve nods, suddenly interested, his eyes greedy.

"Yes, I remember."

"Good. Here's the catch. We'll accept the fight, hype it up, sell tickets and television rights. Then on the Thursday before the fight, Darlett will launch the operation on Chris, and Chris will be disgraced, back in prison or, hopefully, dead. Then there will be no fight, we refund monies back and, bingo, Mike will become a hero because people will once again see Chris as a rotten criminal!"

They're all grinning now.

"I think I love the sound of that. Whew! Yes, bring it on," Crankson says with a relief.

"I hope your plan works, Jon," Steve says somberly. "Because if it fails, your world will come crashing down around your feet."

Afful puts a hand across Steve's shoulders.

"Believe me, old boy, I want that bastard gone more than you. This plan is full proof, the only flaw being that Chris might end up in jail instead of being killed."

"Who gives a dog's fart whether he dies or goes to prison? We just want him out of society!" Steve says, his voice brimming with hatred.

They all begin to laugh, and Crankson laughs the loudest.

"Yeah, who gives a dog's fart? Who gives a nun's dry cunt? Gone is gone!" Crankson says, bellowing with relieved laughter.

The men laugh uproariously.

They are obviously very relieved.

***

Junior is sleeping soundly in one of the guest rooms.

He had wanted to see his father, and Ira had thought it best he spent the night at her place so that she can monitor him further as he waits for Chris.

Effe had decided to stay with her sister too, just to be close to her son. She had cooked some plantain and garden-eggs stew for herself and Ira. It is the first time in a while that the two sisters have been alone and sharing a cozy dinner.

The moment strikes both of them, and they laugh a lot as they remember old times.

After dining, they take tall glasses of ice-cold Coca-Cola to the porch. They sit on the beautiful cane chairs, and when Effe sees the Boys Quarters her mood suddenly dampens.

"I wonder where that boy is. Lord, why did you allow me to fall in love with such a crazy man?" Effe says with passion.

Her sad tone makes Ira look at her sharply. She takes a sip of her coke to hide the sudden lurch of her heart.

"Chris will always be Chris, Ef," Ira replies. "The moment that Crankson brute hurt Junior, you knew Chris will never let it rest, didn't you?"

"That's it, Rammy," Effe says sadly. "Chris' life has always been like that, no resting. If he learns how to rest, for even a second, what a wonderful life he will have."

Again, Ira drinks her coke. She looks at her sister and then she sighs heavily.

"So, you and Steve," she says carefully. "Have you fixed a date yet?"

Effe looks up at her sister, and her face is a topography of worry and distress.

"How can I? Can I do anything sensible when that bad boy Chris Bawa is around, Rammy?" Effe asks softly. "I tried. Lord knows I tried, and I guess Mom especially is going to be mad at me, but there's nothing I can do about it."

Ira is suddenly feeling quite sick. She forces herself to drink down all the coke, and put the glass down with the ice cubes tinkling in it.

"Meaning you've decided to go back to Chris?" she asks softly.

Something in Ira's voice makes Effe look at her sharply with a little scowl.

"I've never stopped loving Chris, Rammy."

"The man you divorced, the man you and Mom couldn't stand, the man you left alone in a rotten prison for five years?" Ira asks derisively. "You now want him back? You now realize you still love him? If he had not come out of prison you might have been a married woman now, Ef."

Effe slowly puts down her drink and turns and looks at her sister, so stunned that for a second, she can hardly speak.

"Jesus, Rammy! What's this? Are you judging me? You of all people should know what I've been through," Effe says with indignation. "Young mother, budding lawyer, and suddenly my husband goes berserk and beats up an old man who wanted to take a roll of marijuana from him? He ends up knocking down a poor innocent girl who loses one of her legs? He bursts the eye of a policeman and then they find cocaine in his car? But suppose all that is just the workings of the drugs in him, so I forgive him for that. But what about Elaine? A girl who is like a second sister to me? My maid of honor! And he rapes her! What do you suppose I felt, Rammy?"

"I'm not judging you, Ef. I'll never do that. But I find it so amazing when you claim you love him, and now want him back when you've never really believed in him. Even now, after knowing he had sex with Elaine and you caught him in the act, but he wasn't raping her, you still continue to believe Elaine's version. And yet you claim you love him? Maybe we have different perspectives about love, but I know I'll always believe Chris over Elaine."

"What the hell are you talking about, Rammy?" Effe asks, feeling disgusted suddenly.

"You never believed him when he told you he didn't rape Elaine," Ira says, and she sounds defensive.

Effe freezes. She looks at her sister carefully. She wonders if Chris has also told Ira that he and Elaine had been in a relationship once. No, he couldn't have. When he confessed to her it had been torn out of him. Ira surely would have told her if Chris had told her anything like that.

"What's there to believe, Rammy? I didn't hear it from somebody. Elaine didn't accuse him. I walked into a hotel room and he is on top of her naked body," Effe says forlornly. "She is screaming, crying for him to stop, scratching his back until blood poured! And you want me to believe he wasn't raping her, dear sister? I can accept he made a mistake he's sorry for, and I've now forgiven him, and ready to rebuild our lives together, but what I saw that day was sickening."

Ira sighs miserably, and then she looks up as a Nissan Pathfinder turns into the yard. She notices how Effe jumps to her feet instantly and begins to walk towards the car. Ira reaches out and touches Effe's arm. She looks her sister in the eyes and speaks softly.

"Listen, Ef. Chris doesn't have to rape any woman. Apart from the fact that you're sexier and far more beautiful than Elaine, he doesn't really have to rape her, or any woman."

"What're you talking about, Rammy?" Effe asks, confused.

"Unless you believe that Chris is a pervert, who can decide to rape any woman, let me tell you that Chris Bawa can have any woman he wants. That is what you've never understood."

As she turns away and picks up the glasses and leaves the porch hurriedly, Effe stares after her, aghast. She suddenly feels cold, and has goose-bumps all over her body. The air locks in her throat and for a moment she cannot breathe. What is that air about Ira, and that note in her voice? Effe feels there is something she is not getting, something she cannot put a finger on. But can it be true? Has Elaine held back about something? Is that why Chris had made some veiled accusations?

The Pathfinder has stopped, and three men jump out. She sees Chris taking a quick look at Effe's and Ira's parked cars, and then he comes striding towards the main house. Effe descends the steps and walks slowly towards him.

Up in the house Ira parts the curtains and watches them. Effe is looking into Chris' face. His face is hard and still as if made from granite.

When they reach each other they do not speak. Effe simply walks into him and her arms encircle his neck. He crushes her to his chest, and when their lips meet it is with a hungry violence that draws their souls out and unites them with the fervor of starved love.

Ira turns away from the window with a little sob, and as she does so, she sees that Junior has walked into the living-room and he is out and walking rather slowly towards his parents. The pain is sudden and unbidden, as terrible as it is unwanted in Ira's chest. She walks quickly to her room and slams the door. She leans against the door and takes hard breaths, shutting her eyes tightly.

"This is sick, Ira. Very sick!" she whispers fiercely to herself. "You can't have this feeling! You can't have this pain. He's your sister's love! Stop this nonsense this very instant!"

Even so, tears force their way past her tightly-shut eyelids and fall down her cheeks.

Chris feels a hand on his thigh, and he tries to pull back, but Effe will not let go as she hungers against his lips.

"Daddy! Stop that! Mommy, stop the face-licking thing!" Junior says sharply.

They break apart, and realize their son is with them. Chris falls to his knees instantly and gathers his son into his arms. His huge body trembles as deep emotions overcome him.

But he does not cry this time round. He leans back slowly and stares at his son.

"Listen, Champ. I made a promise to you, and I'll always keep my promise. But that man, he's not a very good man. He keeps hurting people. And he hurt you, and I can't allow that, Champ. I'll not allow anybody to hurt you."

"But I really, really, really don't want you to fight, Daddy!" Junior says, bursting into tears. "I don't want you to die, Daddy."

Chris gathers his son into a hug again.

"Daddy is stronger than ever, Champ. Daddy is not going to die," he says in an unsteady voice.

"You promise, Daddy? You really, really, really cross your heart promise you're not going to die?" he asks quaveringly.

The two other men have reached them now.

It is Darlett Thompson and Wailer Vroom.

"I promise Champ. After the fight, I'm going to buy your Mommy the biggest diamond ring and we're going to take our vows again, and we're going to be a family again."

Junior's worry disappears instantly and he looks up at his mother with the pure innocent happiness of an angel.

"Is it really, really, really true, Mommy?" he asks happily.

Effe laughs, and she runs a hand through the hair of her son and that of her man, and even though tears stream down her face she is also smiling happily.

"I love your crazy father, my Prince. Yes, we're going to be a family again, and you're going to have little sisters and brothers!"

"No more Uncle Stevie step-father nonsense?" Junior asks in a worried voice.

"No, no more Stevie step-father nonsense, my dearest," Effe says with tears in her eyes, seeing for the first time how Junior had really been affected by that prospect.

They all laugh, and the boy throws his arms around his father's neck and whoops.

"YAPPITY YAPPITY YIPPPPEEEE!"