Ninety-Four

ONE YEAR ON

Chris is driving a sleek customized black Hummer.

The car is passing along a beautiful seafront, and they can see the waves lapping gently on the shore. Junior is sitting in the front passenger seat, and his eyes are glued to the window as he takes in the amazing sight.

Effe is in the back seat, looking as beautiful as ever, cradling their nine-month old daughter, Ira.

"Cooooool! This place is so cooool, Daddy! I love it!" Junior shouts, awed. "I wish I'm staying here! Can we live here?"

Chris chuckles and reaches over and tussles his hair.

Effe carefully puts the baby in the carrier on the seat beside her, and then she leans over, her face puzzled, and nibbles at Chris' ear.

"So where are you taking us, Chris-Love?" Effe asks, intrigued. "This surprise of yours is killing me!"

"We will be there soon, Angel. Just exercise patience, kids."

Effe and Junior laugh, and then Chris swings the car unto a beautiful tarred road, and soon they are travelling through tall royal palms, the scenery giving way to an amazing green. Even Effe is quite impressed by the incredible view of the sea, greenery and beautiful royal palms. The car is now climbing a gentle hill, and then they crest the hill.

That is when Effe gasps.

Spread below them is a most amazing house. It is perched beneath the crest of the hill, partly hidden by the tall royal palms. It is a magnificent white and deep ash edifice, made more beautiful by a breathtaking combination of glass and figurines. The gates are gold and silver, the grounds shrouded in amazing grid-work design of marble and stone, in an intricate design of an architect who has a great beauty eye.

"Oh my dear sweet Jesus!" Effe says, breathless.

"Wooooooooooow!" Junior cries, awed. "Awesome! What's that place, Daddy?"

"I bought the land, together with a semi-built house, with the money I earned from the first Crankson fight. Ever since, all the money I made from my three title defences, and my profits from JUNIOR'S, went into completing this house for my family. Welcome to our new home!" Chris says with a broad grin.

He is aware of Junior screaming, absolutely agitated in his wish to get into the house.

"Oh, Chris-Love!" Effe breathes, humbled.

"Like it, Angelface?"

Effe runs a hand down his chest, her eyes still fixed on the incredible house.

"I love it, Chris-Love. But did you say returns on investment from the house your Dad sold?"

"Yes, my Love. The day we went fishing, he told me the family ran into some financial difficulty and since his house was still on mortgage, mine was the available option since I would be away for a long time. He put a chunk of it in investment intending to hand it over to Junior when he turned eighteen but he went to reverse it and handed me the documentation a week after the fishing expedition like he promised.

"Oh wow! Happy for you, Chris-Love. You and your Dad finding common ground. Really happy for you.

"Yea, I'm happy too but not because of the money. He is my Dad after all."

"Yea. Now, this is Our home, our base, our new beginnings. This time, dear Lord, let it be forever!" Effe says tenderly.

Chris puts a hand on hers and smiles happily.

"It's going to be, my love. Forever!" Chris says lovingly.

The golden gates slide open on automated hinges when Chris uses the remote, and then Chris drives through.

Effe is stunned.

It is the most beautiful house she has ever seen. All it needs is life!

She looks at the amazing forecourt, the incredible garden area, and far beyond that, she sees a sports area, a playground for the children, and a man-made waterfall that simply halts her breath.

When the car comes to a halt Junior gets out in a rush, already picking up his spots of interest. Chris gets down and takes baby Ira from Effe. She mounts the steps to the ornate door and waits impatiently as Chris opens it. She marches through, and then stops with a muted little gasp, and then she walks through the rooms and halls with a little tingle of delight in her heart.

"I'm definitely going to love it here, my love."

"I didn't know how you would like it, and so I left the decorations. Thought we would choose things together, you know, to our taste. But the master bedroom has a rather lovely bed, and so does the kids' rooms. Way I see it, we can even spend the night here."

She stops by the window and looks at him, and then she waits patiently as he approaches her.

She goes into his arms, and feels his soul in his eyes. Her heart breathes when his lips descend, and she knows that finally, the turmoil might really be over, and this time their love will have the air to breathe.

***

It has been a tiring day.

Junior loves the house so much, especially having his own playroom and library.

He and Chris had played outside for a long time, riding the incredible slide that ends in the swimming pool, treasure hunting in his own bouncing castle, grand-Prix racing in his own mini race tracks in his own cars, and having great fun sliding down the waterfall.

He had squealed with pleasure and laughed himself sore, and watching them with baby Ira, Effe had felt the glow of joy growing bigger and bigger in her chest.

Finally, they had come inside, taken lunch, and Junior had gone to his library to do his homework, after which he had watched a little TV in his playroom and then ended up playing learning games on the Sony Play Station console.

After his bath, he had almost fallen asleep whilst taking his cup of warm cocoa with cream and cookies, one of his favorites, whipped up by his dotting father.

Chris had finally carried him off to his room, helped him get into his pajamas and put him to bed.

Tired and quite sleepy, his little voice arrests Chris as he walks towards the door.

"Daddy?" Junior says sleepily.

Chris goes back to the bed.

"Champ. I'm here," Chris says tenderly.

Junior holds up his little arms.

"Huggy-huggy."

Chris smiles, his heart filled with great love, sits on the bed and gives his son a great hug, realizing that maybe he even needed it more than the boy.

"Alright, Champ. Time to sleep. Angels guard you, sleep bliss."

Junior still clings to his neck.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Champ."

"No more prisons?" the boy says, worried. "No more troubles? Me and you and Mommy and Baby Ira are going to be really, really, really happy here forever and ever and ever, aren't we?"

Chris exhales and runs a hand down his son's back.

"A new beginning, my boy. No more prisons, no more troubles. God is going to see us through, because when you were sick I made God a promise to worship Him if He healed you, and I've started it, and I know we're going to be alright forever and ever, my son."

Junior nods, and Chris slowly lowers him to the bed.

"I really, really, really love you, my Daddy," Junior says sleepily.

As always Chris feels tears in his eyes receiving that massive emotional boost from his son.

"I really, really, really love you more, my Hero," Chris says tenderly.

Junior falls asleep with a huge smile on his face.

Chris gets up and stands looking down at his son for a while, and then he switches the light to a soft blue shade and leaves the room.

Effe is in the huge living room watching a telenovela.

Chris enters the bedroom and stoops over the cot of baby Ira.

He bends and kisses her cheeks, and she mutters with disapproval, batting his scraggly beard away.

He chuckles, and then he enters the bathroom and takes a long shower.

Wearing white slacks and singlet, he returns quietly to the living-room and sees that Effe has fallen asleep on the sofa. He goes outside and locks the gates and the doors, sets up the security systems, and then he comes back and gathers Effe into his arms.

He begins to carry her up the stairs.

She puts her arms around him and burrows her face in his chest.

"Hmmm," Effe purrs with desire. "Make love to me, Chris-Love. I've missed you like ten years."

"You're a damn nympho, Mrs. Bawa," Chris says with a chuckle. "We did it like ten times yesterday."

She laughs softly and nibbles at his ear.

"Can't get enough of you, Mr. Bawa," she whispers with desire. "You owe me five years of clearance, the way I see it."

He laughs and carries her up and up, and suddenly she is quite awake, realizing he is not taking her to a known destination.

"You got the baby monitor, Angelface?"

"Yes, my love. Why?" she asks, intrigued.

"Taking you to the roof," Chris says. "Wanna show you something!"

Presently they arrive on a landing, and he opens a door, and carries her to the roof of the building. He puts her down gently. Effe stands there, swaying, her lips open in a perfect silent oval 'O'. The rooftop has a small swimming pool, a mini-bar, a shaded sitting area and the most incredible view she has ever seen.

"My dear goodness!" Effe whispers with awe. "This is beautiful!"

"Come and see something, my Angelface."

They walk to the edge of the protected roof, and she gasps with shock.

Out there in the distance is the sea-line, the waves breaking gently on the shore, the sea itself glittering in the moonlight like diamonds. And on the other side of the seashore, she can see the night lights of Accra and the incredible array of dazzling lights spread over the city. They are high up on the roof, and all that beauty is spread below them, and it is so absolutely wonderful to behold that she can barely take her eyes off.

She is not aware that Chris has left her side as she stands gazing at the incredible romantic sight, and she knows that she is going to love it here and that this moment, right here, will be relived over and over again in the coming years.

Presently, Chris comes back to her holding a beautiful glass tray on which are five round cookies. She turns to him slowly, and as the night wind whips her negligee gently around her, and the dim lights plays on her rosy face, and as she raises a hand to brush strands of hair from her face, she carves the most beautiful figure he has ever seen yet of her, and his throat constricts with the depth of love he feels for this woman.

She sees the love on his face, and slowly it mirrors on her face, and she reaches out slowly and touches his cheek.

"Lord, I love you, Chris Bawa, you bad boy," she says passionately.

"You're loved beyond measure, Effe, my Angelface."

He proffers the glass tray to her.

"Cookies? Love cookies?" Effe asks lovingly. "Have you put some aphrodisiac in there to make me go wild and kill you tonight with some spectacular bed moves?"

Chris laughs in his deep tones, and his cheeks dimple in the muted lights, and her body tingles. He is so handsome, and he is all hers, and she just wants to devour him.

"Special cookies, my love. Chinese fortune cookies. Made with love for you. You should eat them carefully, from the smallest to the biggest. The Chinese believe they bring good luck in love."

Effe takes the tray and sets it down carefully on a low table beside her.

Chris turns and stares across the city. Effe watches him for a while, and then she picks the smallest cookie first and bites into it.

It is delicious and exquisite, but then she realizes there is a paper in it. She quickly takes out the paper and unfolds it.

It is too dim to read it so she picks up the tray again and walks towards the mini bar where there is a shaded light, all the time casting furtive glances at Chris, but he pretends not to notice her and continues to stare out at the incredible sight.

She sets the tray down on the bar table and reads the short message on the paper.

Effe: My love, my life, my breath…

She feels a kick to her heart, a savage blast of love renders her speechless.

Trembling, she picks up the next small cookie, and this time she does not bite it, but breaks it open and extracts the little slip of paper, and reads:

I thank God for you…

With unsteady hands she breaks the next cookie:

I thank you for allowing me to share your life…

The fourth cookie has this message:

I'll love you till eternity, with my dying breath!

And by this time Effe is crying so much with happiness that when she takes the last cookie she has to brush tears from her eyes to break it.

The last cookie, which is the biggest, crumbles, and instead of a white paper with a message three beautiful diamond-studded silver and gold rings fall into her hands.

With a little whimper, she turns and walks slowly to him.

He turns finally and smiles at her.

Her beautiful face is awash with tears of happiness, and she is holding out the rings to him, and the look in her eyes is the kind of look many men seek, and only a few lucky ones get.

"Damn you, Chris Yaw Bawa! You have no right to make me love you like this, for making me know that without you I'll die!" she whispers with passion and love.

He smiles gently, picks up the two little rings, takes her left hand, removes her golden rings, and slips the new rings unto her wedding finger.

"A new affirmation of my love, Angelface. With these rings, I pledge myself to you, to hold and love only you, no third parties ever again, no matter what, to love only you, now and forever, till my last breath, and I make this Vow in the presence of the Lord! I love you, my Angelface, for eternity, and I'll always be true to you," Chris says tenderly.

Effe looks at him through blurred eyes.

Her heart is almost bursting open with her happiness.

She takes the big ring, slips his old ring off, and gently pushes the new ring unto his finger.

"A new beginning, my love," Effe says, overwhelmed. "I'm yours forever, as I've always been, never to doubt you again, never to hurt you again, always to believe you in all circumstances, to love you with my breath, with my soul, with my life, in the presence of the Lord I make this Vow!"

She takes a stumbling step into his arms and receives his lips hungrily, thirstily, and violently.

Their tears of joy mingle, and when they finally part for air he whispers against her lips.

"You wanna make love now, my Angelface?" he asks passionately.

"No, no, no, Chris-Love," she says emotionally, still trembling and weeping gently. "Just hold me tight until I settle down, please, because you're simply killing my heart with love this night, and I don't think I can take it!"

He smiles as she cries gently against his chest, holding him so fiercely that he knows his strength to face life again is complete.

Then their lips, drawn by the magnet of love, meet again in an explosive violent kiss that sets their hands in motion simultaneously, pleasuring each other's body with those unique touches only they know.

In no time, their clothes lay strewn across the expanse as Chris carries his Effe to a room close to the bar and to a huge bed that is neatly made with white sheets with vases of assorted colorful flowers stationed to precision at the bedposts.

Chris lowers Effe gently onto the bed without breaking eye contact, each seeing the depth of passion and love in the other's eyes.

Effe looks at Chris and her heart hammers with salvage force to show how much in love she is with him and just how much she desires him.

Chris runs his tongue from her navel up to her rosy beautiful breast and is pleasantly happy when he sees Effe tremble when his tongue claimed her hard and intoxicating nipples.

"I can't take this anymore, Chris-Love, Make us one, please," Effe says, her passion almost drowning out her words.

Then, Chris and Effe gasp at the same time as he joins his over-pumped member and her drooling jade gate in one of the most calming yet explosive, fulfilling and magical love making ever.

And as he rides her with his love dictating the pace, they shout endearments in unison and feel the past hurts, failures and pains ebb with the power of the love they are sharing. There is no more fear, no more pain, no more bitterness as they race towards the highest of the mutual orgasms they have ever climbed.

"Oh, My Angelface, Oh Lazarus, Oh, My Breath, Oh, My Effe...I love you so," Chris cries as he nears the apex.

"Oh, Oh, Chris-Love, My Angel, My Heartbeat, My Air, I love you more... Don't stop, Chris, please," Effe cries, the power of the moment bringing tears to her eyes, tears of ultimate joy.

And when they reach the apex together, it is as if their hearts are joined permanently at last and their breaths come in unison as their hearts beat as one...

It is the sweetest and most beautiful night ever.

THE END.