Childless – Episode 4

CHILDLESS Episode 4

 

THE STRANGER

You heard Tutu saying that young women should take a cue from the lies he was spewing out. Well, I want you young bachelors to listen to this short tale I’m going to tell you, and take a cue from it. This man, Kwabena Dompreh, is forty-five years old. Now, let us go back to something that happened twenty-five years ago. At that time, Mr. Kwabena Dompreh was twenty years old, and his father, Mr. Tutu Dompreh, was not as rich as you see him now.

His eyes drive through Dompreh with such cold hardness that Mr. Dompreh drops his gaze and looks on the ground.

THE STRANGER

Mr. Tutu Dompreh was in fact serving a prison sentence on a fraud charge. He was not guilty, mind you. He had a government contract, and there was a change in Government, and he was accused of serious fraud by the new Government and thrown into jail. Kwabena was in school, and his mother was sick. Kwabena had to work just to support his mother and himself. At that time, he had a girlfriend called Dede, whose mother was a poor widow in the village. Dede came to the city and was selling waakye around the school Kwabena was attending. That was how they came to know each other. Kwabena was a handsome young man, and when he told Dede that he loved her, the poor girl didn’t hesitate in giving her love to him.

Kwabena Dompreh’s face is suddenly filled with terror.

He shakes his head weakly and tears come to his eyes.

KWABENA

(dazed)

Oh, no! Oh, please, no, no, no!

THE STRANGER

Oh, yes, yes, yes! You’ve terrorized your wife to the point where she was contemplating suicide! You allowed your father to make life a living hell for Akua, forgetting all about Dede, that innocent seventeen-year-old girl! Now, let me tell you about Dede, my dear friends…

FLASHBACK

DEDE NAAR enters the room cautiously.

It is a small room in a dirty environment; a private hostel for students who didn’t get hostel accommodation at the University.

It is located in a secluded vicinity.

About six boys are crammed in the room which is meant for only two.

The room is hot, and the boys are screaming and shouting.

Some are playing cards and others are watching an action movie on the small television.

A boy called DAUDA MOSHIE suddenly screams when he sees Dede.

DAUDA

Yooooooooooooo!!! Hey, Kobby, aboa kwasea, your chick land o, e land!

The other boys scream and greet Dede, some of them embracing her.

Dede puts the basket she is holding down on a table.

Kwabena Dompreh sits up in bed sleepily and smiles at Dede.

KWABENA

Hello, my Heartbeat, my darling pie! Welcome, Dede, my love!

A look of pure love spreads across Dede’s face.

Kwabena motions to her, and she goes and sits on the bed beside him.

DEDE

(shyly)

How have you been?

Kwabena drapes an arm around her shoulders and kisses her lightly.

She giggles and tries to hide her lips under his neck.

Dauda uncovers the basket, takes off the lid of the huge bowl inside, and then lets out a yell of delight.

DAUDA

Yoooooooooooo!! Waakye pai ooooooo!

All the boys stop what they are doing and go in search of spoons.

Kwabena gets to his feet and glares at them.

KWABENA

You bastards! Me wey e bring the chow give me I no taste am, den you orphans wan chop am!

DAUDA

Abi lovi lovi dey sweet you! Go chop lovi lovi, massa. We too dey chop waakye for here!

Dede watches from the bed as Kwabena also takes a spoon and they begin to eat the food.

Afterwards the boys leave the room on one pretext or the other, and soon Dede and Kwabena are alone.

Dede opens her bag and gives a stuffed envelope to Kwabena.

DEDE

That’s all the money I have. I closed my account with the Susu Man, Kobby! I don’t have any money again. You know I took the first instalment for your mother’s medicine and her hospital bill. My own mother is sick in the village and I needed to send her some money, but your exams is more important, so I withdrew my savings so that you can settle your exams fee.

Tears come to Kwabena’s eyes as he drops on his knees beside the bed and takes Dede into his arms.

KWABENA

(unsteadily)

You’re such an angel, Dede! My own guardian angel! Sent from God to come and take care of me! What would I have been without you? I’m so grateful, my love. This is my final exams. When I pass out, I’ll get a job, and we’ll be married immediately, my darling!

She smiles and runs a finger down the side of his face.

DEDE

Everything I do for you is out of love, Kobby. Just don’t betray my love, or you’ll ki*ll me!

Kwabena sits on the bed and kisses her hard, jamming his tongue into her mouth.

KWABENA

(sentimentally)

You’re the only woman for me, Dede! I can’t live without you, never! I love you more than you can ever love me!

DEDE

(giggling)

That cannot be true, Kobby! No heart can love more than I love you!

KWABENA

(huskily)

Your love is like one percent of what I feel for you!

He kisses her throat, her lips, and puts a hand on her right brea$t, feeling her taut nip*le.

She is panting now, and his hand steals under the hem of her skirt and creeps up her inner thighs.

Suddenly she clamps her thighs together, trapping his hand, and gets up quickly.

He lies on the bed, suffused with desire, looking at her through the slits of his eyes.

DEDE

(softly)

I can’t, Kobby, please. Not now, not here!

KWABENA

(frustrated)

Come on, my love! Let me make you mine, in the real sense of the word! You and I are going to spend eternity together!

DEDE

(anxiously)

I know, my love. But not in this room, okay? You share the bed with your friends, and they might even now be outside trying to see us making love! My mother is a Christian, my love, as you know. I’ve promised her to lose my virginity only on my wedding bed. My father died when I was young. I’m her only child, and she didn’t have money to help me further my education. She loves me, and she wants only that from me. You’re still in school, and we don’t want any pregnancy now!

KWABENA

I’ll use a condom, my love! Even if you get pregnant I’ll marry you! Can’t you see I can’t wait anymore?

She smiles and sits on a chair near the door.

DEDE

Yes, I can see, my love! The feeling is mutual, but sorry, we can’t do it now. Very soon you will pass out successfully, and I’ll be your wife. You can have it as many times as you want then, my love! Now drink some water to cool down, and come and take a walk with me!

Kwabena takes a deep breath, smiles, and then they laugh together.

Their love for each other is strong!

***********************

The stranger pauses and sits very still.

Everybody in the garden is silent, listening with bated breaths.

Akua is sitting straight, her face registering her shock.

This is the very first time she is hearing about Dede Naar.

In all the ten years that she has been married to Kwabena, he has never once mentioned her.

She looks at her husband, and sees that Kwabena’s eyes are downcast, and his shoulders seem very heavy.

THE STRANGER

For two years Dede Naar used the little profit she earned from selling waakye to take care of the man she loved so much! She had to work extra hard, you know, just to make ends meet. It wasn’t Kwabena alone. His mother also had diabetes, and needed insulin all the time. Kwabena couldn’t afford it. But Dede always bought the medicine for her and took care of her medical needs.

He pauses, and his eyes roam over them coldly.

THE STRANGER

Dede’s own mother was in the village, also weak, but she didn’t take care of her mother as much as she did Kwabena’s mother. Dede managed to rent a single-room self-contained house. When Kwabena couldn’t pay the rent for his mother and they were ejected, Dede conveniently allowed them to stay with her. She used a partition to separate the room so that Kwabena’s mother, OBAAPA TAKYIWAA, could occupy half. And then, one afternoon, when Dede was out of the house selling waakye to make enough to feed them, they had a visitor. It was Tutu Dompreh!

FLASHBACK

Kwabena is outside, morose and unhappy.

In his hand is another letter informing him that he has been, yet again, unsuccessful in the job interview he had attended a few weeks ago.

Suddenly one of his friends appears in the yard.

His name is MINTAH KWAO.

MINTAH

Hey, Kobby, you have a visitor!

Kobby looks up, and then he gasps with absolute shock, the paper dropping from his hand, his eyes bulging.

KWABENA

(trembling)

Daddy? Is that you, Daddy?

Tutu Dompreh is running forward as tears fall down his face.

TUTU DOMPREH

(weeping)

Kobby, Kobby, my son!

Father and son embrace tightly, and begin to weep with emotions.

The door opens, and Obaapa Takyiwaa, looking weak and frail, stands in the doorway.

OBAAPA TAKYIWAA

Tutu? Oh, dear God! I must be going mad! Is that you, dearest husband!

Tutu Dompreh approaches his wife and holds out his arms.

TUTU DOMPREH

(tremulously)

Yes, yes, my darling! How you must have suffered! I’ve been released, dear! They found out the truth, and the Government is now convinced I did no wrong! My properties have been unfrozen! My contract is renewed! Oh, how you must have suffered these past ten years! Come, let’s go home!

Dede Naar, tired and totally weary, comes home later in the afternoon.

She has passed through the market to buy some ingredients for the next day’s waakye, and she is in a hurry to prepare some food for her darling Kobby and his mother.

But there is no one home!

She is scared, dreading that something bad might have happened to Kobby’s mother!

She is going round, asking neighbours if they have seen them, when she meets Mintah Kwao.

MINTAH

(shocked)

Dede, are you sure of what you’re asking me? You don’t know where Kobby is?

DEDE

(irritated)

Mintah, please don’t draw my ire this afternoon, I beg of you! I can’t find them! Do you know where they’ve gone to?

MINTAH

Kobby is indeed wicked, heerh! I just can’t believe this! Don’t worry, my dear. It seems his father was released from prison and he came looking for them. He brought a huge car and parked it in on the football field because it couldn’t come through here. I led him here and showed him where Kobby and his mom were. They left. He took them away!

DEDE

(relieved)

Oh, that’s very good news! I understand now! Oh, I’m so excited! Finally, I’m going to see my father-in-law! Yes, Kobby will come for me, and we’ll be a family!

She heads back to her room, all excited, and Mintah looks after her with mixed feelings.

MINTAH

Poor girl!

Kwabena does not come back that day, nor the next, nor the next.

The light slowly dies from Dede’s eyes.

She becomes like an automaton, going through the process of living!

Her heart is broken, and she cries herself to sleep each day.

She doesn’t have a phone, and does not know where to find him.

Finally, three weeks later, she is busily packing up the utensils after selling her waakye, when a sleek car pulls up in front of the tree under which she sells her waakye.

The driver’s door opens, and Kwabena steps out.

For a moment Dede cannot recognize him.

He is looking really dapper in a white T-shirt, black jeans, white Jordan sneakers, glasses and ornaments.

It is only when he begins to walk towards her, that Dede finally recognizes him.

She runs to him and embraces him fiercely.

DEDE

(weeping uncontrollably)

Kobby, Kobby, Kobby! My love! Don’t ever do this to me! You almost killed me, my love!

Kobby squeezes her and kisses her hard.

KWABENA

I’m so sorry, my love! Please forgive me! Things have been very hectic! My father came back and I had to do a lot of things, but I’m okay now. Please forgive me! I’ve come to take you home to meet my father!

Dede is in a dreamland!

She simply cannot believe it!

Quickly, she packs her stuff into the boot of the car, and Kwabena takes her home.

She takes a long bath, changes into a simple but lovely dress, and then Kwabena takes her to his house.

She is sitting in the gigantic living-room when Obaapa enters.

The woman draws Dede into a warm embrace.

OBAAPA TAKYIWAA

My dearest! Dede, God has finally shown us mercy! Welcome to your new home, my daughter!

They are laughing happily when Tutu enters.

KWABENA

(uncertainly)

Daddy, meet Dede, the lady I’ve been telling you about.

Tutu hesitates with a slight frown on his face, and then he speaks in English to Dede.

Dede simply stands there with fear in her eyes.

She replies in the Akan dialect.

DEDE

Please, sir, I don’t understand. I lost my father very early in life, and my mother couldn’t afford my school fees, so I couldn’t continue with my education. However, I have a big heart, and it is filled with only love for your son.

Tutu looks at his son, incredulous, and speaks in English rapidly.

TUTU DOMPREH

(angrily)

Goodness me, Kobby! Have you lost your senses? Of all the women in the university, you chose to bypass all of them and chose this utter moron? You truly want this illiterate garbage to be your wife?

Story continues…

©Aaron Ansah-Agyeman

All Rights Reserved.

 

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