The doorbell chimes melodiously. PASTOR FIIFI ADDO mutes the sound of the television and stands up. He glances at the clock on the wall and sees that it is almost 11 p.m. A bit late for visitation, but he is a pastor, and he is used to being called at odd hours of the day. His wife, ADOMAA ADDO, pokes her head out from the bedroom. MRS. ADDO Someone at the door, darling. PASTOR ADDO Yes, I heard it. Going to see who it is. He walks to the main door of the Mission House and opens it. A beautiful woman in her early thirties wearing a fetching white dress is standing nervously facing the doorm She looks very distressed, and her eyes and nose are swollen, evidence that she has been crying heavily for a long time. The pastor is instantly filled with compassion. He knows the woman; she is a very close friend. PASTOR ADDO (anxiously) Good grief, Akua! What’s the matter now? Please do come in,side, my dear! MRS. AKUA DOMPREH enters the living-room where she remains standing for some time, and then the bedroom door opens and the pastor’s wife comes out. She takes one look at Akua, and then she moves forward and the two women hug, and Akua’s body begins to tremble as fresh tears begin to buffet her. MRS. ADDO (compassionately) There, there, Akua, my daughter! It is okay, it is okay! Be calm. God is in control! She eases Akua into one of the comfortable leather sofas. Mrs. Addo sits beside her. The pastor sits down on her other side. Akua takes a huge sodden hankie from her bag and uses it to clean her face and blow her nose hærd. She looks so devastated and drained, and can barely lift her head. PASTOR ADDO (gently) What is it again, Akua? Don’t tell me it is still the issue of your bareness, please. Akua Dompreh looks sadly at the pastor and takes a deep shuddering breath. AKUA (shattered) What else can it be, Pastor? I’ve been married for ten solid years, and I’m now entering my eleventh year! I’ve served God all my life, from the moment I learnt to walk, because I’m a pastor’s daughter! I kept myself clean for the Lord, keeping my body as a living temple to this God I serve! I never k-ssed a man until my wedding night! I’ve been faithful, and I’ve cast all my desires aside for the sake of the Lord! I know he did it for Hannah, and did it for Sarah! What about me? Why has the Lord shut my womb? Why can’t I have just one child to call my own? The pastor and his wife exchange looks, and then they both smile. PASTOR ADDO Oh, Akua! How many times have I told you to stop putting your God to the test? Have you forgotten that Adomaa and I have been married for thirty years without a child of our own except the two children we adopted from the orphanage? Being barren shouldn’t separate you from the love of God, please! AKUA (heartbreakingly) But you don’t have in-laws after your neck all the time, Pastor! You and your wife are both Christians who understand each other! My father-in-law has made life a living hell for me! My husband has stopped attending church services for three years now after he became unfaithful and slept with Baaba who became pregnant and gave birth to a boy! The pressure is too much for me! The pastor takes her hand and looks at her gently. PASTOR ADDO You’re right, my daughter. Life has been hell for you, I know. But like I always say, it is in the thickest of darkness that God always proves that He alone is the Almighty! MRS. ADDO (compassionately) Yes, you’re right, my dear. There was a time, a very long time ago, when I was so bitter against the Lord for neglecting me, for not giving me a child, but my husband and his parents supported me, and prayed with me, and we found peace and joy when we adopted. In your case I know your husband and his father have been horrible! And he had the audacity to impregnate another woman! But if that Baaba woman has given birth for him, why are they still stressing you out like this? Tears slowly come to Akua’s eyes and spill down her cheeks as her heart thumps with sudden fear and panic. AKUA My father-in-law says I’m useless. Now he wants Baaba and her son to move into the Boys Quarters, Pastor! At first he even said because I’m barren, I should move into the Quarters so that Baaba and her son can be in the main house, but Kwabena didn’t agree. MRS. ADDO Oh, that is so heartless! So is Baaba coming to live in the house? AKUA (shuddering) Yes, she will move in this Sunday. Kwabena’s cousin, Kuukua, is naming her daughter tomorrow, so we have to attend. Then, on Sunday after church, Baaba will move in with her son. I’m dead, Pastor! It will be the first step, I know! If that girl moves in, Kwabena will soon divorce me. I even asked him to take his son and bring him to the house, but Baaba has refused to part with her child. So they’re coming to stay! PASTOR ADDO That is so heart-breaking! I asked you to do a one-week half-day fasting and prayers, Akua. Did you do it? AKUA (weeping silently) I did two weeks full fasting, Pastor, living on evening liquids alone! That’s why I say God is making me go through too much, Pastor! It is too much for my soul, and I’ve even considered killing myself and ending it all! The pastor and his wife both shout with shock, and the woman draws Akua into her arms and holds her tight as her own tears begin to flow. MRS. ADDO (shattered) No, no, no, Akua, my daughter! No! Don’t ever say that again! Suicide doesn’t solve anything! It just leads to sin which will take you straight out of God’s favour into Hell! AKUA (weeping) But I hurt so terribly, Mama! I feel all alone, rejected by my God, suffering too much! It has gone beyond my limits, Mama! What did I do to deserve this? I’ve seen women who have never set foot into a church getting babies and living a full, happy life! There are women who were pr-stitutes having babies and being so happy! I’ve seen women who have had tons of abortions getting babies and being happy! But me, who has spent my wh0le life under the feet of the Lord and preserved my V-rginity for my husband, I can’t even get pregnant once! And my husband has gone outside his matrimonial bed to have a child! What have I done? Why won’t God just hear my prayers and favour me with just one baby? PASTOR ADDO (sadly) Do not question God, girl. That will lead you to sin. But believe me, Akua, God has heard your prayers! AKUA Has He? I’ve only had a strange dream three nights in a row! PASTOR ADDO (calmly) And what did you dream about? And you say it is the same dream? AKUA Yes, Pastor. In the dream it was raining, and I was lost in the rain. I could barely see where I was headed, and then out of the sleet of rain, a tall man appeared. He was wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and a black tie. I could not see his face well. In the first dream he seemed quite young, but in the second dream he looked like an old man with very grey hair. In the third dream, the one I had yesterday, he was young but had thick black facial hair. Anyway, he appeared and held my hand and guided me through the sleet of rain to the roadside where it wasn’t raining, and he showed me the entrance to the most beautiful garden I had ever seen! Pastor Fiifi Addo is smiling broadly from ear to ear. PASTOR ADDO (beaming with happiness) Thank you, Lord, oh thank you Father! There is none like You! Keep calm, Akua, God has answered your prayers. Your dream means that very, very soon, God is going to send a stranger into your life, and this stranger is going to show you the way back to God, and to a beautiful beginning filled with happiness! Now get up, it is time for us to pray, Akua! Almost an hour later, Akua Dompreh drives through the gates of their beautiful house. The Security Man closes the front gates as Akua drives up the driveway and parks under the beautiful canopied parking space to the right of the house. Her husband’s car is already parked. It is quite late now, past midnight. She sits in the car for a long time, and then she sighs and gets out. This is the day her husband’s cousin would be naming her daughter, and they will all go to the huge family house. Akua knows the kind of reception she is going to receive, and the kind of hærd time she is going to have. She says a quick prayer to God for bringing her home safely, and then she gets out of the car, locks it with the remote, and then she enters the beautiful house. A huge house! She and Kwabena had been filled with such great hopes of filling the house with scre-ming children and making it a beautiful home. But that dream hasn’t materialized! Akua is barren, evidently, and can never give birth! Although the doctors have assured her that there is nothing wrong with her, as far as they can see, she hasn’t been able to conceive. She has tried all methods available, used all styles but to no avail. She has relied heavily on the love she has for God, and prayed incessantly and fasted steadily most of the ten years she has been married, but all to nought. It seems to her God has closed her womb, and He is not listening to her. Akua barely notices the luxurious living-room as she climbs the stairs to their bedroom. Her husband is not in there. She puts down her bag and goes in search of him. She tries his study and the kitchen and the spare bedrooms. Sometimes, more frequently nowadays, he will leave her and go and sleep in one of the other bedrooms. He used to do that only after an argument with her, but nowadays he leaves her alone the moment he sees that she is in her menses. This hurt her very much, especially when he explains that seeing her in her menses cruelly reminds him that they can never have children. But he is not anywhere in the house. She goes back to the bedroom and calls him. The first ring goes unanswered. She calls again, and he picks this time. KWABENA Yeah? AKUA (gently) Where are you, my love? Your car is here but I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find you. KWABENA (coldly) And you came in at this time? AKUA (sighing) I called you several times, love, but you didn’t pick up, and then I sent you messages on text and on WhatsApp, and even sent you an email. I went to see the pastor, my love. So where are you? There is a long pause, and then he speaks. KWABENA In the Boys Quarters. Getting a few things set up for Baaba and my son before they come in on Sunday. It is like an arrow right through Akua’s heart. She feels the searing pain, brutal and unbearable, and for a moment she feels so dizzy that her legs give, and she sprawls on the bed, fighting for breath. The phone drops from her nerveless fingers. As she lies in bed, gasping, tears of anguish falling down her cheeks, she knows that she cannot continue like this. She will die if this torture is not stopped. Akua doesn’t know how long she was in that zone of pain, but finally her heart stops its mad painful spirals, and her breath steadies. She gets off the bed groggily and walks to her dressing table. She sits down and looks sightlessly at herself in the mirror. The image that stares back at her is the image of a dying woman. With a trembling hand she rummages in her handbag and takes out a set of tiny keys. She ins**ts one into the lock of the top drawer on her left, and unlocks it. She pulls the drawer open. Nestling there on a clean nylon cloth is a gun. Episode 3 Akua looks longingly at the pistol, and then at the door. She had bought and licensed it not long ago with the help of a friend, explaining that it was meant for robbers and self-defence. She had purchased it at a time she had been feeling very suicidal. And she is still feeling suicidal! She can end it all now! She can put a stop to her pain right now. All it will take is the gun. She can sit in the bath, put the c*cked gun into her mouth or press it against her temple and gently squeeze the trigger. Akua reaches for the gun, but as soon as her hand touches it she gasps and withdraws her hand. She pushes the drawer shut and locks it. She sits there weeping bitterly for a while. AKUA (forlornly, weeping) Oh, my God, Lord! You’re all I have! Why won’t you just help me out here, my Lord? But unto you I give all my troubles, Lord! Your will, and not mine be done! In all things, even in my great affliction, I give you the praise and the thanks and the honour! Akua finally stands up and enters the bathroom. She takes a long shower, and goes to bed. But sleep will not come. She takes the phone and calls Kwabena’s number again, but he has switched off the phone. She walks to the window and looks out across their beautiful lawn, and sees him through the window of one of the bedrooms of the Boys’ Quarters. He is stretching, and after that he sits down on the bed and lies down. A moment later the light goes off, and Akua knows immediately that her husband is going to spend the night at the Boys Quarters as he awaits the arrival of the woman he had cheated on Akua with, and the son that has resulted from that act of adultery. Akua turns away sharply. She opens the drawer again, and this time she picks up the heavy pistol lying in there. She lies down on the bed and puts the tip of the barrel into her mouth, and a few minutes later she takes it out and presses it against her left temple, and her finger curls around the trigger. A moment later she takes it off, and puts it under a pillow. She coils herself into a foetal position and weeps bitterly. Thankfully, Akua Dompreh falls asleep not long after that. And she dreams again of that bearded stranger in a black suit and white shirt taking her hand and leading her through the blinding storm. The next day KWABENA DOMPREH, looking resplendent and handsome in his nicely-designed all-white attire, enters the bedroom and sees Akua sitting morosely at the dressing-table. He scowls as he locks a chain around his neck. KWABENA (exasperated) C’mon, Akua! What are you waiting for? The programme is at ten! We’re running late! Let’s go! Akua turns a tortured face to him, and she tries to smile. AKUA Darling, why don’t you go? Tell them I’m not feeling well. KWABENA (getting angry) We’ve already talked about this, Akua. What’s this? I told you my father wants to discuss something with us. We need to be there! AKUA (desperately) What can your father have to discuss, darling, except me being barren and he looking for his grand-children? You know how he gets whenever there’s a function like this, especially a naming ceremony! Kwabena sighs and grits his teeth, and then he smiles tightly. KWABENA I don’t think he’ll do that this time, dear. I spoke to him. Everything is okay. Come, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I’m waiting for you in the car. He turns and leaves the room. Akua stares at her reflection for a long time in the mirror, and ten she sighs miserably. She stands up and heads for the door, and then she pauses. She takes a deep shuddering breath, and then she turns, walks to the dressing-table, opens the drawer, takes the loaded pistol, and drops it into her handbag. When they arrive at the breath-taking house of TUTU DOMPREH, her father-in-law, she sees that there are a lot of cars around. Many people have come to grace the occasion, as usual. Those ceremonies are usually carried out in the incredible backyard of the edifice that is Tutu’s home; the backyard is also a lovely garden artistically crafted. The flowers are lush and well-tended, the lawn so green that it hurts the eye. There are replica figurines of exotic animals around the garden, done with stunning accuracy so that at first sight it appears to visitors that they are actually looking at a live lion, or tiger or a rhino! There are white tents er-cted, and under them are comfortable cushion chairs. On a raised white podium is the head table. Mouth-watering food, tables and a delectable bar with assorted drinks complete the magnificent set-up. It reminds Akua painfully of how it would have been if she had been able to give birth. There are a lot of people around, and soon Akua is drawn into a conversation with some of the family members she has not seen in a long while. Kwabena’s mother died just after Akua’s marriage. She had been Akua’s ally, and she misses her so much! Presently the handsome, middle-aged Tutu Dompreh appears. He is in a beautiful kente cloth, thrown majestically across one shoulder. Chains, gold bracelets, a stunning Rolex and expensive ahenemma sandals complete his apparel. He is the Chairman for the occasion, and so he sits on the middle chair at the high table, picks up the microphone, and begins calling guests to sit with him. First he calls Kuukua, who has given birth and being honoured, and her husband. He then calls Kuukua’s parents and her husband’s parents. He calls the Clan Head of the family, an aged man, and then he finally calls Kwabena. Each person that is called is received with applause and laughter. Kwabena stands up and looks at Akua. KWABENA Come on, Akua, let’s go. Akua looks up at her husband and shakes her head once. AKUA He hasn’t called me, Kwabena. KWABENA (impatiently) Stop being childish, Akua! Of course there are two seats left, for you and me. Come, let’s go. Akua stares at her husband for a moment, and then she gets to her feet. That is when her father-in-law’s voice arrests her. TUTU DOMPREH (scornfully) And where does that barren woman thinks she is going? I don’t remember mentioning your name, so you better sit down! Akua feels dazed. For one horrible moment she almost keels over with the force of the humiliation, shock and pain, but with a herculean effort she slowly lowers herself back into her seat. There is a very pregnant silence in the garden as all eyes swing to Akua, and she fights back the tears desperately. Kwabena looks at his father with embarrassment and there is anger in his eyes for a moment. KWABENA (whispering) Sorry, Akua. I wasn’t expecting that. AKUA It’s okay, love. Go on, don’t keep them waiting. Kwabena hesitates for a moment, and then he turns and walks up to the podium and takes his seat. TUTU DOMPREH (chuckling) And now, for our final special guest. I call the mother of my grandson, the sweetest woman with a fertile womb, the woman who is going to fill my house with joy and happiness, Baaba Brooks! Akua does not utter a sound as Baaba stands up from the front row and begins to walk towards the podium, dressed in white and smiling with joy as she holds her son. There is applause, and there are happy catcalls. The tears are like hot coals that fall down Akua’s cheeks. In a haze she sees Baaba sitting beside Kwabena, smiling. Kwabena leans forward and takes the little boy, who has been named Tutu Dompreh in honour of his grandfather. The little boy is giggling happily as he grabs Kwabena’s ears. Kwabena laughs and puts an arm around Baaba’s shoulder. Akua, sitting all alone, cannot take it anymore. She is aware of some of the guests casting sympathetic glances at her. Her hand tightens on the gun lying in,side her handbag. She cannot take it! Death is preferable! She is going to end it all, and they will be free to have their family! She stands up quickly, and then she sees that a tall man has come to stand behind the chair Kwabena had been sitting on before he was called. At the sight of him Akua gasps with absolute shock, her wh0le body going numb! The man is in a black suit, a white shirt and matching black tie. He is wearing a black fedora, and he has a shock of thick side-burns, huge moustache, and a great beard. He is wearing huge brownish glasses, and his penetrating eyes are fixed unblinkingly on Akua. AKUA (gasping) You… It is the man she has been seeing in her recent dreams, the man who takes her hand and leads her through the blizzard to the sweet garden! The same man! Akua closes her eyes tightly and opens them again, thinking the man is a mirage, an extension of her tortured mind. But he is there, physically, unmoving. She reaches out with a trembling right hand and touches his arm, and feels the hærd flesh underneath, and then she withdraws her hand with a gasp! The man is real! He is really here! THE STRANGER (gently) Sit down, Akua. Trembling, wondering, amazed and shocked, Akua Dompreh sinks back down slowly into her seat. The tall, bearded stranger sits down in the other chair, extends his long legs, and then looks up there at the podium. AKUA (voice trembling hærd) W-who a-are… y-y-you pl-pl-please? I s-s-saw you in m-m-my… dreams! The man removes his glasses and looks at Akua with fierce eyes. THE STRANGER (fierce whisper) You disappoint me sorely, woman! You will betray God by killing yourself? Have you ever read the story of Sarah, of Hannah, of Job? Shame on you, Akua! Big shame on you! Now give me the gun! He extends his hand under the table. Akua begins to cry, but this time it is not with pain. She remembers what Pastor Addo has said: Keep calm, Akua… God is going to send a stranger to you, a stranger who will show you a beautiful beginning filled with happiness… Akua takes the gun from her handbag and gives it to the stranger who quickly removes the bullet clip and puts it and the gun in,side the side pockets of his coat. Akua smiles then, because somehow her pain is gone, and she sits through the rest of the programme, and even though her father-in-law casts insinuations and veiled insults at her throughout the programme, she does not really care. She knows that God is still in control of her life! Soon the naming ceremony is over. The baby’s name is NHYIRABA YAW TUTU ACHEAMPONG. Tutu’s name has found its way there again, and this pleases him very much. He takes the microphone when the Clan Head sits down after naming the boy, amidst shouts and applause from the crowd. TUTU DOMPREH (smiling broadly) Are we not happy? Is this not simply beautiful and lovely? Is it not honourable? The young ladies here must take a cue from this! Stop abusing your beauty! You think you’re beautiful and have great bodies, and so you slut away your bodies for money, committing abortion after abortion, and when a young innocent man finally marries you, you become useless barren women who fill your homes with sadness! Once again absolute silence reigns as all eyes turn to Akua. Kwabena leans across the table and speaks to his father. KWABENA (softly) Daddy, please! TUTU DOMPREH (angrily) Don’t ‘Daddy please’ me, Kobby! I have money, I want to have grand-children, but the woman you married is useless! She’s barren! Baaba here has given you a son to carry my name! You’re going to marry Baaba, do you hear, son? She’s going to be your wife too! She can give me my grand-children, and Akua can continue spending money and being her best useless self! She’s probably committed so many abortions that she doesn’t even have a womb anymore! This should serve as a lesson to any unmarried woman here! His voice, amplified by the microphone, fills the wh0le garden. Akua feels the agony and pain again, and tries to stand up, but the stranger reaches out and holds her shoulder, keeping her seated. THE STRANGER That’s my cue, I think. He stands up, tall and foreboding, and then he begins to walk purposefully towards the podium. All eyes are fixed on him. There is something about him that arrests attention, a strange magnetic charisma that has a most powerful allure. It is not the unreal aura around him, nor the unveiled sense of confidence and sureness. It is something deep, something divine that brooks no argument. He mounts the steps to the podium and stands looking at the pugnacious face of Tutu Dompreh. The old man glares at him with sudden disdain and anger. TUTU DOMPREH And who the hell are you? And what are you doing here? Who invited you? And who gave you the audacity to come up here? The stranger smiles at him THE STRANGER I take no authority from any mortal, and certainly not from foolish mortals as yourself. The insult carries through the microphone, and Tutu Dompreh jumps to his feet, his face almost exploding with the depths of his fury. TUTU DOMPREH How dare you! You stupid infidel! Do you think you can come into my house and insult me? You fool! Who invited this bastard anyway? Is he one of your stupid friends, Kobby? Kwabena shakes his head numbly as he stares with unease at this stranger who seems to exude such danger. KWABENA No, Daddy. I don’t know him. BAABA (nastily) He was sitting with Akua, Grandpa. I think she brought him here. TUTU DOMPREH (furious) Of course she would, the witch! I’ll deal with her myself! She’s moving out of that damn house! Guards, come and take this bastard away! Akua, wait for me, you’re dead!! Four security men holding batons emerge quickly. They climb the podium, and two approach the stranger on each side. SECURITY GUARD 1 Sir, please come with me. We don’t want to hurt you. The stranger doesn’t even look at them. His eyes are fixed on a fuming Tutu. THE STRANGER Hurt me! Hurt me? Believe me, my dear fellow, the likes of you aren’t empowered to hurt me! On the contrary, I’ll advise you to keep your distance if you want to avoid getting hurt! TUTU DOMPREH (scre-ming) Get this madman out of my sight! TAKE HIM AWAY NOW!! The guard on the left touches the stranger. Immediately he is hurled back with a hidden force, as if he has touched an electrical feed. He is thrown violently into the air, and he smashes into one of the metallic poles of the tent, falling down hærd. The security man on the right tries to stop himself when he sees what has happened to his friend, but he is too late. He touches the stranger’s right arm, and then he scre-ms shrilly as he is spun round and round violently, and then he slams down on top of one of the tables below the podium, and remains still. The other two security guards are trembling, and with fear on their faces they slowly take steps back away from the stranger and get down from the podium. Akua, sitting far away from the podium, suddenly giggles as she sees the look of sheer terror on Tutu’s face. It gives her such great satisfaction. An air of fear has gripped everybody present. They don’t know what is happening. The stranger turns his cold eyes on Kwabena now, and a look of sheer fury crosses his face, making him so menacing that Kwabena swallows with sudden apprehension. THE STRANGER And you. Such a nerveless man you’ve become, always living in the shadow of your bully of a father! You let him call your wife a wh-re! Fool! Is your wife a slut? Has she ever committed an abortion? HAS SHE? His last words were uttered with cold, terrifying harshness, causing Kwabena to flinch as he looks miserably at the stranger. KWABENA (fearfully) No, no, sir! THE STRANGER Don’t tell me, moron! Tell your father! Tell the spectators here!! KWABENA (trembling) Akua came to me as a V-rgin, Daddy. Because there is absolute silence, his words are picked by the microphone and amplified by the giant speakers, and these humble words make eyes turn to Akua again. Eyes that had held disdain, and disrespect, now look at her in awe. The stranger leans forward and picks up a piece of chicken wing. He pops it into his mouth and chews appreciatively. THE STRANGER Mmm. Sweet. Chicken has always been my weakness. And now, listen to this, old man Tutu Dompreh, you fool. That boy Baaba is holding is not your grandchild. *********** Even Akua gasps with horror. Tutu Dompreh’s face becomes sallow and sags. He shakes his head as if warding off an invisible blow, and his face looks tortured. TUTU DOMPREH (hollowly) What are you talking about? That’s Kobby’s son! The stranger picks up another chicken, a th-gh this time, and waves it at the petrified Tutu. THE STRANGER Uh-uh! Nope! Your son’s fertility has been locked by God. He can’t father a child until God releases him. It is not Akua who can’t give birth. It is your son! There’s a curse on him. Let’s say… a divine curse! Many years ago a woman with the spirit of the Lord on her prayed that God should make Kwabena infertile, and God listened, and your Kobby has been a useless man since then. Don’t you dare call Akua a useless woman! Kwabena jumps to his feet, his face ashen, his body trembling, his eyes wild. KWABENA (angrily) NO! OH, NO! NO! HE’S MY SON! THEY’RE COMING TO LIVE WITH ME! DON’T YOU DARE COME AND CAUSE CONFUSION WHOEVER YOU ARE! HE’S MY OWN SON! The stranger looks at him with pity, and then he turns to Baaba and raises his eyebrows. THE STRANGER I’ll ask you, once, woman. If you lie, you will be shocked at the consequences. Tell this fool who the real father of your son is! Baaba licks her l-ips as she stands up, holding the boy. Her eyes are wild as they dart in all angles, seeking for a way out. KWABENA (in anguish) Babs! Speak! Please speak! Am I not the father of your son? TUTU DOMPREH (banging the table with his fist) Baaba! Tell me Kobby is the father of Junior! BAABA (obstinately) Yes, yes! Kwabena, darling, you’re the father of Junior! Don’t pay attention to this evil magician Akua has brought! She wants to disgrace us because she’s a desperate witch! You’re my only love, the father of Junior! The silence is absolute. The stranger leans forward and dips the chicken th-gh into a delicious sauce, and pops it into his mouth. He licks his fingers and smiles. THE STRANGER Well, fair enough then! Without turning he extends his right hand behind him and points a finger. A little handsome man who is sitting with two other ladies in the front row suddenly gets to his feet, his hands clutching his neck, gasping for air, his tongue suddenly lolling out! His name is ATOBAM KANKAN. He is Kwabena Dompreh’s childhood friend, and had been his best man at the wedding. They are very good friends! He grabs his neck with both hands and jerk with pain, and then suddenly he falls down, jerking horribly as if he is dying! Baaba scre-ms and suddenly comes down the podium. She gives her son to another guest and kneels besides Atobam, and then she takes him in her arms. She is scre-ming and crying. Tutu and Kwabena look on with horror and the grandfather of all shocks! BAABA (terrified) ATO, ATO, ATO!!! She shakes him, but Ato is dying, his eyes popping out! Baaba gets to her feet and rushes back to the podium, and she falls down on all fours in front of the stranger, weeping inconsolably. She reaches out to hold the stranger’s legs. THE STRANGER Believe me, woman, you don’t want to touch me! Baaba withdraws her hands and holds them together in front of her in utter supplication. BAABA (weeping uncontrollably) Alright, okay, PLEASE SIR! DON’T KILL ATOBAM! PLEASE I LOVE HIM! YES, YES, ATOBAM KANKAM IS THE FATHER OF MY SON! WHEN I GOT PREGNANT HE HAD NO MONEY, AND HE TOLD ME TO sed-cE KWABENA AND LIE THAT HE IS THE FATHER. I DID IT, AND WE RECEIVED A LOT OF MONEY FROM TUTU DOMPREH! ATO WANTED ME TO MOVE INTO KWABENA’S HOUSE THEN WE WILL CON HIM OUT OF MILLIONS OF CEDIS AND THEN ELOPE TO THE UNITED STATES! IT HAS ALL BEEN A PLAN, THAT’S ALL, TO GET AS MUCH MONEY AS WE CAN FROM KWABENA’S FATHER!! I’VE TOLD THE TRUTH, PLEASE, PLEASE, RELEASE ATOBAM! The stranger looks down at her and smiles sadly. Kwabena is shaking as he leans forward with his hands laced under his chin, his face a picture of amplified horror. THE STRANGER And the truth, of course, shall always, always set you free! And suddenly Atobam stops struggling on the ground. He stands up groggily. Baaba scre-ms as she runs from the podium and embraces Atobam. They hold each other tightly, showering endearments on each other without caring about the scene they are causing. Baaba takes her son from the guest and together she and Atobam walks towards the entrance. TUTU DOMPREH (shattered) Oh, no! Dear Lord, no, no, no!! Kwabena jumps to his feet. KWABENA (shattered) Baaba! Jesus, Baaba! How could you do this to me? No, please, please… don’t kill my soul like this! Baaba turns an agonized face to Kwabena as tears course down her cheeks. BAABA I’m terribly sorry, Kobby! I deceived you! I lied to you for your money! Junior is not your son, I beg of you! He’s Ato’s son! Please find it in your heart to forgive us! She turns and quickly flees from the premises. A shattered Kwabena sits down slowly, his eyes seeking Akua, filled with sudden pain, shame and remorse! He is trembling so badly that he fears he might have a heart attack. Tutu Dompreh is trembling as he slowly sinks back in his seat. The stranger goes round the table and sits down on the seat Baaba has vacated. The stranger looks down at the great number of people sitting down who are now looking at him. He leans forward and looks at Tutu Dompreh. THE STRANGER Pass me the microphone, please Tutu’s jaw is set pugnaciously, but fear lurks in the depths of his eyes. He has seen things he cannot explain, and it is scaring him. He does not know what the stranger has up his sleeve, and not knowing is sending terror through Tutu’s heart, and he is trying to control that fear. The microphone is passed across, until it comes to Kwabena, and he hands it to the stranger. The bearded man then looks at the crowd again, and begins to speak in a pleasant, deep bass voice. (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 hærdness 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 scre-ming and shouting. Some are playing cards and others are watching an action movie on the small television. A boy called DAUDA MOSHIE suddenly scre-ms when he sees Dede. DAUDA Yooooooooooooo!!! Hey, Kobby, aboa kwasea, your chick land o, e land! The other boys scre-m 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 k-sses her lightly. She giggles and tries to hide her l-ips under his neck. Dauda uncovers the basket, takes off the lid of the huge bowl in,side, 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)
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