INT. LIVING ROOM - SUNSET
It is an ultramodern living room of Auntie Abebrese.
The serenity in the living room is a direct contrast to the inner turmoil the woman at the centre of the room, OYE, experiences one too many times, of which today is no exception. Tears flow freely as she tries to make sense of her current situation while pressing her phone.
She suffers from DISSOCIATIVE PERSONALITY DISORDER (D.I.D)and has 2 alters; FEEHI, who taunts her consistently and ALLSWELL, calm soft spoken and artistic. Allswell expertly plays soothing tunes on the GRAND PIANO at the corner of the living room.
FEEHI
(Paces room and giggles)
If tears was orgasm, someone would be writhing here like nobody’s business
OYE
(sobs)
How long will I go on like this, how long will I continue to love and lose? No one seems to like me. Everyone I love leaves.
FEEHI
Ain't you the one who goes about calling yourself a social media influencer or whatever they call it, you have hundreds of followers yet you’re always here disturbing us about being lonely (lets out a sinister laughter)
OYE
Social media is not real life please. I struggled so much to create content to make the world see me, but I feel so empty within. If only someone will be there for me.
Allswell stops playing and moves to where Oye sits
FEEHI
Welcome Miss goodie 2 shoes, did someone make you feel like you have been missed?
OYE
(To Feehi)
Can you just be nice for once?
ALLSWELL
Don't mind this troll, Oye, you can always sit here and bemoan your predicament or take your life into your own hands.
FEEHI
That will practically mean she killing us off, I don't want to go anywhere.
ALLSWELL
That’s a reality you’d have to face one of these days, especially now that she has started therapy.
OYE
I don't want any therapy anymore, why do I have to do all the work when those who abused me are walking around enjoying their lives? Whatever happened to the happy ending preached in Cinderella? Why can’t that be my reality?
FEEHI
I don’t want to go anywhere
(Retreats back into Oye)
ALLSWELL
(To Feehi)
Grow up
(To Oye)
Sweetheart, I understand your predicament, it’s good you have come to appreciate that the number of people around you doesn’t equate the quality of relationship you need. Cinderella is just a fairy tale, in real life, the abused suffer the pain inflicted on her and also the pain of healing. It’s not fair, but you need to put in the work.
OYE
So why cant I get quality relationships? I give it all but get nothing in return.
ALLSWELL
You don't attract what you want or who you are, you attract what you believe you deserve, you’re too compliant and you give too much of yourself so people don't leave you, but that’s the exact reason why they will take advantage of you and leave.
OYE
(Moving about looking for an object)
I want to die, dying will bring all this pain to an end, every day comes with different diagnoses and issues. Today it is depression, tomorrow hallucination, worse of all, no one loves me.
ALLSWELL
Are you really sure no one loves you? You keep pushing those who love you away. I remember the flowers, the chocolate and all the beautiful messages Kofi had been sending but you blocked him.
OYE
He would have left anyway, they all do.
ALLSWELL
You don't know that for a fact. Sometimes you need someone who sees you, understands you and gets you, and Kofi was an embodiment of all these, but as usual, you blocked him.
Feehi emerges from Oye
FEEHI
Someone is scared her demons will come out to play (laughs)
ALLSWELL
(To Feehi)
Behave
FEEHI
Make me
ALLSWELL
You know I’m perfectly capable
FEEHI
You want to visit on me the predicament you visited on...
ALLSWELL
(Cuts in)
Don't!
OYE
(Screams)
Can you two just keep quiet so I think? Can’t you leave peaceably with each other? Stop stressing me out!
Oye’s screams upsets her mother, AUNTIE ABEBRESE, who is currently in the kitchen. She screams to inquire on the happenings in the living room.
AUNTIE ABEBRESE (V.O.)
(Screams)
Why on earth cant you just give me some peace of mind in this house?
ALLSWELL
Here we go
FEEHI
There comes our nemesis
Feehi and Allswell retreat into Oye as Auntie Abebrese burst into the living room.
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
Who were you screaming at?
OYE
(Silence)
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
You must be going crazy sitting here shouting at no one in particular. Why did the gods visit me with such a lunatic for a daughter?
OYE
I’m sorry please, it wont happen again
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
I am sure you have been hallucinating again and conversing with those stupid people in your head. Why wont DR OWUSU just send you to the mad people’s homes to free me of this burden?
(fishes for her phone, Oye begins to cry)
AUNTIE ABEBRESE (CONT'D)
(On a call)
Hello Doctor, you need to come here as soon as possible. This lunatic wont let me have peace. Come for her from my house. I’m sick and tired of all her screams and disturbances.I will be expecting you. Bye
OYE
(Sobs)
Mama, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
Shut the fuck up. I curse the day I gave birth to you.I curse your pedophile of a deceased father.You should have been the one who ate the poisoned food on that fateful day. You’re the worse thing that has ever happened to me in my years here on earth.
Oye attempts to hold her mum to plead with her to stop being mean, but she snubs her and storms out of the room. Feehi and Allswell emerge from Oye.
FEEHI
(In jest)
Mama, I’m sorry (laughs)
ALLSWELL
(begins to fume)
Why do you take so much abuse from her
OYE
She is my mother and all I have, she is the only one who cares about me
ALLSWELL
(begins to get angry)
She obviously doesn’t care about you, she should have been the one to die.
FEEHI
It’s about to go down
OYE
I love her
ALLSWELL
She doesn’t care about you, she treats you like the worse thing she has ever seen and you sit here fantasizing about what can be instead of what is, it’s high time you accepted her for who she is.
Oye cries so much and falls into a trance
FEEHI
You stress her out too much with all those advice. She is craving for her mother’s love.
ALLSWELL
She should have been the one to die, I will make sure of that.
FEEHI
How anyone thinks you’re the better person beats me anytime, you’re a calculating, cold, killing bitch.
ALLSWELL
I am not all talks and no action, unlike someone I know.
FEEHI
You have to tone down on your quest for vengeance. You took over her and poisoned dad. She still has no inkling what you made her do.
ALLSWELL
When a father cannot keep his manhood to himself and decides to stick it where it doesn’t belong, he doesn't deserve to live.
FEEHI
But you wouldn’t have come about without that incidence.
ALLSWELL
Unlike you, I don’t live for my own pleasure. I want Oye to be well even if that means we dying off forever.I will do anything to protect her.
FEEHI
You’re so confusing to deal with. I don't know which of your faces I want to slap right now. Who helps her cope with all that psychological and verbal abuse that silly woman rains on her?
A KNOCK is heard on the door, Feehi and Allswell retreat into Oye, Dr Owusu is ushered into the house by Auntie Abebrese. They enter the living room together. Auntie Abebrese wields a KNIFE in hand which she lays down on the CENTRE TABLE to attend to the doctor.
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
There she lies, having one of her episodes, I just hate having a mad girl in this house.
DR OWUSU
(kneels down to attend to Oye)
You need to be patient with her. I have been telling you she is not mad.Her condition is Dissociative Identity Disorder or D.I.D. as we prefer to call it. She has endured too much trauma and that’s her coping mechanism
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
Is she the only one who has gone through abuse? Does she know what my mother did to me growing up? She used to smash my head against the wall and flock me like a thief but I didn't turn out mad. She is fortunate all I do to her is scream or put her in order with words. I cant stand weaklings.
DR OWUSU
Everybody has a different pain threshold ma’am, the fact that you are able to endure something doesn't mean everyone can. Verbal and psychological abuse are equally abusive. You don't need to lay hands on someone to hurt them.
Dr Owusu continues to examine Oye who is still in a trance
DR OWUSU (CONT'D)
If you will extend a little empathy to her, she can come around.
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
Can’t you give her medication to get this over and done with? Not only is she mad, and disturbs my peace, she is such a lousy liar. She will do things and pretend to have amnesia when confronted.
DR OWUSU
That’s one classic symptom of D.I.D., her alters take control of her, so she will not remember what happens when they do. I can give her medication to calm her nerves but that will not totally cure her. Talk therapy, like what I have been doing is what can help integrate the personalities and help her cope with the trauma.
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
You continue with your work, I will be in the kitchen.
DR OWUSU
You never stay to see what happens when her alter takes charge of her, can you stay to witness just this once?
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
(Reluctantly takes a seat)
If you say so
DR OWUSU
(Calls out to the alters a number of times)
Hello there, is anyone around?
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
(Gets up to leave)
Nothing really is happening, let me leave...
There is a sinister laughter which doesn't sound like Oye, Auntie Abebrese turns around to see a totally different personality and freezes in her tracks
DR OWUSU
Hello Feehi, you promised to tell me the name of the other alter today. And since you boast of being a person of integrity, I think it is time you fulfilled your promise
FEEHI
Hello Doctor, I told you, you will not like to know her, She is sugar and spice, she is fire and ice. Unlike me she is calm but deadly. (laughs out loud)
DR OWUSU
What’s her name and when was she born?
FEEHI
She is the youngest but acts otherwise, when dad put his manhood into Oye, that was when she was born.She is a hopeless romantic and loves music and poetry.
Auntie Abebrese gasps in horror
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
I knew my husband was a pedophile but I never knew he harmed our child.
DR OWUSU
(Signals Auntie Abebrese to be quiet)
Feehi, can you tell me more about her?
There is silence, Feehi retreats into Oye and Allswell emerges singing a love song.
ALLSWELL
Hello Doctor, I am Allswell, which means All is well, my name translates to Feehi in Ga and Oye in Akan.
Auntie Abebrese is shocked to the bone about the spectacle unfolding before her
DR OWUSU
Hi Allswell, you sound very calm, so why does Feehi think you’re deadly?
ALLSWELL
Because I am, I poisoned dad when he tried taking advantage of Oye again.
AUNTIE ABEBRESE
Jesus Christ! How, How is that even possible?
ALLSWELL
And you know why I came out today? To protect Oye against that woman sitting there. She makes Oye sad and I cant stand it so today, I am going to end it all.
Allswell picks the knife Auntie Abebrese left on the centre table and before Dr Owusu knows what is happening,She throws the knife in the direction of Dr Owusu and Auntie Abebrese, there is a scream and a thump sound of a body crashing onto the floor.
ALLSWELL
Next time when you come back to life, you wont maltreat anyone.
(retreats to the Oye)
OYE
(snaps out of her trance and screams at bloody scene)
What Just happened?
END
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