The sun was yet to rise that early Monday morning as Dufie turned the key in the ignition of her Daewoo Matiz, drove out of her rented apartment and pulled out onto the main road, the haze still clinging to the air.

The weeks had gone by so quickly. Christmas came and went, a new year had begun, and the first day of rehearsals had quickly arrived. It felt like a haze to her, each day just speeding by without stopping for her, but hey, she was glad this day had finally arrived. Now she could get back to focusing on what she wanted for herself.

Good timing was on her side as she hit the main road; the streets weren’t as congested as they would be in another hour. She breathed a sigh of relief, grateful she had left home early to beat the inevitable gridlock. 

“Nothing would have been worse than dealing with that monstrosity on a Monday like this,” she muttered to herself, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as she drove. 

She nodded to herself as she moved on, a small sense of relief settling in her chest as she pondered over the past couple of conversations with her stepmother. 

At least things were getting better. For the longest time, the tension between them had been suffocating, to say the least. They barely spoke without veiled jabs or long, uncomfortable silences filling the space between them. But recently, the strain had loosened—just a little. There were still moments of coldness between them when they spoke, but the worst of the storm seemed to have passed. 

Leaving the house and focusing on healing herself had certainly been a good decision. It might have been super drastic, but her mental survival had depended on it; she felt she would’ve crashed and burned badly if she had maintained the status quo.

She nodded, whistling as she drove along.

Then, as if her mind had been waiting for a quiet moment to ambush her, it drifted to Sakyi. 

She winced. 

His reaction at the meet-and-greet a few weeks ago had been like a sharp slap to the face, even though she knew she had no right to be surprised. The moment she saw the shock in his eyes, she knew he hadn’t been expecting her. The feeling was mutual; as much as she knew how passionate he was about acting, she had not expected him to be the lead actor for this play.

How crazy life could be!

And when she had approached him to offer a simple greeting after the event, his response had been clipped and detached, with the coldest of expressions on his face.

It stung, but hey, she understood perfectly.

She knew what she had done to him. 

She knew the text she had sent had shattered him. And then the silence that followed? That had been even worse.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she switched lanes.

She wasn’t foolish enough to expect things to go back to the way they were. That chapter was long gone. But the fact was that they were going to be working together for weeks, and the last thing they needed was to let the past ruin that. 

She had to try and talk to him. 

Not to rekindle anything. Not to make excuses. But to at least clear the air and make things a bit more bearable. 

She pressed her foot down slightly on the accelerator, watching the road stretch before her. 

It wasn’t going to be easy. But she was willing to try.

***

Dufie pulled into the parking lot of Amfo Visions Entertainment about an hour later, taking a deep breath before stepping out of her car. The quiet hum of activity could be heard as the production crew were busy at work and other cast members trooped in, looking excited at the beginning of rehearsals.

As she approached the main set area, a tall, broad-shouldered man in overalls waved at her. “Dufie Parker-Benin, right?” he asked with a friendly smile. 

She nodded, shaking his outstretched hand. “Yeah, that’s me.” 

“Good to meet you. I’m Kwabena, set designer and props master,” he introduced himself. “Leslie and the team are inside. Makeup and wardrobe are getting prepped too.” 

“Got it,” she responded, giving him a polite nod before heading toward the dressing rooms. Just as she reached the entrance, a familiar figure emerged—a petite woman with sharp eyes.

It was Akosua, the head of makeup.

“Dufie, finally, you’re here,” she said with a smirk. “Good morning! Come along with me, let’s walk. I’ve got the details for today here.”

Dufie fell into step beside her, receiving a small schedule sheet from her.

“So, this is how today’s going. Light blocking first, followed by a quick table read, and then individual rehearsals for the major scenes. You’ll be with your fellow lead actor, Sakyi, for most of those.”

At the mention of his name, Dufie hesitated. “Speaking of… is he here yet?”

Akosua nodded. “Yeah. Came in about twenty minutes ago. Currently in his dressing room, if I’m not wrong.”

Dufie exhaled, bracing herself. “Okay, okay.”

Akosua gave her a curious glance. “You wanna go meet up with him?”

Dufie forced a small smile. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Akosua nodded. “Sounds good to me. His room is two doors away from yours, so you can’t miss it. All the best!” she said before turning toward the makeup station.

Nodding, Dufie squared her shoulders and made her way to the dressing rooms.

It was time to straighten things out with her ex. For the sake of a peaceful working relationship. 

She had barely reached Sakyi’s door when it swung open, and there he was, standing in the doorway, looking sharp in his casual rehearsal outfit. 

His expression, initially chipper and excited, turned cold the moment he saw her.

She swallowed hard. This was going to be harder than she thought.

“Um, g-good morning,” she greeted nervously.

He nodded stiffly, looking ready to move away.

She exhaled quickly, then continued. “Umm, Sakyi, I… I know I-I know there’s some–”

“No,” he cut her off sharply. “I don’t want to hear it.” 

Dufie blinked, caught off guard. 

He shook his head, his jaw tightening. “Whatever it is you think you need to say, save it. It’s in the past. This relationship now? Strictly professional. Keep it that way.” 

And with that, he stepped past her, walking away without looking back. 

Dufie stood there, frozen, feeling the weight of his words settle like stones in her chest. 

***

The rehearsal hall was abuzz with activity as the actors moved into position. The table read had gone smoothly, and now it was time to bring the words to life.

Leslie sat at the front, arms crossed, watching with sharp eyes as the scene was set.

Dufie took her place on set, standing over a small wooden table with a metal pan full of water. The scene was simple: Rose, overwhelmed with house chores, accidentally knocks over the pan and throws a little tantrum. Kwame, ever the sweetheart, happens to pass by and helps her out with a cheerful attitude.

It was a lighthearted scene, meant to endear their characters to the audience early on.

Leslie called for action.

Dufie let out an exaggerated sigh, lifting the pan and feigning exhaustion, gasping as she fumbled the pan. The water spilled all over the floor with a loud splash.

She groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Ooooooh, ah! What is all this?”

Right on cue, Sakyi, as Kwame, strolled onto the set with an easy grin. “Ei, ei, ei! Sister Rose, what’s going on here? Are you trying to drown the floor?”

Dufie, fully in character, huffed dramatically. “Maybe I should just do that! Na me di3, I’m just tired. Ahba! Too much work on my head! What is all this? It’s days like this that make me wish some rich man will just come and marry me and take me to Accra!”

Sakyi let out a hearty laugh, stepping carefully over the wet floor. “Ah! Really? Move to Accra? You want to go and sit in some big house, drinking juice, while poor me will be here fetching water alone? God forbid bad thing!”

She folded her arms and shot him a mock glare. “Kwame, I don’t like that.”

Sakyi snickered before crouching, pretending to inspect the spill. “You know… I have an idea for refilling it. Just cry small, and it will refill the pan.”

That line was met with laughter from the production crew. Even Dufie, still in character, felt a genuine sense of amusement. It had been a while since she heard that playful lilt in his voice, even if it was all part of the act.

Kwame—Sakyi—sighed dramatically. “Ah well, what can we do? Since I’m clearly the only gentleman left in this village, I’ll fetch you more water.”

Rose tilted her head at him. “You’re really serious?”

Sakyi stood upright, puffing his chest proudly. “Of course! Anything for you.”

Dufie widened her eyes and playfully clutched her chest. “Ei, Kwame! Be careful, before I start falling for you.”

Sakyi chuckled, gave her a charming wink, and started to walk off with the pan.

“CUT!” Leslie’s voice rang out.

There was a moment of silence before he grinned.

“That was perfect! The energy, the comedic timing—everything! Excellent work, both of you!”

The crew clapped lightly, and Dufie beamed, looking at Sakyi instinctively. He had played his part so well, and for that brief moment, it had felt like old times—laughing, teasing, smiling at each other.

As Leslie announced a ten-minute break, however, Sakyi immediately turned away, his easygoing character vanishing in an instant. He strode past Dufie without so much as a glance, his expression cold and unreadable.

Dufie stood still, the happiness she had felt seconds ago quickly fading into hurt.

So this was how it was going to be.

No matter how well they acted together, once the cameras stopped rolling, the wall between them remained.

***

The afternoon sun cast long shadows over the set as the crew prepared for another scene. It had been a long but fruitful day, and the mood was mostly relaxed, except for the tension between Sakyi and Dufie—an undercurrent nobody seemed to notice. 

Dufie took her position, a neatly folded men’s shirt in her hands, her character Rose on her way to her shop. Sakyi stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, waiting for his cue. 

Leslie settled into his chair. “Alright, let’s run it. Action!” 

Dufie started walking, humming lightly as Rose would. 

Sakyi’s Kwame spotted her and grinned, strolling over with that signature playful energy. “Ei, Sister Rose, the champion seamstress of our time! Another day, another customer, eh?” 

Dufie opened her mouth to respond—but her mind went completely blank. 

She had completely forgotten her lines.

A brief silence filled the air, and she let out a small nervous giggle, signaling to the crew.

Leslie sighed. “Cut! Let’s take it again.” 

As the crew reset, Dufie turned slightly to Sakyi.

His face was tight with irritation, his jaw clenched as if she had committed a grave mistake. She blinked, taken aback by how irritated he looked. 

Leslie’s voice snapped her back. “Alright, let’s go again. And… action!” 

This time, she stayed focused. As soon as Kwame asked the question, she smoothly answered, ensuring the smooth flow of the scene. 

“Cut! Okay, that’s a wrap for today,” Leslie called out once they were done. “Good work, people. Everything moved smoothly, so chale, we’re on course. Time for some well-deserved rest. See you all tomorrow!”

The actors and crew dispersed, chatting amongst themselves, pleased with the success of the day’s events.

Dufie, stepping down from the stage, had her eyes set on Sakyi, not amused at that irritated expression of his. She caught up to him just as he reached the exit.

“Sakyi!” she called after him.

He turned, looking displeased once again. “What?” 

She folded her arms, keeping her tone calm but firm. “I don’t appreciate the way you looked at me earlier.”

His expression darkened instantly. “And I don’t appreciate you laughing in the middle of a scene like this is some joke.”

She raised her arms in protest. “Come on, Sakyi! It wasn’t that serious—” 

“To you,” he cut in sharply. “You might think this is some fun little game, but I take my work seriously.”

Her jaw tightened, but before she could respond, he shook his head and scoffed.

“See, I don’t know how you slithered your way back into my life after… after just cutting me off like that, but that’s neither here nor there. Please, let’s get one thing straight. I’m here to do my job. That’s it. I just want to get through this and be done. Please, just do what needs to be done, then go back to wherever you came from! Please!” 

And with that, he turned and walked off. 

Dufie stood frozen for a moment, his words cutting deep. 

Slithered? Like I’m some kind of snake? Really?

Her nostrils flared slightly as she clenched her fists.

She had tried her best to let peace reign, but clearly, he preferred to be nasty.

Fine! If that was the energy he wanted to give her, then from now on, she was giving it right back.

Uh-oh, this won’t augur well for their work,  will it?