A Player's Heart

Gina, a woman running from a husband who swore to kill her, arrived at the gate of her old friend Wande, a man known for many women and many debts. She asked for work as his housekeeper, hiding that she was still married to Tony, a man who had beaten her since the night her father's debt forced her into his hands. Wande, startled by her request but softened by her familiar face, gave her the job over his assistant Sam's sharp protests. Through the weeks, Gina brought order to Wande's house. She calmed the two mothers of his children, Trisha and Monica, who came shouting for money, and she turned away his friend Larry's wandering hands. Wande, seeing her strength, began to change. He stopped chasing women, he stayed home to eat with her, and he watched her laugh at movies until late. Then one afternoon, returning unannounced, Wande found Larry forcing himself on Gina. He and his driver Hopper pulled Larry away, and the guilt broke something inside him. Gina confessed everything: the forced marriage, the beatings, the fear that followed her across every road. Wande, furious that she had lied but still burning with care, drove to Tony's hotel and paid thirty million naira for the divorce papers. Afterward, he could not look at her. The trust had cracked, and Gina, heart heavy, packed her things and thanked him. But soon Wande understood that her leaving opened a hole he could not fill. He found her at a friend's house, knelt before her, and asked for her hand. Gina, who had always believed marriage was a vow, took it. They held each other as the screen faded, and the words 'A Player's Heart' rose like the last note of an old song.