He Cheated with My Girlfriend (the end)

We got our groceries, put them in our cars and drove to a nice restaurant. We went in and ordered and talked for awhile. God, I loved being with her. I wished I could just take her away forever. I even told her so. She had to know that after all these years I still had strong feelings for her.

She laughed and told me I had had my chance but blew it.

I looked at her and asked when was that? She had chosen Kalu, so I had stepped aside.

"Uzodinma, I liked both you and Kalu but wasn't sure which of you liked me. I decided the first to ask me to be their girl I would go with. Why didn't you fight for me? I liked you the best at the time but you never tried."

I told her the truth about the pact that Kalu and I had made. How we promised never to go after the other's girlfriend. She just shook her head and called me an idiot.

"Uzodinma, I have one more question I've always wanted answered but was afraid to ask you."

"Fire away."

"The one time we played strip poker. Remember, you and Nneka, me and Kalu in the motel room?"

"How could I ever forget? What do you want to know?"

"You stopped the game when I was about to take off my bra. You know Kalu was touching Nneka whenever he could, since she was three sheets to the wind. I was drunk enough that night that I probably would have given myself to you and you stopped it, why?"

"Because I loved you. There was nothing I wanted more than to be with you, but not under those circumstances. It would have killed you the next morning and I would have probably lost you as my best friend. Not to mention ruining two marriages."

"God, I'm so mad at you!"

"Me? What did I do?" I was confused.

"You didn't fight for me twenty-five years ago." She started crying.

"In my own defence, I didn't know you cared."

She wiped her tears and slapped my arm for making her cry, so she said. I told her I would always love and be there for her. She kissed me on the cheek as we left the restaurant. I was happy and yet sad to see her go.

After I got home I told Oluchi I had met Ife and we had dinner since she wasn't home.

"You have always loved her haven't you, Uzodinma? I can hear it in your voice when you mention her name. I'd be willing to bet that you cared more for her than you did for Nneka. Am I right?"

I thought before answering. "I believe there are layers of love. Though some might not be as strong as others it is still love. Yes, I love Ife; we've been friends since the day we were born. I still love Nneka and my children. I love you, too, Oluchi. If I didn't you wouldn't be living here. I believe there is room in one's heart to love more than one person. Now, how about you and I going into the bedroom and I'll show you how much I love you?"

The one thing I could say about Oluchi is she was one hell of a sex partner. We started out having oral sex, then I lay on my back while she rode me. Nna! I love that position. I could stare at her face as she came and watch our juices flow down my cock.

Life was different for me after Oluchi moved in. I didn't see as much of my family as I would have liked to. Probably had to do with Oluchi's age but we did see them for birthdays and holidays. I hardly ever talked to my ex-wife; I knew she was really pissed about Oluchi moving in, but she lost her right to an opinion when she divorced me.

There were a lot of times that I didn't truly trust Oluchi, but of course I never told her so. I realized that we weren't married and I didn't own her but we did have an agreement to be monogamous.

We had a few arguments about her wanting to go out with some of her friends. I told her that I didn't care if she went out but if I ever found out that she was with dating other man, our friendship would end and she would be out of my life


I arrived in Owerri and dropped off my truck. It was late so I docked it and headed for my sleeper cab. It was a lot cheaper sleeping in my cab than renting a room. I was dead tired from all the driving and then thinking about beating up Kalu and telling Oluchi she had to leave. I knew everyone was going to tell me, "I told you so."

Then I thought about Ife and how hurt she would be. Now I wished I had kicked his ass a little more. Maybe I would when I got back home. Right now I just wanted some sleep.

I woke in the morning, and found out they weren't going to empty my load for a few hours. I headed to the back of my truck and took a quick bath and headed to the restaurant. I hung around the restaurant for awhile and went back over to see if my truck was emptied yet.

After moving my truck I went in the office and signed my papers and headed back to my truck. I was approached by two Mobile policemen who came up to me and asked if I was Uzodinma Obi.

"Yes! That's me. What can I do for you officers?"

"Sir, do you know  Oluchi Oganiru?"

"Yes, I do. Is there a problem?" I asked.

"What about a Kalu Nnamalu, do you know him?" asked the officer.

"Yes, of course I do. I beat the hell out of him for fucking my girlfriend yesterday."

They told me I was wanted for questioning for the murder of Oluchi Oganiru and Kalu Nnamalu.

I was dumbfounded. "There must be some kind of mistake. I didn't kill anyone. I told you I beat  Kalu's and he deserved it, but I never even touched Oluchi."

"Mr. Obi, we need to take you back to the station. We ask that you come peacefully."

They led me to the back of the squad car. I kept telling them they were making a mistake but they just told me I could tell my story after we got to the station.

They did ask me if I had a rifle. They had searched me but found nothing.

I was totally shaken up; I had a hard time thinking straight. It's a freaky thing to be questioned by the police. They read me my rights and said I didn't have to say anything until I spoke with an attorney. I told them I didn't do anything wrong and wanted to tell them what really happened.

They took my rifle and carrying permit and put it in a plastic bag. I saw the one officer smell the barrel, probably checking to see it had been fired recently.

"I haven't shot it for quite a few months. I probably need to clean it."

They took my statement and told me I would be transferred back to Onitsha. The Onitsha State division was already on their way to pick me up. They did let me call my dispatch so my truck could be looked after.

They also let me call a lawyer so one could be there for me when I returned back to Onitsha. The only two I knew was Kalu, who I was possibly accused of killing, and Nneka's husband Ndubuisi. I called Ndubuisi and he told me he wasn't a criminal lawyer and that his firm wouldn't be able to handle the case anyway since Kalu worked for them. He did say he would send over a friend who was a good criminal attorney from another firm. He also said not to answer any more questions until I was with the attorney.

When the Police arrived I heard the Owerri officer talk to them.

"He seemed surprised that these people were killed. He does have blood on his pants but admitted to fighting with Kalu Nnamalu before coming to Owerri."

He handed him the plastic bag containing my handgun and permit. "He had this gun in his truck. It doesn't seem to have be fired recently. We checked the truck and didn't find any other weapons. It will stay parked here in case you need to do another search."

I was put in the back seat of the police van. At least since I was co-operating they took off the cuffs. I just sat there wondering what had happened after I left. When we got to the Onitsha division I was taken to a room to be questioned.

It was already all over the radio and television about the murders. My name was even mentioned.

Okwonkwo Afam was my attorney. He was supposed to be pretty good. I told him my story and exactly what happened. That was when he told me that Oluchi and Kalu were both shot twice. Once in the head and again in the abdomen. They were both found in the kitchen. All Oluchi had on was a robe, and Kalu a t-shirt and briefs.

The  prosecutor came in to listen to my story. I told him everything I could remember from watching them fuck to me knocking Kalu to the floor and busting his nose. I kept telling him that I never touched Oluchi.

"When I left, I told her I'd be back in two days and to get the hell out of my house and I never wanted to see either one of them again."

"What room were they in when you last saw them?"

"The bedroom. Oluchi was on the bed and Kalu was on the floor. Neither had any clothes on. Who found them? Maybe that person killed them."

"Ife Nnamalu found them. She had just gotten back from her daughter's house the night before and said her husband had never come home the night before. She got up and went looking for him when he didn't show up for work."

Oh, God, I thought. Why did she have to be the one? I wasn't even there to comfort her. "Oh no! I hope she doesn't believe I killed them."

"Mr. Obi, we're looking through the evidence but you are our primary suspect. Your neighbours saw you drive away in your truck the night before."

"I said I was there, I admitted to beating the crap out of Kalu for fucking my girlfriend but I didn't kill anyone. You have to believe me."

"Well, Mr. Obi, right now we can hold you, without charging you for forty-eight hours, which we intend to do. If we file charges against you then the bail would probably be a million-Naira bond. Unless you can post a hundred thousand Naira you'll be with us till we get this crime solved. For your sake, I hope you're innocent.

"Mr. Obi, do you own a rifle?" asked the prosecutor.

"Yes, sir, the officers have it and I have a permit to carry it. I also have a twenty-two rifle in my cupboard."


Okwonkwo, my lawyer, told me he had a private investigator on the case. He said that there were too many unanswered questions and he believed I was innocent.

He asked me if I had feelings for Ife; he said it would give them another reason to think I killed Kalu.

"I could see it in your face, so whatever you do, don't tell them," he advised. "By the way, Ife asked for permission to come and see you tomorrow. The Attorney okayed it as long as they could listen in, so watch what you say."

Okwonkwo asked me if I had the money to post bond if needed. I told him I had about seventy-five thousand Naira in the bank but I would need it to pay for him and the investigator. He laughed and said hopefully I might get out in a few days. He really did believe I was innocent, which of course I was.

I didn't sleep well trying to figure out who might have done this. I was positive that Ife wasn't capable of such an act. Every person I knew ran through my mind. I wondered if it was someone who might have known Oluchi; she had kept a lot of her past secret.

The next day Okwonkwo PI came in and talked to me. He said he had talked with the neighbours who had seen my truck and they said that about an hour after that, they were sitting on the veranda and saw an junky looking car go past the house. There were two men in it that they didn't know. They had never seen the car before.

They had given the police a good description of the car, although they hadn't gotten the license plate, only that they were from Portharcourt. The car had drawn their attention since it was going so fast on the dirt road.

A couple of hours later I was told I had a visitor. It was Ife. As beautiful as she was, Ife looked so sad. She had tears coming down her face which made me cry.

"I'm so sorry you had to be the one to find them," was the first thing I said.

"Uzodinma, tell me it wasn't you and I will believe you."

"Honest to God, Ife. I was there and found them...having sex. I beat the hell out of Kalu and left. I have no idea what happened after that. Honest, I had nothing to do with it. I feel so sad for you. You deserved so much better."

I guess anyone listening in on our conversation could tell I cared for Ife. It was just so hard to hide.

Ife cried the whole time she was there. She told me that after Kalu didn't come home and didn't report for work that she was worried and went looking for him. She had seen his car parked at my house. When she got to the door it was unlocked and she had walked in.

It the kitchen she had found them both dead. She was half in shock but had managed not to touch anything. She had even used her phone to call the police. They told her to stay there till they got there.

"Uzodinma, I thought about you and thought you might have done it. If I had had a gun and walked in on them, I might have even pulled the trigger. Oluchi just had on a robe and Kalu a t-shirt and briefs. I knew they must have had sex. The police told me they did." She wiped at her eyes.

"They were naked when I left, and still in the bedroom. I figure they must have gone to the kitchen to put some ice on Kalu's face. I beat him pretty good. I guess there are a couple of leads but I don't know much about them. Ife, I need you to know I didn't do this. I don't care who else believes me, but I need you to."

She was crying hard now and I couldn't even console her. I knew I had tears running down my cheeks. "I believe you Uzodinma, I really do."

Our time was up and Ife left. I was taken and questioned again. They kept getting the same answers. I always felt if you told the truth there wouldn't be any lies to try and remember. They seemed to know a lot about Kalu but kept asking questions about Oluchi.

I told them how we met at the restaurant she had worked at in Portharcourt. I told them the name of her friend and where she lived there. I mentioned the gym she worked out in and the name of some of her friends I met.

They asked me over and over if I was in love with Ife. I couldn't hide it; I told them that we had been friends forever and that I had always loved her but we had never been intimate. Kalu had been my best friend. That's probably why I just beat the shit out of him instead of killing him.

They had considered Ife a suspect as well but she had a solid alibi, spending the evening with her daughter. As for me, I was still on the list.

Another day passed and Okwonkwo asked me about Oluchi's remains. I told him since she had lived with me, I would pay for her funeral. The prosecuting attorney told me he was going to let me out for now but not to leave the state.

Okwonkwo drove me to my place. I was allowed in to pack a couple of suitcases. I could see the blood on the kitchen floor and even some in the bedroom. I was going to spend the next few days in a motel.

I asked Okwonkwo about the mess in my house. He said he had contacted a cleaning crew and they would be there in a couple of days to clean the place up. I told him to get rid of the whole bed, mattress and all. I couldn't imagine sleeping on it now.

I got in my pickup and went to the motel. After checking in I went to set up funeral arrangements for Oluchi since she never took me to any relative of her. I had picked up a dress for her at the house while I was there. The burial would be the following day and I took care of all the arrangements. It was sad, even though she cheated on me, the poor girl had lived a shit life and ended up being killed.

When I went to attend the graveside service I was surprised to see my children, Nneka, and Ndubuisi. The fact that they'd done it for me made me cry again. In addition, there were about twenty other people. I didn't know any of them so I figured they knew she was the woman who had been shot and just had to see. I'm glad I had a closed casket.

Kalu's funeral was the following day. Nneka had told me that she and Ife thought it best if I didn't attend. It was going to be hard on everyone. Ife would have liked me there but I think she was concerned with Kalu's family. Knowing he had been cheating on Ife made it difficult for her. Nneka and my children were there for her as well as her own family. Some people from Kalu's law firm as well as some of his friends and family attended also.

The day of Kalu's funeral I asked the prosecutor if I could have permission to go get my truck and bring it home. He did give me a two-day pass even though it wouldn't even take one. I decided to take the two days just to get away.

A couple of days later the police got a good lead. They contacted Oluchi's old roommate in Portharcourt thanks to the leads given by my PI. Turned out that Oluchi's old boyfriend had been recently released from prison; he'd been serving time for an armed robbery a few years back. He had stopped by her old apartment to find out where she was.

Oluchi's roommate didn't want to give out her new address but the guy slapped her around until she gave in. She was afraid to call the police because Luke, Oluchi's old boyfriend, had told her he would come back and kill her if she did.

She still had the bruises from Luke' assault. She told the police what type of car Luke was driving and it matched the one my neighbour couple had described. We hoped that it was the same man or men that killed Oluchi and Kalu.

The police highway patrol pulled over a vehicle for speeding that fit the description of the suspect's car. There were two men inside; they were searched and the police found a handgun. The men's names were Luke Ozor and his friend, Nduka Agunna.

They wouldn't admit to being in Onitsha or to the killings, but the police took the gun for ballistics testing, and the men in for unlawful possession of a firearm. Once it was found out that the bullets were shot from their gun, they were transferred to Onitsha for processing.

Two days later they confessed.

Luke had been Oluchi's boyfriend at the time he had committed the robberies. Oluchi had let him hide all the merchandise that he had stolen at her parents' house. After Luke was recognized at one of the robberies, she was questioned as to his whereabouts. They had promised not to charge her if she co-operated with the police.

She was young and scared, pregnant with his child and a slew of other problems. Oluchi had given his location to the police, and they had arrested him soon after.

During his trial she had to testify against him and it was her testimony that put him away for five years. She had a miscarriage after the trial. It was then she tried to put her life together and got a job as a waitress. When she met me she saw a way out of her lifestyle.

My lawyer said that the last thing that Luke said to Oluchi after his trial was that he was going to get her and whoever she was with when he got out of prison. Kalu had been in the wrong place at the wrong time; Luke and his friend had shown up about an hour after I had left.

I would like to say lady luck saved my life, but then Kalu hadn't had much luck. Okwonkwo stopped by and asked me to come to the courthouse with him to pick up my permit and handgun. I wasn't sure where I would go from here. I guessed I would just have to take it one day at a time.

When I stepped outside of the court house to hail a taxi to go home, I found Ife standing in front of her car waiting for me. I smiled at her, got in and was ready to start the next chapter of my life.

At the end of it all we found comfort in each other’s arms.

“what will be will be.”

The end