"I Still Love You"-A Short Story

On 13th October 2013, by exactly 12:45pm, Nkechi’s heart skipped a few beats.

By 12:46pm, her head had begun to spin and pound at the same time and her feet begun to quiver.

She had to sit down.

As she pulled out the dining chair and slumped into it she could feel her whole world deteriorating.

He was still on the other end of the phone, he was still explaining why he had to dump her even though their wedding was in two weeks, but all she could see were the shattered walls of the life she had planned and had started building.

Hadn’t she been the perfect girl friend? Hadn’t she stood by her man through thick and thin? Hadn’t she loved him and cared for him the best way any girl ever could? And when other guys asked her out, hadn’t she said no to even an offer for a drink?

“Why are you saying all this Kema” she said as softly as speech could let her “what did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything, I just met someone else here and I don’t think it is fair to be stringing you along. I am going to marry her here and you will never see me again. I don’t have any family to explain this too but you have to tell your parents that the wedding is off.

I will duly compensate you for the money you loaned me to come abroad and start up a business. I wouldn’t have done it without you and I still respect you a lot so I will double or even triple the money. My lawyer will be with you soonest.

Please after I drop this phone now, do not try to contact me for any reason, I will not find it funny with you if you do. Is that clear?”

She didn’t say anything. She thought about the baby in her womb. What would she do? How would she cope?

She was sure she would die

***

He called her name twice and she didn’t reply

But he could hear her breath and automatically he could see her face.

He could see her tears and even though she made no sound he knew she was crying. It was the way she liked to cry.

He wished he could kiss the tears away one last time but he couldn’t.

Then with his voice now softened, he called her again

“Nkechi… are you there? Please don’t take this too hard. Just start another life please. You deserve better than me. I don’t even know why you love me. You are a fine girl, you will do better.

You will never worry about money again; I will send my lawyer to you… I still lo… take good care of yourself. Goodbye.”

He cut the phone before he lost his nerve and before the warden got to him.

He thought he had heard “I am pregnant” just as he dropped the phone but he blocked the thought out of his mind.  It was difficult enough to let Nkechi go but to think that she may have conceived during his last visit to Nigeria was just unbearable!

He thought for a second about what he had just done. He knew she was strong enough and would survive.

‘It is better she thinks of me that way than for her to know what I have done. What I have been doing these past few years. What I would have continued doing if I hadn’t gotten caught’ he thought justifying his action

“It’s time” the warden announced

And he let them lead him to the electric chair, glad that he had said good bye.