BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (37 page)

"It's not counseling I need - it's you Derrick - you! How can you be with someone like her when I'm here and love you so much? I would do anything for you Derrick, anything!"

"Anything? Anything you say? How about stay the fuck away from me? How's about that?!" He started the truck and pulled off with his door open. She was forced to let it go, he grabbed it then and slammed it as he hurried out of the school parking lot; heading for the police station where a restraining order was filed.

Having done what he set out to do, Derrick entered his home looking for his wife. She was in the basement in the laundry room, doing that and getting some ironing in before dinner. She glanced up to see him entering, offering a simple smile. He started off right away filling her in.

"Well it's done, I've spoken to the school board, well, three of them anyway, they'll be going back to the others. And I've gone to the police station and filed a restraining order on her." He was leaning against one of the cabinets waiting on her reaction. It was slow in coming as she rearranged a shirt on the ironing board, spraying some starch and then taking the iron to it again.

"Meri?"

"I heard you. The vans overheating, I was going to the store, but thought I'd better wait until you got home to see what's happening with it. I'm out of onions, tomato sauce and red pepper, some other things. I sent Shawn2 and Joseph to the store, soon as they're back, I'll start dinner."

"Are you ignoring what I just told you?"

"No, not at all."

"Well ... what do you think?"

She hung the shirt on a hanger and grabbed another from the basket, spraying it with starch and arranging it on the board.

"Meri?"

She sighed and looked up at him, "I'm glad that you've done it, papi, I am. But - do you honestly think either will make a difference? You're going to have to face that she's not normal. She obviously has no shame. Her one objective, is to have you. The school board - the police - a restraining order - will mean nothing to her. So while all of this is a good show of effort on your part, it will not stop her."

Leaning where he was, Derrick ran his hand over his head, admitting, "I don't understand her, or any woman like that. She ah, had the nerve to show up at the school today, I couldn't believe it."

Meribel froze in her ironing, her mouth on the verge of hanging open as she stared up at her husband, finally she shook her head feeling sorry for him. Simply because of the kind of man that he was - being ill equipped to deal with someone like Margaret Wheeler. She was done asking for the woman's address because she knew he would not give it, therefore she would be forced to carry through with her own plans just to be ready if the chick went psycho on them.

Her husband's hand was suddenly at her chin, lifting it to gaze into her eyes. "I'm so sorry about all of this, really I am."

"This is not your fault. I know that and I am not blaming you so don't think that I am."

"Either way, I need you to know - that I'm in love with you. I've always loved you, I've never cheated on you - I never would, the thought has never entered my mind." He declared walking around the ironing board to her. Meri set the iron in the rack turning to him as he gathered her in his arms, "You believe me?"

"Yes, of course I believe you. Still, it doesn't change what we're up against. I need you to listen to me Derrick, I want you to know, despite what you're doing - she'll be back. More than likely, she will be angry and humiliated because of your rejection. Just so you know it, I am prepared to defend myself, my home, my children and if need be, you. In fair warning, I must make this clear to you, you don't ... really know me, not really. With this - I will only wait so long - take - so much."

Derrick stood tall looking down at her, his large hands grasping her uppers arms, his thumbs caressing the round of her shoulders. He could see the seriousness in her eyes and despite what she thought, he did know her; better than she realized. All the years that they'd been married with frequent trips to Chicago visiting her family and while they spoke Spanish quite a bit, there were times when one or another would slip up and say a bit too much in English. He always played it off, but as time went by, with a bit said here, and a bit said there, and mornings when Meribel and her mother spoke, thinking him asleep, he heard plenty, learned quite a bit about his wife. One particular visit, Meribel had mentioned wanting to visit an old friend of hers to her mother. Because Meribel and Derrick slept in a room where the door to it was only a few feet away from the door of the room her mother slept in, this allowed for easy hearing to what was going on in other rooms. That morning, mother and daughter were up early to go to the Mexican store to pick up Carnitas meat, Menudo, tortillas, and all the fixings she loved for breakfast when they visited. It had been then, when they thought everyone else still sleeping when he'd heard the greatest bit - the reason his wife ended up in Wisconsin; to escape a threat to her and Dj from a rival gang, while she had been pregnant. Meribel's mother had been warning her, telling her that she was better off never revisiting that time in her life, nor the friends from it; because of Derrick being there and her children, she knew that her mother was right. At no given time had he ever heard the whole story all at once, but as the years went by, the big picture finally came together. That picture being, his wife had once been in a gang. Since she never brought it up to him, he went on with their lives never bringing it up to her. Derrick gathered her close to him within his arms, bent low; kissed her brow and softly stated in view of her declaration.

"My wife - your gang banging days are over - there's no need of you ever going back to that."

Meribel stiffened and then leaned back to look up at him, "You ... know?"

"Yes, I know."

They stared into each others eyes for countless minutes before Meribel could bring herself to speak again. "How - how do you know? My mother? My uncle?"

"Yes ... and no. Mainly from - talk - I can hear you know. I don't know Spanish fluently, but I know enough - attempted to learn it when we started out, I went off to school, you stayed with my parents. While in college, I took a class, bought the little tapes, that kind of thing. But - because I didn't follow through on learning the language entirely, I didn't tell you, since I didn't accomplish it. But ah, I know enough to decipher what I heard from you and your family over the years, everything finally fell into place. Besides that, you must admit, in the beginning, you had a manner and carriage about yourself that reminded me of inner city tough girls. Everything fit with you that I figured it must be so." Because of the unsure look in her eyes, he bent low and kissed her again, lifted saying, "With every day together, I've only loved you more."

Meribel wrapped her arms tighter around him, squeezing against his body.

"Now Meri - havin' gotten that out, that young girl of long ago - you left her in Chicago. She is no more, okay? We take care of this - the right way, okay?"

She couldn't answer because she was already making plans contrary to what he was doing.

"Meri - answer me ... okay?"

She finally looked up at her husband, "You want me to lie to you? Because if I say to you, okay - right now - this early in it all - that would be a lie. All I will say, is that I will leave it for now. If she leaves us alone, I will leave her alone, if she does not, even after doing all that you've done. Then I will deal with her."

"Meri - that is what I'm here for, for me to do."

"Against a woman papi? What are you going to do? You are too gentle, too kind when it comes to women. I know you will try to fix this, but I think against her, you are out of your league. So I'm telling you now, if she discards all warning Derrick, it is every woman for herself."

Derrick sighed, praying that by going to the authorities, he could get and keep control of the matter, but an aching feeling in his stomach told him, they were in for one heck of a battle with her.

*

Columbus, Ohio

"Well it's over now, it's done." Bart whispered in his daughter's ear. The court clerk had called them to the stand, and because there was no sign of John Sykes, thus no contest, their divorce was finalized. They were still at the court house, waiting out other cases brought forward. Shanna had needed her father with her then, by her side. She fought back tears because she knew that she was well and truly free and nothing could explain the feeling. There was only one downer on it all, members of his family had shown up, his mother and brother. They hadn't said anything while court was in session, but they were waiting to talk to her, waiting for court to be adjourned so they could ask her where was her son, his brother?

She'd already brought them to her father's attention to which he'd whispered, "Don't you worry about a thing, courts over - we have little to say to them, just as you did to the police back home, okay?" He asked, rubbing her shoulder, kissing her brow. Shanna nodded, leaning more on her father because she just needed to. "You okay?" He asked.

"I just want it to be over daddy." She murmured softly.

"It is over."

"Is it ... really?" She asked, looking up at him, not so sure.

He looked into her eyes, could see the fear there - the worry. With his rich and deep commanding voice, he assured her, "All is, as it should be. We leave here today, you carry on with your new life, and you don't look back - you understand?"

"Yes daddy."

Court was adjourned and all were dismissed, they turned to leave the courtroom and of course, waiting by the door for them, was Mrs. Sykes and her other son, Andrew Sykes. They made eye contact with Shanna and Bart and was determined to hold it, as if accusingly. The moment they were abreast of them, "Shanna, I need to talk to you." John's mother stated urgently.

Shanna paused to look at her, "I have nothing to say to you Mrs. Sykes and especially not here in the doorway of this courtroom."

"Outside then." She returned, spinning on her heels heading for the door, almost along side them. Bart shifted Shanna to the opposite side of him away from them, holding his tongue until they were outside of the high structured building, it was a busy place positioned not far from an area where clients or officials could gather outside, perhaps enjoying a break from a case to eat, or - talk about their case. They headed for one such place, surrounded by stunning landscaping, trees, shrubbery with the sun out and shining, the day was bright. Stopping at a table, father and daughter turned to face, mother and son. Not missing a beat, Bart started it off, "We have a long drive ahead of us, get to the point." He drawled.

Looking directly at Shanna, Mrs. Sykes asked, "Where's my son? Where is John, Shanna?"

"I don't know Mrs. Sykes, the last time I saw him, was when he and my sister had words. I haven't seen him since."

"You're a liar! He was determined to find you, try and get you back!"

"Well I guess he never found me! You as his mother, should have talked him out of it. Further more, how dare you stand here, look at me with accusing eyes. You know what he did to me - you always knew - and you stood by and let it happen."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mrs. Sykes could no longer make eye contact.

"Sure you do! How can you sleep at night? How can you dare show your face here while knowing all the things he did to me. Two dead babies! Your own flesh and blood grandchildren, dead ... because of him! He made my life ... a living hell!" Angry Shanna walked right up to her, glaring into her face, "Your son, was a cruel, vicious, monster and a coward!-..."

His brother, Andrew shoved her back away from his mother, "You're a damn liar-..." He was cut off by Bart's large, calloused hand wrapped tightly around his throat and squeezing, one of his arms suddenly caught up and twisted behind his back, his hand and fingers in a hold that, with just enough pressure - he would snap a few fingers as well break his hand and then follow it up with his arm.

Gasping, caught off guard and unsure what to do, Mrs. Sykes yelled at Bart, "You turn him loose!"

Ignoring her, he lifted the younger male up, so they stood with one face, next to the other, Bart snarled, "You put your hands, on my daughter, like that again, and your mother, will be looking for you next. You understood me, boy? She said she hasn't seen, that
piece of cowardice trash
and that's - that." Right before releasing him, Bart dislocated his shoulder and with a thrust sent him so hard to the ground, he skidded a few inches across the concrete, burning a skid mark on one side of his face, to his forehead and cheekbone. He yowled in pain, agonizing arrows of fire shot through his shoulder, making him wish he could faint it hurt so bad.

"Boy, you better learn how to stay on your feet."

Andrew struggled to his knees, rocking and crying out while his arm hung limp, his shoulder in agony, his mother by his side. "Look what you've done to him! We'll be pressing charges against you for this! We will!"

"Take my word for it ma'am - and I've had beatings plenty enough to know, the law don't care." Shanna spat at her.

"Ma'am - you keep your sons away from my daughter you hear? That other one ever show up again - you warn him, before its too late. One thing I do not abide, and that's harm to my lil'girls. Hope I've made myself clear, you won't wish to cross paths with me again."