I Will Always Love You (10 page)

April was sitting to Melissa’s left. She was a young white girl, just barely
twenty. She came to the shelter two weeks ago with her two children after her
latest boyfriend beat up her and her oldest son. Melissa remembered how
frig
htened all three of them looked.

Maria was sitting next to April. Melissa noted that at twenty-four, Maria
was the oldest of the group. She had four children all under the age of seven.
She was quiet and usually didn’t talk unless spoken to. Melissa knew that
Maria had horror stories buried deep inside of her.

Next to Maria was Yolanda. Yolanda just turned nineteen and had a baby
three months ago. Her boyfriend took one look at the white baby Yolanda
delivered and knew that he was not the father. When she went home from the
hospital two days later, her boyfriend beat her so badly that her eyes were
almost swollen shut. She came to the shelter that day.

Sally was sitting to Yolanda’s left. At twenty-three, she was the mother of
four children from three different men. Melissa remembered Sally telling the
group that she was raped by her
half-brother
at the tender age of eleven.
Melissa was sure that Sally saw many more terrible things in her short life
since that time.

The last participant was
Sherill
. She was the one who intimidated Melissa
the most.
Sherill
was street smart having run away from home at the age of
fourteen, almost eight years ago. She was married to a big black man named
Tyrone. They had two kids together and
Sherill
came into the marriage with
a child.

“Well, ladies, how are all of you today?” Irene asked.

Melissa heard a few mumbled words and gave her full attention to Irene.

“I would like to introduce Melissa Newman to everyone. She will be
taking over this group session.”

Melissa felt five pairs of eyes on her.

“Why is she
takin
’ over?”
Sherill
snapped.

“Because Cathy is no longer working here and Melissa is taking her
place.”

“Is she a psychiatrist like you?” Sally asked.

“No. She is a psychiatric social worker,” Irene answered as she stood up.
“Melissa is a wonderful addition to our family here at the shelter.” Turning
to Melissa she gave her a slight smile. “It’s all yours, Melissa.”

Melissa watched her mentor walk out the room and she turned her
attention back to the group. They were all watching her. “Okay, can someone
tell me where we left off at the last session?”

“Yeah. We was
talkin
’ ‘bout how crazy we all are to be with men that like
hittin
’ on us,”
Sherill
commented with a sneer.

“Really? So you like being beaten up,
Sherill
?” Melissa asked.

Sherill
crossed her arms and glared at Melissa. “What you know ‘bout it?
You look like some rich uptight bitch from Lake Shore Drive.”

Ignoring that comment, Melissa said, “I happen to know a lot about it.”

“Have you ever lived in a shelter?” April asked.

“No, April, I haven’t.”

To the other girls,
Sherill
said, “See. I told
ya
she don’t know
nothin
’ ‘bout
what we been through.”

Everyone looked from
Sherill
to Melissa. Melissa knew that it was now or
never and she took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “As a matter of fact, I do
know something about what all of you have been through. I was married to an
abusive man. When he drank, which was often, he would take all of his
frustrations out on me. Many times, he left bruises and marks all over my
body. Almost
every day
, he abused me emotionally and verbally by telling me
that I was fat and ugly and that no other man would ever find me attractive.
After
a while
, I began to believe him. Then, of course, there was the sexual
abuse.”

“Did he rape you?” asked Sally.

“Yes, he did. More than once,” Melissa answered honestly.

“Why did you stay with him? I mean, you’re pretty and smart. You should
have known better,” Yolanda stated.

“
Maybe. But I was suffering from spousal abuse. I felt all alone in the
world. And I believed all of the mean and hateful things he told me. I felt as
if I had no options.”

Sherill
looked doubtful at Melissa. “Someone like you felt like that?”

“Yes,
Sherill
, I did. It doesn’t matter what race you are, how old you are,
what social or financial background you come from. Spousal abuse can affect
anyone. And most women don’t or can’t even realize that they are in an
abusive relationship. They feel hopeless and as if they have
nowhere
to go.”

“But we can come here and be safe. Yes?” Maria asked.

“Yes, Maria. You can come here and you are safe here.” Melissa smiled
and felt as if she could do this. Glancing around the room, Melissa spotted
Irene peeking in the doorway. Irene gave her a thumbs up sign and Melissa
smiled. She felt as if she finally found a place where she belonged and it made
Melissa feel wonderful.

Chapter 15

The weeks and months flew by for Melissa. She and Stefanie set up a new
home for themselves. They saw Peter and Greta twice a week for dinner.
Melissa’s relationship with her parents and sister was mending and
blossoming at the same time. In the fall, Stefanie started kindergarten and
loved it. Melissa would take her to school in the morning then go to work at

the shelter. Stefanie was picked up each day by Valerie who took her to her
home until Melissa came home from work.

Melissa’s life was going well. She loved her job, her daughter, her family,
and her life. Yet she still thought of Stefan every day. Every so often, she
would take out his letters and picture and have a good cry. But she was now
resigned to the fact that she would have no one to share her life with.

A year after she began working full time at the shelter, Melissa showed up
for work on a hot July day. She walked into the shelter and went to her office
as usual when she heard raised voices from the other end of the building.

Melissa quickly walked over there to see what was going on. She saw
Sherill
backed up against a wall and a big black man looming over her.

“Is there a problem here?” Melissa asked.

The man swung around to glare at Melissa. “No,
ain’t
no problem here. I
just come to take my bitch back home.”

“We do not use that kind of language here. And this is where
Sherill
is
living.”

“Not no more,” he said.

“I do believe that should be up to
Sherill
,” Melissa said as she turned her
attention to
Sherill
.

“Melissa, I don’t think you should get mixed up with Tyrone,”
Sherill
whispered.

“Yeah, Melissa, just go on and mind your own business,” Tyrone stated.

“
Sherill
is my business. Now you have two minutes to leave the premises,
Tyrone. Or I’ll call the police.”

Tyrone looked from Melissa to
Sherill
and back to Melissa. “Okay, baby,”
he said as he held up his hands. “No need to get testy ‘bout it. I just wanted
to say hi to my girl, that’s all.” He turned to
Sherill
and said, “I’ll see you later,
baby.” He bent down and kissed
Sherill
on the
c
heek then walked out of the
building.

“Are you okay?” Melissa asked
Sherill
.

“I’m fine,”
Sherill
snapped as she headed toward the kitchen. “Tyrone just
wanted to talk to me and see the kids. He just got a little upset cause the kids
are in summer school right now.”

Melissa followed
Sherill
into the kitchen. “I thought Tyrone was in jail on
drug charges?” “He was, but he got out.”

“Are you going to let him see the kids?”

“He’s their daddy. I can’t keep him away from them,”
Sherill
said.

“No, I suppose you can’t.” She looked intently at
Sherill
and couldn’t
believe the look in the other woman’s eye. “Are you actually thinking about
going back to him?”

“Tyrone said he wants us back. He wants us to be a real family. He said
he’s changed and that he’s gonna get a real job and take care of us.”

“And you believe him.”

“I know Tyrone. You don’t,”
Sherill
snapped. “I don’t come from no high
rise apartment building and I
ain’t
got no fancy education.”

“But that doesn’t mean that you have to settle for Tyrone. There are many
opportunities and options for you,
Sherill
.” Melissa put her hand on
Sherill’s
arm.

Sherill
pulled her arm away from Melissa and took two steps back. “Yeah,
like what? I’m a black woman with three kids, no education, and
nowhere
else to go.”

“You can stay here,” Melissa simply said.

“I already been here for over a year. Look, Melissa, you been real nice and
all, but my kids need a real home. And Tyrone said he would give us that.”

Melissa couldn’t believe her own ears. “And you believed him?”

“Yeah, I believe him. Tyrone loves me and the kids. We’re gonna make it
work this time.”
Sherill
said as she walked out of the kitchen and toward her
bedroom to pack.

* * *

Later that day, Melissa was in her office talking to Irene. “I just can’t
believe that she went back to him. Especially after all of the things she told us
in group,” Melissa stated. She sat behind her desk with a dejected look on her
face.

“I know, I know. But you can’t save everyone, Melissa.” Seeing the look
Melissa gave her, Irene put up a hand and continued. “I know that sounds
harsh, but its reality. Many women go back repeatedly to the men who abuse
them.”

Melissa sighed and rubbed the back of her neck with her hands. “I know
you’re right, but I still can’t help feeling as if I have somehow failed
Sherill
and her kids.”

“You haven’t failed, Melissa.
Sherill
is a grown woman. She’s going to do
whatever she wants to do.”

“I know you’re right. It just doesn’t make it any easier.” She dropped her
hands into her lap and turned to look out her window. “I just hope Tyrone was
telling her the truth.”

Chapter 16

Two weeks later, Melissa was sitting in her apartment reading a book to
Stefanie when a news report caught her eye.

This just in. There has been a murder in south side Chicago this

afternoon. The suspect, Tyrone Wilson, beat his wife to death while

their three children watched. The suspect has been taken into custody