I Will Always Love You

by Evans, Annette

  * * *

  One hour later, Melissa was sitting in an office at social services trying to find out more information on Sherill and her children.

  “Apparently her husband came home from work and she didn’t have dinner ready on the table for him,” Susan, a social worker, said. “He went off and started beating her while the children watched and begged him to stop. He beat her so badly that when the paramedics got there, she was already dead.”

  “Those poor kids,” Melissa said with tears in her eyes. She shook her head and looked down at her hands. “Such a waste,” she said to herself. She looked back up at Susan. “Where are the children now?”

  “They’re in the kitchen. We’ve called Sherill’s next of kin,” Susan said as she looked in the file, “her sister, Crystal.”

  At that moment, a tall black woman walked into the office. “My name is Crystal Hastings, and I’m here to pick up my niece and nephews.”

  Melissa and Susan stood up and gave their condolences. Susan left the room to go get the children.

  “I’m so sorry about your sister,” Melissa said once again.

  “Thank you.”

  “I was afraid that something would happen to her.”

  “What is your name again?” Crystal asked.

  “Melissa Newman.”

  “Oh, you work at the shelter.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Well, I want to thank you for all that you did for Sherill and the kids. I definitely saw some positive changes in her. She talked about you all the time.”

  Melissa hung her head and said, “I feel as if I failed her.”

  “Oh, honey,” Crystal said as she put a hand on Melissa’s arm. “You ain’t failed nobody. Sherill wouldn’t listen to anybody when it came to Tyrone. He had some strange kind of hold on her. I knew that she would go back to him when he got out of jail. She’s been doing it for years.”

  “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you or the children,” said Melissa.

  “We’ll be fine. But thank you,” Crystal said as the children came into the room and ran up to their aunt. She put her arms around them and Melissa watched her walk out with Sherill’s children in tow.

  Chapter 17

  Three weeks later, Melissa was sitting in her office staring off into space when Irene walked in. “Hello, Melissa.”

  Melissa glanced over at Irene. “Hi.”

  rene took a seat across from Melissa and studied her friend. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m okay,” she answered with a sigh.

  “You don’t look or sound okay.”

  Melissa turned her full attention to her friend. “I’m all right. I guess I’m just in a blue mood.”

  “Well, I may have something to cheer you up.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There’s an international conference on domestic abuse being held in three weeks. I was planning on going, but I can’t leave my practice. I have a few patients I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving right now. Do you think you could go? There should be some really interesting talks.”

  “How long is the conference for?”

  “One week.”

  Looking at her calendar, Melissa saw that she was free. “Yes, I can make it. It sounds like it will be interesting. Where is it being held?”

  “Germany,” Irene stated.

  Melissa looked up from her calendar and at Irene. “Germany,” she whispered.

  “Yes. I thought that you would be an ideal candidate since you can speak some German. And best of all, the conference is being held in Frankfurt. Isn’t that just a short drive from your aunt’s house?”

  “You know it’s only thirty minutes from her house, Irene. What are you trying to do?”

  “I’m trying to help a colleague get some valuable educational material. That’s all.”

  “Sure,” Melissa said skeptically. Melissa leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

  “You have no ulterior motives, huh?”

  “Well, actually, I thought that you could take two weeks in Germany. One week for the conference and one week for vacation. You know, visit with your family. Do some shopping and sightseeing.”

  “And what would I do with Stefanie?”

  “I’m sure your parents would love to keep her. You were telling me just last week that your mother was complaining that she doesn’t see you and Stefanie enough.”

  “True. She did say that,” Melissa said thoughtfully. “But if I go to Knauppshausen, there’s always a chance that I might see Stefan.”

  “Maybe you could use this time to put some closure on that part of your life. Then you’ll be able to move on and find someone new.”

  “Irene, please don’t start on that again.”

  “Melissa, you are a young woman and you haven’t had sex in over four years. That isn’t normal.”

  “Now I’m not normal?” she asked with raised eye brows.

  I didn’t say that. I simply said that you need to go out in the world and get yourself a life.”

  “Okay, okay.” Melissa sighed, picked up a pencil and began twirling it through her fingers.

  “Good. Then it’s all settled. I already have your plane ticket. Do you want my secretary to make a hotel reservation for you or are you going to stay with your family?”

  “No, I’ll stay with Brigitte and Rolf.” Melissa put the pencil down and smiled at her friend. “What would you have done if I said no?”

  Irene stood up and walked to the door. Over her shoulder she said, “No was not an option.” She gave Melissa a smile and left the office.

  Melissa looked back out the window and thought; I may see Stefan for the

  first time in seven years. I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.

  Chapter 18

  Knauppshausen, August 1995

  “Melissa, are you almost ready?” Brigitte called up the stairs to her cousin.

  “Yes, I’ll be right down.” Melissa moved the phone to her other ear.

  “How was the conference?” Irene asked on the long distance phone call.

  “Wonderful. I enjoyed all of the talks and workshops. I’ve made many contacts with domestic abuse workers from several countries.”

  “I’m glad that you agreed to go.”

  “Me, too. I really have learned many different methods for working with spousal abuse victims.”

  “Have you had a chance to visit with any of your family?”

  “No. I’ve only seen my aunt and uncle once. I’ve been so busy with the conference that I haven’t even had a chance to take a walk to the town park.”

  Irene hesitated with her next question. “Have you seen Stefan?”

  “No, but I didn’t really expect to. I don’t even know where he lives in Germany.”

  “Why don’t you just break down and ask your cousin?”

  “No, I’m not going to do that, Irene. Brigitte was very upset with me when I wrote that letter to Stefan ten years ago. I have never asked her about him and I’m not going to start now.”

  Irene sighed. “You can be so stubborn, Melissa.”

  “Yes, I know. Anyway, I have to go. Me, Brigitte and Rolf are going to the festival this evening.”

  “That sounds like fun. Maybe you’ll meet an eligible bachelor there.”

  Melissa chuckled at her friend. “You never give up, do you?”

  “No. I’ll see you in a week. Enjoy yourself.”

  “I will. Bye.” Melissa hung up the phone, stood and took one final look in the mirror. “Maybe it is time to move on and look for someone new.”

  Meanwhile, downstairs Rolf stood looking at his wife. She saw him watching her and she asked, “What?”

  “What are you up to?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You have been nervous all day and now you are rushing Melissa so that we can get to the festival early. What are you up to?”

  “Nothing.” Brigitte turned from her husband and pretended to
fix her hair in the foyer mirror.

  “I do not believe you,” he teased as he watched his wife in the mirror.

  She turned around to face him. “Okay, Rolf. I just want to make sure that we get there before anyone leaves.”

  “Anyone? Or someone in particular?”

  Brigitte averted her husband’s gaze as Melissa came down the stairs wearing black slacks, a baby blue silk blouse and black strappy sandals.

  “Okay, I’m ready to go.”

  “Good. Because I am starving,” Brigitte said as she glanced at her husband who was wearing a frown.

  Chapter 19

  Due to traffic, it took them twice as long to get to the festival. Brigitte was on pins and needles until they got there and she saw his car was still in the parking lot. Melissa followed Brigitte and Rolf into the familiar tent and it brought back so many bittersweet memories.

  Seeing the look on Melissa’s face, Rolf asked, “Are you all right, Melissa?”

  She gave him a weak smile. “Yes, I’m okay.”

  “There is a table,” Brigitte said. Rolf and Melissa followed Brigitte over to an empty table. They sat down and Rolf was just about to get them drinks, when Melissa saw Stefan. Brigitte

  followed her gaze and saw the opportunity that she was hoping for.

  “Oh, there is Stefan,” Brigitte said. She stood up and waved him over. Melissa could not believe her cousin. She looked at Rolf who was simply shaking his head at his wife.

  “Stefan, it is so good to see you,” Brigitte said as she gave him a hug.

  “Hello Brigitte and Rolf.” Stefan’s gaze went to Melissa. “Hello, Melissa.”

  Melissa found it difficult to breath. “Hello, Stefan,” she whispered.

  “Please join us,” Brigitte encouraged.

  Stefan took a seat across from Melissa. “How are you, Melissa?”

  “Good. How are you?”

  “I am fine.”

  “Where’s your wife?”

  Stefan looked at Rolf then Brigitte.

  “Stefan and Elke got divorced a few months ago, Melissa,” Brigitte interjected.

  Melissa looked at her cousin and back to Stefan. “Oh, I’m sorry, Stefan. I didn’t know.”

  “It was a long time coming. I tried to hold on to something that should have ended years ago.”

  Melissa sat quietly and tried to process all of this information. Stefan is divorced, she thought. Melissa felt as if her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She thought that Stefan looked so much better in person then the picture on the back of his novel jackets. Over the years, she read every book that Stefan wrote. She loved the mystery stories that he wrote and was so proud of the success he achieved.

  “Rolf, I love this song. Come and dance with me.” Brigitte stood up and waited for her husband.

  Rolf looked at Melissa. “Is this okay?”

  Melissa smiled at her cousin-in-law. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

  She watched them make their way to the crowded dance floor, than Melissa turned to Stefan. She was so nervous and wasn’t sure what to say to him. “I don’t know what to say to you.”

  “What about a debate on the Beatles versus Pink Floyd?”

  Melissa smiled at the memory of that night so very long ago. “Why should I start the debate again when I won?”

  “Won? I thought we called a truce?”

  “I just let you think we called a truce. But I really won.”

  Stefan laughed and took Melissa’s hand in his own. She looked into his eyes and was unsure of what she saw there.

  “Melissa, would you go for a walk with me?”

  Melissa hesitated and swallowed audibly. “Yes.”

  Chapter 20

  They walked in silence for a few minutes. Finally Stefan said, “I think my English must be a lot worse than I thought.”

  Melissa looked over at Stefan. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I thought we made plans. But then I found out that was not the truth.”

  Melissa quickly looked down as she once again berated herself for writing the letter to Stefan. “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you sorry for?”

  “I’m sorry that I wrote that letter to you all those years ago.”

  “You only wrote the truth,” he declared.

  “No, I didn’t. It was all lies.”

  “Why would you write the letter if it was full of lies?” Stefan asked as they walked into the town park and sat down on a bench.

  Melissa turned and looked at the man that she was still in love with. “Because my mother and my sister told me that our relationship would never work. My mother said that I could never be happy living in a small town in Germany. She said that I would have a difficult time living here because my German is very limited. After hearing all of those things for several weeks, I began to believe them. So, I wrote you that letter and told you to forget all about me.”

  “What?” He stared at Melissa. “You took it upon yourself to throw our relationship away just because it would be difficult for us to be together.”

  “Yes,” Melissa whispered as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

  Stefan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Did you not think that I would be hurt by that letter?”

  “Yes, I knew that you would be hurt. But I also knew that you would get over it and move on. And that’s exactly what you did. I may have hurt you for a few weeks or a few months, but I hurt myself for a lifetime. Writing that letter to you was the biggest mistake of my life.”

  “What do you mean?” Stefan looked intently at Melissa.

  She looked Stefan in the eye and took a deep breath. “I mean that I’m still in love with you.”

  “You are?”

  Nodding her head, she said, “Yes. I never stopped loving you. I’ve thought about you almost every day for the past ten years. Some days were harder than others. Your birthday and Christmas were difficult days for me. And every New Year’s Eve, I would pray to God to keep you safe and happy for another year.”

  “I had no idea that you still felt that way about me.”

  “Now you do.” She hesitated for a minute to let Stefan process this. “How do you feel about me?”

  “I love you still as I loved you then.”

  Tears sprang to Melissa’s eyes. Stefan said what she only hoped he would. “I never stopped loving you. I’ve spent the last ten years wondering how you were and if you were safe and happy. I spent all those years questioning what my life would have been like if I hadn’t written that letter to you. My life would have been full of love and happiness. There would not have been so much pain and anguish.”

  “Was your life really that bad?”

  “Yes,” Melissa said as she looked down at her hands. “I never should have married Jack.” She looked back at Stefan. “My marriage was the second biggest mistake I ever made.”

  “Why was your marriage so unhappy?”

  “Jack was an alcoholic and sometimes he could be very mean.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Jack was abusive to me.”

  “Do you mean that he hit you?”

  “Yes, among other things.”

  “What other things?”

  “There was also emotional and sexual abuse.”

  Stefan muttered, “Der Tyrann.” The bastard. “You must have loved him very much in order to stay with him through all of that.”

  “I never loved Jack,” Melissa proclaimed.

  “Then why would you stay with him?”

  “Because I couldn’t have you,” she blurted out. “When I realized that you were in love with Elke, I knew that I could never get you back. That’s when I decided to marry the first man that came along. That man just happened to be Jack.”

  “I am sorry that your marriage was so unhappy.”

  Melissa shrugged her shoulders. “I survived it. And I think I’m a stronger person because of it. Besides, I got a wonderful daughter out of the marriage
.”

  “How old is your daughter?”

  Melissa smiled at the mention of Stefanie. “She’s five years old.”

  “Did she come to Germany with you?”

  “No. She’s home with my parents.”

  Stefan nodded his head. “Do you have a picture of her with you?”

  “Of course I do.” Melissa gave him a big smile. She was more than happy to show off her precious daughter. She pulled out three pictures of Stefanie and handed them to Stefan.

  Stefan studied the pictures. “She is beautiful. She looks just like you.”

  “Thank you,” Melissa whispered as she blushed slightly.

  Stefan glanced up at Melissa, smiled at her then turned his attention back to the pictures. “What is her name?” he asked as he looked on the back of one of the pictures.

  Stefan lifted his eyes to meet Melissa’s startled gaze. “You named your daughter Stefanie?”

  Melissa hesitated slightly. “Yes.”

  “This is not how Stefanie is spelled in America, is it?”

  “No,” she slowly responded.

  Understanding dawned on Stefan’s face. “Did you name your daughter after me?”

  “Yes. It was my way of having a part of you with me forever, even if it was only your name.” She hesitated, than asked, “Are you angry?”

  “Angry? How could I be angry? I am very flattered.”

  “Good.”

  Stefan handed the pictures back to Melissa. “How long are you here in Germany?”

  “Only for six more days.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend waiting for you in America?”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “No. I haven’t been in a relationship since Jack died.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because no man could ever measure up to you,” she said candidly.

  “Oh.” Stefan wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement. “Would it be all right if I were to see you in those six days?”

  Melissa was feeling bold. “How often do you want to see me?”

  Stefan felt as if ten years just magically vanished. “Every minute of every day.”