Unresolved Issues

by Wanda B. Campbell

  “Staci, you don’t understand. I love you, and I’m not going to let you go.”

  Malcolm’s declaration made Staci nervous. He had said it with too much finality. She swallowed hard. “Malcolm, I’m sorry you feel the way you do, but—”

  “Don’t be sorry, Staci; at least, not yet.”

  Staci’s hands shook when the line went dead. “Has he always been this crazy?” she asked audibly just as Craig appeared in her doorway.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I knew Marcus was going to tell you. How did you get here so fast?”

  “Of course, that’s what brothers are for. And husbands,” he added. “I was in Marcus’s office when you buzzed.”

  “I’m going to tell Derrick tonight, okay? Now, are you just going to escort me home, or do you have to accompany me to the ladies’ room also?” Staci rolled her eyes, but she really loved being the only girl in the family and relished all the concern her brothers showered on her.

  “If you knew Malcolm Leblanc’s history, you would take this more seriously.” Craig’s face told her there was a lot more to Malcolm than she knew.

  She stopped packing her briefcase. “What are you talking about?”

  Craig walked over to her desk. “His mother walked off and left him with his father at the age of ten to be with her lover. A short time later, his father died in a mysterious house fire in which Malcolm miraculously survived.” Craig used his fingers to emphasize the word miraculously. “After that, he was placed in foster care until age eighteen. He was removed from three foster homes because of sexual abuse from his foster parents. One foster home alleged that he raped their twelve-year-old daughter.

  “Staci, two weeks after aging out of foster care, his mother was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident. The driver of the car was never found, but it was registered to Malcolm’s last foster parent. He’d reported it stolen two days prior.”

  Staci’s face flushed. “Are you sure?” The Malcolm Craig described was nothing like the man she’d been sharing her time with the last three months. Malcolm had never talked about his childhood with her. He had, however, told her his mother and father had been killed in an automobile accident.

  “Malcolm is a dangerous man, and my guess is he’s also a little crazy.”

  “What have I gotten myself into?” Staci’s eyes watered again, and for the second time that day, she found comfort in the arms of one of her brothers.

  Staci waved good-bye to Craig after her garage door opened and she saw Derrick’s SUV inside. She waited and prayed before getting out of the car. “God, please don’t let this be a setback for us.”

  She found Derrick out on the patio lighting the grill. He was a beautiful sight to behold in shorts and a tank top. For as tall and as big as he was, Derrick was solid all around, like he’d never stopped playing football. The developed muscles in his arms appeared to be as big as Staci’s thighs. And his thighs—they looked like tree trunks. Looking at his massive torso, she let out a soft moan of appreciation.

  Noting her dreamy look, Derrick walked over to her. A grin spread across his face. “You like what you see, don’t you?” Without waiting for the answer he already knew, he leaned down and kissed her.

  “Oh yeah.” She returned his kiss with a bit of desperation, and she realized Derrick must have sensed something was wrong when his smile vanished.

  “Go change while I put the steaks on.” His statement wasn’t a mere suggestion; it was more like a command. Staci wondered if Marcus had told him already.

  “Okay.” Staci slowly walked into the house wondering how the evening would end.

  Derrick watched his wife cautiously. Something was bothering her, and it had something to do with Malcolm. When he called Marcus earlier that day to make plans to watch the fight this upcoming weekend, Marcus had told him that Malcolm had come by the office, but didn’t go into any details. “Staci should be the one to tell you details,” Marcus had told him. Derrick prayed she hadn’t changed her mind about their marriage.

  Staci returned wearing the new sundress Derrick had bought and placed on their bed. “Do you like it?” he asked. “I saw it in a window on Bay Street two weeks ago and thought of you.”

  “I love it.” She twirled for him. “What’s amazing to me is that you will select the perfect clothes for me, but can’t coordinate your own wardrobe to save your life.”

  “That’s because I get lots of help from the salespeople.” Derrick pulled her closer to him and held her for a moment before taking her hand and leading her over to the iron bench in the far left corner of the backyard next to the fountain.

  Instead of sitting next to him on the bench, Staci sat on his lap and kissed him deeply, like she was trying to make him understand how much she loved him.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked after he returned her kiss. “You can tell me. I won’t run away. I promise.”

  Staci lowered her head, but her arms remained around his neck. “Malcolm came to see me today,” she whispered.

  Derrick used his fingertips to raise her chin, and their eyes met. “I know. What I don’t know is what happened in your office.” Derrick’s gaze never left hers.

  “He was angry because I wouldn’t take his calls.” Staci recapped how Malcolm reacted to Derrick’s roses and her ending their relationship and how Marcus had him thrown out.

  Remarkably, Derrick remained calm. “What else did he say?”

  “He says he’s in love with me.”

  His arms tightened around her. “How do you feel about that?” Derrick asked guardedly.

  Staci focused her eyes on his and stroked his cheek. “I don’t love him. I never have. I was only substituting his company for yours,” she answered honestly. “I was missing you and used him to fill the void.”

  He needed more. “You said you almost slept with him. What happened?”

  Derrick listened as she told him about the night she went to his loft and ended up running out.

  “Honey, I never really wanted him. I’m not attracted to him, and I don’t have any emotional attachment to him.” He loosened his grip. “I know I handled our problems wrong by getting involved with him, and for that I am so sorry.”

  Derrick wiped the tear from her cheek. “That’s in the past, but now I need to know that we’re still on the same side and we want the same thing.”

  “I want you,” she answered quickly. “But there is something else you should know.”

  When Staci finished telling him about the information Marcus and Craig had come up with and Malcolm’s threats, Derrick’s face had turned a deep shade of red, and his grip on her had tightened again; like he was trying to protect her.

  “Has he been here at the house?”

  “No, he doesn’t know where I live. He doesn’t even know my last name. He thinks it’s still Simone.”

  “Baby, I’ll take care of Malcolm,” he said after awhile.

  “But, Derrick, he sounds dangerous,” she protested.

  “Sweetheart, I know I’ve let you down in the past, but if we’re going to rebuild our marriage, it’s important for you to trust me. You have to allow me to be a husband to you, all right?” He brushed a curl from her face.

  Staci both nodded and voiced her consent. “Just be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to my teddy bear. I love you too much.”

  “I’ll be fine. Let me worry about you for a change.”

  This time the kiss she gave him was sweet and passionate, inviting him for more. An invitation he gladly accepted.

  Chapter 36

  With an assured swagger, Derrick walked up to the information desk at Smith & Lowe. “Can you tell me where I can find Malcolm Leblanc’s office?” he asked the receptionist.

  “Third floor and to the right,” the receptionist answered, giving him a flirtatious smile.

  Derrick ignored the intent and headed straight to the elevator. “I’d like to see Malcolm Leblanc,” he told
the secretary on the third floor.

  “Do you have an appointment, Mr. . . .?”

  He read Malcolm’s name on the gold plate affixed to the door behind the secretary’s desk. “Derrick. Just tell him Derrick is here. I’m sure he’ll want to see me.”

  “Just a moment, please.” When the secretary picked up the phone to call Malcolm, Derrick hurriedly walked past her desk and into Malcolm’s office. He startled Malcolm when the door slammed against the wall.

  “Mr. Leblanc, I’m so sorry,” the middle-aged secretary stuttered. “Should I call security?” she asked hesitantly.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Derrick answered for Malcolm. “I won’t be staying long.”

  Malcolm looked nervously from Derrick to his secretary, then nodded for the woman to leave.

  Derrick visually assessed the man who’d been spending time with his wife. Malcolm was a cross mix between Martin Lawrence and David Chappelle. Not what he would consider good-looking competition at all. Staci was lonelier than I thought, he mused.

  Derrick didn’t allow Malcolm a chance to speak. He planted his fists on Malcolm’s desk, leaned forward, and stared Malcolm down.

  “I’m only going to say this once. Stay away from my wife. Don’t call her. Don’t stop by her office. Don’t write her a letter or even send a telegram. If you happen to see her on the street, act like you don’t know her. Anything you need to say to my wife, you can say to me. Any more threats you have for her, you can give them to me, now. But, you better not speak one word to her. Is that understood?” Derrick said all that without blinking.

  Malcolm’s fear was evident in his shifty eyes and shaky hands. Derrick was eight inches taller than he and more than twice as broad, but Malcolm didn’t let that stop him.

  “If you had of spent more time talking with your wife and pleasing her in bed, she would not have come looking for me in the first place. Don’t get mad at me because I did for your wife what you couldn’t,” Malcolm sneered.

  Derrick expected as much. “What goes on between me and my wife is none of your business.”

  Malcolm smirked and leaned back in his chair and appeared relaxed. “Who do you think was there comforting her at night while you were gone? Who do you think rocked her to sleep?” Derrick remained silent, and Malcolm took that as Derrick weakening. “Who do you think gave her body the pleasure you can’t?”

  Derrick swallowed hard, and his temporal veins flared. The thought of this man in his house, in his bed, with his wife made Derrick see red—as he visualized Malcolm’s blood slowing draining from his body as Derrick squeezed Malcolm’s carotid arteries until no life remained. God, please help me not to knock that silly grin off his face, he prayed fervently.

  Derrick stood straight up, ignoring the sinister look. “I don’t know what fantasy world you live in, but if you touch my wife, I’ll see to it that you check out of the real world.” He turned and started for the door.

  “How does Staci feel about this? How do you know she’s willing to give up everything between us and go back to being unfulfilled? I mean, I’ve given her so much.” Malcolm’s tone didn’t leave doubts he meant sexually.

  Derrick let his ego get the best of him. “Apparently you didn’t give her enough; she’s back with me. You were just a stand-in for the real thing. The only man who has and will ever pleasure my wife is me. You are just an unpleasant memory. Now stay away from her.”

  After Derrick slammed his door, Malcolm cursed him, calling him everything but a child of God. “An unpleasant memory,” he snarled.

  His mind went back to the day he confronted his mother for leaving him and the harsh words she’d told him. “I never wanted kids . . . You’re slowing me down . . . Having you was a mistake.”

  “You sound like my mother,” he grunted. “Maybe you should ask her what happens to unpleasant memories. They come back to haunt you.”

  Chapter 37

  Watching Derrick bent over, setting the table for Sunday dinner, Staci couldn’t resist. Without warning, she jumped on his back and wrapped her legs and arms around him.

  “Woman, what are you doing?” he chuckled.

  “Going for a ride. Would you like to join me?” Staci replied and nibbled his ear.

  Derrick moaned at the soft feel of her lips moving from his ears to his neck and her hands massaging his chest. “Baby, I’d love to, but if the family hears you screaming, they’ll think I’m trying to kill you,” he teased.

  Carey and Alaina were already in the living room with Craig. Marcus and Shannon were on their way.

  “Whatever.” Staci jumped down and pinched his arm. She hadn’t taken three steps when Derrick’s strong arms pulled her back to him and squeezed her.

  “I’ll take you for a long, slow ride later,” he assured in a voice that stimulated her.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.” Derrick’s deep passionate kiss gave her a preview of what was to come. Then he released her.

  Staci loved her family, but she couldn’t wait for them to leave. She went back into the kitchen, but her mind never left Derrick. Six weeks ago, Staci didn’t think the happiness she now felt was possible. Her marriage wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly on the right track.

  The weekly counseling sessions with Pastor Reggie were the catalyst to the changes. It was during those counseling sessions she was able to finally fully understand how Derrick was able to do the things he had done to her and still claim he loved her. He was acting out of the fear of rejection and his insecurities brought on by his father’s rejection. He was afraid that eventually Staci would reject him like his father had. That explained why he withheld his feelings for her until she expressed hers first. He needed to make sure that she really cared before he opened up. When Staci realized how deep his scars ran, she felt like walking up to Dr. John Archer and slapping some sense into him.

  Two weeks ago, they ended the counseling session by spontaneously repeating their marriage vows to each other. Staci enjoyed the impromptu ceremony over her lavish wedding because this time, she knew she had Derrick’s heart completely, without reservation.

  She and Derrick communicated now more than ever about everything. They were finally able to openly discuss how the abortion affected them emotionally. Neither of them realized they hadn’t completely mourned the loss until Reggie pointed it out. Although permanent scars from the incident remained, Staci and Derrick had gained closure and were now closer than they’d ever been.

  They resumed praying and studying the Bible together and attended Bible Study and Sunday service together. The times when Derrick would become too overwhelmed with grief over the loss of his mother, he would turn to Staci for comfort instead of isolating himself, like he had done in the past.

  The new Derrick was everything Staci needed. He gave her more than enough attention and affection. Not one day went by that he didn’t tell her and show her how much he loved her in word or deed, and sometimes both. Whenever she entered his presence, he paused and gave her his full attention. He constantly kept physical contact whenever the situation allowed.

  Derrick also planned new and exciting ways to please his wife. Like last week when he invited her for lunch at his office. Staci ordered takeout from his favorite spot, only to learn Derrick had a “working” lunch in mind. Afterward, Staci noticed Rhonda watching them poised in his doorway sharing a lingering kiss.

  “Good-bye, Rhonda,” Staci smiled when she walked past the clean utility room. The next day, Rhonda put in her two week’s notice of resignation.

  But what really took the cake was when Staci arrived home two nights ago. Attached to the front door was a note that read, Take off your shoes and follow the path. Staci stepped inside, took off her shoes, and walked softly on the rose-petal path that led to the living room where Derrick had moved the dining table to. The table was set elegantly with candlelight. The fireplace was glowing, and soft vanilla fragrance filled the air. What nearly made her hyperventilate was the image
of Derrick positioned next to the table wearing black silk, waiting to serve her.

  Now, almost seventy-two hours later, the rest of the evening was still foggy. She remembered him escorting her to her seat and pulling out her chair. She vaguely recalled tasting shrimp scampi. She remembered him leading her to the fireplace and telling her to sit down on the marble. She vividly recollected him modeling and dancing for her. The rest was a blur. Oh, how she loved being a newlywed.

  Miss Cora was right. Derrick was turning out to be a very good husband. His light was shining real bright. If the illumination shined any brighter, Staci would have to wear sunglasses just to stand in his presence. There were times, though, when Staci pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

  Everyone noticed the change in her, and she didn’t mind sharing who was responsible for the change. In fact, today, she welcomed her mother’s teasing.

  “Did he make you scream yet?” her mother pestered. The three women were out on the lanai enjoying appetizers and beverages.

  “So much that I’m hoarse,” Staci laughed.

  “We’ll be sure to leave right after dinner, so y’all can continue and make me some grandbabies,” Alaina laughed.

  Shannon laughed at her too.

  Alaina turned to Shannon. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at. My son made you scream so loud, you got pregnant with twins.”

  “Sure did. And as soon as I have these,” Shannon patted her stomach, “I’m going to scream some more.” Staci and Shannon exchanged high fives.

  Alaina smiled deeply. “I’m so happy for you. Aren’t you glad you didn’t give up?” she asked her daughter.

  “More than you know, Mama.” Staci turned to Shannon. “I used to be jealous of your and Marcus’s relationship.”

  ”What?” Shannon asked incredulously.

  “It wasn’t due to the pregnancy,” Staci explained. “It was the way the two of you expressed your love for each other. I would catch Marcus making goo-goo eyes at you or I’d see him whisper something in your ear, and girl, you would just fall apart. I would wonder what that felt like. Whenever your name leaves his lips, he always wears a smile and a look in his eyes that says, ‘God, I love this woman.’ I wanted Derrick to look at me like that. It’s the same way my father looks at my mother.”