Crystal Lies - Melody Carlson [35]
“Confront him?” Fear returned to my voice.
“Yes. Tell him what you suspect, and ask him if it’s true.”
“What if he lies?”
“Well, he might. Just do your best to discern whether he’s lying or not.”
I groaned. “I don’t think I even know how to do that anymore. I feel like I can barely discern what’s true for myself. How can I tell if someone else is lying?”
“Look at his eyes,” she told me.
“But he’s a lawyer,” I reminded her. “I have a feeling he can tell lies without anyone knowing.”
“But he’s a Christian,” she said.
“What makes you so sure anymore?” I asked.
“We can’t judge him, Glennis.”
I shook my head. “I’m so confused.”
“Well, just pray about it,” she told me. “Maybe God will give you some special insight.”
I seriously doubted this but didn’t say as much. “And what then? What if I am able to confront him, and believe me, that doesn’t seem very likely. But even if I am able to do this, what happens next? I mean if he’s…well, if he’s really having an affair. What then?”
“Then you need to decide whether your marriage can be salvaged or not.”
“Salvaged?” I imagined a pile of broken and worn furniture.
“Yes. Is it possible that you guys could get counseling?”
I forced a laugh. “Counseling? Are you serious? Geoffrey totally refused to go in for counseling when Jacob first started messing up. Do you think he’d go now?”
“You need to at least ask him, Glennis.”
“Why?” I demanded, suddenly angry. “Why do I have to ask him? He should be the one asking me. Why am I the one who always has to do everything?”
Sherry patted my hand. “Just give it a try, Glennis.”
“But I don’t see why, Sherry Why should I be the one to—”
“Because if you do everything you can possibly do to save your marriage, then you won’t have so much garbage to deal with later.”
“Later?”
Sherry nodded. “Yes, whether you believe it or not, there will be a later. Remember when my sister Marla got divorced a few years ago?”
“Sort of.”
“Well, trust me, there’s lots of later.” “Oh.”
“But what if I confront him and suggest counseling, and he still refuses?” I asked her. “What do I do then?”
“Then…you get yourself a good lawyer.”
Once again Sherry encouraged me to call her counselor friend. And finally I just gave in and sat there in my apartment, feeling like a six-year-old, as Sherry used her cell phone to call and make me an appointment for the following week.
“Do I need to come get you next Friday?” asked Sherry as she made her way to the door. “I don’t mind taking you.”
“No, I’m perfectly capable of getting myself to the shrink.”
“She’s not a shrink, Glennis. She’s a counselor. And she’s really great at marriage counseling.”
“How do you know this for sure?”
Sherry winked. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“Very funny”
“By the way,” she said with one hand on the doorknob,“I like what you’ve done with the place.” I forced a laugh. “I’ll bet.”
“No, seriously. It’s really nice. It seems more like you than your big house on the hill.”
“I’m not sure how to take that,” I told her. “Are you saying the real me is cheap and cheesy and—”
“No, not that part. I mean what you’ve done with the colors and everything. It’s very cool and creative.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment,” I told her.
“You’d better.” Then she studied me. “Have you ever considered doing something like this as a job?”
“Huh?”
“You know, decorating. You’d be great at it.”
I frowned. “Yeah, sure. My degree is in education.”
She waved her hand. “Oh, degrees are a dime a dozen. It’s talent that’s hard to come by.”
I reached out and hugged her. “Thanks, Sherry,” I said. “You are always an encouragement to me.”
“I’m serious,” she said. “You should consider it.”
“Right,” I told her. “I’ll consider it…right in between helping my son to get his life straightened out, saving my marriage, and seeing your shrink.”
“She’s not a shrink.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And we’re still on for lunch on Saturday?” she asked.
“If you’re not embarrassed to be seen with me in public.”
“Oh, Glennis.” Then Sherry frowned as she surveyed my sorry-looking