Crystal Lies - Melody Carlson [75]
“No problem,” she said quickly. “I’ll bring something for us. See you at noon?”
“Thanks,” I muttered and hung up the phone. I looked around my messy apartment and wondered where to begin to straighten it. Was it even possible? I picked up a pile of unopened mail that Geoffrey had forwarded to my apartment and moved it from the coffee table over to the breakfast bar that was already cluttered with newspapers and dirty dishes. Then I stood staring in a daze at the kitchen, trying to figure out what to do. I’m not sure how long I stood there, stuck in a hazy fog, but by the time I returned to my senses I looked up at the clock to discover it was already half past eleven. Why had I invited Sherry to come over here? What was I thinking? Feeling like an animal caught in a trap, I paced back and forth, trying to decide what to do. Finally I decided I should call Sherry and cancel. But, of course, I only got her messaging service. She’d probably turned off her phone after my last call had interrupted her morning.
I ran into the bathroom and took a quick shower—the first one all week. But instead of feeling the relief of getting clean, the water from the showerhead felt like hundreds of sharp needles piercing my skin. And the towel felt like sandpaper as I rubbed myself dry. I was surprised I wasn’t raw and bleeding by the time I was done. I dug around my tiny closet until I found a less-than-grimy pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I had barely pulled these on when I heard someone knocking at my door.
“Glennis!” exclaimed Sherry when she saw me. “What’s happened to you?” As usual, she was impeccably dressed. Today she had on a perfectly cut, cream and camel tweed suit, along with matching camel shoes and purse. Even her jewelry, simple but elegant pearls, was perfect.
“I…I’m sorry this place is such a mess.” I put my hand on my still-wet and uncombed hair. “I’ve been having a…a pretty hard time.”
Sherry cleared off a place for us to both sit on the couch, then set a couple of bags on the coffee table. “Here,” she said, handing me a deli sandwich. “Let’s eat and then talk.”
I managed to choke down nearly half of the roast beef sandwich before I felt like I couldn’t consume another bite. I sipped my coffee, knowing it was my favorite blend from Starbucks, but it was as if my taste buds had quit functioning. I attempted to calm myself as I waited for Sherry to finish her lunch.
“Okay,” she finally said, dabbing her lips with a paper napkin. “What’s going on with you, Glennis? Is it Geoffrey again? Has he done something new?
The last time I had spoken to Sherry about Geoffrey was after I’d seen him at Sindalli’s. Naturally, she had been sympathetic and supportive. “No, it’s not Geoffrey this time, Sherry.” I took in a breath. “It’s Jacob.”
“Oh dear, is that poor boy having more problems?”
I nodded, blinking back tears. Then I spilled the whole story, going back and forth until it was a wonder it even made sense. Maybe it didn’t.
“Oh, Glennis, why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Sherry leaned over and hugged me. “What a hard burden to be bearing all alone.”
Naturally, her compassion only unleashed the rest of my tears. “I wanted to tell you,” I sobbed,“but I was embarrassed. It’s…it’s so hard to admit that you’ve blown it—not only as a wife, but as a mom.”
“That’s not true, Glennis. These things aren’t your fault.”
“How do you know?” I snapped. “It feels like everything I touch gets…gets ruined. I…I’m such a…a complete failure. I can’t even stand to look at myself in the mirror anymore. No wonder Geoffrey had to go to another…another woman.”
“Glennis.” Sherry was using a firm voice now. “You can’t keep telling yourself those kinds of things. Those are total lies, Glennis. And I hate having to get all fundamental on you, but I just can’t help myself. Those lies are coming straight from the pit of hell. And they’re hurting you. Can’t you see that? You need to be surrounding yourself with truth more than ever now. Where is your Bible?”
“My Bible?”
“Yes.