Crystal Lies by Melody Carlson Page B

now. “Cool.” Then he nodded toward the kitchen. “I hope it’s okay that I was fixing myself something to eat.”
    “Of course. Make yourself at home.
Mi casa es su casa.”
My attempt at lightness was as thin as cellophane, but Jacob didn’t seem to notice.
    “All right.” He laughed as he went into the kitchen. “By the way, I really like what you’ve done with the place, Mom. When I first got here, I couldn’t imagine you living in an apartment like this.”
    I attempted a laugh now. “Yeah, it was a pretty big change.”
    “But you’ve made it look really cool in here.”
    “Thanks.”
    I sat down on a barstool and watched as Jacob meticulously built himself a sandwich. Suppressing my churning emotions, I watched him layer on lettuce and tomatoes and cheese, carefully spreading mayonnaise and putting on a thick wad of roast beef. He really did look good, and healthy, too. And so, despite the blow I’d just suffered and the dull achericocheting inside, I told myself that perhaps my life wasn’t going to end tonight after all. If my only purpose for being alive at this moment was to help Jacob, well, so be it. Wasn’t that what a mother was supposed to do?
    Nonetheless, I cried myself to sleep that night. But in the midst of my tears, I still paused to thank God for returning my son home safely to me. “Help us to pick up the pieces,” I prayed—my first real prayer in months. “Show me where to go from here.”
    I called Sherry the next day and told her I needed to talk. We agreed to meet at my apartment as soon as Jacob went to work.
    “This must be serious,” she said when I opened the door and let her in. She glanced around with obvious curiosity. “Since it’s the first time you’ve let me actually see your apartment.”
    I frowned. “Yeah, welcome to my humble abode.” Then I collapsed on the couch and put my head in my hands.
    “Talk to me,” said Sherry, sitting down beside me. “What’s wrong?”
    I took a deep breath, attempting to steady myself. “It’s Geoffrey,” I told her, looking up. “I think he’s having an affair.”
    Her eyes grew wide. “No way, Glennis. Not Geoffrey.”
    I nodded. “I really think so, Sherry.” Then I told her about sneaking home the night before and seeing him there with Judith. About the candles, the wine—everything.
    “You’re kidding!”
    “I wish I was.” I shook my head. “And you know what’s really stupid?” Fresh tears were filling my eyes again.
    Sherry reached over and took my hand.
    “I…I had gone over there to…to tell him that…I…I was sorry.”
    Then I broke into sobs.
    Sherry hugged me and assured me that everything was going to be okay How she knew this was way beyond me, but I wanted to believe her.
    Finally I managed to stop crying and attempted to compose myself as I told her the good news about Jacob.
    “Well, at least that’s something,” she said with a bright smile.
    “Yeah. It felt like a real lifeline last night.”
    “See,” she said,“God is listening to your prayers.”
    I took in a jagged breath. “Maybe some of my prayers…”
    “What are you going to do now?” she asked.
    “I…uh…I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”
    She considered this. “Well, do you
really
believe he’s having an affair?”
    “I don’t know for sure.” Then last night’s scene flashed through my mind again, and I nodded. “I really believe he is. If you’d seen the look on their faces, Sherry…” I covered my mouth with my hand, certain that I was about to be sick, or maybe I was going to scream.
    “Oh, Glennis.” She just shook her head.
    “And even if they’re not…not sleeping together…yet…” I bit into my lip as I thought about this possibility. “I know it’s just a matter of time.” Then I told her what Jacob had said about finding them in Geoffrey’s office last spring.
    “Well, you guys have both been under a lot of stress, Glennis. I suppose it’s possible that