Chapter 8

The next two days were pure hell for Lynn. It was about to get worse. Convinced she had lost her son forever, Lynn was in a near state of depression. She agonized over a course of action, wanting to see Paul, yet afraid any action she took would simply drive him further away. Gary, noticing her look of sadness and hopelessness asked on three occasions what was wrong. Lynn tried to hide her feelings, but with each successive query it became more difficult to keep her feelings in check.

Finally, after Gary insisted, Lynn, eaten with guilt and convinced her life was ruined anyway, told Gary everything with the exception of her tryst with Paul. She started by trying to explain her long time unfulfilled needs and the urges they caused. She then described her chance meeting with Peter at the planetarium and how she had allowed herself to be seduced. She admitted her adultery and sexual liaisons with Peter and the other indiscretions, male and female which she had been engaging in for the last several weeks and begged his forgiveness. Whatever she was expecting, the reaction she got was quite similar to Paul's. Gary was enraged as well as hurt. He called her every derogatory name he knew and finally ended the tirade by telling her she had twenty-four hours to pack her things and move out. With that he informed her he would be staying at a hotel until she was gone and stormed out the front door.

With her sorrows now doubled, Lynn's heart was broken, her world torn apart. Feeling she had little to live for, she considered suicide. She thought of driving her car into the ocean off a nearby scenic overlook. All that kept her from such a course of action was finding Denise's cell phone number in her purse as she looked for her car keys.

Desperately she punched in the numbers.

"Hello."

"Denise, it's Lynn."

"What's wrong?" asked Peter's wife, having read Lynn's emotional state from just those three words.

Lynn explained through the sobs.

"I'll be right over. Give me the address."

Denise was there in less than fifteen minutes. Lynn fell into her arms and, once again, Denise was the strength Lynn needed to survive. Lynn related the meeting with Paul and the revelations she had made tonight to Gary. She also described their reactions.

"They're both shocked and hurt, Lynn. You could hardly expect them to react any differently. However, give them some space, some time to think and they may very well find it in their hearts to forgive you."

"You really think so?" sobbed Lynn.

"Up until the last few weeks you have been a loving wife and mother. Actually you still are. Given the time to realize that we all make mistakes, even big mistakes, they will also realize how much they have to lose. My bet is they will forgive you."

"I... I still don't know if Gary is the man I want to spend my life with, but I just couldn't go on lying to him, cheating on him."

"Which is another reason they will forgive you. You are an honest and loving person at heart, Lynn. You abhor hurting anyone. It is one of your endearing strengths," opined Denise as she sat next to the Black housewife and held her closely. They again talked into the early hours, Lynn's tears often falling onto Denise's shoulder. Finally, Lynn fell into an exhausted sleep, Denise laying her down on the couch, dimming the lights and then lying next to her, holding her all night, kissing her lightly on the cheek and whispering to her, when Lynn began sobbing in her sleep, that everything would be all right.