On This Day Read Online Free PDF Page B

the next thing I know, she throws her arms around me and begins sobbing uncontrollably on my shoulder. I try to soothe her in the way I would comfort my sister or niece. “It’s okay,” I tell her. “Go ahead and have a good cry if it makes you feel better.”
    Finally she seems to be pulling herself together. She steps back and goes for a fresh tissue, then examines her ruined makeup in themirror. “Ugh!” she says. “I look horrifying.” Then she opens up a lovely handbag that looks like authentic crocodile or something reptilian and attempts to repair her damaged face.
    “Are you going to be okay?” I say as I watch her, suddenly feeling useless.
    She turns and looks at me. One eye looks fairly normal, but the other still has a raccoonlike ring of smeared mascara. “Okay?” she echoes in an unsteady voice.
    Oh dear, here we go again
. “I mean, are you feeling a little better? I know it can be therapeutic to have a good cry. Are you feeling a little—”
    “I feel totally miserable,” she says with a sniff. “I’ve never felt worse.”
    “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “Is it anything I said … I mean, is there anything I can do to help?”
    She looks at me with a surprised expression, almost as if she’s not even sure who I am or why I’m here. “No, no … of course not. It wasn’t you … Uh, what is your name again?”
    “Elizabeth. Elizabeth Anderson. I’m Jenny’s aunt on her mother’s side.” All right, I feel incredibly stupid and a bit irritated that she can’t even recall my name. What on earth made me think I was the cause of this, anyway? And why am I still standing here?
    “Right. Jenny’s aunt. No, no, it wasn’t your fault. The truth is, I’ve just discovered that my husband is … is having an affair.” Her face twists up, and I’m afraid she’s about to start crying again. “With his secretary!”
    I blink. “His secretary? Goodness, are you sure?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Oh, I don’t know … But
with his secretary?
I guess it just seems so, well, cliché … and I wonder … I mean, I didn’t know that bosses and secretaries, well … Aren’t there sexual-harassment policies to prevent that sort of thing?”
    She sniffs, then blots her nose. “She’s not actually a secretary. She’s Jim’s
legal assistant
At least I think that’s what he calls her. And policies? Well, I wouldn’t know about that. But he does have a marriage license. That’s a bit like a policy, don’t you think?”
    Well, I’m not sure what to think. Most of all I’m wondering how I got myself into this situation. Furthermore, how can I get myself out? “Yes,” I tell her, “I’m sure you’re right.”
    “Are
you
married?”
    “Well, yes,” I say with what I hope doesn’t sound like impatience. “I introduced you to my husband. Remember?”
    “Right. The good-looking man with you.”
    I consider this but don’t offer my opinion. I realize that Phil’s an attractive guy. But then looks are only skin deep.
    “How long have you been married?” she asks.
    “Oh …” Why are we talking about me now? Despite myself, I answer. “Almost twenty-five years.”
    “So you’ve probably never been through something like this. You’re probably perfectly happy and—”
    “Don’t be so sure.”
    She looks more closely at me. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean looks can be deceiving.” Now why did I confess this to Suzette? She’s the kind of woman I might best describe as a flibbertigibbet. Although I’m not entirely sure what that is, it seems to fit her.
    “Oh, Elizabeth,” she says suddenly and passionately. “I can tell you’re an understanding person. I can tell you’ve got a big heart. Oh, please, come and let me buy you a drink.”
    “But I … uh … What about the lunch?”
    “They’ll never miss us,” she assures me as she closes her purse and grabs me by the hand. “Come on. I desperately need someone to talk to. And I’m sure you’re the one.