Free A Time to Love by Al Lacy

upheaval of our emotions can do strange things to our minds, Linda. I know that. Has it helped you any to look at it?”
    Linda held up the wrinkled dress and said, “It’s helped me to feel more hatred for Lewis Carter. He should have been named
Judas!”
    Adrienne thought of giving her a good lecture on what hatred woulddo inside her if she held it there but decided this wasn’t the time. “Honey, Joline’s here to see you. Frank drove her here. He’s waiting with your father in the parlor. Joline is just down the hall.”
    “Are the pastor and Doris still here?”
    “No. They left a few minutes before Frank and Joline arrived. Will you let her come in and see you? I told her you weren’t seeing anyone today, but she said for me to ask if you would give a few minutes to your best friend.”
    Linda swallowed hard and thought on it a moment. Then looking up, she said, “All right. I would like to see her. Send her in.”
    Adrienne stepped into the hall and motioned to Joline.
    The young woman rushed through the door and then stopped abruptly when she saw Linda holding the wedding dress. “Oh, Linda!” she gasped, and dashed to her side.
    Adrienne watched for a few seconds as Joline folded Linda into her arms with the dress between them and just let Linda sob out her grief.
    Adrienne smiled to herself. Joline would indeed be able to help her daughter. She stepped into the hall and closed the door.
    Joline held her weeping friend and said, “Thank you for seeing me. I came for one reason. Not to lecture you on how to react to your devastation, nor to preach to you and tell you you’re weak spiritually if you let what’s happened get you down. You’re a human being made out of the same kind of flesh I am. I know you’re hurting. I just came to cry with you.”
    Her words caused Linda to sob all the harder. She let go of the dress and wrapped her arms around her best friend, and hung on. The sobs seemed to come from deep within—wordless wails of inexpressible anguish.
    As Joline felt Linda’s inward pain, her own tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
    When Linda could form words again, she clung to her friend and cried, “Oh, Joline, I wish I could die! I can’t ever face the people who know me! I want to die!”
    Joline patted her friend on the back of the head and said, “Sh-h-h! Now, you don’t mean that.”
    “Yes, I do! Yes, I do! I want to die!”
    “But, honey, there are still many people who love you. Your parents love you. I love you. Pastor and Mrs. Stanford love you. The people at church do, too. Betty and Shirley love you. They’re waiting for me to tell them at church tonight how my visit went. They want to come and see you, too.”
    These were Linda’s other bridesmaids—Betty Madison and Shirley Wells.
    “No, Joline! No! I can’t face them! I can’t!”
    “All right, honey,” Joline said, this time patting her upper back. “I understand. I’ll explain it to Betty and Shirley.” She eased back to look Linda in the eye. “I have to go now. Frank and I need to be heading for church.”
    Linda’s eyes were swollen and red, and she spoke jerkily as she said, “Thank you for coming to cry with me.”
    “Of course,” Joline said as she dabbed at her wet cheeks with a hanky. “But, honey, before I go …”
    “Yes?”
    “No more of this talk about wanting to die, okay?”
    Linda bit down on her lower lip and gave a tiny nod, but her heart wasn’t in it.
    Joline knew the nod was all she was going to get. She hugged Linda again, kissed her cheek, and said, “May I come back soon and see you?”
    “Yes.”
    Joline walked to the door, pulled it open, then looked back and said, “I love you, Linda.”
    “I love you, too. Thank you for being my very best friend.”
    Joline smiled and closed the door softly.
    When she entered the parlor, Frank said, “How did it go?”
    “Pretty well, except—”
    “Except what?”
    The Forrests had their eyes fixed on Joline.
    “Well …