Valerie sat down on the edge of the bed. “He didn’t. What did you do?”
“I waited for her to leave,” Angie replied. “Then I confronted him and told him what I saw, but he tried to make it sound like it was nothing.” Tears filled Angie’s eyes. “He didn’t even seem to care that I was upset or hurt. He just wanted me to get in the car and not make a scene.”
“Was he drunk?” Valerie asked with disbelief.
“Probably. He’s always drinking, even in the middle of the day, but no one seems to notice. He hides it pretty well most of the time.” Angie stood up, walked to the window, and moved the curtain aside to peer into the night.
Valerie got up and hugged her. Angie cried briefly, then recovered and wiped away her tears. “Part of me wants to leave him tonight. That’s what he deserves if he can’t be faithful.” She sat down on the bed again. “But where would I go? To Arizona, I suppose, to live with my parents. But I’d hate to disappoint them. They were so proud when I got married, and they’re excited about the baby.”
“I’m sure they’d understand,” Valerie replied. “They’d want you to be happy.” Valerie moved to her dresser, found a clean pair of pajamas, and handed them to Angie. “Put these on. You can sleep here tonight and figure things out in the morning.”
“Thank you.” Angie went to the bathroom and got changed.
Later, after Valerie switched off the lamp, they lay on their backs, beside each other under the covers, staring at the ceiling.
“I don’t know what I would have done if Jeremy hadn’t been there,” Angie said.
“He’s a good friend to you,” Valerie replied.
“Yes, but I think ...” She paused. “Valerie, I think he loves me. As more than just a friend.”
Valerie turned her head on the pillow. “Really?”
“Yes. But I’ve never been able to see him that way. To me, he’s always been just a poor little lost boy.”
“Do you still feel that way?” Valerie asked.
Angie continued to stare at the ceiling. “I’m not sure. Sometimes I feel like I’d die if he wasn’t in my life. Maybe that’s why Joe keeps going after him.”
There was a strange quivering sensation, and the bed began to shake. Suddenly anxious, Valerie sat up, her gaze shooting to meet Angie’s. “Are you doing that?”
Angie calmly tossed her arm up under her head. “No, but don’t worry. It’s just an earthquake. We get them all the time.”
The bed continued to vibrate. Fighting the urge to rise and flee from the room, Valerie held on to the mattress for dear life. “An earthquake? Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
Valerie’s perfume bottles bounced like jumping beans on top of her dresser. The talcum powder tipped over and fell to the floor in a cloud of white dust. Valerie held her breath until the shaking finally stopped.
“See?” Angie casually said. “It’s over now. It was just a tremor.”
Valerie took a moment to calm her frazzled nerves, then lay back down. “That was scary. I’m never going to fall asleep now. I’ll be tossing and turning all night.”
“It’s no big deal,” Angie said. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I don’t know about that.” Valerie’s heart pounded for another full minute before she got out of bed and cleaned the talcum powder on the floor.
Valerie woke slowly, her eyes fluttering open before she remembered that Angie had gotten into a fight with Joe the night before and slept in her room. She rolled over but found the bed empty.
“Angie?”
She received no reply, not even from the bathroom, so Valerie rose and dressed quickly and made her way to the kitchen, where Henry was cracking eggs over a skillet. “You’re late,” he said.
“Sorry. I forgot to set my alarm. Did you feel that earthquake last night?”
“I heard about it, but I must have slept through it.”
“How could you sleep through an earthquake?” she asked.
