BooksBarbecue
Back The Lying House
Chapters (103)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. Epilogue
  102. Acknowledgments and a Personal Note
  103. Excerpt

Angry, exhausted and scared, she was stabbed with the need to be with her sister, Joy, a nurse in Cleveland. Lisa envisioned how her sweet nephew and niece, Carter and Charlotte, would be playing in the yard while she and Joy talked over coffee in the kitchen. Lisa would tell her everything because Joy always knew the right thing to say.

And there was Heather, her friend, neighbor and jogging partner back home. She was the best listener, a bighearted woman raised in Atlanta and grounded in common sense. Jogging without Heather was not the same. If anything it made her homesick.

Lisa yearned for her mom and dad. Even though they weren’t in Cleveland, she still thought of them as being there, being home. Since her dad had retired and they’d sold the carpentry business, they had joined a program through their church and had been in El Salvador helping build homes for the poorest people in the region.

And she missed her friends in her book club. She was still part of the group, reading Crime and Punishment along with them now—how ironic—but video chatting with them and drinking wine alone was not the same. On the surface it was fun, but deep down it underscored her isolation. And, no, she wouldn’t dare reveal online what had happened to her, not to anyone anywhere…

She couldn’t help wrestling with a sense of shame.

And what about Jeff? He just stood there and let that creep molest me, drag me out of the house where he could’ve—could’ve…

No, she couldn’t blame Jeff for this.

Lisa’s thoughts reached for someone else, instead—Morgan. Her friend from college, now a psychologist in Philadelphia. She could see Morgan’s warm, intense face, radiating intelligence. Hear her soft, strong voice: Get up, girl. Are you going to just fold like a paper princess? Get your butt out there, go meet those Florida neighbors, make friends. Don’t let that lowlife control your life. He’s the one who ran away. He’s the coward.

Morgan would then likely quote somebody like Nietzsche, telling her to remember an adage like That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

That might be true for most people most of the time, but Lisa found Nietzsche’s line hard to believe, given the tragedy she’d faced when she was nine years old. It certainly had not made her stronger.

It was not my fault, they told me. But every day I live with the truth. It was my fault. Maybe what happened today is some kind of karmic payback for what happened to Stacey…