About Loneliness

"Any priest who says he never gets lonely is a liar. Nothing makes you immune to loneliness. Not God, not marriage, not even sex."

For some reason, hearing him say that word out loud made Janie blush, and she busied herself with straightening Carly's sun hat.

Jake went on: "But loneliness has a purpose. It makes room for something. It's built to make us reach out. That's not such a bad thing."

"It's not making me reach out," she muttered. "It's making me a wretched bitch."

"Loneliness is painful. But suffering is not wrong in and of itself. It's part of the human experience, and in that way, brings us closer to people."

"Thank you, Pope Jake," she said.

"He laughed out loud, a true laugh, she knew, and it lifted her for a moment.

# Extract from SHELTER ME by Juliette Fay #