Page 45 of The Singing Trees
All Annalisa had to do was to listen to those around her, and none of this would have happened. Nonna, who had no hidden agendas, had warned her. Even Mr.Barnes, who was proving to be right in this circumstance, had told Thomas and her that they should end things.
But no, Annalisa had let her heart steer the way. She’d ignored Nonna and Thomas’s parents, and most important, her own rationality, deciding that her feelings for Thomas had to be explored. A lot of good that decision had done. She was effectively breaking this family apart.
She attempted to tell herself,No, this has nothing to do with me.If it wasn’t for Thomas deciding to leave Davenport, Emma might still have eventually ended up in this hospital. She was fragile...and she’d tried to hurt herself once before. That line of thought carried only so much weight.
Pressing her eyes closed, she wished it all away, wondering where Emma might be if Annalisa had chosen not to go to the Cold River concert, or if she’d at least been sensible enough not to drink and smoke herself into a stupor. Even the next day, she could have told Thomas to leave before her aunt had forced him into the house for Saturday supper. Or all she had to do was restrain herself and her little schoolgirl heart from writing her number on his hand. That was what had done it. That was the moment that had switched the tracks of poor Emma’s train, eventually bringing her to this hospital while Annalisa had her hand on the back of a guy whose life she was ruining.
No doubt she loved Thomas—and Emma, too, and she knew it because her heart broke for both of them. Seeing Thomas slouched over, his hands covering his face, she knew he was blaming himself, and she wanted to pull him out of it. As if she could. She’d told him it wasn’t his fault, that he’d been Emma’s only light. Her guilt choked her as she thought about what she was doing to this family, wedging between all of them.
Annalisa wondered if he was thinking the same thoughts, wishing he’d never pursued Annalisa. Or maybe not. Maybe he wasn’t questioning their relationship, but he was surely questioning his decision to move to Portland.
She questioned his moving too. As much as she loved him and wanted to be with him every minute going forward, life wasn’t that simple, was it? As they’d both anticipated, his going to Portland would have consequences not only for his life but for Emma’s too. Her throat tightened, and her stomach ached with guilt as she rubbed his back.
Mr.Barnes burst through the double doors. Without regard for the others who were living similar fates, he screamed, “You see, Thomas. Now you see!”
Every head in the waiting room twisted to him, his angry words piercing the silence. Annalisa felt her body constrict as Thomas looked up with defensive eyes.
Mr.Barnes marched toward them, stopping three feet in front of his son. Pointing at Thomas much like Emma had pointed at Annalisa, he said, “You proud of yourself? Do you finally understand the consequences of your stupid decisions? They’re like pushing the first of a long line of dominoes, aren’t they?”
Breathing with such fury that he might have a heart attack, he pointed with that same finger back toward the swinging doors. “This is both of your faults.”
Annalisa couldn’t disagree. Thomas slouched lower.
Mr.Barnes stepped toward them. “All that I care about is that you and your sister succeed. You had everything: Weston, an open door to the firm, but you blow it all for this girl that’snogood for this family. Look at me, son.”
Annalisa was too terrified to stand up for Thomas as he looked at his father with tightened jaws. She felt herself cowering like she’d done a thousand times when her own father had unleashed his fury.
“All you had to do was listen to me,” he continued. “I might be a hard-ass, but I’ve been around the block.” He thrust up a finger and spat, “Iknowwhat I’m talking about.”
Annalisa was shaking with fear when she noticed a nurse rushing toward them.
“Excuse me,” the short-haired woman said. “I can’t have this in here.”
Mr.Barnes took a long breath, finally running out of steam. Or so Annalisa thought. He kept going. “You’re damn lucky your sister is okay.”
Thomas had finally had enough. “How in the fucking world is this our fault, you clueless sack of shit? You are the waste of oxygen that has poisoned this family. How in God’s name could Emma grow up normal with a father like you?”
“Gentlemen,” the nurse interrupted, “I am going to call security if you don’t tone it down and leave my waiting room.”
Mr.Barnes’s face turned so red Annalisa thought the vessels in his forehead might explode. She put her shaky arm on Thomas, trying to be strong. “Let’s go, Thomas.”
“No, Anna, it needs to be done.” Thomas popped up and got in his father’s face, inches from it. His spit sprayed onto his father as he said, “You are the reason my sister tried to kill herself. You and your fucking affair poisoned her.”
“I’m calling security,” the nurse said loudly, racing back to her desk.
With the last of her energy, her head a spinning blender of fear and anger, Annalisa sprang to her feet. “Thomas, stop it. Let’s go.” All she wanted to do was run away from all of it, but she had to protect him.
Mr.Barnes whipped his head toward Annalisa, his red and angry eyes burning into her. “You stay the hell out of it, country girl. Had you not showed up, none of this would have happened.” His attack was a punch in the face.
As she saw her father in those eyes, she lifted up her hands to protect herself. Just as she did, Thomas took a swing at Mr.Barnes. She saw Thomas’s fist meet his father’s cheek with a crack that sent the man stumbling backward and dropping to the floor.
Thomas lunged for him, and Annalisa watched in frozen shock as the man she loved jumped on top of his father. Mr.Barnes fought back like a bull until two security guards dragged them off each other.
Trembling, Annalisa watched the guards escort the two men, still shouting at each other, out of the waiting room. When they rounded the corner to the exit, Thomas looked back at her with swollen, defeated eyes.
They stared at each other for a long few seconds—and it felt like a daylong conversation was had between them—not a word uttered, just a stare so dense with emotion that Annalisa lost what was left of her breath.
When the guard finally tugged Thomas out of view, she very much felt like she was the reason his life was caving in.
