Page 82 of The Singing Trees
“Mrs.Barnes? Hi, it’s Annalisa.” As much as she didn’t want to make this call, it was her love for Thomas giving her the strength.
“Oh my goodness,” she replied in her typical jovial voice, which could either be sincere or far from it. “What a blast from the past.”
“I know.”Here we go,she thought,the moment of truth.“I was ... I’m calling to share some big news. How’s Emma, by the way?”
“She’s good, wrapping up school for the year. I think one more exam to go. So to what do I owe the pleasure?”
No use stalling any longer. Annalisa looked at Nonna, who was searching the fridge for dinner ideas. “I have a secret I’d like to share with you, but I was hoping we could keep it from your husband.” She was sure Mr.Barnes was at work, which was why she’d chosen to call in the early afternoon.
A long pause. “Is this about Thomas?”
Annalisa sat up. “I just went to visit him in Hawaii. He was on leave.” She realized how many secrets she’d been keeping. It wasn’t just one! “We’ve been writing, as you know, and we both realized that we still love each other so much.” Annalisa hated the silence on the other end and wondered what Mrs.Barnes might be thinking.
She forged ahead. “He asked in a letter that I come see him. While I was there, he proposed to me. And I accepted, of course.”
More silence, this time a black hole of it, swallowing Annalisa’s excitement. At least the cat was out of the bag, though.
“I knew you two were writing,” Mrs.Barnes admitted, “but I had no idea what was bubbling up between you.” She didn’t sound upset, only surprised. That was a start.
“I love your son with all that I am, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was going to Hawaii, but ... we haven’t spoken in so long, and ... he needed me.”
“I understand. How is he?”
Annalisa was feeling better by the minute and was so happy that they’d agreed to share the news. “He’s excited to get back home, and in the meantime he’s handling it well. You’d be very proud of him.”
“And you’re getting married ...,” Mrs.Barnes said, processing this life-altering news. Annalisa could only imagine what it would be like to stand in the woman’s shoes right now.
She switched the phone to her other ear. “We wanted to tell you and Emma but thought it might be best to let Thomas break the news to his father when he gets back. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Mrs.Barnes said quickly, any other option seemingly absurd. “It’ll be our secret. I’m sorry. I’m still getting over the shock. I’m very happy for you all. Oh my goodness. Did he have a ring?”
Thrilled that Mrs.Barnes seemed interested, Annalisa filled in the details of their week and the proposal. As Mrs.Barnes ran out of questions, Annalisa said, “I was hoping I could tell Emma. Is she back from school?”
Mrs.Barnes had apparently been thinking about Emma’s reaction. “Actually, I’d like to tell her myself, if you don’t mind. This is going to be big for her. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled, but it’s probably best I pick the right time.”
Annalisa was let down. “Oh, okay. I’m sure you know what’s best.”
“I’m so glad you called, Annalisa. Let me wrap my head around the news, and let’s talk again in a day or two. I want to talk weddings and grandbabies and all those things.”
How incredibly gratifying to hear Mrs.Barnes’s chipper tone. “Please let me know when I can talk to Emma. I’d still love for her to come down for a weekend at some point. We’d have a lot of fun.”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Mrs.Barnes said, more jovial than ever. “Talk to you later.”
After they’d hung up, Annalisa looked toward the kitchen. Nonna was slipping her apron on. “That went better than expected, actually,” Annalisa said to her, flushed with optimism. “At least one person in his family is on board.”
Nonna tied the apron around her waist. “That Emma. She’s a real handful, isn’t she?”
Annalisa walked into the kitchen and stole a sprig of parsley from the bunch on the cutting board. “Makes me realize how difficult I must have been when I moved in.”
Nonna smacked her hand. “Raising kids is never easy. You’ll see.”
“Ha! First things first,” Annalisa said, smacking Nonna’s hand back in a gentle tease. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, old woman.” She bit into the parsley with a crunchy smile.
Not even her jet lag could slow her down. After a more formal chat about hiring someone with Walt, Annalisa ran back up the stairs, kissed Nonna on the cheek, then went out to the balcony to get to work. There were so many images she’d brought back from her trip that she couldn’t wait to get onto the page, but one had burned into her memory like no other.
It was the morning Thomas had escorted her to the airport, walking her all the way to the gate. Just before she’d disappeared through the door leading toward the plane, she’d turned back to him. He stood there in his green uniform, her fiancé, with a look of such incredible power: longing and strength at the same time. She could feel him not wanting to let her go, and at the same time his duty pulling at him from behind. In essence, she felt Thomas more than ever before, and she could sense how badly he wanted to get through the rest of the year so that they could start their life together. Never had Annalisa felt so loved than in that moment.
Even as she sat to sketch him, she knew that she would call the pieceThe Last Goodbye, as that would be the last time they ever told each other goodbye. She painted all the way to dinner and then raced back out for another session afterward, capturing him with her paints for the first time. Working through the night, she put the finishing touches on his army-green eyes around five in the morning. Standing back to admire the piece, she found herself more mesmerized by the man she loved than by her own technique in bringing him to life.
