Thomas by Kathi S. Barton

“Answer me. Are you mad
because I didn’t call either of you when he showed up?”
    “ No, I’m not mad at all.
I’m pissed at our father.” She tried to gauge what mood Misha was
in, but he only smiled at her. “She saved your butt and smacked him
around a little. Wish I could have seen that. But no, Mom, I’m not
mad. Neither is Thomas. He’s just trying to get a grip on things,
that’s all.”
    Get a grip on what? She could only
imagine. His life? Sure that was a part of it. But she had a
feeling it was something more, at least more than his father
showing up and Linyah coming to help her. She prattled on about
nothing, and Thomas still said nothing more. Maribel worried a
little. She hoped that he wasn’t upset with Linyah, but before she
could ask him, Misha kissed her cheek and told her to let it go.
She nodded but still worried.
    The driver drove them back to the big
office that her sons all shared. Maribel didn’t go there often but
when she did, it was to only pick something up and then leave. And
since she had groceries this time, she just stayed in the car to go
home. But Thomas didn’t get out of the car when Misha
did.
    “ Mom, what am I going to
do with her?” She had no idea what he meant but didn’t get the
chance to ask him before he continued. “She can do all sorts of
things that are frightening, and keep you safe when we can’t. I get
that and I’m glad for it. Father would have hurt you had she not
gotten there when she did.”
    “ He could have hurt me
with you standing right next to me too. Her being there was because
I was thinking of her when he shoved the cart at me. It could have
been any of you at that moment.” He nodded but didn’t speak. “What
are you bothered by, son? Is it that you don’t want her? Do you
think that she’s going to hurt you somehow?”
    “ She’s bored.” That made
her nearly smile, but she held back. “I don’t know how to keep her
happy if she’s bored with me. Today she told me that she wants to
continue working for her family. I want her home at
night.”
    “ Is she bored with you or
simply bored? I get bored too. It’s why I do the shopping and go on
errands even though they have this big house with servants. I like
doing things for myself.” He nodded. “Does she want to go on
missions with you guys? Have you even asked her what she wants to
do? Thomas, you have to talk to her. This isn’t right and you know
it.”
    “ I do know it. And we’re
going to talk. But she said she could go and still work with her
family and try to get back home to me nightly. I think she’d just
rather continue on as if we’d never met.” Maribel wondered if that
was really it or there was something more.
    “ Again, did you ask her
what she wants to do?” He shook his head. “Then you should. Don’t
let this fester, son. Go and talk to her and see what she wants to
do. Maybe she could find a job around here that she’d enjoy. Or she
could work for her family until she finds something. You can’t
expect her to hang around the house all day. She’s a woman who gets
things done.”
    “ I don’t, not really. And
as for her finding something to do? Not unless it involved guns and
knives.” He laughed, but it was bitter sounding. “And I can’t stand
how messy she is. Christ, it’s like living with a small child. She
can’t even put the lid on the toothpaste without leaving a trail of
paste on the sink.”
    Maribel smiled at that. She’d heard
the story about her and the toothpaste art. She wondered if that
was all there was to it and decided that they both needed to be
left alone on this. They’d work it out. Thankfully they couldn’t
harm each other. She thought that before this was finished, Linyah
and Thomas would have one of the strongest relationships she’d ever
been witness to.
    After making his confession, he told
her he had to go. Getting out, he turned back and gave her a quick
kiss on the cheek. Then he told her he loved