The telephone booth

Chapter Sixteen Anna

Chapter Sixteen
Anna
 
     A while passed in silence and Anna listened to the song of swan Lake that was playing in her car until Robert's name appeared on Anna's mobile phone; he was calling. Anna didn't want to answer but she did and said: "Why are you worried about me? Sorry, I totally forgot that I had to go to your friend's clinic; apologize to him on my behalf. … I'm not a bad person. … Something strange happened that I have to explain to you. … Listen, I'm not making excuses; I know you're worried about me but it's none of your business anymore. … I have nightmares almost every night but I don't want to go to a psychologist to forget them. … You know better than anyone that this nightmare is the only thing that connects me to my past; this wound on my hand tells me that it's the only thing I have and remember from my past. Do you understand me or not? … You're crazy; did you do this? It's all over. … Okay; I'll see you." Then she hung up.
   Anna suddenly said: "By the way, Mr. Miller, why don't you go to your work; because of what my father said?"
   "It's pretty much like that; I mean I'm unemployed, I was fired from my job yesterday, from a job that I didn't like."
   "Did you ever think that one day you would suddenly inherit a large computer company?"
   "No; I never thought of it. I didn't even think that old man was my uncle."
   "Are you serious about your decision? You know I'm going home now."
   "Why do you ask me so much if I'm sure about my job or not; am I running away or not; do I look like a weird and scary person?"
   "Why scary! I'm not afraid of you at all and I don't think you're a weird person and I understand you to some extent."
     When they entered the house together; a thin and almost tall woman went towards Anna; she was slightly shorter than Anna and wore a black dress; she had a white face and brown hair, she was Christine  O'Brian. It seemed to Anna that always a hidden sadness, very faint, showed itself behind that face, and maybe it was this hidden sadness that made her smile faintly; a bitter smile that sometimes made Anna feel a strange fear in her heart. Anyway, that woman went towards Anna to hug her kindly; she was someone who Anna called her mother.
     Anna's mother, after greeting her, looked at 1Peter. She was shocked at first, as if she had just noticed his presence. Then she turned pale; Anna felt a slight tremor in her hand. Then Mrs.  O'Brian's legs gave way and she fell; but Anna caught her in time and said anxiously: "Mother, mother, are you okay? What happened all of a sudden?"
   "Nothing, don't worry. I'm fine."
At that moment, Peter passed by them without any reaction; no one's life mattered to him; Peter Miller was not selfish or even heartless, his own life did not matter to him either; this was Anna's opinion.
   Anna asked her mother: "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
   "I'm fine; I just felt dizzy for a moment, that's all."
   "But mother!"
    "I said I'm fine; by the way, your father has been discharged from the hospital."
   "Really? Then I'll go to his room to see him."
   Mr. Collins, who was opening another wrapped gift like the first one and heading towards Peter, said to Anna: "There's no need because I'm here and I'm perfectly fine." Then he said to Peter: "Peter, so you finally came here and I see you here."
At that moment, Christine looked at his face again when she heard Peter's name and felt worse; she looked around very confused; she seemed very anxious.
   This situation of Mrs. O'Brian did not escape Anna's attention; Anna was worried about the woman who had raised her like a kind mother but said nothing; instead, when another snowball appeared again; she said: "Is this a joke or a threat?"
   Josh did not answer.
   Peter replied to Mr. Collins: "You didn't expect me to be here! But I have an important question about my father and my life that I need to get an answer to."
   Josh Collins sat on the couch opposite Peter and sighed and said: "I didn't expect you to accept that I'm your uncle so easily."
   Peter said angrily: "So you mean I was fooled? But why did you lie to me?"
   Mr. Collins laughed and said, "Calm down, I didn't lie to you. What do you think of this house?"
   "It's a magnificent house, but it's worth nothing to me; nothing is worth anything to me."
   "Do you love your father?"
   "Love him?! I hate him."
   "What about your mother?!"
   "I hate her too. Because I blame them for this misery."
   "But why?"
   "I don't remember much about them; I just know that when I was five years old, they abandoned me."
   "But they didn't abandon you; they loved you."
   "It's very hard for me to believe that."
   Anna thought to herself, "A hard and common sorrow with a little difference."
At that moment, Christian, who seemed to have choked on his tears, silently escaped from that room.
Anna, who was all attentive to him, followed him. But Christian entered his room and closed the door behind him.
   Anna thought to herself, "Mother, it can't get any worse than this; mother, you've always been like a real mother to me, but I wasn't like your daughter. You know everything about me, but I barely know anything about you; I don't know why you're so upset right now." Anna left the house to meet a man about fifty-five years old who introduced himself as Martin Holland after half an hour of practice after the hall was empty. This meeting and the conversations they had were a secret that had disturbed her a little and when she apparently returned from the rehearsal session it was night she sat alone in her car that had turned off in the yard; to calm down she almost succeeded with a calm appearance entered the house. Everyone was sitting at a lavish dinner table and were almost silent but Anna felt that something had changed; she felt that almost all of Mrs.  O'Brian's attention was on Peter Miller; while before all her attention was on Anna.
   Anna was neither selfish nor envious; she felt something strange that was not far from reality and thought to herself, "Mother, why are you paying so much attention to Peter Miller?"
The family gathering after dinner was also held in a relatively cold and quiet atmosphere but Anna always had a smile on her lips.