Atlas awoke to furious pounding. He struggled to a sitting position.
“Dad! Dad! Open up!” The pounding was from the door.
“Diana?” Atlas jumped out of bed and stumbled to the door. “What’s wrong?” He unlocked it.
Diana pushed the door back so violently she almost knocked him over. He steadied himself surreptitiously by grabbing ahold of the side table by the door. A dried flower arrangement trembled slightly. He switched on the lamp above it.
She strode into the center of the oriental rug and whipped around. “How could you? How dare you?”
“Whoa, Nellie. What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine! But the trees! You’re cutting the trees.”
He held out his hands and tilted his head, as if to say, yes, as always.
“You don’t know?”
His concern shifted to annoyance.
“Right now. Today. S
