Tomas came to Alder House from an emergency room, and you can feel it, though not in the way you might expect. There is nothing hurried about him. He moves like someone who has seen real hurry and decided it's rarely needed anywhere else.
He's quiet at first. He listens more than he talks, and when he does talk it's plain and to the point, with a dry sense of humor that tends to arrive about ten minutes in. People who come in nervous often leave saying the same thing: he made it easy to relax.
The emergency room taught him to pay attention to what people aren't saying, to notice when someone is holding their breath. He'll notice. He'll slow everything down. He'll ask if you'd like a minute, and he means it.
A small thing
He makes the second pot of tea every afternoon without being asked. Nobody has ever seen him do it. It's just there.
Ask for Tomas by name.
Also at Alder House
