How Long is Forever? Part 2/3 of Chapter 9
Part 1 continued. Sorry it was so short :(
"Ok, yeah, you're right."
"See! I just don't know how to break it to him gently, though. I've been beating around the bush for the past few months now, he still doesn't seem to get the hint. He's more excited about the baby than I am."
"I'm sure it'll all work out, Mara." I looked up at her.
"Yea...that's what I'm hoping." Just then, my eyes suddenly drifted to the big glass windows facing my side. The familiar red Chevy caught my eye as I saw Noel step out of his car with a big, blank canvas in his right hand and a big wooden suitcase in his left, Lucky followed right behind him as he walked up the steps.
"That would be Noel, coming in for his usual lesson."
"Oh yea, we met already. In Newport, to be exact." I slowly turned my direction back at Mara.
"He's a great kid, known him since he was 12, I think?" She said, letting the clay form in her hands.
"Wow, so you've known him for about 7 years now?"
"Yeah...I met him when he was with his Aunt Coraline, she took him to the arts center. She would always see him drawing pictures, creating things, when he came to visit her. His hands could do great things, really. After that, she took him to the arts center to see how he'd like it, of course he was fascinated with it, ever since then, he breathed, ate, and even slept paint."
"So that's how this hobby of his came about?" I asked, fascinated.
"Oh it's more than just a hobby, it's his life. In fact, it's even the reason why he lives here, if not for paint, he'd still be back in Newport with his parents." She explained, looking back at me every now and then.
"And so why isn't he with them?" I asked.
"...Painting, no matter how much he loved it, wasn't so easy for him...His parents have been holding this grudge over his Aunt. They blame her for even introducing painting to him as a child."
"I heard his parents wouldn't allow it...I mean, why not? He's got talent, painting is a beautiful thing, isn't it?"
"Of course, Destiney, but not all people think that way. Especially Noel's parents. They both want him to become a successful doctor. Needless to say, it's all for show, really. Some people just don't see the best in other people or accept the truth about a person when they need them to be someone else."
"He's real brave for coming out here then, huh?" I asked.
"...Yeah, he forced his parents to let him go and live with his Aunt, he didn't want anything to do with them, it was getting harder and harder to live with them in that big, old, empty house back in Newport. He's been living with Coraline since he was 15, Coraline and his parents are very different people as you see, Coraline is more laid back, more down to earth, and not high maintenance at all. With his parents though, they're the total opposite, very close minded, very superficial, and very high maintenance and classy...sometimes I wonder how they raised such a great child that, thankfully, didn't turn out anything like them. It's only the three of them though, so it's not a bother to Coraline, it's actually a benefit. Coraline has a 2 year old daughter named Cara so he helps take care of her, her father left even way before she was born so he's like the man of the family."
"Never knew that..." She nodded as I said this, it was quite overwhelming. "And so what lessons does he come here for? I mean I know it's for painting but, what is he studying?"
"Oh, no, he doesn't study...anything. People come in to study and learn..from him..he teaches."
I looked up suddenly. "Wow...he's that great? I know he's a genius, but, to teach a class at his age? That's wonderful."
She nodded slowly, smiling. "I know, right? He's practically my co-worker, I tease him about it sometimes. But really though, he's something alright."
"He never told me." I said.
"That's typical Noel, he doesn't really see himself the way others do, which is incredible. Modesty is hard to find, but for sure, Noel's got it. He doesn't talk about his skill much, to him, it's just something he loves to do."
I kept quiet for a while. "...Does he have any brothers and sisters?" I asked, trying not to work up any feelings.
"Yeah...well, had." This surprised me. "He had a sister named Allie, short for Alison, she was 3 years younger than him. But..3 years ago, she died of leukemia." A sad pain crept up inside me as i stared at my clay, not really paying attention to it anymore.
"When Noel found out she even had the sickness, he visited frequently, lost track of everything. Basically, he was a wreck, wasn't sleeping much. As much as he hated staying at his own home, he moved back just for her. They were really close, all they had were each other, kind of like soldiers and the enemy was their parents. I mean, sure, his parents took good care of her, but what Allie really stuck to was her brother."
"That hurts. A lot. I know how it feels to lose someone, death or not." I answered quietly.
"When she died...the Noel you see now disappeared for a long time. He painted a lot, seemed like all he would do was paint after she died. Maybe to get her off his mind."
"No, I think it was expressing everything he had bottled in..." I responded.
"Could be just that, that would make more sense though." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "But yeah...he moved back to Providence a couple months later.."
I looked back out the window, the shine from his car blinding me as I watched it just lying there in the parking lot. So there really are stories behind even the most beautiful eyes.
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"No, no, no! Mom I can't! I've got a class to go to later and Noel's gonna-" I stood up from my chair, leaving my unfinished sandwich before me as I tried to ease my way out of her direction, unfortunately, she caught up to me.
"Honey, please, I've got to meet with the Jennason's. I've got to go now, I love you!" After shoving Caleb into my arms, she ran for the door, trying to slip on her black coat before disappearing behind the door. I ran a hand through my face, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. I looked up at Cleb as he looked back at me with his big, blue eyes, sucking on a spoon. I slowly walked back to my chair, bouncing him on my hip as he played with the key on my necklace.
How did it get like this? I mean, it wasn't like this at all before. How did I become the one who was expected to be there, binding my family together at times like this and whatever crisis we may be having? It was a mystery to me, although the reason was self-explanatory. Dad was gone. It was as simple as that, yet I didn't want to believe that was really the reason why things weren't the same, why mom had become the breadwinner and I had become the mother. Before, Mom took extra care of us, she didn't work, only because she had children. She felt as if she had a duty to us, like all mothers of course, but it would be hard to believe that she was once your average American mother, she would make sure we were well clothed and fed, but even the littlest details, she acknowledged. She made sure we brushed our teeth, took our vitamins, and even did our hair in the morning. When the bell rang at school, she was the first one there waiting for me. Before, she was a wedding planner, but stopped once she knew she was pregnant with me, always promising my father that she'd be back on the job as soon as I was born and a couple years old, but she never did. I asked her why, but all she ever said to me was, "Someday, when you become a mother, you'll know how it feels like. You'll know why. One answer I could give, though, is that I love you." And then, Serena came, double the responsibilities, but she always came through. Always. When Caleb came, she remained the same, signs of frustrations and tiredness showed at times though, and suddenly, she was either too tired, or too exhausted to read to Serena, or to attend my lacrosse games. But it all started to make sense, Dad left not long after she started changing, even though Caleb was born after he left and without his knowledge. After about half a year after his leave, she spent less and less time at home, leaving me with the kids, and then, a couple weeks later, she announced that she was back on the job as a wedding planner. She was kind of like a song. The kind of song you think you like after hearing once, only to find yourself listening to it a second time, wondering what you even liked about it in the first place.
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"Destiney, where were you yesterday? You weren't home when I got home, Caleb and Serena weren't home either-"
"I told you, at the arts center, I'm taking a ceramics class-"
"Destiney, I've been stressing out lately. Why don't you take it into consideration? I'm sorry honey, but it's not something I think you should be getting into at a time like this, I'll be real busy the next couple weeks and I do need your help." We were sitting inside her car, she said she needed to have a little talk so she parked herself in the school parking lot. She decided to drop me off that morning, "Her treat," as she would call it. I didn't say anything to this as I flipped the key on my necklace over and over.
I had opened the door when suddenly, she laid a hand on my shoulder. "Remember, you have a duty to your brothers and sisters."
"No, Mom." I said to her, looking into her eyes, which had seemed shock by my answer.
"You do." And with that, I got out, slamming the door behind me as the cold air hugged my body.
"See! I just don't know how to break it to him gently, though. I've been beating around the bush for the past few months now, he still doesn't seem to get the hint. He's more excited about the baby than I am."
"I'm sure it'll all work out, Mara." I looked up at her.
"Yea...that's what I'm hoping." Just then, my eyes suddenly drifted to the big glass windows facing my side. The familiar red Chevy caught my eye as I saw Noel step out of his car with a big, blank canvas in his right hand and a big wooden suitcase in his left, Lucky followed right behind him as he walked up the steps.
"That would be Noel, coming in for his usual lesson."
"Oh yea, we met already. In Newport, to be exact." I slowly turned my direction back at Mara.
"He's a great kid, known him since he was 12, I think?" She said, letting the clay form in her hands.
"Wow, so you've known him for about 7 years now?"
"Yeah...I met him when he was with his Aunt Coraline, she took him to the arts center. She would always see him drawing pictures, creating things, when he came to visit her. His hands could do great things, really. After that, she took him to the arts center to see how he'd like it, of course he was fascinated with it, ever since then, he breathed, ate, and even slept paint."
"So that's how this hobby of his came about?" I asked, fascinated.
"Oh it's more than just a hobby, it's his life. In fact, it's even the reason why he lives here, if not for paint, he'd still be back in Newport with his parents." She explained, looking back at me every now and then.
"And so why isn't he with them?" I asked.
"...Painting, no matter how much he loved it, wasn't so easy for him...His parents have been holding this grudge over his Aunt. They blame her for even introducing painting to him as a child."
"I heard his parents wouldn't allow it...I mean, why not? He's got talent, painting is a beautiful thing, isn't it?"
"Of course, Destiney, but not all people think that way. Especially Noel's parents. They both want him to become a successful doctor. Needless to say, it's all for show, really. Some people just don't see the best in other people or accept the truth about a person when they need them to be someone else."
"He's real brave for coming out here then, huh?" I asked.
"...Yeah, he forced his parents to let him go and live with his Aunt, he didn't want anything to do with them, it was getting harder and harder to live with them in that big, old, empty house back in Newport. He's been living with Coraline since he was 15, Coraline and his parents are very different people as you see, Coraline is more laid back, more down to earth, and not high maintenance at all. With his parents though, they're the total opposite, very close minded, very superficial, and very high maintenance and classy...sometimes I wonder how they raised such a great child that, thankfully, didn't turn out anything like them. It's only the three of them though, so it's not a bother to Coraline, it's actually a benefit. Coraline has a 2 year old daughter named Cara so he helps take care of her, her father left even way before she was born so he's like the man of the family."
"Never knew that..." She nodded as I said this, it was quite overwhelming. "And so what lessons does he come here for? I mean I know it's for painting but, what is he studying?"
"Oh, no, he doesn't study...anything. People come in to study and learn..from him..he teaches."
I looked up suddenly. "Wow...he's that great? I know he's a genius, but, to teach a class at his age? That's wonderful."
She nodded slowly, smiling. "I know, right? He's practically my co-worker, I tease him about it sometimes. But really though, he's something alright."
"He never told me." I said.
"That's typical Noel, he doesn't really see himself the way others do, which is incredible. Modesty is hard to find, but for sure, Noel's got it. He doesn't talk about his skill much, to him, it's just something he loves to do."
I kept quiet for a while. "...Does he have any brothers and sisters?" I asked, trying not to work up any feelings.
"Yeah...well, had." This surprised me. "He had a sister named Allie, short for Alison, she was 3 years younger than him. But..3 years ago, she died of leukemia." A sad pain crept up inside me as i stared at my clay, not really paying attention to it anymore.
"When Noel found out she even had the sickness, he visited frequently, lost track of everything. Basically, he was a wreck, wasn't sleeping much. As much as he hated staying at his own home, he moved back just for her. They were really close, all they had were each other, kind of like soldiers and the enemy was their parents. I mean, sure, his parents took good care of her, but what Allie really stuck to was her brother."
"That hurts. A lot. I know how it feels to lose someone, death or not." I answered quietly.
"When she died...the Noel you see now disappeared for a long time. He painted a lot, seemed like all he would do was paint after she died. Maybe to get her off his mind."
"No, I think it was expressing everything he had bottled in..." I responded.
"Could be just that, that would make more sense though." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "But yeah...he moved back to Providence a couple months later.."
I looked back out the window, the shine from his car blinding me as I watched it just lying there in the parking lot. So there really are stories behind even the most beautiful eyes.
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"No, no, no! Mom I can't! I've got a class to go to later and Noel's gonna-" I stood up from my chair, leaving my unfinished sandwich before me as I tried to ease my way out of her direction, unfortunately, she caught up to me.
"Honey, please, I've got to meet with the Jennason's. I've got to go now, I love you!" After shoving Caleb into my arms, she ran for the door, trying to slip on her black coat before disappearing behind the door. I ran a hand through my face, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. I looked up at Cleb as he looked back at me with his big, blue eyes, sucking on a spoon. I slowly walked back to my chair, bouncing him on my hip as he played with the key on my necklace.
How did it get like this? I mean, it wasn't like this at all before. How did I become the one who was expected to be there, binding my family together at times like this and whatever crisis we may be having? It was a mystery to me, although the reason was self-explanatory. Dad was gone. It was as simple as that, yet I didn't want to believe that was really the reason why things weren't the same, why mom had become the breadwinner and I had become the mother. Before, Mom took extra care of us, she didn't work, only because she had children. She felt as if she had a duty to us, like all mothers of course, but it would be hard to believe that she was once your average American mother, she would make sure we were well clothed and fed, but even the littlest details, she acknowledged. She made sure we brushed our teeth, took our vitamins, and even did our hair in the morning. When the bell rang at school, she was the first one there waiting for me. Before, she was a wedding planner, but stopped once she knew she was pregnant with me, always promising my father that she'd be back on the job as soon as I was born and a couple years old, but she never did. I asked her why, but all she ever said to me was, "Someday, when you become a mother, you'll know how it feels like. You'll know why. One answer I could give, though, is that I love you." And then, Serena came, double the responsibilities, but she always came through. Always. When Caleb came, she remained the same, signs of frustrations and tiredness showed at times though, and suddenly, she was either too tired, or too exhausted to read to Serena, or to attend my lacrosse games. But it all started to make sense, Dad left not long after she started changing, even though Caleb was born after he left and without his knowledge. After about half a year after his leave, she spent less and less time at home, leaving me with the kids, and then, a couple weeks later, she announced that she was back on the job as a wedding planner. She was kind of like a song. The kind of song you think you like after hearing once, only to find yourself listening to it a second time, wondering what you even liked about it in the first place.
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"Destiney, where were you yesterday? You weren't home when I got home, Caleb and Serena weren't home either-"
"I told you, at the arts center, I'm taking a ceramics class-"
"Destiney, I've been stressing out lately. Why don't you take it into consideration? I'm sorry honey, but it's not something I think you should be getting into at a time like this, I'll be real busy the next couple weeks and I do need your help." We were sitting inside her car, she said she needed to have a little talk so she parked herself in the school parking lot. She decided to drop me off that morning, "Her treat," as she would call it. I didn't say anything to this as I flipped the key on my necklace over and over.
I had opened the door when suddenly, she laid a hand on my shoulder. "Remember, you have a duty to your brothers and sisters."
"No, Mom." I said to her, looking into her eyes, which had seemed shock by my answer.
"You do." And with that, I got out, slamming the door behind me as the cold air hugged my body.
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