They grow and change, Cordelia has heard parents lament as they brace themselves for the twists and turns of their children stepping into adulthood and grappling with life's realities. She always expected Noah to be a bit of a wild card, believing he was too wrapped up in his own world to see the bigger picture. But then everything shifted, and the transformation echoed throughout the entire estate. She can hardly believe it.
Noah, from a young age, was the life of the party. He talked a mile a minute, bounced around like a jumping bean, and always had something to say. He was lively, spirited, and a bit of a handful, but that's what made him Noah. She could always pick him out of a crowd. But things changed.
After a year away, he returned looking like a different person. The once boisterous and energetic Noah was now quiet, reserved, and seemingly broken. He appeared almost unrecognizable. He was well-behaved, but he seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The scar on his face told a story of struggles and challenges that Cordelia couldn't even begin to imagine.
Every time she looked into his eyes, she caught a glimpse of pain, something she couldn't quite grasp. And yet, despite it all, he managed to put on a facade of happiness. No matter what she tried, she couldn't seem to get through to him.
"How do you see Noah?" Cordelia asked, taking a sip of her cocktail.
Julius, seated across from her in her beautiful garden, smiled immediately. "Perfect," he replied. "I wish my daughter could look up to him, you know. His father's business will be in good hands."
Cordelia stared into the void. "Too perfect," she said, finally making eye contact with her brother.
"What do you mean?" Julius's smile slowly faded.
Cordelia sighed, dropping her cocktail cup as she ran a hand through her hair. "He's different from the boy I raised. He doesn't like the food he used to enjoy, he doesn't do the things he used to do. It sets me off. It makes me feel like he's a stranger," she confessed.
"So you prefer your kid taking drugs, smoking, having different women, living like a thug?" Julius asked, unable to grasp where Cordelia was headed.
"No," she breathed, sitting up, unable to contain the anguish in her chest. "I just want him to be young and alive. He barely comes out of his room only to help the garner and the maids with doing their chores properly, and he's awake each time I check on him. Mark let me know that he skips meals when I'm not around," she sighed. "I think he needs to see a therapist, psychologist, or a doctor because he's definitely not well," she mentioned.
"Then get to know him better, hang out with him, take him out, ask him questions. Invite his girlfriend, his friends, do what it takes, but be grateful for what you have now," he said.
Cordelia nodded gently while thinking. "Well, I'll do it right away," she said before heading off to the estate. She plotted a plan in her mind, hoping to restore her son to the energy he had and his extroverted behavior.
She knocked softly on the door, waiting patiently for a response. A muffled "come in" wafted through the door before she turned the knob and stepped inside. Noah was lounging in his desk chair, facing the wall, his laptop open and humming with activity.
"Hey, Mom," Noah greeted, swiveling his chair to face her.
Cordelia felt a draft and wrapped her arms around herself. "Brr, it's chilly in here. You should crank up the heat a bit."
"Sorry about that," Noah said, adjusting the thermostat.
"So," Cordelia began, moving to perch on his bed, "What's on your agenda today?"
Noah grinned, "Just waiting on the exam result and my high school diploma. Once I have those, then I'll apply," he said optimistically.
"I see. Um, it's been a while since you got back, and I haven't seen your friends, like Ama or Emy. Are they not in town?" She asked, her fingers tracing the smooth surface of his pillow, unexpectedly drawn to its plain white fabric.
Noah paused, and she could sense his eyes searching her face. "They're not around," he simply replied. She looked up, meeting his gaze, and once again, she caught a glimpse of pain.
"Well, if they're not around, you should meet new people, maybe go to a physical school building, talk to others, attend parties. It could help," she suggested, contemplating inviting his friends over. "You have plenty of them."
Noah's expression turned blank as he paused again, and then he turned his chair around, his back now facing her. "I'm busy," he said tersely.
Cordelia sighed, sitting up, only for a plastic cup to drop from the pillow with a small clack as it hit the ground. Noah turned around as she reached for the plastic cup, unlocking it to reveal pills, with no label or indication of their contents.
She froze, her mind racing with thoughts as her hand shook. Noah, too, froze. "What is this?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion. Before Noah could answer, she drew in a sharp breath.
"Drugs? You're back to it, God! Noah, WHY, WHY do you keep treating me like this?!" she exclaimed. Noah immediately straightened up.
"It's not what you think; they're just sleeping pills," Noah said, meeting her gaze.
She looked at the pills and shook her head, "How am I supposed to know?"
"Trust me," Noah pleaded, reaching for them, but she pulled them away.
"Not a chance, I'm sending this to the lab for testing," she declared firmly. "And it better not be what I'm thinking," she added with a stern look.
"Mum, it's not necessary. I told you I won't go back to that stuff; you have to trust me," Noah insisted.
"Why should I? You don't seem like yourself. I don't know what happened to you, but you look different, like a stranger in our home. You isolate yourself, you don't talk to anyone, and you keep hiding your true feelings from me! I don't recognize you!" she burst out, not realizing the impact of her words.
"Mum," Noah's voice trembled, pain evident in his eyes. For the first time since his return, she saw the depth of his suffering, his once bright smile now replaced by a pained expression. "I changed for you. I want to make things right. I don't need friends or anything. I just want to be right for you, and I need you to trust me."
She sighed, "It's difficult," she admitted, before walking away, leaving Noah behind to ponder the weight of her words in the silence of the room.
A/N
How do you see Cordelia? What about Noah? Drop your comments below.
Edited...
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Days Are Numbered
Teen FictionNOAH MERRIDEW is your typical popular kid who can't keep his emotions composed. Being the only child of a rich couple he is spoilt and rotten to the core with all his caprices being answered. However, thing takes a different turn when his father die...
