Teaching Noah | √

017

“IF YOU HAD the opportunity to know when and how you would die, would you take it?” I looked up from the books in front of me to Noah who sat opposite me, doing his homework.

He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, “Why would you ask me that?”

“I just thought about it, and I want to know.”

“What goes on inside that head of yours, Riley?”

I smiled at his question and simply shrugged.

“I don’t think I’d want to know, but I feel like curiosity would get the best of me, so screw it, I’ll take the opportunity,” he answered.

“Why would you want to know?”

“For prioritizing purposes,” he shrugged. “If you find out you’re dying in like, two months, trust me, there are some things that won’t matter to you anymore,” he rested his face against his hand, “You know what to give a shit about.”

“Well, that makes sense,” I countered, nodding.

“Of course it does,” he paused. “Truth is, I don’t think anything can prepare a person for their death. Think about it.”

And I did. “If you knew you were going to—”

“Let’s say, be shot?” Noah quipped.

“Right. What way could you possibly prepare to be hit by a bullet?”

“Exactly,” he laughed.

“Well, except you—”

“Die in your sleep.”

“Exactly,” I chuckled.

“Isn’t it cool how two of you can finish off each other’s sentences?” River said as he walked into the kitchen and kissed the top of my head, “Hey, I’m going home today.”

I looked at him with a frown on my face, “Why?”

Okay, I knew that was a dumb question. Of course, he was going home because it was his home. I just loved when he was around, because it could get lonely being the only child at home. Mason and Marley, I could handle not being home because I didn’t grow up seeing them home all the time, but it was different with River.

“I have to be at the studio everyday for the next few days, and you know the studio is closer to my place,” I heard River answer.

“Sometimes I forget you even have your own place.”

“I know,” he chuckled.

“I’ll miss you,” I told him, and Noah playfully cooed, “Aww.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and looked back at River. “I’ll come back. Especially when it hits me that I really can’t be ordering takeout every day. You know me.”

“I was thinking you could take me to Lennon’s.”

“Right now?”

“No, after my lessons…” I replied, knowing that might not be a possibility anymore.

“That’s tough,” River confirmed. “I have a shoot in thirty minutes.”

“That’s okay, I’ll walk.”

The journey to Lennon’s house was quite a distance. About a ten-minute walk which was mostly fun when one was ready and actually in the mood to walk. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to walk, but Lennon had texted me earlier this evening that she was ill, and so, I wanted to see her. Lennon falling ill was a rare occurrence, so when it happened, it felt like she was on her deathbed. She was clingy, wanting to be babied, and it was included in the best package to visit her and do all I could to help her feel  better, even if that meant at the end of the day, I might catch a germ or two from her.