Noah's Love

Chapter 30 - Joanna

Noah wanted to keep his trip as short as possible. Natalie and Arjun, her fiance, had rented a mansion in upstate New York for 5 days so they could have all the Indian and Christan wedding ceremonies. Only 60 people were invited, with some people staying at the mansion, who were visiting from out of state or country. 

As soon as the taxi dropped him outside the entrance of the mansion, a helper with a pleasant smile picked up his bags and told him that he'd leave them in his room. The music drew him towards the backyard, where he saw a small group of people dancing and chatting. He spotted Natalie almost instantly, who was at the center of her crowd trying to dance to a Bollywood song.

"Oh my god! Noah! You made it!" She yelled the second she saw him. A grin automatically spread across Noah's face. He felt a bittersweet feeling wash over him as they hugged. A couple of other people he knew from her family came over and greeted him, pulling him into a conversation.

Mid-way through a particularly interesting debate about the upcoming US elections, a ball hit Noah's leg, making him turn around to see a little girl running towards him. Behind her a few kids stood, seemingly waiting for her to bring the ball back.

Instinctively, Noah picked the ball up. "Playing with the boys?" He said pointing in the direction of the other kids.

"They wanted to play with me. I'm too good," the 5 year-old said, making Noah laugh.

"Here you go," he crouched down and handed her the ball. "Oh hey, you hurt your arm. Do you need someone to clean that up?" He asked with concern, gently grabbing her forearm to inspect.

"It hurts a little. But I wanted to finish the game," the kid replied.

 "Well, would you mind pausing your game so we can put a bandaid on? You can go back to playing right after," Noah offered. When she still looked skeptical, he added, "Ok. I'll sweeten the deal. What if you get your arm fixed and I'll give you and your group of friends a bar of chocolate each."

Her eyes lit up instantly. "Deal," she held out her hand to shake his, making him burst out laughing.  

This kid was something, he thought, as the kid turned around and threw the ball in her friends' direction. "I will be back!" she exclaimed. 

"Hi Natalie," Noah called out. "Where's the first aide box?" 

"In a cabinet in the kitchen, why?" Then she saw the child's arm. "Oh, hunny. How'd that happen? Your mom will kill me for letting you get hurt on my watch."

"It's OK Auntie Nat. It doesn't hurt too much," she replied in her sweet voice.

"Alright. Let's put some medicine on it so it heals super quick, yeah?" Noah said, holding his hand out for the child.

"So, what can I call you?" he chirped, as they walked towards the kitchen.

"Joanna. But my mom calls me Jo. What about you?" she asked.

"I'm Noah. Who's your mom?" he asked curiously.

"My mom?" Joanna furrowed her brows. "My mom is my mom. Who is your mom?"

Noah laughed. "Ok, understood. My mom is my mom too." He asked around for the medicine cabinet and was handed a first aide box over by one of the waiters. They found a chair that Joanna sat on, while Noah kneeled in front of her.

"Ok. So let's wipe the blood and dirt first," he mumbled, grabbing an antiseptic wipe. "This will burn a little bit but something tells me you're brave enough."

Joanna nodded but squeezed her eyes shut. 

Noah smiled briefly before gently cleaning her wound, watching her expressions to make sure he wasn't hurting her too much.