Thursday - 4/18
BRADY PUB
NOELLE: I do miss my Mom. To a certain extent, I miss the way things used to be between us.
REX: Only to a certain extent?
Noelle sighed.
NOELLE: I suppose I’ll have to tell you about this sooner or later, since we’re gonna be married.
REX: Noelle, whatever it is, you can tell me anything. Believe me, I understand having a complicated relationship with your mother.
NOELLE: My Mom’s great, most of the time. When I was diagnosed as diabetic as a little kid, she did everything she could to make sure I stayed healthy. Which was awesome. But, then I got old enough to deal with it myself, and I don’t know if she couldn’t let go or what, but it was like she didn’t trust me to take care of it myself. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated her help, but I also felt kinda smothered at times. Unfortunately, I ended up kind of unintentionally proving her right.
REX: What do you mean?
NOELLE: So, my Dad and I were super close, even after my parents split. My Mom used to go on tours singing during the summer, so I got to spend the summers with my Dad and Sarah. He died while I was in medical school, and I kinda fell apart. I got super depressed. I stopped looking after myself. It got to the point where I was in really bad shape, especially for a diabetic. I finally got a wake-up call when my doctor told me that if I didn’t change things, I probably wouldn’t be around much longer.
REX: Wow.
NOELLE: Yeah. It’s not something I’m proud of. But, like I said, it was a wake-up call. I started going to a dietician, a therapist, and started seeing my endocrinologist on a more regular basis. Got myself back on track and healthy, completely turned my life around, finished med school, and here we are.
REX: I’m glad you were able to turn things around.
NOELLE: Thanks. Anyway, back to my Mom. She was happy for me, but it’s like she still doesn’t trust me. I get it, to a point, it just gets kinda tiring. I know she’s coming at it from a place of love, but that was a long time ago. I’m a totally different person than I was back then. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, I really don’t. I love how much she cares about me.
REX: You just wish she would realize that you’ve learned from the past.
NOELLE: Right. The other part is that I didn’t really feel like I could talk to her about my Dad after he died. Even though they’d been divorced for years, I know she loved him, and I know his death must have hurt her, too, but I never felt like I could express how I was feeling. She just wanted to move on, and for the longest time, I couldn’t.
REX: That’s understandable.
NOELLE: I know I haven’t painted her in the best light, but most of the time, my Mom is great! She really is! And I love that she wants to reconnect, I want that, too. I want us to be part of each other’s lives.
REX: And I’m sure you will be. Like you said, what happened was a long time ago. Hopefully your mom will see that.
NOELLE: I hope so.
REX: Whatever happens, I’ll be here for you.
NOELLE: Thanks.
Rex and Noelle kissed.
NOELLE: So, she’s coming back to town for a meeting this morning, we’re supposed to have dinner together. Did you wanna come? She said she wants to get to know you, too.
REX: That’d be great. I’d love to!
NOELLE: Great!
SALEM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Ari and Liv were un-packing their backpacks at their desks.
ARI: How was spring break?
LIV: It was great! I had so much fun at my aunt’s house!
ARI: That’s great!
LIV: I also got to briefly take a look at that old house we saw last summer.
ARI: Oh, cool! Did you get anything else from it?
LIV: No, not after last time when you told me I shouldn’t have taken the stuff I did.
ARI: And I stand by that. I was just curious.
LIV: Not this time. But we definitely need to go back when we go to camp this summer!
ARI: For sure. So, did you find anything out about the letter or the people in the locket?
LIV: We were right that the girl is F.L.M., and her name is definitely Fannie. And I found out the “M” stands for Merritt. I saw a flier for Merritt’s General Store.
ARI: Never heard of it.
LIV: Me either. My aunt didn’t either, but she says my grandma does.
ARI: You told your aunt about this? I thought we weren’t telling anyone!
LIV: I didn’t tell her much. We were driving past the house one day, I mentioned seeing it a few times and asked why it was abandoned. She said she didn’t know, but her mom, my grandma, would since she’s lived here forever. So, she asked, and my grandma told her that it used to be owned by the Merritt family, and they used to run a general store, but she wouldn’t say anything else.
ARI: Wow. I wonder why.
LIV: Anyway, I still don’t know the name of the boy in the locket, but he’s gotta be the “W” who wrote the letter. Based on the letter, I still think there was some kind of tragic romance. Though why that would lead to a family just leaving everything they own behind is anyone’s guess.
Ari nodded.
ARI: I wonder what happened, and why your grandma wouldn’t say anything else about it.
LIV: That’s why we need to go back this summer while we’re at camp, to solve this mystery.
ARI: Absolutely!
Ari and Liv turned their attention towards the front of the room as the teacher walked in.
