Chapter 72: Chapter 72
“ It’s not like that. Of course I care about our son. It’s just that I think he’s an outstanding student, he’s going to be the best student we wish to be. Don’t get mad at me like this.” Mr. Maxwell replied while rubbing his wife’s hand to assuage her anger.
Gretta fell silent. Yes she knew this was what they wanted. Ever since Alex was a kid, they kept forcing Alex to study hard even when Alex didn’t want to. They kept instilling their idealists about what Alex had to do, what he was responsible for as a first child. They continue to lead Alex to think that he must be the perfect person by carrying his surname on both shoulders.
They made Alex let go of everything he liked and fulfilled the day to learn and hone himself to carry Maxwell’s name on his shoulders. But seeing Alex immerse himself in the books like someone trying to escape reality like that worries Gretta. Gretta worries that Alex is pushing himself too hard to ruin his health.
Caring so much about her son, Gretta went to the kitchen and prepared some apples and a glass of milk for Alex. She then knocked on Alex’s door with a tray of cropped apples and a glass of milk. But Alex didn’t answer a word that maybe he was so focused on learning that he couldn’t hear it. Gretta came in.
Gretta sighs as soon as she enters Alex’s room and sees Alex so fixated with his book. Whereas Alex used to look so relaxed because he could easily understand what he was studying. But now, Alex looks more than a learning interest as if it fixates his life on the book he’s reading. Gretta walks up to Alex and put some fruit and milk on the table, but Alex doesn’t budge one bit and that makes Gretta sigh once more.
“Take a break and eat this fruit first... Don’t push yourself too hard, you can move on later,” Gretta replied while rubbing Alex’s back.
“Yes, later... I’ll eat it after this.” Alex replied while continuing to struggle with his book.
Gretta can only sigh one more time., she’s getting worried about Alex, but whatever she says doesn’t seem to have any effect. So, Gretta thought of something else, thing that could have moved Alex and Drake could only do that. Gretta contacted Drake as soon as she got out of Alex’s room. With her sympathy as a Mother, Gretta enlists Drake’s help to keep Alex from pushing himself too hard to learn.
***
Meanwhile Drake, who was dating Natty at a café, looked somber that he even sighed after hanging up on Alex’s mom. Natty, who is superb at guessing Drake’s feelings from the look on his face, then holds Drake’s hand and wipes it. Drake then glances at Natty and a sweet smile that Natty shows him to be the comforter of his heart. It’s very hard to explain, something strange but also beautiful maybe it’s real love. Something that can make your feelings change with just an action. Like the thin, sweet smile that Natty shower could change Drake’s mood.
Even when the day gets so bad as the sky gets so dark, Natty’s smile becomes a light in his evil heart as if that thin smile brought the sun back to Drake’s sky. Drake’s love for Natty is so great that spending time with Natty alone can make him very happy, if Natty holds his hand then it will make Drake jump for joy that’s why Drake got the nickname Natty’s love slave. Drake’s like a slave who doesn’t want to be separated from Natty.
“What’s going on? Why do you look so lethargic?” asked Natty looking at Drake with a thin smile?
“It’s about Alex, his mother asking for help to get Alex a study break because he’s too pushy to learn.” Drake replied with a lethargic face.
“ But isn’t Alex always like that when it comes to exams? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that...” said Natty.
“ No, it’s a little weird. Alex does like to study hard when there’s going to be exams, but he’s never studied this close before. To be honest, I also find it strange, rather than learning Alex looks more like he’s self-evident and running away from reality. He’s overreacting, and that’s what’s worried me over the last few days.” Drake replied.
“Then, how about we take him for a walk or shopping tomorrow, so he can stop studying for a while? Let’s just say shopping for camping needs, maybe a brief walk will make Alex feel a little better. We can also find out if there’s anything wrong with Alex.” Natty said it was a perfect idea.
Drake agreed with Natty’s idea. The next day when school started, everything went as usual. Alex sits in his chair and learns while paying attention to the teacher who is teaching in the classroom. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if Alex does it, then it becomes weird because Alex has never been so focused on class before. Alex is a genius who can understand lessons very easily, he can understand anything with just a little reading in the book even often he already understands before the teacher explains in class.
But suddenly he’s paying close attention and acting like a weird nerd. Even Drake often sees Alex read the same book over and over again when usually Alex has never studied the same book more than once. Instead of learning, Alex does look more like someone trying to run away from something and it only takes a little time for Drake to figure out why Alex is like that because there’s only one reason for that being Ruby.
Ever since Alex met Ruby, Drake can see that Alex’s world has always been filled with Ruby. Whatever Alex does or wherever he goes, Ruby’s always at the center. Alex may not have noticed it at the time, but Drake could see how Alex’s world was becoming so colorful because of Ruby. Alex always seemed like a genius and a man, but Ruby turned Alex into someone very different and that was just for Ruby. At first Drake liked that and thought he would finally be able to see Alex happy, but now he’s become very sad to see Alex so down.