"Hey little man, what's your name?" Puck asked as he motioned for the kid, who looked about eleven and was currently hiding halfway in the doorframe, to come in. The kid hesitantly took a step in, dragging a guitar case gently behind him.
"I'm Noah," he answered, as he set his case on the floor next to the amp that was hooked up to Puck's axe. He bent down to remove his acoustic from his case as Puck watched intently.
"No way! That's my name too, what a coincidence, huh?" Puck said, trying to get a smile out of Noah. When he didn't receive an answer, he continued, "That's a nice acoustic you have there, bud. Have you played much before?"
"Only a little bit, my mom never really had time to get me lessons until now." he replied. "But I really like it, my mom and her boyfriend taught me a few chords to play. I can read music ok, though."
"Speaking of which, where's your mom?" Puck asked, always wanting to make sure he meets the parents of his students.
"Oh, she dropped me off, she had to run a couple errands. Here's the check, though."
"Thanks, bud." Puck said, taking the check and stuffing it into his plaid shirt pocket. "Alright, so since this is your first lesson, we'll start off with the basics. Matter of fact, show me what you already know."
So the kid started playing, and Puck was actually speechless. Ok, it might have been a little rusty, but the kid's got hands. As the chord progression grew, Puck finally realized the song he was playing, and he also realized that this kid has a damn good voice.
"You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
There's no place to go, you know I won't give in
No, I won't give in"
Noah accidentally hit the wrong chord, but quickly adjusted it to fit his finger size. He continued, not missing a beat.
"Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say,
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth, so
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, make it through."
He faded off, and strummed a G as he finished. He looked at Puck expectantly.
Puck hadn't heard this song in years, but yet it struck him hard. There was just something about this kid that reminded him of himself when he was younger. Noah had short dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and tan skin, but was on the smaller side, and Puck could feel that there was something special about him.
"Wow, uh, yeah, you definitely know a lot more than I thought. How old are you?"
"Just turned twelve."
"No way," Puck couldn't believe this twelve-year-old kid had this much talent. "You're really talented, kid. Take it from me, keep it up and don't give up, and you could definitely have a successful career as a musician. I mean, I was told that when I was younger, but never took it seriously and this is where I ended up." Puck told him honestly, "I love this job and the gigs I play, but sometimes I wonder what could've happened, ya know?"
"Thanks," Noah admitted, blushing a little at the praise. "I know I still have a lot to learn, that's why I'm here. I mean you gotta learn from the best, right?"
"I'm no where near the best, little man" Puck chuckled. "But thank you. Well, that wraps us for the day." Puck continued, glancing at the digital clock resting on the wall in the little room. "It was very nice to meet you, Noah." He put his fist out and Noah tapped his knuckles against it. "I'll see you next week, right?"
"Yes sir, uh, what should I call you? Mr.?"
"Forget the Mr., I'm not looking to intimidate anyone. Call me, Puck."
"Thank you, Puck. I'll see you later." Noah said with a genuine smile. He got off his stool, packed his guitar back into his case, and made his way out the door.
Yeah, that kid definitely has talent.
Puck readjusted the strap around his back to make it more loose giving him more room to move around the guitar in his lap. And his fingers started picking, and he was lost. The music consumed him as he played one of the songs he wrote earlier in his career, singing out a couple of the verses. He wasn't sure what made him think of it, but he felt like he needed to play it again.
He wrote this song about eleven years ago, when he was twenty-one. When people heard it, they thought it was just another song about heartbreak, and well, it was. But the lyrics were much more deeper than that, well at least to him.
"... and you expect me to stay after all this time
You expect me to love you when you've lost your mind
Everything we've been through, you threw away
After that day, baby, after that day
You hid behind your problems, not letting me in
Think you could get better for yourself in the end
I would always be there by your side
And you would play me with all of your lies
When I said 'I love you' it was never enough
To be set aside with all of your useless stuff
But I was blinded by a love that I thought was real
I guess I was the only one who could feel it
And you expect me to stay after all this time
You expect me to love you when you've lost your mind
All we've been through, you threw away
After that day, baby, after the day..."
The words flowed out of Puck as his fingers moved over the strings effortlessly. Music was his escape. His escape from reality that transported him into an alternate world. Maybe that's why he thought he saw her through the window of the closed door of the small teaching room. He closed his eyes once again and when he opened them she was gone. And maybe that's why he just shrugged it off and continued playing. He would always think of her now and again, and it always hurt him in the worst of ways.
But it didn't hurt as much as it did for the blonde currently standing over her son just outside the room, within earshot of the song that had haunted her dreams for years. A tear escaped out of her eyes, as her son looked up at her questioningly.
"Isn't he amazing, mom? I can't thank you enough for these lessons with the Noah Puckerman, like he is my biggest inspiration as a music artist." her son proclaimed.
"You are so welcome, sweetie. And he is... Really amazing." she managed to say. "Hey, Noah, go ahead and throw your guitar in the car, I'll be out in a second." Noah turned and left out of the studio, and his mom turned back towards the room where the music was coming from, and took a peek inside of the window at the man she all but destroyed, the man she told to stay but then left herself, the man who loved her and the man she loved. And for a second she thought that he saw her, she thought their eyes connected, but that moment was over as soon as it happened and he closed his eyes again, and she turned the corner, leaving the man singing his soul out, yet again.
"And you expect me to stay after all this time..."
