Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

After the door was closed, Theo smiled with satisfaction. His emotions were very stable as if he was waiting for that day to come.

When she walked out of the door, the usually strong Natalie shed tears. A tear flowed down from the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. In her pocket, there were the envelopes that Theo had given her. She touched them with her finger, and it seemed that she could feel all the dense words inside.

After sorting out her emotions, Natalie prepared to hide the envelopes. She pushed open the door and saw Trevon changing. When he saw Natalie enter with red eyes, he guessed, "Grandpa isn't doing well." Natalie was in a hurry to hide the envelopes and urged the man to go downstairs. "No, we just chatted for a while. You can go down and watch the kids, lest they are too noisy and distract Theo from sleeping." Unexpectedly, behind Natalie, Trevon's low and muffled voice sounded. "Grandpa gave you his will?" Hearing this, Natalie turned around with a jerk. She suspected that this man was lying in the corner just now.

Otherwise, how would he know? "You..." Trevon interrupted Natalie's words as if he had expected it. "I was raised by my grandfather since | was young. | can think of whatever he can think of and what he can't think of. You've been in the room for so long, and your eyes are still red when you cback. Wouldn't the matter be clear?" His tone was relaxed, but Natalie's heart ached for him. Trevon was recalling the past that his grandfather had lectured him. She was sure that Trevon was recalling the memories he had with his grandfather. It was just that he was a man and did not chatter like a girl, nor did he cry.

Even though he knew what Natalie had gotten from Theo, Trevon did not ask her to show it to her. He respected his grandfather. "Go and hide what Grandpa gave you. Since he wants to keep us in suspense, | should fulfill his wish." "Trevon..." Natalie could not bear to see Trevon suppress the sadness in his heart. The rims of his eyes were red.

But before she could say anything, Trevon had already pushed her forward. Touching her earlobe, he pushed open the door to go downstairs. "I'll go and see Sophia." Natalie was left standing on the spot. As she watched Trevon go downstairs, she felt sorry for him. If Trevon's grandfather left him one day, how devastated would he be? After staying silent for a while, Natalie turned around and placed the documents in the safe, where there were her grandfather's documents. She placed the envelopes in her pocket on top and pressed them with her hand with mixed feelings. She looked at the overlapping documents and was silent for a while before closing the safe again.

Since Trevon did not intend to read the letter now, she placed it in a place that both of them knew. When he wanted to see the content of the letter, he could take it himself or read it behind her back.

It turned out that Theo had overestimated himself and underestimated the child he had raised. Trevon could already anticipate Theo's next move. It was just that he cooperated with Theo and pretended not to know.

The next morning.

When Jasper finished eating and was about to go to school, Trevon instructed, "Go upstairs and say goodbye to Great-grandpa." Jasper replied calmly, placing the bag he had just picked up on the chair again, "Okay." He ran upstairs and carefully pushed open the door. Seeing that Theo had already gotten up and was sitting on the bed reading a book, Jasper approached with a smile and said, "Great-grandpa, are you feeling better?" Theo was extremely touched. He smiled lovingly, his eyes filled with smiles and wrinkles. "I'm doing okay. Why aren't you going to school yet, baby Jasper? You're going to be late." Jasper walked closer and shook Theo's hand. His big rough hand wrapping around Jasper's tender hand, Theo suppressed his sadness and asked, "Are you here to say goodbye to me?" "Yes, great-grandpa, if you're not feeling well, tell Mommy. Mommy is a doctor. I'm going to school. I'll cup to see you after school." Theo nodded and smiled. His eyes flickered. Jasper was afraid that he would not be able to see him when he cback from school. Theo found solace in the realization that Jasper was such a sensible kid. He said, "Alright, | will wait for you to cback. Go to school." "Alright, great-grandpa, | learned another word. I'll write it for you when | cback from school." Jasper, a boy of few words, said a lot at once. Perhaps it was because Theo often accompanied him and instructed him.

Jasper was practicing handwriting. In his free time, Theo would teach Jasper handwriting personally. According to Theo, playing chess and practicing handwriting could make one calm down and train their patience.

Jasper closed the door again and went downstairs. Trevon was already waiting at the top of the stairs and said, "Let's go." "Yeah." "You guys go first. I'll go see Theo before I hit the road. Go, I'll drive to the base myself." Natalie urged Trevon and said, "Hurry up. Jasper is going to be late." Upon hearing this, Trevon finally moved away. In the car, Jasper could tell that Trevon, who was driving in front.

was in a bad mood. He called in a low voice, "Dad." Trevon glanced at the little guy sitting behind from the corner of his eye and found that Jasper looked like a little adult. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't stutter." Jasper asked, "Is great-grandpa going to die?" As soon as he said this, even the air around him froze. It was so quiet that Jasper could hear his own heartbeat.

Jasper held his breath and waited for his father's answer. He had learned sexperience from watching television s that the elderly were like this when they were sick.

Trevon paused for a moment and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Great-grandpa wants to go far away to be with Great-grandma." Trevon thought that his son would continue to ask, but he didn't. Jasper pursed his lips in silence. He quietly looked at the scenery outside. It was unknown what he was thinking, but Trevon could tell from his face that he wasn't happy. There was sadness that belonged to a child shown on his face.

After school that day, Jasper couldn't wait to put down his bag as soon as he cback home. Then, he went straight upstairs to see Theo. Behind him, Natalie reminded him to be careful.

Jasper shared the interesting things that happened in the kindergarten with Theo in the room. Theo listened attentively and smiled from tto time. Half an hour later, Jasper reminded Theo to have a good rest.

Looking at his sensible great-grandson, at that moment, Theo felt that the little darling he held in his hands had grown up. No wonder his destiny was at hand.

After Jasper left, Trevon returned early. Like his son, he went straight to the second floor as soon as he entered.

When he opened the door, he found that the old man was already lying down. The room was very quiet, so he retreated and closed the door again.

Then, he went downstairs to ask Rachel about Theo's condition today. Rachel said that he was in a better state today than yesterday. He had eaten a lot, but he slept two hours longer than yesterday.

Tpassed just like that. Day after day, Theo spent more tin sleeping than staying awake. Tslowly dimmed his memory. He kept repeating what had happened yesterday, thinking that it was what had happened today.

No matter how powerful a person was, it was an unchangeable fact that their memories and languages declined with age.

Theo even called the names of his two great-granddaughters wrongly. He remembered Jasper's nquite well.

It was not strange that Theo was confused. The twins were as like as two peas. Not only Theo got them mixed up, but even the healthy Gage often made mistakes.

Days elapsed.

On this day, Theo did not eat. The food that was brought up was brought down intact. Mary wiped her tears and said to Rachel, who was standing downstairs, in a broken voice, "Madam, Mr. Wilson still ate nothing." He didn't eat breakfast, nor did he eat lunch or dinner... "Give it to me," said Rachel.

Rachel pushed open the door to Theo's room with dinner in her hands. Theo was sitting on the bed, growing thinner by the day. He was wearing reading glasses and looking at the photo album with trembling hands. It was the picture he had taken with his wife when they were young. The pixels were very low, but from the photo, it could still be seen that Theo's eyes were filled with love as he looked at his wife. It could also be seen that the old lady was a beauty when she was young.

Rachel placed the dinner on the bedside table and said, "Theo, eat some. If Trevon comes back and finds out that you eat nothing for a day, he must be worried. Eat at least one bite." Without Theo knowing, Trevon had already slept on the sofa in Theo's room for three consecutive nights for a reason that he was afraid something unexpected would happen on the night.

"Rachel used to address Theo 'Mr. Wilson'. Ever since Natalie married into the family and called her Rachel, which was agreeable to Theo, Rachel had changed the way she called Theo." "Alas, alright. I'll have a bite then." Theo's hands were trembling non-stop. His voice was weak, and his eyes were sunken. There was no flesh on his cheeks, and he looked in a sorry state.

Even his usually straight back was bent. Rachel was about to feed Theo when she was stopped by Theo. The strong-willed Theo would not allow himself to be fed one day. "Don't worry, I'm still breathing. Your mother-in-law probably doesn't wantto see her soon." Rachel retracted her hand. Her eyes were filled with tears. Theo's bodily functions were declining. Even his appetite was decreasing. A few days ago, he could still eat a bowl of oatmeal. Today, he lost his appetite. No wonder Trevon secretly cto this room to sleep. She suggested worriedly, "Why don't we send you to the base or Athana Hospital?" Theo took half a spoonful of oatmeal and stuffed it into his mouth with difficulty. After swallowing it, he took a minute to catch his breath before replying to his daughter-in-law, "It won't make any difference. It's not I'm not seriously ill. It's just I'm getting old and my organs are declining. There's no way to replace or fix them. | can only die." Seeing her daughter-in-law lower her head with a tear falling onto her hand, Theo comforted her instead.

"Rachel, don't be sad. I'm just going to see your mother-in-law. There's nothing to be sad about. Cto think of it, my life is already worth it. I'm almost 90 years old. Who's as lucky as me? | have many children and grandchildren. After | leave, this family will depend on you. Caleb isn't as attentive as Trevon, and he's not good at flattering others. You'll have to put up with him." Rachel's throat was sore and her eyes were red. She had always kept her emotions in control, but at this moment, she broke down. Theo had always treated her like his own daughter and in this family, she always had a say. "I see. Theo, | wish you could stay with us a little longer. My mother-in-law won't be angry with you if you're late to see you. She's always been good-tempered and won't blyou." Theo took a few mouthfuls of food and handed the bowl! to Rachel. When she persuaded Theo to eat more, he shook his head. Rachel did not force him. She could only take the bowl and sit back down. Just as she sat down, Theo said, "It's enough. I've lived long enough. | even lived for my wife. It's tforto see her. Watch Trevon and make sure he won't make stupid mistakes. His happy marriage was not easy to cby. Natalie is a good girl. She's sensible, a person of excellent character. In addition, she's down-to-earth, a girl Trevon can spend the whole life with. You shouldn't think about those from wealthy families. They are not someone to spend life with." Rachel knew that Theo was reminding her to understand and accept Natalie. He was putting in a good word for her daughter-in-law. She had long looked at Natalie in a different light. After spending so much twith her, Rachel had bonded with her. "I won't make things difficult for Natalie. She's very outstanding. Trevon has good taste. | was a little short-sighted." "It's not that you're short-sighted. It's just that everyone has a first impression. People tend to judge someone by their first impression. It takes tfor someone to get to know the highlights of other people. It's the scase for Natalie." Rachel said, "Yes, | know." "The two of them talked for a long time. Theo told Rachel about his last words. In brief, after he was gone, Rachel could be said to be in charge of this family. Theo had no choice but to instruct her again."