"Dude, what happened?" Sai whispered. "How did you gain her trust? She seems like she was about to smack the shit out of you." She held on my arms while walking.
"She saw Iseul's tassel, and I also mentioned Nari," I whispered back and shrugged. "I don't know; maybe she trusts Nari."
We are now following Anatole and her grandma to their house. I got confused by her sudden change of mood. If it weren't for Nari, she would not trust me even for a bit.
"This doesn't change the fact that I hate painters, alright?" She glanced in our direction and glared. "Don't get too comfortable around me; I still don't fully trust the two of you."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Sai and I said.
My lips rose for a bit, remembering how I was trying to gain Iseul's trust before. Their words were almost the same. It felt like I met different versions of Iseul just now. Like mother, like daughter indeed.
She rolled her eyes. "My name's Alba. Just call me grandma."
"You have a pretty name, granny. It means sunrise in Italy, right? I read it before in a book," Sai said.
"I does mean sunrise," she said, nodding her head.
"Anatole was also derived from a Greek name that means 'sunrise' too," Sai added.
Alba looked impressed. "That's actually true. I thought of naming her sunrise since it has the same of the meaning as mine. Turns out, she grew up very different than me. Tch." Anatole pouted.
"Then how about the name Iseul?" Sai sounded reluctant to mention Iseul. She lowered the volume of her voice.
"Morning dew," Alba said. "Iseul's name means morning dew."
"Your names are interesting, and they all have lovely meanings," Sai commented.
The sky was already dark, but there were plenty of street lights. The sound of crickets is everywhere. I smiled a bit. Somehow, this is a sign that we're earning her trust. This is a great thing; there's no stopping of plans. Moments later, we stopped walking and went inside a house. We're now here at Alba's house.
Grandma went to the kitchen to make some tea. and Anatole went to the bathroom. We're left here in their living room. Their house is a simple bungalow with cemented walls and chairs made out of bamboo. Just like other houses in their neighborhood, this one has neither painted walls nor decorations. Simple and plain.
"Shit, Dad's calling."
My eyes widened. I completely forgot that we should go back to the hotel before nighttime! I was too occupied by my conversation with Alba a while ago.
"Hello, Dad?" Sai pursed her lips.
["What time is it, Sai?"]
"Uh... six in the evening?"
["Where are you? Are you still with Chavez?]
"I'm still with him, and, uh, we're at a house. We are not lost, okay? Don't worry."
["What house? You two don't even know anyone here. Send me the location and I'll fetch you two. It's difficult to go back here at night."]
Sai looked at me, and I nodded. It's a practical choice to ride in a van on our way back. People from the neighborhood that we've been to might still be searching for us.
"I'll just send the location, Dad! Thank you; you're the best!"
["Tch. Have fun on your date."]
The call ended. Sai shrugged. "I'll text a location somewhere nearby here. Granny might see Dad. I don't know if she hates my dad, but it's better for them to not see each other."
Anatole returned to the living room after a while. Grandma placed cups of tea on the coffee table; she also sat on another chair in front of us.
"Consider yourself lucky. This is my first time inviting people for tea. If it weren't for Nari, I wouldn't trust the two of you," she said as she sipped her tea. "As you can see, this house has no colors. It's monotonous. I feel better having no colors around me for a decade."
"Grandma is boring; she hates colors," Anatole said, yawning. She rested her head on Sai's lap and dozed off to sleep.
I listened to her intently. I may not be able to search for the thing that might be a big help in breaking the curse. But it is an honor to talk to Iseul's family member. I started sipping on my tea as I listened to Alba's story.
"I lived in Italy, and I met my late husband there. He was a great painter," she rolled her eyes. "One of his dreams is to live on this stupid island because of the most important thing in his life, art. I supported him at all costs and decided to live here after our marriage. The only thing that I regret is that... we went here at the wrong timing." She smiled bitterly. I saw pain in her eyes.
"We arrived at the North and stayed for a few days. My husband was invited to dinner with different artists around the island. Little did he know, all the artists around him were downgrading him. Because decades ago, there was a ladder to climb up to in this land of art. Noble artists made sure that there was no more room at the top. My husband worked so hard to hone his skills, but what did they do? They stepped on his face and threw him away. They saw his potential to rise, so people stopped him from climbing... It was inhumane."
"He was forbidden to step on the region of the North and was sent to the East. They said it was the most dangerous place in this island, but I followed him because I had nowhere to go. They said the East was hell, but living here was better than living in a place where the rich and powerful people step on you. Here, art was never allowed to enter. Unlike the other regions where they can create art anytime they want."
"They can create art anytime?" That question popped into my head immediately.
"Yes, the noble artists paint day and night before. But here in the East, we had no power. They confiscated our possessions, like me and my late husband's money, and especially his artworks. They gave us nothing but a small piece of land on a hill, the one that you went to. I can tell you more about what happened before, if you like," she looked away.
"Oh we have plenty of time, Grandma," Sai reassured.