They drove into a cafe. "I want you to meet my friend, a very knowledgeable lady when it comes to scriptures. We normally catch up once or twice a week for lunch or dinner. I thought it would benefit you to converse with her. Her name is Poom and she works at Vayu."
Saka was surprised, but he nodded. He was grateful to Atira for her support.
Poom was already seated, waiting for them. She warmly greeted Atira and turned her attention to Saka.
"Another new one, huh? You have an eye for handsome kids or what?"
Atira laughed. "Handsome is as handsome does. He seems to be interested in scriptures. I was thinking, do you have any suggestions for him? He'll be completing his certificate in northern theology and science, and is a practicing priest at Apām temple."
Poom said, "Quite knowledgeable for a kid, I hear."
Saka smiled shyly. "Erm..."
"You can call me Grandma Poom."
"Grandma Poom, I do have basic knowledge of the elemental schools."
"All five of them?"
Saka nodded. "It is because I am from the Priest family that I could study about them."
"How about history? Do you like it?"
"To an extent, I do like ancient and medieval history."
Grandma Poom went on to discuss ancient history and scriptures and was surprised by the ease with which Saka could keep up with her. This was truly an uncut diamond, she thought to herself.
"Where did you get this much information? A laptop?"
Saka laughed. "We don't have such things in Mann, Grandma Poom. Our knowledge comes from books. Maw Lava has a good collection in his personal library."
"Maw Lava? Lava is your teacher?"
Atira responded. "I forgot to tell you. Lava is the Principal of Mann."
"Ah! I always wondered why he quit our college and went off to Mann. Do you still keep in touch with him?"
"I do butter him up, as I need him to treat Vira well."
Poom cackled. "You need to butter Vira up to treat Lava kindly. I still can't get over that stunt he pulled with the math prof."
They both laughed heartily. Saka smiled. These were old-school people who loved education and Vira. It was obvious.
Poom turned her attention back to Saka. "You should take the entrance exam for Vayu. Such a brilliant resource should not be lost."
"I am seriously thinking about it, Grandma Poom. Sen Vira insists on it as well."
"Take the scholarship exam, and you'll get in without a problem. We can customize courses to your needs. You can learn as much as you want! The dorm facility is quite cheap, and if you take up part-time teaching at our campus, you won't have to pay your fees."
Atira pitched in. "As long as you put in your effort, fees wouldn't be a huge problem."
Grandma Poom gave her card to Saka. "Write your email and contact details here. I will send you details of the courses that our university offers. You can view our introductory videos, which can help you make up your mind."
Saka felt more like he was being scouted. He scribbled his contact details and gave her back her card.They discussed Mann, Lava, and a lot of other random topics before parting ways.
"Next on the list is shopping," Atira said, looking excited.
"What are we shopping for?" Saka asked her.
"It's Vira's birthday this month-end. We should get him something."
Saka didn't know that. What could he possibly get Sen that would make him happy?
"Do you know what Vira likes?"
Saka shook his head. "He reads a lot of action manga, has figurines, likes cooking, chess, and math. But I don't know what I could buy for him that would impress him."
Atira laughed. "He likes one more thing."
Saka looked surprised. "One more thing?"
Atira nodded her head. "He likes spending time with you. He wouldn't go out of his way to spend his weekend with someone he doesn't like. You are more to him than just a student. Right now, I would say he probably considers you equal to a friend. So why don't we check out what you can do together?"
Saka smiled as he exclaimed, "You really think so? Sen will like to spend time with me?"
Atira nodded. "He normally comes home, but this time I have a conference to attend, so I will meet him the week after his birthday. So I'll leave my present in your care. Give it to him on his birthday without fail."
Saka nodded. "And maybe I can bake him a cake, hold a small party at the temple. And we can spend the weekend trekking?"
"Yeah, let's go buy decoration items and a dessert cookbook?"
Saka was excited.
Atira got her grandson a phone with an activated SIM. Saka thought it was a brilliant idea.
He got a phone charm with a manga character he saw on the merchandise shelf.
"Quite observant of you! That has been his favorite manga for over the last ten years!"
Saka looked surprised. "That is quite a long time."
"The manga is not yet over. It's a tale about a pirate who also has a scar. I guess that is what got him to liking the manga in the first place. And that is why his room has the colors of the sea."
When he heard that, he made up his mind to not just read but study the manga, just to know what Vira liked about the character.
Atira gave him the name so he could browse the details later.
They bought everything and headed back home.
Before going in, Saka shyly handed a small box to Atira. Atira was surprised.
"What is this?"
"It must have been very hard on you, but your love and sacrifices made Sen who he is today. I wanted to show my gratitude towards you. I thought this was something that would suit you the best."
It was a keychain with a Pelican. The legend had it that the pelican sacrificed itself to feed its children.
Atira was touched. A tear dripped down her cheek. No one had ever been this thoughtful, not even her own daughter.
She hugged him tight and whispered, "Thank you, my boy. It is a privilege to know a beautiful soul like you."
Vira came down. He had been checking the clock, ears tuned to the car sound outside. The moment he heard the car pull in, he rushed down.He saw his grandmother cry and hug Saka. He smiled.
"Hey, hey, I leave my grandmother with you for an evening, and you've already made her cry?"
She quickly wiped her tears and hit him gently. "Learn a thing or two from this boy. I should just adopt him."
Vira laughed. "No, don't do that. I don't want a brother like him."
Atira laughed. "Indeed!"