Alvaro and his grandmother started going shopping to buy the vegetables or fruits they needed. Alvaro heard a whisper from the old man he had just helped. The old man said,
"Hey, that child… that girl helped me when my wallet was stolen, such a great child."
There was an adult woman together with that old man, she looked like his daughter. She replied,
"Oh yeah? Really? That's nice, I thought kids nowadays are all spoiled brats."
The old man laughed softly.
"Hahaha, is that so? Maybe we treat them too much like little kids?"
"Could be. That girl looks about 15–16 years old."
"Ah, is that so?"
The adult woman nodded.
At that time, Alvaro didn't really hear their full conversation, only a little bit of it. He began focusing back on his grandmother and choosing the fruits that she needed.
"Grandma, how about this one? It still looks good," said Alvaro as he picked up one avocado.
His grandmother shook her head.
"No, no, look, there are black spots on the bottom, see? Not fresh. Better if you don't choose, you're not professional in this matter."
"Oh come on, Grandma! At least I tried, right?"
"Grandma is only giving advice."
Alvaro snorted.
"Yeah… fine."
"Someday, Grandma will teach you how to choose fresh fruits," she said.
Alvaro's eyes sparkled.
"Eh, really? Wow, thank you, Grandma!"
"Yes," answered his grandmother as she carefully picked fruits, making sure not to choose ones that were already going bad.
Alvaro glanced again toward the old man he had helped earlier.
Oh, looks like he already left, huh?
Alvaro thought as he saw the old man was no longer around. He turned his gaze back to his grandmother who was putting fruits into the basket. She had even taken vegetables already.
"Grandma, HOW DID YOU TAKE SO MANY SO FAST? I just looked away for a moment, and you already grabbed this much!"
"Heh, Grandma has her own way," she answered.
"Yeah, right," replied Alvaro suspiciously, while his grandmother stood there full of confidence.
"Alright then, is that all we're going to buy?"
"Yes."
"Alright," Alvaro carried the basket to the cashier.
"Here, how much is it?" asked Alvaro, watching the cashier begin to scan the prices.
Alvaro waited until the cashier finished calculating the total.
"The total is 87 dollars," said the cashier.
The grandmother's wallet was now in Alvaro's pocket because she didn't have one. Alvaro took out the wallet and paid.
The cashier took the money.
"Alright, exact amount," said the cashier, putting the scanned fruits and vegetables into a plastic bag.
"Here you go, don't forget to come again," the cashier said.
Alvaro took the bag.
"Okay," he replied.
Then he started walking together with his grandmother outside, heading to the car.
Brmm… brmm.
Grandmother started driving.
Time passed, and now they were at home.
Grandmother began arranging the ingredients into the cupboard, and some she put into the refrigerator so they wouldn't spoil easily.
She took out the ingredients and started cooking. Alvaro, who was beside her, also helped. Alvaro was in charge of cooking the rice. Usually, he purposely added more water so the texture of the rice would be stickier.
After that, the food was ready, the rice was ready too. Two plates and spoons were placed on the dining table. There were also side dishes already served on the table.
Alvaro and his grandmother sat together.
"Grandma, let's eat," said Alvaro with a smile, then he began eating very happily.
"Grandma, do you know when the test results will be given? I want to know whether I passed or not."
"Maybe it won't be that soon, just wait until Thursday."
"So… two more days?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Alright, I'll wait as patiently as I can!"
"Hahaha, yes."
Then they continued eating after that conversation, until they finished. As usual, it was Alvaro who washed the dishes until they were clean.
While Alvaro was washing, his grandmother was sitting in the living room.
The atmosphere slowly became quiet after Alvaro finished washing the dishes. He slowly walked toward his grandmother because she was just sitting silently.
"Grandma—" he paused.
Ah. Turns out she had fallen asleep.
He muttered, then took a blanket and covered her with it.
Alvaro returned to his room, planning to play a game with his friend. He started texting his friend.
Alvaro: Hey! Wanna play or not?
Rei: Eh, sorry, I can't right now, Al. I have something to do.
Alvaro: What kind of thing?
Rei: Family business.
Alvaro: Okay, okay. No worries.
Then Alvaro closed his phone, looking disappointed.
Man, I was so excited… he muttered.
Alvaro looked for something else to do, which was learning new things and digging for information so his knowledge could become deep and broad, because that was what he enjoyed. He often did that whenever he was bored.
He then looked at himself again.
"Wait—ah! Right, I forgot I was a girl now… I almost planned to video call my friends, goddammit."