Hopeless Romantic

14. Developments

During the winter vacations, Oscar visited one more place, his grandmother's home. It was in the far north; he didn't go there much as he disliked the cold but always made sure to visit his grandmother.
He had to travel by road for a good 5 hours then a tram ride to the village where she lived. The tram ride was the best part of the journey for him. Ever since he was a child, he was fascinated by how a pair of ropes could pull an entire vehicle filled with people, and as the years went by, the tram network got bigger and better, with
glass windows and everything, it had become a delightful ride for tourists to behold.
After he got out of the tram, he had to walk diagonally for 2 minutes and he reached his destination, a big red house that radiated warmth at anyone passing by. His grandmother spotted him and rushed out to see her grandson.
"Oh my god, look how big my boy has become, you look even more brighter and neat than before!"
"Ah Gramma, I haven't changed much" Oscar called her Gramma as the word 'D' was difficult to pronounce as an infant, and he never changed its pronunciation later, he feared it would change his relationship with her otherwise and she would become the mean old grandmothers he saw on television.
"Would you like some hot chocolate Tipou?" that was the name she called him as a child and still continued with it.
"Yes, Gramma, but maybe without sugar."
"You have coffee now do you Tipou"
"I like it's flavor and aroma, it refreshes me"
"Hoho, I cannot argue with that, but remember to not have too much of it, or you'll look as old as your Gramma by the age of 30"
"Hahaha you don't look a day over 30 Gramma."
"Flattery too, I see, changed a lot you have"
The hot cocoa milk was ready and he sat on her red rugged carpet next to the fireplace in the living room as he sipped on it.
"So, tell me what would you like for dinner?"
"Anything is fine, but no I would like a specialty dish please!"
Gramma used to be a cook in celebrity mansions. She came up with many dishes in her prime that were still hovered around in show-biz.
"Okay I'll start with it right from now" she headed into the kitchen. However, she came back in a minute and said, "Tipou I don't have the ingredients needed for my dish, let's go shopping, what say?"
"I'll come too otherwise I'll get bored without you in the house"
"Angela and Cathy will keep you company" Gramma had two cats in her house, they were very harmless cats that never seemed to be home when Oscar would visit.
"I'd rather come with"
"Put on your coat then, let's leave right away."
"Yes Gramma"
They locked up and waited for the tram to pass by. They boarded one that was heading to the market.
"So have you made any new friends in high school?" Gramma asked as they headed back in the tram.
"Oh, I made so many friends, almost the entire school knows me now"
"That's delightful, I hope you chose to stay in the right group of friends"
"Yes, I did, they're all fun-loving people and one of them even takes me out for food!" Oscar grinned.
"Hohoho, who is that kind enough brat spoiling my Tipou"
"Her name is Rio but she doesn't spoil me Gramma, she only shows me places I've never been to, which is the entire town hehe"
"It was a figure of speech, but nevermind, does your mum know you have been roaming around everywhere?"
"I never tell her, otherwise she'll worry and won't send me anywhere, and I love hanging out with Rio, I wouldn't want to stop that"
"Fine I won't snitch as long as you are safe, so where all did you go around?
"She took me to so many new restaurants, did you know you get dumplings filled with meat and a sandwich that is made of cookies and cream?"
"I certainly did not know about that"
"Yeah, she also came with me to watch the second part of Spring, do you remember that movie?"
"I do yes, curious movie, I still don't see why you like it"
"It's a beautiful tale of two half-brothers making their way in the world, and in the second part they find out they have a sister too!"
"What a tragedy"
"She loved the movie too, not many people enjoyed it, but both of us did and it was amazing."
"You have fun with her don't you"
"Yes, she's the best"
"Don't trouble her too much, or take her for granted, enjoy it while you can, your high school days are the best days of your life, I wish I did"
"Yes gramma, we fought once but I feel we're better now"
"Why did you fight with a person you admire so much?"
"I don't really know, but it hurt a lot when we didn't talk for a while, it was my fault entirely so it hurt even more."
"Interesting, if you find someone you want to keep having fun with, never upset them, the fun times will be over before you know it."
"That was depressing"
"But it's true Oscar"
"Yes Gramma"
"So she's the reason you have changed so much"
"Not really, maybe yes, she has taught me a lot of things"
"Is my Tipou in love?" Gramma smirked as she said this. Oscar was taken a back.
"No-no, we're friends. Plus, I admire her for her tenacity. I couldn't possibly. I haven't even thought of her that way. She's a great human that's true, but having feelings for her? I don't think so"
"You feel like she is the only person you want to see and everything else blurs up"
"No not really"
"If you say so"
"I know so"
Gramma just smiled at him and said, "There's nothing wrong with having feelings for a person you look up to"
"No Gramma we're just friends who like to have fun together"
They reached their stop as Oscar said this. Gramma cooked an irresistible meal; he ate until he almost burst. He fell asleep next to the fireplace like a household pet. He didn't think about what Gramma asked him much. He knew she was someone he would want to spend his time learning new things with. But that was it.
I kind of think he was in love with her. She basically taught him how to live his life. Oscar grew up in a protected environment away from kids his age, so a person like Rio was his wave of change.