Nana Seling [PART 3]

Troye went out to call the others as Nana Seling said so all of them could eat together. Dazaree took that chance to talk to Nana Seling privately who went to the kitchen to ready the food.

"Nana?" she called the woman when she entered the kitchen.

Nana Seling turned around and smiled at her while holding a tray of porcelain plates.

"Can I assist you with that?" Dazaree inquired politely.

"Oh, my goodness, sweetie! Just sit there and relax. You are a guest." Nana Seling chuckled and gently pushed her out of the kitchen.

"But Nana, I'd like to assist you. This is the very least I can do to repay your generosity." Dazaree said, sheepishly.

Nana Seling's lips formed a smile. "Okay, okay, okay! Take this." She passed the tray to Dazaree. "Be careful!" Nana Seling said.

"Just put it on the table," she instructed and took the transparent glass bowls from the cupboard.

Dazaree followed her instruction and placed the plates in their proper positions. The table is quite long because it is good for eight people.

"I heard Troye and Fablo found you in the forest," Nana Seling said, most likely to break the silence between them.

"Y-yes." Dazaree answered timidly. She doesn't really know how to explain everything to the old woman. She's also not sure if she can tell Nana everything.

"Why are you in the forest in the middle of the night?" Nana Seling queried.

Dazaree looked down out of embarrassment as her emotion shifted in despair. "I... I flee from home," she responded. Dazaree doesn't really want to tell her what happened that night because she might be afraid of her and throw her out.

Nana Seling was taken aback, but she persisted in her inquiry. "Why is this so? What happened?" she seemed really curious about what happened to Dazaree.

Dazaree retrieved the glasses from the kitchen and placed them on the table alongside the plates. She's at loss for words as to how to tell Nana Seling what actually happened. She's not sure if the woman will believe it, or what will happen if she does.

Dazaree gulped before responding. "My aunt I argued t-that's why I run away from home and got lost in the forest." She couldn't tell her the entire story about how she nearly killed her aunt with her own hands. She feared that Nana might be afraid of her. The truth is that she's afraid of herself as well.

She recalled an incident in which she inadvertently injured the person who was helping her that night. Dazaree believed that is all due to her idiocy and ignorance.

Dazaree noticed Nana Seling was upset upon hearing what she had said. When their gazes met for a brief moment, she felt deep anguish in Nana Seling's eyes that for some reason gave her a heavy feeling. She wanted to ask the woman but Nana Seling immediately looks away as if she's avoiding her eyes.

"I won't force you to tell me everything about your family problem nor tell you to go back home. Don't worry. I will let you stay here but of course, you have to work hard for it too." My face lit up with what she said.

"R-really?" I asked and then she nodded.

"I was really about to ask you about that, Nana. I was thinking of looking for a part-time job to pay for my lodging." I happily said.

"I have a small cafeteria near a school inside the village. I can hire you as a staff." She said which lit up my face again.

"Really? Thankyou so much! I swear you won't regret hiring me." I shook her hands and hugged her which she accepted.

Little did the two know that Troye was outside the kitchen, watching and listening to their conversation. A lot of thoughts and questions were running through his mind as he watches the two hugged each other. He stared at Nana Seling as if he's trying to read her, unfortunately, he failed.

The old woman has always been a mystery to him as if she were a problem he needed to solve. He has a lot of questions for her, but the one he's most curious about right now is why the old woman didn't ask Dazaree to go back home and instead tolerated her to stay. Even though Troye is aware of Dazaree's true family situation, it still sounds strange to him to hear an elderly woman allow a high school student to live on her own.

He thought that a normal elder would ask a kid who ran away from home to go back to their family to solve the problem. Nana is indeed a strange woman for he couldn't read her thoughts no matter how hard he tries.

Who are you really? he thought to himself as he looks at the woman.

On the other hand, Nana Seling already felt that Troye has been staring at her for quite a while but chose to ignore him as she talks to Dazaree. She stopped and stared at Dazaree's face with a smile.

"Ahm..." Dazaree smiled awkwardly. She suddenly felt conscious of herself and avoided the woman's eyes. Her black eyes were so deep that Dazaree feels like she's going to drown if she stares at it any longer.

"You really looked like someone I know." Nana Seling said as a tear came out of her eyes but she immediately rubbed it secretly so Dazaree won't see it.

Out of curiosity, Dazaree asked Nana Seling. "Who's that person?"

She smiled and said, "Someone I really cherished."

Now to think of it, Dazaree hasn't heard about Nana Seling's family. She thought that the old woman might've remembered her relative.

"Ah, I see." She decided not to ask any more questions because Nana Seling does not appear to be at ease discussing it.

Nana Seling seemed tormented by something. Dazaree assumed that whoever that person she's talking about might be gone. Well, she hoped it's not the case but Nana Seling is indeed a lonely woman.

"Here, help me with the dishes I cooked." She immediately changed her mood and took the dishes to the kitchen.

Dazaree walked alongside Nana Seling to assist her as the old woman began telling funny stories about Fablo, Troye, and Maui, whom she had never met.

She found out Maui came to fetch the three the other night. He helped her too so thought that she needs to thank him later. Fablo's face popped out in her head in instance which made her double think about having breakfast with them but that would be very unreasonable of her. She doesn't want to disappoint Nana Seling either,

"Dazaree, I'll just put this on the table. You should go to the dining too after you finish what you're doing." Nana Seling said.

"Alright, Nana." She responded and smiled,

When Nana Seling left, she turned to the sink and washed her face to calm herself. The cold water was so refreshing, but she couldn't understand why her heart was still racing when she remembered how frightening Fablo was.

She really fears Fablo because she feels like he hates her and he will eat her alive the moment she makes a mistake. She shook her head to remove all the negative thoughts. He's just a human and he's a kind person because he helped her too! No need to be scared, right?

"Okay, Daz. It's fine. It's just Fablo. He's not scary! He's just Fablo. Okay?" She told herself while facing the sink.

"You talkin' about me?"

Her eyes widened when someone talked behind her back. She can't be mistaken! It's Fablo!

What should she do now?

***

End of Chapter.