The two ate, showered and went to rest comfortably with the door closed.
This dream lasted until nightfall.
Allyce woke up and reached for her phone to check the time and realised it was almost five o’clock.
It was the end of summer and the weather was not as hot as before, and by five o’clock the sun was not so hot.
Next to him, Severo was still asleep, showing no sign of waking up.
Cautiously, Allyce removed her arm from around his waist before lifting the sheets and getting out of bed.
He went to the window, drew the curtains and opened the window wide enough to let in the wind.
It felt so cool that she simply opened all the windows and turned off the air conditioning.
Having done so, he turned his head again to check on Severo and found him still sleeping heavily and unawakened.
He approached the bed and looked at it for a moment before changing and going downstairs.
The house is not very big, but it is very well furnished. They live on the first floor, and the two old women live on the ground floor, where they are too old and lose their legs to climb the stairs.
“This one is not ripe yet, what are you doing picking it up!”
“Where it wasn’t cooked, this one is not sour again, I had it yesterday …”
“I eat only sour.
“What is that mouth of yours, so dense!”
“Old man!”
Allyce made her way downstairs when she heard a sound of conversation and, from the sound of it, it was the old couple on the ground.
He followed the sound and emerged just in time to see two men gathered around a pear tree picking pears.
The pear tree is very tall, two people are too old, and they cannot climb up to pick, they made a special tool to pick pears.
A very long stick with a scythe attached to the end and a cage large enough to hold the pears, so that if the pears are cut with the scythe they can be dropped directly into the cage.
Allyce is fun to watch.
“Grandma Pando, what are you doing again?” Earlier, Severo had told her that the old grandfather’s surname was Pando.
“Here is the girl yue yue, come here, we are picking pears, they are sweet”. As soon as Grandmother Pando saw her, she greeted her.
Allyce froze for a moment when she heard Grandma Pando address her, before reacting and walking towards her.
“Didn’t you just say they were sour?” Grandpa Pando was throwing his head back and struggling to pick up the pears when he heard Grandma Pando’s words and intervened.
Grandma Pando sniffed and gave him a decent cross look: “Cut the crap!
Grandfather Pando bristled, grunted twice as he carried the stick and continued picking pears.
Allyce thought the two older couples were quite funny and nice.
But Grandpa Pando looked like he was having a bit of a hard time picking up, and Allyce stepped forward: “Grandpa Pando, I’ll do it”.
“Where can a little girl do this, let me, an old man, do it”. Grandpa Pando certainly won’t let her do that.
“It’s OK, I have good eyes and this is not very difficult.” It didn’t seem to be difficult.
Grandfather Pando glanced at both eyes: “If you can catch one, I’ll take you fishing tomorrow.
Grandmother Pando smiled and slapped him on the back: “What are you saying, how can a girl go out to sea to fish, how can you go out to sea with that body of yours?
The two old men are arguing and look very comfortable.
Allyce thinks how nice it would be if she and Severo could find a place with a good view to retire to when they are old.
The two old men talk and fight again.
Allyce smiled and walked over and, without a word, took the pole from Grandpa Pando’s hand and began to pound pears.
The two old men, who had been joking again, then realised that Allyce had already started to hit the pears with the pole, and only then shouted sharply: “Careful, hold on tight, don’t fall …”.
“It’s OK …”
Allyce struggled to carry it, the stick was so long she couldn’t even sweep it, it had seemed so easy before.
He struggled to carry it, the stick was so long that he swung it a bit and it became a bit unstable in the middle.
“Watch out!”
Grandpa Pando’s quick eye caught it, which saved Allyce from falling.
“It’s better that I do it.
This time, Allyce couldn’t resist coming either and stood quietly waiting for the pears.
This is Grandma Pando’s own pear tree, and the pears were so fresh, unlike those sold on the market with all sorts of preservatives and additives, that Allyce couldn’t resist nibbling them.
“Allyce!”
At that moment, Severo’s voice rang out in the courtyard.
Allyce had just nibbled on a pear when she heard Severo’s voice and replied: “Severo, we are picking pears here.
Severo soon came out.
He immediately saw the woman sitting on a rock, nibbling a pear, looking at Grandfather Pando as he picked it up, saying something every now and then, with a small smile on her face, surrounded by lush vegetation, looking somewhat rustic.
Allyce saw it as soon as she looked up.
He hadn’t even changed his clothes, his hair hadn’t been trimmed for a while, it was a bit long and looked a bit messy even after getting up from a nap, so he straightened up and went outside because he woke up to see that she wasn’t there and looked outside.
With a pear in one hand, Allyce trotted over to him and pulled him with her free hand: “Go help Grandpa Pando pick the pears.
Severo walked slowly, glancing sideways at his pear juice-stained lips, his voice faint: “A whole handful”.
Allyce smiled and passed the pear in her hand to his lips: “Take a bite, it’s delicious.
Severo looked at him and said with disgust: “The skin isn’t even peeled”.
Allyce was about to say, “If you don’t like it, forget it,” when Severo switched sides and took a bite directly from the side Allyce had nibbled on earlier.
Allyce’s face heats up.
Two people eating a pear, which would be fine, except that she handed it over to the side she hadn’t nibbled, and Severo went over to where she had nibbled and took another bite, in front of two old men …
This is a bit embarrassing.
“It’s sweet and tastes good.” Severo chewed the pulp in his mouth, returned the pear to Allyce’s hand and addressed Grandpa Pando directly: “How much more to pick, I’ll do it.
Unlike Allyce’s earlier offer to help him pick pears, Grandpa Pando listened to Severo and readily accepted: “Fine, fine, you do it.
Allyce: “…”
It is true that it cannot get it right.
Severo is tall and strong, and although the pole is a bit long, he does not find it difficult.
Apart from the early failures, the later ones were useful.
The pears were picked and it was a little later.
Grandma Pando looked up at the sky: “We two old men are going back to cooking, you two young men go out and play, I’ll have the old man come and get you for dinner when it’s time”.
That said, and without waiting for the two to say anything, Grandma Pando dragged her own old man back, leaving Allyce and Severo staring at each other.
“Why do I get the feeling that Grandma Pando treats us like children …” The feeling is a bit uncomfortable.