Checkmate - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Althea woke up early that morning to do her chores. Professor Oakley had told her it was part of the training program she gave to her students to exercise their discipline. Since Hana insisted that she has to come along with them, Althea had a few of them.
Cleaning the garden and the house was not exactly a new thing for Althea. She had always watched her mother, replenish the food on the bird feeder, and sweep the dust off the floor, water the plants, and dusting the album and book collection.
The sunrise is strange in the mountains. It spreads behind her, sending jagged rays of light up and over the peaks. Slowly but steadily, darkness bled from the valley, fleeing with the morning mist along the slopes of the city.
Althea's daydreaming as she worked through the house was interrupted by a few knocks on the door. When she swung the wooden entrance, her eyes widened at the visitors.
"Althea, is Professor Oakley around?" Professor Andrea—no, Andromeda asked. Althea could sense her nervousness under all that brazen gallantry. Behind her was her old mentor whose hair she left down unlike she did before.
She suppressed the anger that flared up in her chest. "She is by the pond."
"Thanks," Andromeda said then stopped the door midway from being shut. "Wait! After we mend things with Professor Oakley, could we talk to you and Hana as well?"
Althea regarded them for a few seconds. Professor Tosca hesitated to receive her stare for while, fearing she would be burned by the sun.
"She's not to be disturbed right now as she's confined to her bed." She spoke after the relapse into silence, "Maybe next time."
"Oh my, how dreadful..." she gasped, placing a concerned hand near her mouth. "Alright, we'll come to her another time."
Althea nodded, observing them as they rounded the house towards the backyard.
After all that, she pushed the door open to their room, silently, afraid to wake Hana up who by the looks of it was still sleeping. Althea opened the curtains and marveled at how the vaporous white curtains looked good at the ambiance of the room. She closed it behind her and carefully tiptoed to the bed.
How many times had Althea wished to get to the bottom of her secrecy and now that she could do it? She no longer desired to uncover the mystery in Hana. Althea just wanted Hana to preserve her brilliance and child-like wonder until the end of time. For Althea to be her wondrous adventure until Althea would get tired of discovering and analyzing—which seemed to be unlikely. Hana had endless mysteries. Hana would be the insatiable fountain of secrets, the one that would quench the thirst of Althea's soul when every day would threaten her existence.
Even if Hana will change, Althea hoped it would be because she has vastly improved her craft and her character.
Althea kneeled next to her bed and carefully removed the sheets that were covering a large part of Hana's face. Hana finally looked better, her color returning. She looked so serene. She breathed cadent, her hair was slightly dabbing her moon-shaped face and her pink lips seemed to be twisted strangely. Hana was smiling in her sleep. She always gazed at people with her big bulging red eyes that emphasized her curious nature—the one that Althea found so charming.
She gently caressed Hana's cheek, shivering as she felt the softness that resembled the silky fabric of her mother's dress. Hana flinched and Althea smiled as her lover opened her eyes, partly disturbed by the light coming through the curtains.
Hana grinned as she saw Althea, standing kneeled on the ground with her head close to her own and Althea's long thin fingers feeling her face. Hana moved her body towards the end most corner of the bed.
"Join me," Hana invited her over, patting the space she freed.
Althea nodded and after lifting herself from the floor, she laid on the bed, next to her, pulling her in a tight clutch. Hana's head rested on Althea's chest, feeling the softness of her breasts as Althea put her arm across Hana's frail body. Althea tucked herself between the sheets, her bare feet looking for Hana's beneath the blanket.
Hana knew that Althea had suddenly taken an important place in her life. It was the memory of the last night that made her smile as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning. It was Althea's touch that made her shiver, and her lips that managed to hypnotize the red swirling in her eyes.
"Professor Oakley wanted you to sleep as long as you need," Althea said. "She did crack our bones yesterday—most especially you."
"How about you?" she asked. Hana rubbed her eyes and still unable to fully comprehend her words a little.
"If you are training and learning, I should get on with it too. Every step you take, I shall take one myself."
"Learning while beside me, Althea?"
"While making sure you won't accidentally pull another stunt such as poisoning yourself."
"Ack," Hana flushed. "That really happened huh, that wasn't a dream?"
Althea chuckled. "Professor Oakley told me she's going to teach us how to harmonize—how to complement each other through both art forms. She said it shouldn't take long since we are inseparable and obviously in love."
Hana nodded, humming her agreement, oblivious she was returning to dreamland.
Locating Professor Oakley wasn't hard. Andromeda wasn't all that surprised. They found the old woman sitting by a small pond in one of the more secluded clearings near her home deep inside the forest.
The pond was surrounded by a paddle of ducklings, cradling one to her chest. Sun was filtering through the leaves of the elm tree she sat under, giving the whole scene a dreamlike feel. The duo hadn't announced their presence, instead choosing to watch the old woman for a moment.
Professor Oakley was cooing softly at the duckling she held in her arms. Now, Andromeda felt a wave of anxiety threatening to wash her away at the mere thought of this negotiation. It could either end with either more resentment or tranquility
"I see you have visited me here. It has been so long. You have grown so much."
Andromeda's train of thought was interrupted by the person of her thoughts, the old woman's sweet voice carrying lightly on the breeze. Andromeda couldn't help but let a tender smile cross her face. The natural redhead approached softly, but Tosca stayed where she was. At first, Andromeda thought Tosca was hesitant but realized later, the taller woman stopped a few feet away so as not to scare the ducklings.
The old woman gently moved a hand from under the duckling she was holding and patted the ground next to her. "Come, sit with us, Tosca. They don't bite," she turned her attention back to the ducklings.
"How were your lessons with Hana so far?" Andromeda asked conversantly, as Tosca lowered herself gracefully to the grass beside her.
"Oh dreadful, she accidentally drank iris leaf tea and is now bedridden until she can get up." Professor Oakley mulled over. "If not for Miss Lancaster's affection and patience, the girl would not last a day with my teachings. And here I wrote letters to Mariam about letting the girls miss a week from the university. I wish they wouldn't waste all these golden hours."
Taken aback, Andromeda replied, "You still are as harsh as ever," she giggled to ease the tension.
"Of course," the older woman said, eyeing Andromeda and Tosca. "So what are you two doing here? Why else would you be up so early to travel?"
Tosca sat up a little straighter. "Actually, that's why we came to find you—me especially. I need to tell you something."
Professor Oakley furrowed her brow at the serious tone with which the younger woman had spoken. Cocking her head slightly, she wordlessly implored her Tosca to continue.
"I owe you an overdue apology, Professor. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me. I am sorry for being contemptible. Because of my detestable qualities, because I hated you so much, I attempted to pit Althea Lancaster and Hanako Yoshida against each other, just so that I could prove you wrong."
The old woman's eyes darkened in what Andromeda guessed were barely restrained anger. Directed at Tosca or her, she wasn't sure, but Tosca continued anyway.
"I'm sorry I didn't ask for your forgiveness sooner."
"So what?" she barked. "You thought this was going to be simple? That once you beg me for forgiveness, everything is forgotten?" The duckling the old woman was holding escaped from her arms, and scattered along with the others at the sudden noise.
"Professor—" Andromeda began, trying to maintain order and security.
"No, don't 'Professor' me!" she yelled at the youngest before glaring back at the older one. "Since when has this bothered you, Esposito? Do tell me exactly, since when has this been bothering you? Has it only been the last few days? If Andromeda hadn't told you to make amends with me, you would never let go of your conceited nature. I don't want you to force yourself to say things I should have heard from you all those years ago. I'm old now, Esposito. You have been glad my mortal coil is tightening around me."
Tosca didn't want to lie. It had been part of why she had been so tense recently, but the other reasons... she wasn't even willing to admit them to herself, let alone Professor Oakley. So she simply nodded, but the old woman continued to berate her.
"What could make you want to have anything to do with me?" the old woman was shaking now. "I know I never was a good person. I was never a good teacher, but I saw darkness in your heart so I refused. Do you understand, Esposito?"
"I understood now, more so than ever. I'm also averse to begging for forgiveness at first. Now, everything's different. I can change. If not by my own, then by someone who truly cares about me."
"I'm sure you can. It's never too late. In all my years, I have asked myself if truly my decision years ago to refuse you was the right thing I did. And your actions from the past few years sufficed my decision. You need to continue finding yourself, Tosca... with or without the help of Andromeda."
"Yes, I suppose I should."
A faint smile tinted the old woman's face. "After the entire thing, I do forgive you, child."
Andromeda, who had been watching at the sidelines yet sat in between the two women, clutched her heart.
The queen shook her head and her voice wavered. "No don't, Professor... I need to be disciplined; to face harsher realities, I need this brutal reminder of my mistakes."
The fire left Andromeda's eyes and she looked sadly at her beloved.
"Tosca!" Professor Oakley rarely raised her voice, so the sharp exclamation of her name stopped the Italian woman short. "Go find yourself. Heal, improve, live. Visit me once you have resolved everything within you. Until then, this is goodbye."
"I won't say goodbye." The perennial guilt in her flared up again, and her tone became menacing. "If I say goodbye, maybe you would die sooner than intended. I will give you more reason to live, old woman. Do not die. Not until we meet again."
The old woman fought hard to keep her face neutral, although her smiles and laughter crinkled in her eyes. "You are so stubborn. I have no say whether I die or not the next few years or years."
"You're only 80 years old, perfectly healthy!" Tosca asked.
"I am flattered you care about my well-being, Esposito. But what you should concern and exhaust your energy is your reconciliation with the children."
"How are they coping by the way?" the older one asked. "We met Althea earlier and she refused to deal with us."
Professor Oakley chuckled. "The kids are alright."
Hana woke up; the memories of the early morning became so hazy she wondered if it was real or not. Yawning, she stepped outside wrapped in a fluffy blanket that covered her whole body, and took a shower.
Dressed, Hana wandered out of the cottage afterward, looking for her new mentor. Professor Oakley was out of sight, and as she moved forward she noticed Althea, sitting backward from her, leaning on a tree trunk, with her hands moving across a white sheet of paper.
Her hair was as fair as she remembered it—messier though. Hana walked slowly towards Althea, hoping that her steps were as discreet as the barely audible sound that the pencil produced when Althea dragged it across the blank paper. She leaned over and kissed the soft skin on Althea's cheek and as she looked ahead, she noticed a smile reflected in the shiny surface of a pot that boiled over the fire.
"Good noon, love," Althea said as she dropped the pencil in her lap and folded the notebook on which she had been scribbling before Hana's arrival. "Feeling better?"
"It's already noon?" Hana whispered as she sat on the ground, goading her bare feet onto hers as she wrapped their bodies in the blanket Althea had. "And yes, I'm feeling better alright."
Althea lifted her right arm and grabbed Hana's waist, then gently pulled her next to her. "Guess both medicines work."
Hana did a double-take at the Swiss knife resting beside Althea and an idea went over her head. A smile tugging on her lips, she grabbed the knife and began carving on the tree's trunk.
"Hana?" Althea gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Something stupid, maybe," she replied, her tongue resting out of her lips in deep concentration. After she was done, she spread her arms theatrically. "TA-DAH! It's art!"
Althea twisted around to stare at the carving. She chuckled when the letter and shape made sense made sense.
<3 H
"What does that laugh mean?" Hana asked.
"I love you, Hana."
Hana's cheeks looked like she powdered it pink. "I love you too."
"Hopefully, Professor Oakley would not mind it."
"Oh crap! I forgot this is considered vandalism!" Hana threw the Swiss knife back to the ground. She began thinking that she could cover it with mud.
"Leave it be, Hana," Althea's sweet voice cooed her out of her panic. "As you have said, it is art. I am fairly certain; Professor Oakley would want you to express your individuality."
"You mean ours?"
"Why of course," Althea picked the knife up and carved the first letter of her name to complete the immortalizing of their love.
A<3 H
"Perfect," Althea said as she sat back down, settling back to her position.
Hana leaned her head on Althea's shoulder who grabbed her hand beneath the fluffy sheet. "What were you drawing just now?"
"Another sketch," she replied while running her long fingers through Hana's long brown strands that smelled like dewdrops.
"Of an animal?" she asked.
"No, certainly not, I don't find them amusing as much as I did yesterday; it was a sketch of us."
"Can I see it?"
"No," she answered with a languishing voice that no one would have found offending given the abrupt denial. "It's not done yet. I want you to see the final product."
"Alright," she replied in such a fondly manner that for many would have seemed rather odd.
It was even striking for Althea, because she had never met a girl who understood and respected her choice for intimacy regarding her actions, with such facility and outright resignation. Hana never insisted on certain things when it comes to their relationship, which to some people it might have appeared as a lack of strength, but for Althea, it was the refrain of Hana's curiosity that made her strong.
"When we finish this weekend's lessons," Althea spoke and Hana gazed up to watch her lips moving. "We could go in town and buy some new brushes and oil colors and then I will turn these sketches into paintings. How would you like that?"
Hana smiled and then accommodated her head on the hollow on Althea's neck. "That would be wonderful," she replied. "Then maybe we can start the ones for our submission."
"Momentarily, I forgot about the competition," Althea admitted. "Being with you here, watching you train, and supporting you was like a vacation. Perfecting our crafts and getting closer to one another, and perhaps to heal."
"What do you mean by to heal?"
"Andromeda and Tosca were here while you were asleep," Althea said, watching the smile on Hana's face turn upside down. "They aware of our presence here, they came to talk to Professor Oakley and us, but I told them they can wait another time, you were under the weather."
"Is that why Professor Oakley isn't here?"
"Yes, she seemed to have reconciled with them. They strolled along the forest path; I assume Professor Oakley accompanied them back to their car. All thanks to you, Hana."
"Eh? Because of me?" she asked.
"In a fortunate series of events," Althea implored. "Yes."
"Do they really need me to push them to talk to each other? This is why miscommunication is the most disliked conflict in stories unless it's for comedic purposes!"
"You are absolutely right."
Gritting her teeth, Hana reached out and grabbed Althea's hand. Althea squeezed her callused fingers, just for a second. Without hesitation, she squeezed back.
"Do you know what you need, Hana?"
"What?"
"A distraction."
"A distraction?" Hana asked, trying the word on her mouth, enunciating the syllables one by one. "What do you have in mind?"
"Would you entertain the idea of painting with me after a hearty meal I prepared, Hana?"
"I can?" Hana gushed over the thought. She could just imagine it. The result would be chaotic, but it will be good.
"Of course," Althea chuckled. "It's therapeutic and since we cannot go outside until you are feeling better. We might as well continue our thirst for creativity."