When the narrator returns to the house, he finds that the old man has told him to get some things for his parents. He tells his grandmother that he's been looking around for a while, but can't find anything to buy. He asks if she's talking about a painting that's on the wall, and she tells him that it's her great-great-grandmother. He's sorry for disturbing her, but he doesn't know if she was talking about her friend or about the painting. He says that happiness is sometimes a cover for sadness, and happiness is often just a cover up for sadness. The next day, what happened, he asks, what did you do that day? He asks her if she wants to hear what he has to tell her. She says that she'd like to hear it, and that she thinks that he is "on the verge" of finding the woman he has been searching for. She tells him not to blame himself for not being able to find her, or for meeting someone who was more important to him than he thought. The narrator tells him to pack his things, and he tells his mom and dad that they're going to meet their grandson.