Mom, I Want School
2. TO THE STORE

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The sun exposure this morning was so stinging my skin that it was unobstructed and protected with nothing. I clutched my Father's shirt on my old bicycle. Crossing the highway through vehicles of various types.

This morning I will go with my Father to handle him buying fishing gear that he will use for fishing. He said the better the fishing gear, the greater the opportunity to get more fish.

My father stopped his bike and made me look up and look at my father in wonder.

"Why stop, sir?"

"Red light."

I looked up at the traffic warning light that had those three colors. The sound of the vehicle behind me turned to look at the vehicle that came to a stop.

The black car stopped right next to me and soon the children, who were just as old as me, emerged from behind the window of the slowly opening car.

The two children in school clothes were seen laughing while pointing at me. Laughing at me, I felt uncomfortable getting a laugh from them.

I looked around, looking away trying to ignore them. My father also looks uncomfortable to make me realize if only we are using a bicycle while others look to use a vehicle that is so cool. I found out after I looked back.

I'm determined that if I grow up, I'll also buy what kind of car the rich kids have. Only they can, I can only now that I have no money.

The red light was now changed to a green light to make my father back pedaling his bike. The sound of the horn sounded loud giving a warning for my Father to get out of the way. I covered my ears with my hands, staring dislikefully at the owner of the vehicle who was honking.

It felt like we were an animal being warned to get out of the way.

My father said he pulled the tire off his bike making my body vibrate as it crossed the uneven roadside.

I did not pay attention to my body shaking due to the uneven road however, what made me a little bit uneasy was the part of my p@ntat which was crashing into the bonbar made of iron.

No need to pay attention to it every day I always feel this. I was always confused why on every edge of the asphalt highway it didn't get there.

If only the smooth asphalt also touched the area that I went through this or maybe the government can make us the way for users who cycle so that we who only have a bicycle can comfortably travel. But is it just a dream because of them, the big guys can't possibly think of the little guys like us.

"The rich are like that. They got rid of the poor like us."

"Like the rich man's children who laugh at us and his parents don't rebuke him."

"She was educated but her nature was like that."

My father talked to himself while rocking his bike and the pace of the bike stopped right in front of the fishing gear shop.

I stepped down to wait for my Father who was parking his bike, resuscitating the old bicycle to the pole. Both my eyes stared in amazement at the longest fishing gear there. There are a lot of buyers in there.

"You want to come in?"

"You, you" I answered and followed his steps into the shop.

"There's a hook?"

I heard my father ask the Chinese man who is the owner of this store. Not once have I come to this place but I have come to this store many times.

I also don't know if the man who was mentioning the price was Chinese but from his appearance he was like a Chinese. Eyes squinty, white skin, fat body with a simple t-shirt attached to his body. Plus the moving cat statue seems to welcome the arrival of the buyers.

After a long time of talking about the price and quality of the goods, I saw my Father take out the pennies from the black crackle bag. My father did not have a wallet and this black crackle bag was what he used to save money.

My father said it is better that the money you want to use to buy a wallet is used to buy other needs.

My father didn't have much money to put the money in his wallet. If you have money then the money will run out on that day either because of buying egg rice or others.

After paying for the hook bought by my father, he stepped out leaving me who was now staring at one by one angler.

I moved my fingers, my eyes as if shining glitteringly at that beautiful thing. I saw the price of a small paper display stuck to the angler's algae, quite expensive I could see there were many zero roundabouts behind it. My father said it was quite expensive.

"Hey!" the Chinese man's shout made Ari turn his head beginning with a jolt of his surprised body.

"Don't touch that stuff! It's gonna break, do you want to replace it?"

"Dad!" calling my father makes me look.

"Are you going to live there? You want to go home quickly."

I nodded my gaze for a moment at the Chinese man who was pressing the calculator after reprimanding him.

The money! there were so many banknotes that he was counting. I wish I could do that, have a lot of money and sell a lot of stuff.

It was not him who was looking for money but the money that came alone to him. Unlike my father who had to sweat hard to earn money.

I stepped foot out of the store that shop that often I go to even I have memorized where the goods are located.

My steps stopped waiting for my Father who was turning his bike, pointed it towards the highway. My gaze stopped staring at the hordes of school children who seemed to have just returned from school.

I know them even though they don't know me, but I see them a lot. They are children of independent elementary school sons and daughters of Indonesia.

Big enough that the school, they look happy to run home while carrying a bag of different shapes and colors.

Old bicycle tires decorated with patches describe the distance of your journey during this time. Every now and then I looked at the children who were much older than me passing by the side of the road.

There are those who are using bicycles and chatting with their friends using red and white clothes typical of Indonesian school children, wearing hats, holding a bag that is so beautiful. I don't even know the name of the character in the bag.

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