The Staircase
Viewpoint

Sure enough, my mom's banana fritters sell hard even before the bell breaks, the banana fritters are gone. Who would have thought, my mother was getting excited about frying bananas every dawn, ten percent for Tibetans and ten percent for canteen owners, not losing a single bit. Even the calculations are like mutual symbiosis as described by the teacher today.

"Symbiosis mutualism is the relationship between one living thing and another living thing that is mutually beneficial. What example?" Ask the teacher while standing up. Our class was silent for a moment.

"Like me and Aki, ma'am." Shouts of Toni near me. Laughter boomed in class. Toni blushed in shame.

"Can you explain how you're related to Aki, Toni?" Ask the teacher to hold the class.

Toni scratched her head. I looked at her, which she did not care about.

"This is the teacher. I, right, usually have a task from the teacher or the teacher." I turned my eyes towards Toni. I mean stop the explanation. But Toni just casually answered the teacher's question. I cleared my throat slowly over and over again, Toni persisted in explaining.

"Well, for example, I bought a fried banana Aki. Later, Aki helped me with my duties, teacher ma'am. Not just that." In my heart I complain. Toni is plain. The teacher in front seemed to be waiting for a gap to convict Toni.

"I usually treat Aki. In return, Aki helped me with my duties. Eitss, not completing a task, yeah. It's different from the word help." Toni shies smartly. The teacher in front of the class nodded at him.

"Great. Meaning so far Toni understands what is meant by mutual symbiosis. Although what Toni explains is actually a small part of what is around us. There are many more. In essence, the symbiotic mutualism does not harm either party or both." The teacher sat in his chair. "alright. Then you select three people in one task group to find another example of mutual symbiosis by three examples."

Toni glanced at me. Playing one eye. I understand the meaning of Toni's gelagat. I turned my eyes to the left, but the others did the same with Toni, just not flirting.

"Have a group member, not yet?" Ask the teacher a few minutes later.

Some have answered already, some have not. Toni answered another.

"I'm with you, yeah." Enthusiastically.

I looked towards Toni. Apparently Toni was casting a net on the calm river, I couldn't determine who was worthy of being a member of my group other than Toni one of them. It means I still need one more.

"Mil, you want to join a group with me, don't you?" Toni asked Mila in front of her.

Mila turned her body backwards. "Who are you with?"

"With Aki, Mil. You know Aki will help us complete this task and get the best value." Toni convinced Mila. I was silent, as if I had not heard it.

"Can. Ki, pull your seat here. We're discussing it now." Mila.

I'm surprised I didn't fall over. The tomboy, who had come close to beating me, now allowed me to get closer.

On the way to school, I walked alone earlier than Mila's entourage. The thick fog seemed to separate our eyes, so I was safe without any more interference from them. But all this time Mila and her entourage seemed indifferent to me. They did not scorn again even though I passed their company in the middle of the road. It was my fault for laughing at Mila. I'm sure Mila wouldn't be angry for no reason.

I held up my chair towards Toni and Mila. Put the chair to the left of Toni, and the right of Mila who sat facing Toni. Toni's desk became the center of the three of us.

"So what's the next plan?" Mila asked. He opened the book in the middle sheet, wiggled the pencil, scribbled the book.

"We'll set up a meeting place after school." Tony gave his opinion.

"Where to meet?" Ask Mila, ketus.

Toni looks at me. "There's still a stock of fried bananas in your house, Ki?" Toni looked excited at my nod.

The blue sky that was blocked by a little white cloud was very charming, the mountain towering in front of us, what a beautiful scenery like the painting of Mila in her book this morning. Toni and I occasionally take shelter under the leaves. Mila's entourage behind us slowly stepped foot.

"Look at you every day, Ki?" Toni wagged the leaves at him, overheating. Toni's voice was in disbelief. Plus the sunburn that hunts his skin; the white and clean it-makes Toni wonder how many yards away. I replied not far away. But three times we've taken shelter - not far for me very far for Toni.

"Yes, Ton. Wh why? Is there something wrong with walking? You're a hobby of playing ball, right? Walking is healthier than playing ball. Look at my leg muscles." Toni chuckled softly as she caught her breath. Mila's party approached.

"Hay, girl. Shade." Toni.

"Who is he, brother?" Ask a friend of Mila's.

Toni stuck out her hand and met them. Just the first time I came home from school, Toni had already managed to recognize three of Mila's friends whom I didn't know - if not Toni, I wouldn't have known them. I'm not as brave as Toni.

"One way, right?" Tony asked again. Mila's three friends nodded flexibly. "alright. We're one way. Come on, it's shady." The six of us set our feet side by side. Me and Mila in front, Toni with her friend, and the other two tailed behind.

"Isn't your house near Dendi's?" Ask Mila. Ms Dendi? I asked in my heart. Mila explained in detail the character of Dendi and the position of her house. Appropriately. Mila's guess didn't miss. Mila's question just now I think is just a small talk even though Mila already knows it. Obviously, because every day I pass in front of Mila's house which occasionally glanced at her mother with a cynical look. Although I didn't see her, Mila's school uniform hanging from her porch explained that it was indeed her home.

My neighbor who sneered yesterday afternoon turned out to be Miss Dendi. It means he has a son named Dendi. Mila said the mother's son was dead. The mother did not like the boy who reminded him of his son every time. It's just right that Dendi mocked me, maybe she remembered when her son was dressed in shabbiness. My inner.

"Ki, still far away?" Ask Toni who is limping.

"Based on my mother's son, just one walk has whined so." Mila's friend in the back protested Toni while laughing. I'm still with the same answer, any minute, Ton.

"We take shelter again, yuk. Hot." Not yet able to respond, Toni has pulled over first. We also pulled over.

"You are used to it, it is natural. My house isn't far from school, so I can't afford this long way." Tangkis Toni after being teased by mom's son.

"Why not do group chores in your house, Ton?" Ask Mila.

"Hehe.I said that later on the way home only the rest of you two. Let's just say I'm accompanying you guys home today. I'll be picked up by my father in the afternoon." Answer Toni.

We talked and joked under the trees. Filled our seats with leaves falling on the ground, waiting for the sun to dim.

"For he laughed at Mila on his first day at school, so they rarely rebuked." One of Mila's friends chimed in. I chuckle, feel guilty.

"sorry. Not that I meant." I dodged.

"Oh, forget it. You guys look at that!" Mila pointed to the tree trunk. We glared at the tree trunk. The sun is dim. It seems to be three in the afternoon.

"What's wrong?" Ask Toni.

"That's part of symbiotic mutualism, isn't it?" Tanya Mila pointed at the fern of the deer tongue attached to the branch of the skull.

Toni thought hard while scratching her head. Toni glanced at me as if throwing Mila a question at me.

"No, Mil. It's symbiosis parasitism. Well, look at that one." I pointed towards the embarrassed princess flower. There are two butterflies and honey bees to the embarrassed princess flower.

"Butterfly?" Ask Mila.

"Princess is ashamed, Mil." Toni answers. Their viewpoints are very different from mine.

The point of view depends on what people think, see and feel the father said yesterday while trying to relieve my mother's nagging emotions until bedtime. Dad was speaking at length that night. Father said, we cannot restrict people from judging us. But we can think positively about it, who knows we can fix it. From that moment on my mother ignored whatever people said to us.

There is nothing wrong with a different perspective. Mila is right that if she sees butterflies, Toni is also not wrong if what she sees princess is embarrassed. Both right. It's just a lot different than I meant.

"That's one symbiotic mutualism, man. Look closer." We were sweeping the dust in each other's ass. Toni, Mila and her comrades approached the embarrassed princess. Toni touches the shy princess, then the shy princess buds. As the name suggests, said Toni while chuckling softly.

"These "butterflies and honeybees take pollen from shy princess flowers for their food. Whereas the princess of shame needs butterflies and honeybees for her pollination process." Toni and Mila nodded, understand. Oh, they both said simultaneously.

"What if there are no butterflies or honeybees?" Toni asked while plucking out one of the princess flowers in shame.

"There are no flowers." Mila. The others chuckled. Some say it makes sense, too.

"Then the flower fails in the process of pollination." My answer.

"Oh, like I'm without you huh, Ki." Toni snatches. The others laughed out loud.

It does. During this time the value of Toni squeaked up. He was always curious to interview me whenever there was a school assignment. Even though I occasionally copy my answers. Toni's efforts did not betray the result. At school, where I went, Toni was there. I go to the library a lot, learn a lot. Toni who was initially lazy to read, during hanging out with me finally the list of visitors in the library was almost full by the names of both of us.

"Then the connection between this shameful princess flower, butterfly and honeybee we include in one example our symbiotic mutualism." Mila. Me and Tony agreed.

We continued our journey after observing the embarrassed princess and around us. There were a lot of things we found along the way. One by one, Mila's friends separated into each other's homes. Finally it was just the rest of us three, who were soon to arrive home.

"That means two more examples, what is it?" Toni stared up at the sky as if reading the contents of her head.

"What if birds, Ki?" Toni asked, the bird that flew over her head became an unsolved brilliant idea.

"could. I've seen birds on cows. Pecking a cow's flea seems. Well, that could also be our second example." Toni and Mila immediately agreed with my answer.

The three of us went into the rented house, my mother welcomed the astonishment. How no wonder, I suddenly brought two of my classmates home without mother's knowledge. At first she protested, not forbidding me to bring a friend home, but it was a pity to see the two friends sitting in the sweat-soaked, hungry living room. Toni had been massaging her legs which she said were up in muscle.

Toni served as a notary, she recorded everything that Mila and I said. There are a few more examples we haven't found yet. Our minds have been turned. Luckily I served fried bananas and three cups of hot tea. Toni hurriedly took out two fried bananas at once after my mother went back into the kitchen. Mila and I laughed at Toni overheating, throwing fried bananas, holding them with unused paper.

"I have an idea. How about we go around this house who knows there's a mutual symbiosis that we're encountering." Said Toni while chewing fried bananas, hot steam fried bananas he exhaled while expressing his idea.

"no need. Just a minute." I went into the room. "I remember that in this book there are examples of mutual symbiosis." I went page by page in the book, flipping through it until at the end of the page I found an example of mutual symbiosis.

"Bacteria are good? I just heard." Tony does not believe. The three of us read the explanation in the book.

"This is the benefit of reading." I lifted the book in front of Toni and Mila, smiling in relief.

"Oh, yes. Bacteria that digest food in our stomach. It was apparently symbiotic mutualism as well." Toni chuckles softly, then writes it in a task book.

My mother came out of the kitchen and brought a new banana fry because the first banana fritters were gone, Toni was very greedy. My mother asked Toni where she was, Toni explained to my mother even though the position of Toni's house we didn't know clearly - at least we knew that Toni was. Next, mother asked Mila's house. The look on my mother's face went from being radiant to somber after knowing that Mila was a neighbor with us. The house is fourth from our house. Oh, that's all my mom said closed her introduction to Mila.

Toni picked up her father when it was getting dark. He said goodbye to me, not forgetting my mother gave me a bag of fried bananas for Toni. Mila refused my mother's gift, she came home with nothing.

"Later if the kepengen eat fried bananas I can stop here at any time." Mila said while greeting my mother. "Tomorrow don't forget to take the job, yeah." I nodded flexibly. Mila returns home after Toni moves away with her father.

My father snored loudly against the wall. Even though it was still noisy out there, my mother and I were still talking seriously, the exhausted father was not disturbed. A cold night leaves half of my body covered in blankets.

"Yes, it is. He doesn't like us living in this house. Mr. Tibet said that they used to be employees who handled the merchandise at the market, and lived free in this house." My mother whispered a little. "The Tibetans expelled them from this house and were no longer entrusted with the trade of the market. His mother's corrupt the merchandise." Mother continued.

"Oh, that means we moved here after they got kicked out, ma'am?"

"Yes, it's been packed free house even corruption of merchandise." My mother's voice sounded furious."

No one likes us to move in this house and be the right hand of the Tibetans to handle trading in the market. I murmured in my heart.

"Here you go, sleep again." My mother pulled the blanket up to a corner in the neck. Then sleep comfortably.