Monomad: Grandpa Banta Climbing Coconut in the Village

Once upon a time with Banta

I'm going to put this (Grandpa Banta Climbing Coconut in the Village) into a daily #monomad contest organized and curated by @monochromes

Before I tell you about loneliness, about The ManTua Banta and His Story With a Dog, then I will open this story, by reviewing a little daily Banta. To know the story of Banta and his dog then you have to read it to the end.

That afternoon, in the rice fields I heard half of his life story.

His name is Banta, an old grandfather who works as a coconut climber. At the age of seventy years Banta is still able to climb coconuts that grow tall. The skin of his face when wrinkles have been eaten age, while his hair is already a third white. However, Banta is a feisty and hardworking old man.

In his daily life Banta is famously friendly and cheap smile. Wherever he went, someone would know him. That's because Banta is very petrified, he sometimes pegs coconuts with his sedan wages, not set high prices. Everyone is a brother. I was close friends with Banta and he was very happy to have a coffee that afternoon in the rice fields.

We talked while enjoying a cup of coffee and a cigarette. From the wrinkles of his face it looks a long, exhausting journey, yet I rarely hear the old man complain. There was just a joke coming out of his mouth as if this world full of obstacles wasn't a big deal to him. Life is to be enjoyed and old age is the sweet rest, banta said with a chuckle.

Working with Makeshift Wages

Banta every day always gets a call to climb coconuts, both in his village and in the next village. Usually Banta gets a wage of five thousand rupiah perbatang. That's a very low wage. Even so, Banta was very happy to do so. Many mothers who call Banta and ask the gecko to massage the coconut. Banta came with pleasure, and carried out his duties without much coloteh.

Several times I heard Banta help the old women in the village by offering his services to pick coconuts without asking for anything in return. From his merits and kindness, Banta got prayers of kindness that flowed for him. By helping the people of distress Banta never complain about distress. For him life is giving because happiness is derived from the love of people to him.

In our country is indeed a coconut income area where almost all plots of land here are overgrown with coconut trees. Picked coconuts are sold to middlemen or coconut collecting agents. The agents usually buy coconuts to the community then after the coconuts are collected a lot then the coconuts are sold outside the province.

Coconut agents buy coconuts in two ways, first buying coconut congkel. Coconut congkel is sold at perkilo prices. And the second agent buys by buying cash. First the coconut was peeled off its skin then sold per fruit at the price of the perbuanya. By this coconut agent they need a shrewd coconut climber. And that man was Banta, an old man who couldn't be afraid of his knees.

His life alone and never married

Who would have thought behind the old man's bright smile, he was a lonely man. Live alone and have never been married. Banta lives in a hut near the rice fields, where she closes her eyes when night falls. From a young banta never married, she was single to this day.

When viewed up close, Banta was a handsome man during his youth. It is still clear the good looks of Banta who dwells behind his wrinkled face. It was as if the wrinkles in his eyes were a rainbow circling his two black eyes. Maybe it's his friendly attitude and smile that always brings Banta in the light. That's how I feel when I sit in front of him.

Many mysteries kept by the old man, about himself living in solitude, about loneliness that is increasingly fused with him, it turns out that Banta is an ordinary man who was once fragile. Fragile by a woman he loved and chose to attend school in the city.

I'd love to hear that guy tell me about his love story in his youth. However, when I saw his face turn gloomy, his black eyes almost melting, I apologized for no longer forcing him to remember something he had so hard buried.

Banta and a Lonely Dog

It turns out that Banta doesn't live alone. Banta lives in his hut with a dog. The dog has been kept since childhood. A few years ago he found the dog crying alone under a coconut tree. It seemed like the puppy had been left behind by his mother. Because banta did not bear to invite the dog to live in his house.

Five years have been banta taking care of the dog, they live together and wherever they go together. Today the male dog is an adult, and very loyal to his master. Wherever Banta climbed the coconut the dog always came with him.

Sometimes in the morning they go to work. Almost every day I watch Banta and the dog pass by my house. Banta paddled like Ontel while his dog named Jaka ran from behind. They are like two true friends who are inseparable.

Until one day, said Banta. Jaka, the dog meets a female dog in the village next door. After the encounter, the male dog's behavior began to change. Jaka began to rarely be at home, sometimes Banta waited for his dog until late at night, but the dog did not come home. The next day the dog was seen falling asleep under the stairs.

The unpleasant thing began to happen over and over again, Banta's dog began to rarely go home. Banta knew his dog was being drunk in love, maybe he was sticking out a female dog in the village next door. Banta starts sleeping alone without being with Jaka.

Until one day, Banta said to her dog, if you want to go, just go. Live with the dog you love, banta lirih. It was as if the dog understood what Banta was saying. After staring at Banta inside, the dog came out of the fence and ran away from Banta who was sitting alone on the stairs.

Banta knows what it's like to lose, be alone and lonely. Banta doesn't want it to happen to her dog. From afar Banta was still staring at the dog running away from him.

This story is inspired by the true story, Grandpa Banta.

Thank you
@naisfreedom

Camera Maker	Xiaomi
Camera Model	Poco X3 pro
Processesd	Mobile Lightroom
Location	Indonesia-Aceh