Mutualism

Signs of friendship, 2010

It was a rainy Friday afternoon at the farm, the kind where it wasn't heavy enough to disrupt the animals and still encouraged play outside. Most of the teens were laid about the house or exploring outside, jumping in puddles or trying to see how many frogs they could catch. Rey and Ben were sprawled out in the living room, each with a book in hand - Rey's for homework, Ben's for enjoyment.

It had become a routine of sorts for them now, to be in the same space quietly. Sometimes Ben did crossword puzzles or read one of his many books while Rey would do homework or draw, occasionally finding a book she liked enough to read for fun.

Every once in a while Ben would finish one of his books and would leave it laying around. Rey didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but she always picked those up and made sure she read them, eating up any crumb she could about her mysterious and shy friend.

So far Ben hadn't called her out on it, and whenever she finished it and left it by his favorite chair it would disappear the next day. Rey presumed it went back to its rightful place in Ben's bedroom which by now she imagined must be covered wall to wall with books based on how many he read.

The old house creaked with the sound of people moving over the wooden floor upstairs as the rain hit the windows, a peaceful calm settling over their little space that was occasionally interrupted by the sound of pages turning. Rey traced the words on the page to try to stay awake as she worked through her reading homework, finding the book boring (she much preferred math).

Right as Rey's head started feeling too heavy, the sacred silence created by the two unlikely friends was broken by Ben's low rumbling voice. "So, are you going to the farmer's market tomorrow with us? I thought I saw your name on the list..."

Rey perked up at the rare sight of Ben acknowledging her presence past a grunt and a head nod. "I am. I think they finally trust me enough around here to go on an outing," she half-joked, trying not to look too enthusiastic just in case Ben thought it was lame. Ben hummed in response and nodded before turning back to his book, but Rey swore she saw a hint of a smile on his lips.

The farmer's market was every week on Saturday during season and usually 2-3 teens got to go at a time to help out, rotating every week or monthly depending on interest. Usually everyone liked to go because it was a time to get off of the farm and because you got to collectively pick a treat to bring back to share.

Rey had recently been offered the chance to go, something that she had been denied before since the counselors insisted she needed time to get used to her new environment (even though Rey was pretty sure they were just making sure she was trustworthy enough to go, read: not a flight risk). She had been looking forward to it all week - waking up early on Saturday to bake fresh bread with Ahsoka, helping to load the van with fruits and vegetables and products from the farm, enjoying the sun outside while she walked through stalls and checked out the other local vendors.

It sounded amazing, not that she'd ever tell Solo that. He went every week. Probably wasn't that exciting to him anymore and Rey didn't want Ben to think she was some dumb eager child. She was very mature for her fifteen years of age, thank you very much.

***

The next day, Rey rose early to help Ahsoka make the bread along with Rose and Finn, the other two who had been picked to go this week. She actually woke up before the alarm, finding it hard to sleep when all she could think about were the colors and smells and sights of her coming adventure.

To Rey, this outing was a magical escape and a new sense of belonging. She was trusted enough to go along and was found responsible enough to help manage the money. That was a big job, Ahsoka had said so herself. And Rey loved math so she couldn't think of a better way to spend her day than being outside doing math with her friends (yes, Solo was included in that).