An Offer

“Michael’s?” Jess said. She looked at the roll on the plate, then at her grandfather. Her voice was suddenly sharp. “What do you mean, Michael’s? Grandad, he’s been gone for fifteen years. Ana made those rolls. You just said so yourself.”

“Punya Michael?” tanya Jess. Dia melihat roti bulat di piring itu, lalu memandang kakeknya. Suaranya mendadak tajam. “Apa maksud Kakek, punya Michael? Kek, dia sudah pergi selama lima belas tahun. Ana yang bikin roti-roti itu. Kakek baru saja mengatakannya sendiri.”

Walter didn’t answer her. He was still looking at Ana. Ana stood by the sink with a wet box in her hands and did not move. She knew that if she opened her mouth, the truth would come out. So she kept it closed, and it was the hardest thing she had ever done. The clock on the wall seemed very loud.

Walter tidak menjawabnya. Dia masih memandangi Ana. Ana berdiri di dekat bak cuci piring dengan kotak basah di tangannya dan tidak bergerak. Dia tahu bahwa jika dia membuka mulut, kebenaran akan terungkap. Jadi dia tetap menutup mulutnya, dan itu adalah hal tersulit yang pernah dia lakukan. Jam di dinding terdengar sangat keras.

Then something in Walter’s face closed, slowly, like a heavy door. He looked down at the roll. “No,” he said. “No, that’s impossible. Of course it is.” He pushed the plate away with his good hand. “You bake like him, that’s all. You learned from me, and he learned from me. Some hands remember the same things. That’s all it is.”

Lalu sesuatu di wajah Walter tertutup, perlahan-lahan, seperti pintu yang berat. Dia menunduk melihat roti bulat itu. “Bukan,” katanya. “Bukan, itu mustahil. Tentu saja mustahil.” Dia mendorong piring itu menjauh dengan tangannya yang sehat. “Kamu memanggang seperti dia, itu saja. Kamu belajar dariku, dan dia belajar dariku. Ada tangan-tangan yang mengingat hal yang sama. Cuma itu.”