She Knew

For a long moment neither of them moved. The broken pieces of the mug lay on the step between them, and tea ran slowly over the wood and dripped into the canal. Behind her tree, Ana held her breath. She could see both their faces in the yellow light from the boat: the girl’s, white and still, and the man’s, which looked as if someone had just hit it.

Untuk waktu yang lama, tak satu pun dari mereka bergerak. Pecahan cangkir tergeletak di anak tangga di antara mereka, dan teh mengalir perlahan di atas kayu lalu menetes ke kanal. Di balik pohonnya, Ana menahan napas. Dia bisa melihat kedua wajah mereka dalam cahaya kuning dari perahu: wajah gadis itu, pucat dan diam, dan wajah pria itu, yang tampak seolah-olah baru saja dipukul seseorang.

“The photo,” Jess said. Her voice was very calm, much too calm. “On your table. The man with the baby. Who is it?”

“Foto itu,” kata Jess. Suaranya sangat tenang, terlalu tenang. “Di atas mejamu. Pria dengan bayi itu. Siapa dia?”

Michael opened his mouth. Ana saw him think about lying. She saw him think about it for one second, and then she saw him decide not to. He stepped down onto the path, over the broken mug, and stood in front of his daughter. He was much taller than her, but he looked smaller.

Michael membuka mulutnya. Ana melihat dia sempat berpikir untuk berbohong. Dia melihat pria itu memikirkannya selama satu detik, lalu dia melihatnya memutuskan untuk tidak berbohong. Dia melangkah turun ke jalan setapak, melompati cangkir yang pecah, dan berdiri di depan putrinya. Dia jauh lebih tinggi daripada putrinya, tetapi dia terlihat lebih kecil.