The Shop Across the Road

Ana turns. Walter is at the door to the shop. Fast, she puts the paper square in the pocket of her jeans.

Ana berbalik. Walter berdiri di pintu toko. Cepat-cepat, dia memasukkan kertas persegi ke dalam saku celana jinsnya.

“Nothing,” she says. “I want some air. It is very hot in here.”

“Tidak ada apa-apa,” kata Ana. “Aku mau mencari angin. Di sini sangat panas.”

Walter looks at her. Then he looks at the step. The step is empty. His face doesn’t move.

Walter melihat ke arahnya. Lalu dia melihat ke tangga kecil di depan pintu. Tangga itu kosong. Wajahnya diam saja.

“Close that door,” he says. “And go to bed. You’re slow, but you’re not bad. Sleep now. Work is at three again.”

“Tutup pintu itu,” kata Walter. “Lalu tidur. Kamu lambat, tapi kamu tidak buruk. Tidur sekarang. Masuk kerja jam tiga lagi.”

Ana closes the door. Not bad. From Walter, that is good. She goes upstairs and sleeps.

Ana menutup pintu. Tidak buruk. Dari mulut Walter, itu kata yang baik. Dia naik ke atas dan tidur.

At three in the afternoon, Ana’s alarm rings. She gets up. She has no milk in her room, and no money on her phone. She needs a phone card.

Pada jam tiga sore, jam weker Ana berdering. Dia bangun. Tidak ada susu di kamarnya, dan tidak ada pulsa di teleponnya. Dia perlu kartu telepon.

Across the road, there is a small shop. Its name is over the door: SHAH’S. In the window, there are newspapers, sweets and a cat. The cat is asleep.

Di seberang jalan, ada toko kecil. Nama toko ada di atas pintu: SHAH’S. Di balik jendela kaca, ada koran, gula-gula, dan seekor kucing. Kucing itu tidur.

Ana goes in. A small woman stands behind the counter. She has gold glasses and a pen behind her ear. “Hello, my dear!” she says. “You’re new. I know everybody, and I don’t know you.”

Ana masuk. Seorang wanita kecil berdiri di belakang meja kasir. Dia memakai kacamata emas dan menaruh pulpen di belakang telinganya. “Halo, Sayang!” katanya. “Kamu orang baru. Aku kenal semua orang, dan aku belum kenal kamu.”

“Hello. Good afternoon. I’m Ana. I work at the bakery.”

“Halo. Selamat sore. Nama saya Ana. Saya bekerja di toko roti.”

“At Walter’s? The new night baker! I’m Priya. Priya Shah. This is my shop. Where are you from, Ana? How old are you? Have you got a family? Do you like it here?”

“Di tempat Walter? Pembuat roti malam yang baru! Aku Priya. Priya Shah. Ini toko milikku. Kamu dari mana, Ana? Berapa umur kamu? Punya keluarga? Kamu suka tinggal di sini?”

Ana laughs. “Sorry. Slowly, please. One question.”

Ana tertawa. “Maaf. Pelan-pelan saja. Satu pertanyaan.”

“Sorry, my dear. One question. Where are you from?”

“Maaf, Sayang. Satu pertanyaan. Kamu dari mana?”

“From far away. Very far,” Ana says. “I am twenty-four. I have a brother. He is at home.”

“Dari tempat jauh. Sangat jauh,” kata Ana. “Umur saya dua puluh empat tahun. Saya punya saudara laki-laki. Dia ada di rumah.”

“That’s three questions. Good!” Priya says. “What can I get for you?”

“Itu tiga jawaban. Bagus!” kata Priya. “Kamu mau beli apa?”